Electric Bike Finder

The class tells you how fast the motor helps and whether there is a throttle. Class 1 is pedal-assist up to 20 mph with no throttle. Class 2 adds a throttle that moves the bike up to 20 mph without pedaling. Class 3 is pedal-assist up to 28 mph, the quickest of the three for keeping pace with traffic, and usually has no throttle above 20 mph.

Where each class is allowed comes down to local rules, which vary by state and even by city and often cover bike paths, age limits and helmets. Class 1 is accepted in the most places. Class 3 is often road and bike-lane only, and some paths ban throttles entirely. Check the rules where you ride before you buy, because they decide which class works for you.

Pedal-assist only adds power while you pedal, so it feels like a stronger version of you. A throttle drives the bike whether you pedal or not, like a scooter, which helps for pulling away from a stop, carrying a load or resting your legs.

About half the bikes here have a throttle. If range matters, pedal-assist stretches it further, since a throttle drains the battery faster, generally caps at 20 mph by law, and is restricted in more places. Decide how you want to ride, then require a throttle or filter it out in the finder.

Flat commute and tight budget, get a hub motor. Real climbs or trail riding, get a mid-drive. A hub motor sits in the wheel and is simpler, quieter and cheaper. A mid-drive sits at the cranks and drives through the gears, so it climbs far better and feels more natural to pedal, though it costs more.

The number that decides climbing is torque in newton meters, not wattage. Bikes here run roughly 50 to 105 Nm, and more torque means easier hills and stronger starts. Filter by motor type or set a torque floor to match your terrain.

Less far than the spec sheet says. Claimed range is a best case from the lowest assist, a light rider and flat ground. Your real range drops with higher assist, hills, wind, rider weight and throttle use, often to two thirds of the claim or less. Treat the number as a ceiling, not a promise.

Compare on battery capacity in watt hours instead, which we list for every bike. More watt hours means more range under the same conditions. Plan for roughly 20 to 30 watt hours per mile, so a 500 Wh pack covers real ground and a 720 Wh or larger pack gives you cushion. Sort by capacity to line bikes up fairly.

The type of bike sets the budget more than anything else. Folding and fat-tire bikes start cheaper, often under 1,500 dollars. Full-suspension mountain, road and gravel bikes climb past 3,000 dollars. The median bike in our catalog is around 2,200 dollars.

Set the price filter to your ceiling first, then see what is actually available for the riding you have in mind. If your budget and your dream category do not line up, the finder greys out the impossible combos instead of sending you down a dead end. Our value filters then surface the most capable bike for the money in any range. Set a free price tracker on the one you want and we email you the moment it drops.

Start with how you will actually ride, because the use-case category is the strongest filter we have. Commuting, trail riding, hauling kids or groceries, and long road miles all point to very different bikes, so picking the type narrows the field fast. Then set a budget you are comfortable with.

Now layer in the two or three specs that matter for your riding. A torque floor if you climb hills, a watt-hour minimum if you ride far, a weight cap if you carry the bike upstairs. Shortlist a handful and put them side by side in our compare tool before you commit. Spec sheets only go so far, so read owner feedback and watch a ride review or two before you decide.