The best folding electric bikes for space-saving rides (2024)

The best folding electric bikes are a convenient way totake aride, even whenyou'retight on space at home or the office. They fold up small for storage in a corner or a closet, then expand quickly and easily for short to medium commutes.

Butit'shard to know howthey'llactually fare until you get one in your home.That'swhy we put the best folding electric bikes to the test, taking them out for leisurely rides and quickcommutes,and putting the folding mechanisms through their paces to see ifthey'redurable and easy to use.

We found thatthe Aventon Sinch.2 was the best optionoverallthanks to its versatility. And, ifyou'reworking on a budget, the Ride1Up Portola is a fantastic alternative. But thesearen'tyour only choices, aswe'verounded up the best folding electric bikes fora range ofbudgets and activities.

The quick list

The best folding electric bikes you can buy today

Best folding electric bike overall

The Aventon Sinch.2 is a durable, stable, quick-folding electric bikethat'llsuit quick commutes and longer rides. We were particularly impressed with its stability, especially for a foldable bike, and the build quality.

The rear-mounted motor can assist you up to 20mph, while the 20-inch wheels and 4-inch tires mean that the Aventon Sinch.2 canhandle most everyday terrains with relative ease.

Aventon focuses on the essentials, sothe bike can do the basics well, but if you want to carry larger loads, you can pick up additional accessories to expand thebike'sstorage.

However, the base bike is pretty expensive as it is, so these extras quickly add up. But ifyou'relooking for a solid folding bike that can handlethe majorityof your daily routine, the Sinch.2 is an excellent option.

Our only complaint is thatwe foundthe suspension fork was a bit too soft for our liking.But,you can easily switch this out for a more rigid fork ifyou'reinclined, though this will, of course, add to the overall cost.

• Read our fullAventon Sinch.2review

Best budget folding electric bike

Ifyou'relooking for a more budget-friendly foldable ebike, then the Ride1Up Portola is a great option. It combines an excellent ride with a sleek and versatile design, which is impressive for the almost $1,000 price tag.

You get a choice of two batteryoptions;10.4Ah and 13.4Ah, although you pay an extra $100 for the larger size.The bike folds at the center,anditgets pretty compact — just 36 inches long and 16 inches wide.Plus, the handlebars collapse at the touch of a levertoo.

Like with many of these foldable ebikes,we found thatthe front suspension was unscary,didn'tadd much to the ride, and just added weight to the bike. But that was our only major complaint, as the bike offered plenty of power, even on hill starts.

For such a small bike, the motor packs a powerfulpunch,andwas able to tacklealmost any situation we put it to. If we had one small criticism, it's that Ride1Up could make the hinge level quieter, but that doesn't stop it being a fantastic budget-conscious folding electric bike.

• Read our fullRide1Up Portolareview

Best folding electric bike for comfort

Ifyou'reafter comfort without compromising on power,it'sworth considering the Lectric XP 3.0.It'snot quite as funto rideas the Ride1Up Portula, but it comes close.It can handle hill starts and speedy commuteswith easeusing therightsettings.

We found that the ride was incredibly responsive, which did take some getting used to, but onceyou'reout of any swooping corners, the motor kicks back in as soon as you start pedaling again, though it was tough to get the biketo actually hit the 20mph max assist speed.

The bike was comfortable, even on extended rides, but we did feel that the seat was too large and ended up getting in the way, even when folded. The folding mechanism was intuitive, but the hinge wason the stiff side, making itdifficultto engage with cold hands in winter.

You can upgrade the base model with accessory packs, like the Comfort kit, which includes alargerseat.However, even without the extras, the Lectric XP 3.0 is a speedy, long-lasting, and comfortable option for rides around the cityand tothe office and back.

• Read our fullLectric XP 3.0review

Best lightweight folding electric bike

The C-Line Explore looks a lot likeBrompton'sother bikes, but ifyou'rea fan of thecompany'sminimal aesthetic,thenyou'llfind plenty to like with this folding electric bike.It'sa breeze to ride, has good range, and folds into a nicely compact package for storage.

Plus, we liked the attention to detail in the design, like adding a USB port for charging your phone. And, if you want to reduce the weight and take a manual cycle, you can quickly remove the battery for unassisted rides.It'sa great package ifyou'relooking for a commuting bike, but there are some trade-offs.

The C-Line Explore easily folds to make it compact for storage, with small wheels designed to reduce its footprint. But these smaller wheels make it harder to stay in control across uneven roads, soyou may be better with the larger wheels of the Aventon Sinch.2 on rougher terrain.

However, it excels as a lightweight commuter bike for city rides. We were impressed with thebattery'salmost 50-milerange,and how neatly the bike folds away to make it easy to store beside your desk at work or discreetly placed behind the couch at home.

• Readour fullBrompton C-Line Explorereview

Best folding electric bike for rough terrain

The Heybike Mars 2.0isn'tthe most elegant ebikearound, but the fat-tired wheels make it an ideal option for uneven ground or rougher terrain. Plus,there'sa large rear rack for carrying cargoandit comes in four colors if you want to add some personality to your bike.

It'sthe follow-up to thecompany'sfirst folding bike, the Mars, and the upgrades here are relatively modest, as you get a bit more power and a slightly longer-lasting battery. And it retains thefirst-generation'scenter-folding lever-based mechanism for quick storage.

However, we found that, while the motor is powerful enough to see you through most situations (even steep hills),there'sa noticeable lag between when you start to pedal and when the motor kicks in, which wedidn'texperience on the other folding electric bikes in this guide.

But onceyou'veadjusted to this delay, the Mars 2.0 isan extremely funbiketo ride, even on rough or snow-covered roads. So, ifyou'reafter a durable, solid folding ebike for your next adventure,it'sworth adding to your shortlist.

• Read our fullHeybike Mars 2.0 review

Best compact folding electric bike

Rad Power makes some of the best electric bikes, but manyare packedwith premium features and a price tag to match. The RadExpand 5 takes a more back-to-basics approach in the best possible way and adds a quick, easy-to-use folding mechanism for storage.

It feels like a foldable electric bike, rather than an electric bike you can fold with fewer unnecessary features like a suspension fork, which adds weight for minimal performance gain on these compact ebikes. It might be smaller than RadPower's other models but it still has plenty of power.

We also quite liked that the pedals don't fold. This sounds counterintuitive, but folding pedals make the process more complicated for very minimal space savings, and it's more time consuming to unfold when all you want to do is hop and your bike and get riding.

However,it'salso significantly more expensive than the other folding electric bikeswe'veincluded, and it feels likeit'smissing several features at this price, like a handlebar-mounted cycling computer, for example. Still, it's extremely versatile, powerful, and fun to ride.

• Readour fullRad Power RadExpand 5review

How to choose the best folding electric bike

Start your search for the best electric folding bike by examining the basic specs and comparing them against how you intend to use the bike. For example, if you have a long commute,you’llwant to make sure you choose a bike with a long advertised rangeso you canmake it to work and back with battery life to spare.

And consider the terrain on whichyou’remost likely to ride. While many folding ebikes today come stock with wide tires that can handle dirt roads and rough pavement, others come with narrower tires that might not be suitable for rougher terrain.

But,narrower tires also mean more compact folding. And those skinnier tires save weight, so ifyou’llbe stowing your ebike in an overhead space, pay close attention to thebike’soverall weight and err toward skinny tires. And if your priority is space savings, skinnier tires help a ton.

How we test the best folding electric bikes

We rode each bike in this guide extensively to gauge ride quality, usability, versatility, battery life, and motor power. For some of the bikes that claim a wide rider height range, we asked a much taller friend (over 6 feet tall) to test the bikes for their handling capabilities and size accommodations.

Since folding ebikes tend to be compact, thebike’shandling can be affected. During testing, wepaid particular attention tohow the bike responds to different steering situations — from tight corners to high-speed sweeping curves. The best folding ebikes handle bothwith easeor at least limit any steering unsteadiness to the least common steering scenarios.

While allofthose factors are important in any ebike, folding ebikes must alsobe critiquedon their foldability. How small does it fold up? How light is it? Can the rider easily carry it in the folded position? How quick and easy is it tofold,and to unfold for riding use?

Build quality matters, too. Since folding ebikes have hinges, those hinged locations must remain solid and stable whileyou’reriding the bike. Quick-release levers should engage tightly, and there should be little to no play in any part that releases for folding.

The bulk of the testing took place on rolling terrain in Colorado. Almost all of it was on pavedsurfaces,or through patches of dirt and grass for brief periods. Temperatures ranged from 25 degrees Fahrenheit to 65 degrees Fahrenheit; colder temperatures can have an adverse effect on battery life.

Each bike was tested for motor response (how long it takes for the assist to kick in once you start pedaling);throttleresponse;starting from a dead stop on ahill;battery life under heavyuse;foldability andstorability;and basic functionality.

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