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Oct 15, 2024

Best Mid-Drive Electric Bikes 2024 | Our Experts’ 9 Picks

*Electric Bike Report aims to help consumers find the right electric bike for their needs. When you buy a product we recommend, we may earn a commission. It’s a little more complicated than this, but

*Electric Bike Report aims to help consumers find the right electric bike for their needs. When you buy a product we recommend, we may earn a commission.

It’s a little more complicated than this, but I think it’s automatic vs. stick shift.

Most mid-drive motors use a torque sensor to judge when to turn the motor on and off. They also add an additional layer to the experience. By detecting how much pressure is on the pedals, they allow the motor to change how much it helps you pedal.

From the moment a rider pushes down on a pedal, the motor springs to life. Power addition and subtraction come in proportion to the rider’s effort. Furthermore, the proportion of power applied is determined by which PAS level the rider has selected.

While the experience of riding a mid-drive e-bike is natural and seamless, it also means that the rider is going to have to work harder to go faster. A Class 3 mid-drive e-bike, for example, won’t go 28 mph without the rider making some real effort.

We’ve tested a myriad of e-bikes with mid-drive motors and have selected a handful of options that we consider to be the best. Whether you want a relaxed city cruiser or a tough and active trekking bike, look no further for the best mid-drive electric bikes!

*Editor’s Note: Content updated June 25th, 2024 with updated picks for the best mid-drive electric bikes.

The Ride1UP Prodigy V2 LX provides a stellar feel to its ride and comes with more features than you’d expect, given its relatively low price tag of around $2,500.That might seem steep for an e-bike from Ride1UP, but it’s justified. The Prodigy V2 includes premium features that you’d pay a significantly higher price for if any other brand made it.

The bike’s Brose TF Sprinter motor is the star of the show, with a range of smooth-feeling pedal assistance from subtle to substantial. It gives you 250W of power with 90Nm of torque to help speed up the ride in a natural way (it still feels like a bike!) and give your legs welcome relief on the steepest hills.

On the Prodigy V2, you can choose between two different drivetrains, but we loved the feel of the Enviolo CVT and the Gates belt drive on our test bike. Since there are no gears, shifting with this internal system provides a seamless experience while on the move. It also offers a broad range of flexibility for easy uphill pedaling.

The Prodigy V2 includes everything needed for daily commuting, but with Maxxis Rekon Race tires, its mid-drive, and a 100mm suspension fork, it’s suitable for trekking and light off-roading. This is a bike that is built to perform – without breaking the bank!

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The Specialized Turbo Vado 4.0 may look like any other mid-drive commuter, but looks can be deceiving, right?

We’ve included this e-bike in our collection of the best mid-drive e-bikes for a couple of reasons, but the biggest is that the Turbo Vado 4.0 is easy to get up to a Class 3 top speed of 28 mph – and to keep it there, thanks to a 250W Specialized 2.0 motor and 11-speed SRAM drivetrain.

One unfortunate reality of many of the more budget-minded e-bikes is that their gearing range isn’t low enough to make steep hills easy and isn’t high enough to reach its top assist speed. With some e-bikes, the only way to reach their top assist speed (whether 20 mph or 28 mph) is for the rider to turn the pedals like a jet engine.

With the Turbo Vado 4.0, the 48×11 top gear makes reaching and maintaining 28 mph pretty easy. Sure, a mid-drive motor will require the rider to work harder, but the pedals need not spin like the blades of a blender.

In our testing, the 710 Wh battery yielded a range of 61 mi. in PAS 1, and the SRAM Level hydraulic disc brakes provided terrific control. The 27.5 x 2.3 Pathfinder tires feature a low-profile tread for speedy rolling and a suspension fork with a coil spring and a suspension seatpost for rider comfort.

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The Tenways AGO X is a commuter e-bike with enough freedom and versatility to go beyond pavement.

Marketed as an “e-bike SUV,” it features the design of a commuter, but its frame is outfitted with many components suitable for an entry-level mountain bike. These include its 10-speed Shimano Deore drivetrain, a Suntour XCM 32 suspension fork, and Tektro HD-275 hydraulic disc brakes.

The AGO X also features a Bafang M410 mid-drive motor with 250W of nominal output and a max of 80 Nm of torque. This motor felt more powerful than we expected, though it was reserved enough to preserve the natural feel of an analog bike. With its torque sensor, the motor was able to respond quickly to the amount of force we applied to the pedals.

While we recommend swapping out the equipped street tires for something with knobbier tread if you want to spend more time off the road than on, we appreciated the bike’s great handling, steering precision, and stability. These features were primarily a result of the bike’s 29”x2.25” tires and super-wide 770mm handlebars.

To top it off, the AGO X benefits from Tenways’ trademark design, with a smooth, weld-free frame, integrated headlight, and unique paint jobs!

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The Allant+ 8s is simply one of the best commuters we’ve tested.

In addition to a bevy of high-quality components, a defining feature of the Allant+ 8s is its Bosch drive system. Made up of a 250W mid-drive motor and a 625 Wh battery, the system is efficient and powerful, but it still feels thoroughly responsive and natural.

The Allant+ also pairs with the Bosch COBI.BIKE app, which serves as a central hub for your most used – and useful – apps. It provides seamless access to navigation, health data, music, and more, making the bike more of a robust, full-function EV.

We found that the bike had a unique blend of solidity and nimbleness; its 27.5”x2.4” Bontrager road tires made it highly maneuverable, while its quality construction and overall weight of 57 lbs helped it to feel firmly planted.

This combination made the bike feel fun but also remarkably dependable and stable.

We found the Allant+ 8s to be surprisingly powerful and capable on hills for its specs. As a Class 3 e-bike, it packs enough muscle to reach 28 mph! It’s also well-specced with a wide gearing range for efficient climbing.

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An e-bike need not be elaborate or powered like a Dodge Challenger to suit someone’s needs. The Specialized Turbo Como is a terrific example of where a manufacturer kept their e-bike simple and straightforward.

This is a Class 1 e-bike (20 mph max, no throttle) that seems like the modern-day answer to those old 3-speeds that made reliable commuters. Its simplicity made it a must-have for our roundup of the best mid-drive e-bikes.

For urban commuters who want a bit of exercise as they ride, the Turbo Como 3.0 IGH is ideal. The mid-drive motor provides smooth and instant acceleration, making the operation of the motor seamlessly integrated with pedaling.

The rider who wants a simple and straightforward commuter will appreciate the choice of an internally geared Enviolo CVT rear hub and Gates Belt. It’s zero muss or fuss; chain lube need not apply. It comes equipped with a rear rack, lights, and fenders; all it lacks is a saddle bag, but that’s an easy fix.

The Turbo Como comes in three different frame designs—traditional, low-step, and step-thru (shown above) and each of those comes in three sizes, making it one of the friendliest-fitting e-bikes in this collection.

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The Ramblas marks Aventon’s first foray into two particular segments of the e-bike market: first, it’s the brand’s first eMTB, and second, it hosts their first mid-drive motor.

Incidentally, the Ramblas is also the company’s most expensive e-bike to date, but we found that it provided remarkable value for its price tag of around $2,700.

It would have been easy for Aventon to spec budget components from lesser-known brands, but the Ramblas comes decked out in solidly performing, long-lasting parts from established manufacturers.

Case in point: the bike’s SRAM groupset includes 4-piston hydraulic disc brakes and a 12-speed NX Eagle drivetrain with an 11-50T cassette. It sports a RockShox 35 Silver suspension fork with a respectable 130mm of travel. To top that off, it rolls on chunky Maxxis Rekon tires on either 27.5” or 29” wheels (depending on frame size).

The Ramblas is driven by a custom 250W mid-drive made in partnership with Gobao. This motor was made to compete with high-end mid-drives from Bosch, Brose, and Shimano – and it was largely successful, thanks in large part to its punchy 100 Nm of torque and peak of 750W.

In our experience, this motor made typically challenging climbs breezy by comparison and kept the ride feeling spirited and fun with quick acceleration.

Additionally, the bike knocked our socks off with its Range Test results. The Ramblas includes a 708 Wh battery, which Aventon claims can keep the bike powered for up to 80 miles on technical trails. As with all of our Range Tests, we tested the Ramblas on paved bike paths, but we measured over 100 miles in the bike’s lowest-assist setting.

All in all, the Ramblas proved to be more than a competent entry into new territory for Aventon. We think the bike is a great buy with excellent bang for the buck!

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There’s a reason we see riders on a Turbo Levo almost every time we hit the trails or the bike paths.

This bike is a workhorse.

eMTBs often fall into one of two categories: bikes that give you a slight boost to take the edge off tough climbs or bikes that do a hefty chunk of the heavy lifting for you. We tested the lightweight (around 50 lbs) Comp Carbon version with the Specialized 2.2 mid-drive and found it to be somewhere in the middle.

It was powerful yet natural and responsive—and a whole lot of fun.

The bike’s seamless carbon frame and mullet design (a 29” front wheel and 27.5” rear) gave it a playful, lively feel with sharp handling. Its Fox Float X Performance shock and Fox 36 Rhythm fork took some serious punishment on the chunky trails of southern Utah but kept the ride comfortable and smooth.

The Turbo Levo also has impressive range capabilities thanks to its 700 Wh battery. In our testing, it delivered enough juice to complete a 45-mile race course with room to spare in nearly 4 hours of ride time.

We appreciated the bike’s modern geometry and wide range of 6 sizes. The stock setup on our test bike felt dialed in, but the bike’s geometry can also be customized and tuned to its riders’ preferences.

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If blustery winter weather cramps your style, or your current bike just can’t handle the demands of overlanding, the Borealis Keystone just might be the bike for you.

We were surprised by the bike’s nimble, spritely handling resulting from its lightweight alloy frame. Our bike weighed 60 lbs but felt and responded like it was 10 lbs lighter!

The Keystone can be equipped with your choice of tire at purchase; Borealis offers a dozen options at the time of writing. The 26×5” Terene Johnny 5 tires on our test bike were massive, grippy, and remarkably stable. These tires allow riders in northern climes to extend their riding season, and they can tackle rough and slippery ground alike for all-terrain riding capability.

In addition to its tire options, we loved the Keystone’s standard spec package, which is filled to the brim with an impressive roster of name brands. From the Shimano EP8 mid-drive and 630 Wh battery to the Mastodon Pro EXT suspension fork and wireless SRAM Eagle GX transmission, the Keystone is built to perform anywhere and any time of year.

The bike is available in four frame sizes to fit riders from 5’2” to 6’5”. Its geometry is slightly more upright than we’ve seen on some similar bikepacking/overlanding bikes, offering a comfortable and relaxed feel for long trail rides or other adventures.

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Some eMTBs get a bad rap for being “easy mode.” The thought behind this statement is that they take all the effort out of the sport, thereby diminishing the payoff. The Trek Marlin+ 8 is NOT such an e-bike.

With its 250W Bosch Active Line Plus mid-drive that produces a conservative 50 Nm of torque, Trek designed the Marlin to feel just like an analog bike but with a dash of motor power to alleviate strain. It’s the kind of e-bike that will still get you breathing hard but one that will give you the energy to stay out on the trails for an extra hour or two.

The Marlin+ 8 has two features that don’t often appear elsewhere. When riding in “Auto Mode,” the bike’s assist levels change automatically and fluidly to deliver the right power for the current riding environment. Using the Bosch Flow app, Users can tweak the motor output and torque of the bike’s assist settings to their liking.

Even in its standard settings, we appreciated the bike’s natural feel and incredibly responsive, near-seamless motor engagement.

We were also floored by its efficiency; in our range test, the bike traveled over 70 miles on a single charge of its 400Wh battery.

The bike has a solid spec package for its price, too. It’s outfitted with a 12-speed Shimano Deore drivetrain, a RockShox Recon Silver RL suspension fork, Shimano 4-piston hydraulic disc brakes with 203mm rotors, and Bontrager Gunnison Pro XR tires.

With all that it offers, we see the Marlin+ 8 as a solid mid-level option for those who want a good workout without reaching the point of exhaustion – and without breaking the bank.

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Let’s get on to what we looked for in the best mid-drive electric bikes:

This is perhaps the best advice we can offer:

Buy an e-bike with a hub motor if you want activity. Buy an e-bike with a mid-drive motor if you want exercise.

Riding an e-bike with a mid-drive motor will ask more from you, but the immediacy of the feedback and the superhero-like experience of having your effort multiplied in proportion to your effort is intoxicating.

Have a bike that you think would be a good contender for our best page? Let us know in the comment section below. At the very least, we always want to know what our readers are riding.