Which E-Bike Should I Buy? Take the Quiz

Which e-bike should I buy? The things that actually decide it

If you'd rather work it out yourself than take the quiz, here's how I think about it when someone asks. In roughly this order, because each one can settle the question on its own:

• Are you carrying anything serious? Kids, a week's shopping, tools. If yes, you want a cargo bike and the rest of the questions barely matter.
• Where will it live? A 25kg e-bike that has to go up two flights of stairs will not get ridden. If storage is tight, that pushes you to a folder before anything else does.
• What's the ground like? Roads and paths open up city and commuter e-bikes. Genuinely rough ground means an e-MTB.
• Hub motor or mid-drive? Hub motors are cheaper and quieter; mid-drives are better on hills and with a load, because they use the bike's gears. Under about £1,200 you'll get a hub motor, and that's fine for flat cities.
• Range is always optimistic. Assume about 60% of the claimed figure in cold weather with a rider who isn't 70kg. A 500Wh battery is a realistic 30–40 miles.
• The law, briefly. In the UK an e-bike must cut assistance at 15.5mph and the motor must be 250W or less. Anything faster is legally a moped, and needs tax, insurance, a licence and a helmet.

The five kinds of e-bike — and who each one is for

The honest pros and cons, the same way I'd explain it in the shop.

Electric commuter bike

A hybrid with a motor — flat bars, efficient tyres, and gearing meant for holding a steady speed on tarmac. The category most people actually want when they say "e-bike".

Pros

• Quickest way across a city, traffic included
• Lighter than cargo or mountain e-bikes
• Usually takes racks and mudguards

Cons

• Still 20kg+ — carrying it upstairs is a job
• Not built for rough ground

Best for: a daily commute on roads, where time matters. Shop electric commuter bikes →

Electric city bike

Upright, comfortable, usually sold with the rack, guards and lights already on it. The motor exists to remove hills and headwinds rather than to make you fast.

Pros

• Comfortable and easy in normal clothes
• Practical from the box — nothing to add
• Upright position, much better view of traffic

Cons

• Heavy, and slower than a commuter e-bike
• Rarely fits through a narrow hallway easily

Best for: errands, the school run, riding in what you're already wearing. Shop electric city bikes →

Electric cargo bike

A long or heavily-built frame designed to carry children or serious weight, with a motor strong enough to make that sane. The only category that genuinely replaces a second car.

Pros

• Carries two kids or a full shop without drama
• Cheaper than a car by an order of magnitude
• Parking is never a problem

Cons

• Expensive, and needs proper secure storage
• Long — some don't fit standard bike racks or lifts
• Takes a few rides to get used to steering

Best for: families and anyone hauling weight regularly. Shop electric cargo bikes →

Folding e-bike

Small wheels, a hinge in the middle, and a battery. Bought almost entirely because of where it has to live or how it has to travel.

Pros

• Fits a flat, an office, a car boot, a train
• Solves the last-mile problem properly
• Harder to have stolen — it comes inside with you

Cons

• Heavy to actually carry folded, whatever the spec says
• Small wheels feel busier on rough tarmac

Best for: flats, offices, and journeys with a train in the middle. Shop folding e-bikes →

Electric mountain bike

Suspension, grippy tyres, a tough frame and a motor sized for climbing. Built for trails rather than roads, and it shows the moment you put it on tarmac.

Pros

• Three times the descending in the same ride time
• Handles ground nothing else will
• Makes steep climbs a question of grip, not fitness

Cons

• Heavy and inefficient on the road
• Expensive, and the drivetrain wears faster under power

Best for: real off-road riding, and hilly ground. Shop electric mountain bikes →