Everyone will have a different definition of the term "affordable" when it comes to electric bikes. We get it; personal budgets and living costs vary greatly depending on where you live, what your priorities are, and so on. For the purposes of this category, we consider any electric bike that costs less than $2,000 to be "affordable". While there are still better products out there, for many people "a bike is a bike", and any e-bike that lets you get out and ride is a great e-bike to own. E-bikes in this category tend to offer good value without breaking the bank, and they're recommended if you're new to the wonderful world of electric bikes.
These electric bikes all cost less than $2,000 USD
Vintage Vibes Done Right! Weighing in at less than 45 pounds, the aptly-named Ultralight is an electric bike you can carry or load on a standard bike rack with ease, making it a great fit for campers and RVers. With stealthily integrated electronics this classic ride will easily pass for a regular bicycle, meaning you can worry less when locking it up in public places. This is a Class 1 e-bike which means no throttle, but who needs a throttle when you have such a fun-to-ride torque sensor?
The ultimate all-terrain adventure utility bike! The Aventure.2 is the new-and-improved version of Aventon's already-popular Aventure model, a monster fat tire e-bike that can handle any terrain thanks to all that tire air volume and a suspension fork. It works well as a utility commuter too, equipped with full-coverage fenders, a cargo rack, and a full suite of lighting and signaling accessories... although finding places to park it can be tough due to its imposing size. This is a class 2/3 hybrid capable of 20mph on the throttle, or 28mph using only pedal assistance. Pedaling should be a great experience too, because the Aventure.2 has a torque sensor, making for a much more responsive motor performance.
The RadWagon 4 is Rad Power Bikes best option if you're looking for an e-bike to replace your car. It has a long-tail cargo frame that can be outfitted to haul just about anything, even two small human passengers! The RadWagon 4 is, obviously, the fourth generation of this model, and by this point it's a pretty polished product. It's cheaper than most competing cargo bikes, which means it's also equipped with more basic components than most competing cargo bikes. That's right, no responsive mid-drive motor here; the RadWagon 4 is rocking a 750-watt rear hub motor, with pedal assist activated by a simple cadence sensor. That means the pedaling experience won't be as responsive and will take some time to activate the motor, so you'll definitely be leaning on the half-grip twist throttle to get moving from a dead stop... especially if you're carrying a full load of cargo!
Although the components are basic they are feature complete. Bright integrated lights and full coverage fenders allow for safe and clean operation in the city, and the bike is highly adjustable thanks to a long seatpost tube and a tool-free adjustable stem. The frame is a sort of mid-step or "mixte", with two lower bars that allow for easier mounts and dismounts, but still provide good frame strength; that's important for a cargo bike! That's also why there is no front or rear suspension. When you're hauling lots of weight suspension doesn't perform as well, and usually it's more important to have the extra frame strength.
Unlike many cargo e-bikes the RadWagon 4 is equipped with a unique tire size of 22" in diameter by 3" wide. This gives them a bit more rolling efficiency than the typical 20x4 tires, which I'm a fan of. Unfortunately, this also makes them difficult tires to replace, because they're custom made by Rad Power Bikes; you're not going to find inner tubes of that size at your local bike shop.
The sixth generation of Rad's do-anything adventure bike is better than ever with high and low step frame options, as well as upgrades to the frame, battery, and braking system. The RadRover is a monster e-bike with 26x4 inch fat tires, good on any terrain - even sand and snow - and equipped with reflective sidewall stripes and puncture protection. This is a Class 2 electric bike which means a top speed of 20mph, reachable using either the throttle or cadence-based pedal assist, powered by a 750-watt hear hub motor and a 672 watt-hour battery. Although the "Plus" line usually denotes Rad's more expensive offerings, the price of the RadRover 6 Plus has been reduced to only $1,399! It also doesn't appear that Rad Power Bikes offers a non-Plus version of the RadRover 6. This e-bike is impressively comfortable to ride, especially with the suspension fork that allows for off-road adventuring, but that comfort comes at a cost with a curb weight of around 75 pounds. It has an average carrying capacity of 275 pounds, although it doesn't include a rear rack but you could easily and cheaply add one on. It does include fenders and integrated lights. The pedaling drivetrain is an upgraded Shimano Altus 7-speed with a rear cassette range of 11-34 teeth, which means a more pleasant pedaling experience and better hill climbing capacity.
The Turris has a lot of quality components that offer great value for money, especially considering the recent price drop to just $1,095 USD. This Class 3 is dubbed as an "adventure e-bike", making it a great fit for people who do a blend of city riding and off-road adventuring. With a powerful 750-watt rear hub motor and an upgraded Altus pedaling drivetrain, it's easy to reach the max speed of 28mph, and - unlike many similarly priced e-bikes - the Turris feels safe and stable while doing so. It's available in both high-step and step-thru frame styles, but can only be bought online as Ride1Up does not have a dealer network.
Lectric took the e-bike world by storm with their first XP model back in 2019 and they've been steadily improving the product line ever since! The XP 3.0 is the latest and greatest version with upgrades that include a quieter and more powerful motor, hydraulic brakes, and more, with an amazingly low price point of $999 USD. You still get the usual rack, fenders, and lighting system, and yes, it still folds down for easier storage and transportation.
How does a company that only makes cruisers manage to have so many models?! The Model A is one of their latest offerings, a classic styled cruiser with a single speed drivetrain and powerful rear hub motor. This thing has chopper vibes - especially with the giant headlight - and you can upgrade it with other accessories like a rack and fenders. That will cost more, and you can raise the price even more if you get lost in EBC's awesome paint color customization options... but these bikes are worth it. EBC has one of the best warranties in the business and they actually ship their products fully assembled, after being put together and tested by someone in the US. I don't know of a single other company that puts that much effort into their product and the quality definitely shows here.
The Blaupunkt Henri is rocking a magnesium alloy frame & wheels, which is durable, lightweight, and vibration damping. It folds down small which is great for storage, with a magnetic latch mechanism to keep it locked in the folded position, making it fairly easy to maneuver and roll around while folded. The 350-watt motor is no speed demon but still capable of 20mph speeds using either pedal assist or the half-grip twist throttle. It's priced a bit on the high side... but it does seem to be built very well and should hold up well over time, and it certainly looks beautiful!
The second iteration of Aventon's Sinch has changed so much that I hesitate to even consider it the same model. It's step-through now, it's got a rack and fenders, more advanced lighting, a telescoping stem, a torque sensor... but what the heck, it's the Sinch.2! It is still a fat-tired folding bike on 20x4" fat tires, and even more of a blast to ride thanks to that torque sensor. The basic suspension fork allows for comfortable riding in the city and on light trails, but it doesn't have a ton of travel so don't get too crazy. Another benefit of the new frame is that it's a lot easier to remove the battery; on the previous Sinch you had to fold the bike first before exposing the battery, which was inconvenient.
Really the only downside for the Sinch.2 is the brakes; they're good quality disc brakes, but they're mechanical as opposed to hydraulic. That means they take more grip force to activate, and they'll need occasional maintenance to tighten up the cables. For a bike that weights roughly 70 pounds and can carry up to 300 pounds of rider and cargo, hydraulic brakes would be a real plus.
I was already impressed with how cheap the original Lectric was at $879, and that was way back in 2019 dollars. Now you can get an XP Lite for only $749 in 2023 bucks! Lectric even includes fenders, a rear rack, and a set of pannier bags at that price. Plus a comfortable saddle, integrated lights, and all on their award-winning folding platform. So what do you lose if you get this instead of the standard XP? Well, the Lite is more compact and lightweight, which translates to "not as comfortable to ride" for most people. The motor is not as powerful, only capable of 20mph and you get a bit less range due to the smaller battery. The Lite is also rocking a single-speed drivetrain, which is efficient and requires less maintenance, but is a lot less fun when faced with a steep incline.
E-bikes don't get much stealthier than the CGO600 Pro, with electronics so sneakily integrated that few people will realize it isn't just a regular old acoustic bicycle. It's lightweight and incredibly smooth to ride thanks to the maintenance-free carbon belt setup. However, this is only a single speed, so it's best suited to city riders in relatively flat areas; sure, it can climb hills pretty well thanks to the 350-watt hear hub motor, but not being able to downshift means you'll have to put in quite a bit of work as well.
Most direct-to-consumer e-bikes have bad warranties, especially if they're affordably priced. Not so with the Cruiser Model 1 from Denago, who warranties their frames for life, and goes the extra mile to UL certify both their batteries and complete e-bike systems. This Class 2 is capable of 20mph speeds using either the twist throttle or cadence-sensing pedal assist, and includes fenders for easy riding in bad weather. There are mount points for a rack but you'll have to pay extra or install one yourself if you want to haul some cargo.
Rawr, it's the Lynx! Usually when you ride a small folding e-bike you have to make some sacrifices such as not being able to haul cargo, but there's no such trade-off for the Lynx, which is rocking not only a rear rack but also a sturdy front basket! It's also surprisingly adjustable thanks to the extra long seatpost, which is doing double duty holding up butts and also housing the battery pack. 20" wheels give a mechanical advantage to the motor for more ZIP, but they also don't roll over bumps as nicely as a big wheel would, and since there's no suspension you should avoid rough riding surfaces.