Best Budget Electric Bikes: 5 Worth Shortlisting

The Crossfire E is the bike most UK riders picture when they think "budget e-bike", and it remains the easiest recommendation on this list. Halfords builds it as a hybrid: flat bars, an upright riding position and a short-travel suspension fork, so it copes with potholed back streets, canal towpaths and the odd gravel track without complaint. Power comes from a rear hub motor, which keeps the cost down and leaves the drivetrain as standard bicycle kit — cheap chains, cassettes and pads, and any bike shop can work on it.

The trade-off is weight. It's a heavy machine to lug up steps or hang on a car rack, and on a genuinely steep hill the hub motor feels like it's dragging rather than helping. For flat and rolling everyday riding, though, it's the sensible default.

Decathlon's Riverside range is the other obvious place to start, and the 500 E is the model most riders land on. It's an upright hybrid with a rear hub motor, built for town trips, station runs and weekend mileage on traffic-free paths. Where it wins is the package: Decathlon sells direct, so more of your money goes into the bike than into dealer margin, and the frame is set up for everyday practicality with room for mudguards and a rack.

The ride is relaxed rather than sporty — you sit tall, see over traffic and arrive without needing a shower. Expect the same compromises as everything at this end of the market: it's heavy, the gears and brakes are workmanlike, and the motor is there to help rather than to turn you into a cyclist.

The Vengeance E is the mountain-bike version of the same idea: a hardtail frame, a suspension fork with more travel, knobbly tyres and a rear hub motor. If your riding means bridleways, forestry tracks, gravel canal paths and muddy shortcuts rather than pure tarmac, this is the right shape of bike — the wider tyres and slack front end keep you upright when the surface turns loose, and the fork soaks up roots and potholes.

It isn't a serious trail bike. The motor assists the rear wheel rather than driving through the gears, so steep, loose climbs still demand leg work, and the knobbly tyres buzz on tarmac. As a do-anything hack for a rider who lives on the edge of town, though, it earns its place.

The Motus Tour is the step up. Raleigh has been building this bike for years, and it uses a Bosch Active Line crank motor rather than a hub. That matters most on hills and into headwinds, because the assistance runs through the gears — drop a cog and the motor works with you instead of fading away. The ride is upright and comfortable, closer to a Dutch town bike than a sporty hybrid, and it comes in step-through and crossbar frames.

It's the priciest bike here and still a heavy thing to store. But if your commute includes a proper climb, or you want the more natural, quieter feel of a mid-drive, this is where the extra money goes.

MiRider builds the One in the UK, and it's the pick if space is your real problem. It's a 16-inch-wheel folder with a rear hub motor: it folds down small enough for a hallway cupboard, a car boot or the corner of an office, which makes it the practical choice for train-and-ride commutes and for anyone in a flat with no bike store.

Small wheels make it nippy in traffic and easy to wheel through a station, but the trade-off is a firm, choppy ride over potholes and a single frame size that won't suit very tall riders. Pace and range are modest, as you'd expect from a compact battery and motor — this is a bike for short, frequent journeys rather than all-day touring.