5 Of The Best Budget E-Bikes You Can Buy

E-bikes have exploded onto the scene of late, especially for those looking for an alternate way of commuting to and from work or running errands. A confluence of factors, including improved battery technology, a growing awareness of the importance of sustainable lifestyles, and the ever-worsening nightmare of sitting in traffic, have led to this boom in electric vehicles. Electric bikes are different than electric motorcycles and have less range and speed. However, e-bikes are also typically cheaper than electric motorcycles.

That said, e-bikes range greatly in price and quality, and some can be more expensive than a used car. To be perfectly honest, none of the best electric bikes available will come cheap. Most premium e-bikes simply aren't available for under $500, just as you wouldn't ever find a premium new car for under $5,000. However, there are still some relatively affordable e-bikes that can be worth the investment. You'll likely have to sacrifice certain attributes — like comfort, battery life, or speed — but if your priority is saving money, these cheap e-bikes can be a useful purchase.

Here are five of the best budget e-bikes you can buy, based on the hands-on testing of riders who've used them and the expert reviewers of various publications, including SlashGear. You can find more information on how these e-bikes were evaluated at the end of this list.

In SlashGear's hands-on review of the Swagtron EB-5, we gave the e-bike a very impressive 9 out of 10 score. Despite being hundreds — if not thousands — of dollars cheaper than many of the best e-bikes on the market, our reviewer reported that "the EB-5 electric bicycle might be the best bicycle [he's] ever ridden." It's comfortable to ride, even on extended trips, and it has a solid range of up to 15.5 miles on a single charge. Its 250-watt motor can generate a top speed of over 15 miles per hour, and the vehicle comes with power assist functionality. 

Plus, it's highly adjustable and versatile, and easily folds up for better storage and portability. You can keep it under your desk at work or close by your side while riding the subway, as well as quickly store it in the trunk of a compact car. The bike weighs 37 pounds and has 14-inch wheels. You can fully charge its battery within 5 hours, so it'll be ready to go when it's time to head home from a day at work.

Despite a stellar review, SlashGear did find some faults with the EB-5, including a slightly flimsy kickstand spring. Its battery is built in and thus not swappable, which can be inconvenient. Also, its weight limit is 264 pounds, which can be limiting, although it's still larger than many other e-bikes in its price range. Even with these drawbacks, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better e-bike for under $500. You can purchase the Swagtron EB-5 from Amazon for $299.99.

If you're looking for a cheap e-bike that also has great range, then you don't need to look any further than the Sailnovo Y1-14, which can travel 28 miles on a single charge. Its powerful 350-watt motor can generate speeds of up to 18.5 mph, and the bike can fully recharge in between 5 and 6 hours. Since it has room to attach a basket and a weight capacity of 265 pounds, you can even use the vehicle to run errands and grab groceries. Its 14-inch wheels have decent shock absorption and the bike can handle 15-degree inclines with little effort.

The Y1-14 includes dual disc brakes, lights in the front and rear, and a battery indicator that will also display your speed. Plus, it's foldable, making it much easier to carry and even more convenient to store indoors. Despite its low retail price, USA Today named the Y1-14 one of its "best electric bikes of 2024," highlighting the fact that it also comes nearly fully assembled — so you can start riding it right away without fumbling with ratchets, tiny screws, or confusing instructions.

Like most budget e-bikes, the Y1-14 is on the smaller side — to the point where it may be uncomfortable to ride if you're fairly tall. Also, its speedometer only comes in metric, so it's not advisable to ride if you don't have a sense of how to read speed in kilometers per hour. If you can, though, the Sailnovo Y1-14 is a solid choice and is available from Amazon for $289.99.

The Droyd Blipper is one of the best budget e-bikes you can buy, and has a fun look that matches its small-but-powerful energy. It even comes in three different colors: white, black, or sand. After field testing the product, Tom's Guide found the e-bike to have excellent handling, though it had a fairly limited range of up to 12.5 miles. It's top speed is also 12.5 miles per hour. The bike is powered by a brushless DC motor and 24-volt 10 Ah battery pack, which can run for about an hour. Despite its relative small size, the bike has 16-inch wheels that allow for a smooth ride. (Those larger tires may account for why the bike weighs over 43 pounds.) Other features include a security key and a bright headlight for added safety.

The vehicle may seem more like a kids' bike since it's fairly small and has a modest weight limit of just 165 pounds. That's a large enough weight capacity for many adults, but certainly not all. If you're not too big for the Droyd Blipper though, you can save a lot of money by opting for this affordable, well-designed e-bike. You can find the Droyd Blipper for $449 on Amazon.

Not only does the Jetson Bolt have a cool name, but it looks fun as well, with a sleek, retro-futurist aesthetic that comes in black, slate, or crimson. It's also one of the smallest e-bikes on the market, almost looking like a toy. Kids and teenagers will definitely have a lot of fun with the Bolt, but if you can manage its diminutive size, you'll find it a perfectly capable vehicle to commute with that's also easy to carry and store. It even comes with a handle.

After testing the Bolt, Electrek gave it a positive review and said that "it can still handle larger riders" with its 250-pound weight capacity. The site also said, "it can do everything an electric scooter can do, but lets you sit down like on a bicycle." Its minimalist design not only makes it lighter but means there are fewer parts that require maintenance or will break down on you. The e-bike has a range of 15 miles and a top speed of 15.5 mph. You'll need to charge it about every 5 hours. 

The Jetson Bolt lacks pedals, so you won't be able to use it manually and get some exercise when you feel like it. (Also, if the battery dies, you won't be able to use it at all.) If that's not a dealbreaker, you can purchase the Jetson Bolt from Amazon. Depending on the color and size of the wheels you'd like (12- or 14-inch), its price ranges from between $350 to $450. The black and red 12-inch model, for example, is $347.47.

You won't find many electric mountain bikes for under $500 since they're typically larger than commuter e-bikes. One exception, however, is the Totem Victor 2.0, which is not only affordable, but also a well-designed electric mountain bike with 21 speeds and a pair of 26-inch wheels. With so much going for it, it's no surprise that the Victor 2.0 has appeared on multiple lists of the best affordable electric bikes available, including from Heavy and eBicycles.com.

Because it's a full-sized bike, it should be comfortable for riders of all shapes and sizes, especially since its stem angle can be adjusted. Powered by a 350-watt motor, the bike can reach 25 miles per hour. Its 36-volt 10.4 Ah battery also has enough capacity to take you between 20 and 40 miles, and can recharge in 2 to 3 hours with a 3A fast charger. The battery is removable and swappable, giving you even further range if you've got extra batteries on hand. Another nice touch is that the bike comes 85% assembled.

Its larger size does make the bike heavier than other cheap e-bikes, so it's not as easy to carry around or store. Another drawback is that there are no storage capabilities built onto the bike's frame, which is a bit frustrating. If you can live with that, you can find the Totem Victor 2.0 for $489.99 on Amazon, where it has an overall user rating of 4.3 out of 5 based on nearly 500 customer reviews. The e-bike comes in either white or black.

While everyone is on a different budget and has a different idea of what constitutes "affordable," none of the e-bikes on this list cost over $500. Even at this relatively low price, you'll still want to make sure any product you're spending your money on is worth your investment. If you're unable to test an e-bike before purchasing it, the next best thing is to rely on the reviews of those who have, whether it's from other customers who've purchased and rated it, or — even better — experts writing for reputable publications that focus on tech, outdoor equipment, or both. 

The budget e-bikes selected for this list have positive reviews from publications that include Tom's Guide, Electrek, USA Today, Heavy, and eBicycles.com, as well as from my colleagues at SlashGear. Additionally, many of the bikes also have strong user ratings on Amazon from a large pool of customers. In the end, the more reviews weighted into an overall score, the better, as it makes for a more accurate rating.