The 10 best adult ebikes
From the hundreds of ebikes and escooters our testers have ridden, these are the best electric bikes we recommend in 2023.
Each has been assessed and rated for: build quality, safety and security, handling and performance, and comfort and practicality.
Jump to the summaries below, where you'll also find a link to the full review.
Five-star electric bikes
- Estarli e16.7 - the best lightweight ebike
- Estarli e20 - the best folding ebike
- Estarli e28 - best road ebike
- MATE City - best commuter ebike
- MATE X - a great combined on- and off-road ebike
- NewGen 345 range - the best cruiser (with the 345-S the best fast ebike)
- Temple Classic and Step Through - the best premium ebikes
Best electric bikes for ....
- Long range - Fiido L3
- Comfort in a small bike - Buxton Pro E
- Mixed use (on AND off road) - Ampere Tourer S
Five-star electric bikes
Estarli e16.7, £1,250: best lightweight ebike
See the full review of the etarli e167 plus all the ratings and specs info
The Estarli e16.7 is a lightweight, folding e-bike built with commuting and everyday use in mind. It’s the competitor headache Brompton didn’t want – and with good reason, this bike is excellent. The e16.7 has the same tech, comfort, and ride-ability of bikes twice its £1,250 price tag.
This really could be the answer to your city-riding prayers – and in riding and spending time using the bike, we found it easy to use, straightforward, and very satisfying to own. It should appeal to anyone interested in riding an ebike on a daily basis.
Estarli e20, £1,295: the best folding ebike
See the full review of the estarli e20 plus all the ratings and spec info.
The Estarli e20 is a perfect entry-level folding ebike, Our reviewer's summary: "I love this bike". It’s just over £1,000 but we think it has a lot to offer for the price bracket it’s in. We found it light and comfy to ride. The larger tyres than most folding bikes (20 inch rather than 16 inch) mean you get power, comfort and good handling. Not only that it looks great, with the battery cleverly hidden in the seat post.
We found it wasn't the most compact bike when folded. And its other drawback is range - 31 miles from the slightly small battery (the price that had to paid for concealing it so well). But these are only minor quibbles - this a great, good value bike and is the one to beat in our tests.
Estarli e28, £1,550: best road ebike
See the full review of the estarli e28 plus all ratings and spec info
This is a beautifully designed e-bike in a slender, classic road-bike style frame. The team at Estarli have made a very capable, very sleek and smart looking e-ride.
One nice feature is the torque sensor system which works out how much assistance to give and this works well - it feels like a bionic extension and a step up from cadence sensors. If you're looking for a non-folding road bike, this is a great choice.
MATE City, £1,995: best commuter ebike
See the full review of the MATE City plus all ratings and spec info.
The MATE City offers style, comfort AND functionality at a reasonable price - "a nimble bargain," said our reviewer. It's a very nippy mover that we found easy to ride in the city with its many obstacles and overtaking cars. And we got close to the 50-mile range even with some hills.
The main compromise is that it’s a maybe little bulky at 20kg and not the most compact when folded. The weight, though, is partly due to the full suspension front and rear - which means we enjoyed riding this and found it comfortable on and off-road - so it's good for commuting and weekend leisure.
MATE X, £2,950: great combined on- and off-road ebike
See the full review of the MATE X plus all ratings and spec info.
MATE X is hands down the comfiest bike we've ever ridden (to quote our reviewer's memorable summary "it's comfy in your arms as well as your bum"). This thing glides over potholes and bumps like they aren't there. Fat wheels, padded handles, front and back suspension mean we've never had so much fun riding a bike.
Sure, it’s big and heavy. And it definitely folds for space not carrying - it's 30kg and you need to be strong to even lift it.
You get a distinctive, highly visible riding stance - when we were on it, we felt like we were on a bike SUV in terms of seeing and being seen. And we should also call out the nine levels of electric assistance and eight-speed gearbox. You get a lot of control from this bike.
NewGen 345 range - the best cruiser (with the 345-S the best fast ebike)
See the full review of hte NewGen 345 range plus all the ratings and specs info
We loved riding the 345 and its looks are a head turner. It has a cafe-racer cruiser vibe with a lovely relaxed upright riding position thanks to the frame’s geometry.
I found it really comfy to ride once I’d adjusted to the seat, especially as the standard and S versions have great suspension. And touches like the lights and the cargo shelf show great attention to usability as well as design. It comes in three models. The starter 345-E with a 20 mile range, the standard commuter 345 has a 50-mile range and the off-road 345-S, £2,850 with a 40-mile range and more power and speed (which mean it's not legal on UK roads - and nor's the throttle).
Temple Classic and Step Through, £2,995: the best premium ebikes
See the full review of the Temple electric bikes plus all ratings and specs info
Temple Cycles, known for their classically styled steel-frame bikes, offer "stability and style" in their electric models, according to our reviewer. This electric bike is so responsive and effortlessly powerful, they spent a month with it described it as "a joy to have as a part of my day-to-day commuting".
The power just feels like a wonderful extension of your own pedalling and the torque sensor picks up on every little push with the right amount of assistance. On top of this, the nine gears make it easy to tackle any kind of hill or slope - and we also found it also handles really well over grass off-road. Overall, the way they've engineered it, you can tell that they really have thought about every single nut and bolt. Temple have really mastered what an electric bike of this caliber in this price bracket should be. It’s got great looks, is made to last and a dream to ride.
Best electric bikes for specific riders
Fiido L3, under £1,000: best for long range
See the full review of the Fiido L3 plus all ratings and spec info.
Under £1,000 and with a range of over 100 miles - this is an incredible bike for the price with our reviewer saying "this changed my commute for the better". We found it to be an incredibly comfy ride thanks to the cushioned bar-stool-like seat and suspension.
There are a couple of compromises. The wheels are 14-inch, which is quite small although we found the ride on this to be pretty stable. We didn't think initial acceleration was the best due to its cadence (rather than torque) sensor. And it only has a single gear for manual cycling which can therefore be quite hard work. But at this price, it's a bargain and you can just keep going and going thanks to the amazing range. Expect to see a lot of delivery riders on this.
Forme Buxton Pro E, £1,3999 - best for comfort in a small bike
See the full review of the Buxton Pro plus all ratings and spec info
The Forme Buxton Pro E is a folding electric bike built for anyone, anywhere and with any level of ebike experience. It’s an excellent solution for those looking to revolutionise their commute, keen to experience electric bikes for the first time, or just those who want a great ebike to enjoy on the weekends. It’s exceptionally comfortable, however many times I mention it will simply not do this bike justice.
I really enjoyed switching between modes whilst out on the bike, it really enabled me to happily whoosh around with very little effort – and allowed me to very easily keep up with traffic or not loose speed when faced with an incline.
Factor in that the Pro E also has eight gears to use, I could very easily flick down a couple of gears before stopping at a traffic light to help me get away from a stop, and move up the gear set when whistling along flatter terrain.
Ampere Tourer S, £1,349: best for mixed use (on AND off road)
See the full review of the Ampere Tourer S plus all ratings and spec info
The Ampere Tourer S Hybrid is an affordable, practical, and easy-to-use electric bike that is the perfect first step into the electrified world or for those who are looking for an upgrade. "It's the ebike that makes you want to keep on riding" said our reviewer. It’s a “does what it says on the tin” electric bike – and that’s a really good thing.
If you’re looking for an ebike and you don’t want the fuss of apps, keys, log ins, and all the other shenanigans, look no further. The Tourer S is one of the most comfortable ebikes we've ridden – helped by its Suntour NEX front suspension. And it maintains that comfort level both on and off road.
Buy the Ampere Tourer S Hybrid
Best ebikes - the specs
How we test
Our expert testers ride all the electric bikes we review, and we assess them against a range of criteria on road, off-road and in our testing rooms. We check the components' quality and ride the bikes on a range of different terrains and distances. We've ridden hundreds of bikes in total (and an equal number of electric scooters).
For more commuter bikes, see our full list of best electric folding bikes plus all the adult electric bikes we sell.
