Buyer's guide: Folding e-bikes

Key takeaways

• The key trade-off with folding e-bikes is between compact size and ride quality - decide which is most important for you

• Due to space constraints, folders tend to have smaller batteries than conventional e-bikes - check range carefully

• The extra complexity of a folding e-bike means that they're usually more expensive than a conventional bike of similar specification

Table of contents

Benefits of folding e-bikes

The key benefit of a folding e-bike is that it folds up to take up less space when you're not actually riding it. There are many reasons why this is useful.

• Storage: If you don't have much room at home to store an e-bike, a folder will be easier to accommodate
• Commuting: A folding e-bike makes sense for mixed-mode journeys that include public transport
• Travel: Folding e-bikes are ideal for taking on holiday and are especially popular with motorhome owners

Frame and folding mechanism

There are lots of ways to design a folding bike, from a relatively simple sideways-hinged frame up to complex multi-way folds. Broadly speaking, the more elaborate the fold the more compact the e-bike will become when folded. The trade-off is that a really compact fold demands very small wheels (16in is a common size) and often a riding experience that's either agile or nervous depending on your confidence and familiarity. Small wheels don't ride over bumps that well. Bigger wheels give a more comfortable and controllable ride but at the expense of a bulkier package when folded.

Motor

The majority of folding e-bikes use either front or rear hub motors. While there are folders out there built around a mid-drive motor, it's a much trickier design task. The key attraction of folding bikes is that they take up less space, so generally have small wheels and frame. That means there's not much space for a motor and battery - putting the motor in one of the wheels doesn't use any of that valuable room, allowing for a compact fold and a reasonably-sized battery.

Battery and range

As with motors, the challenges with batteries on a folding e-bike are space and volume. The larger the battery capacity the further you can go between charges, but a larger capacity inevitably means a physically bigger (and heavier) battery. Finding a space for it while still allowing a compact fold is a real design challenge.

Additional features

Depending on your needs, there are various extra features that you'll want to look out for. Mudguards, integrated lights, built-in locks, luggage racks and kickstands are all useful accessories. Some or all are often included but not always.

Brands to consider

The market for folding e-bikes is a competitive one and there are a lot of worthy brands out there. Here are some key brands to consider:

• ADO
• Brompton
• Cube
• Eovolt
• Estarli
• GoCycle
• MiRider
• Raleigh
• Tern

Our recommendations

There are hundreds of folding e-bikes on the market. The following are just a handful that stand out for one reason or another - excellent value, great design, super-compact folds, riding performance and so on. We've split them into broad price categories so you can home in on something suitable.

Under £1,000

While we'd recommend looking at £1,500 and up for low-compromise folding e-bikes, cheaper options do exist.

What to expect

While you can find worthwhile electric folding bikes under £1,000, approach with caution. It's inevitable that the cheapest folding e-bikes will be compromised in some way - there just isn't the budget for manufacturers to do everything well. Common compromises include:

• cable-operated rim brakes rather than hydraulic discs
• cheaper frame materials and less sophisticated design leading to heavier weight
• simple folding mechanisms that are less compact
• unbranded motors and transmission components

If you're on a tight budget it's well worth looking for reduced prices on the previous year's models - you can often save hundreds of pounds just because a bike has last year's colour.

BTwin E-Fold 500

You can usually rely on sporting goods giant Decathlon for good value, and its BTwin bike range has a lot to offer. The E-Fold 500 is its electric folding offering. Inevitably at this price there are compromises - the frame and fork are heavy steel, the brakes are cable-operated rim brakes and you get a six-speed derailleur transmission. It's also on the heavy side at 21.4kg. But you do get 20in wheels, a rear hub motor and a 250Wh rack-mounted battery offering a claimed 50km (30 miles) of range in Eco mode. The E-Fold 500 is also fully equipped with mudguards, a rear rack and integrated lights powered by the main battery.

BTwin E-Fold 500, £999

The ADO Air 20 has a lot to offer considering its entry-level price. Most of the typical compromises of folding e-bikes at this price go out the window - the Air has a lightweight aluminium frame, hydraulic disc brakes, a low-maintenance belt drive transmission, a torque sensor for smoother power delivery and a claimed range of up to 100km (60 miles) from a 345Wh battery. You even get mudguards and lights. As the name suggests, it's light too, at 17kg with all the accessories. The main compromise with the Air is that it doesn't have a multi-speed transmission - you get one gear. Given that you've got a motor that's not necessarily a deal-breaker, but the Air will be better suited to flatter routes - the 37Nm of torque will run out of oomph on steeper hills and it'll be hard for you to supplement it with just one gear.

ADO Air 20, £999

Raleigh has chosen to make the Stow-E-Way quite long, which makes for a more "bike like" riding position but, combined with 20in wheels, means it won't fold own as small as some rivals. The drive system is from TranzX, with a hub motor in the back wheel and a 250Wh battery tucked between the frame and the back wheel. That's a relatively short battery, and Raleigh claim a 48km (30 mile) range - not huge, but likely to be ample for the sort of trips a folding e-bike is likely to make. It's fully equipped out of the box with a rear rack, mudguards and lights. There's a 7 speed transmission with a twist shifter. The most notable compromise to get the Stow-E-Way into its price point is the use of cable-operated rim brakes rather than hydraulic disc brakes. Rim brakes were fine for decades and continue to be so, but they're not as powerful as discs and will need more frequent maintenance.

Raleight Stow-E-Way, £1,399

£1,000 - £3,000

Moving up to the next price bracket, you're getting lighter weight and better components.

What to expect

We consider somewhere a couple of hundred pounds either side of £1,500 to be the "sensible entry level". For this kind of money you can expect a fully-featured folding e-bike without too many compromises. You should be able to find:

• multi-speed transmission from a well-known manufacturer like Shimano
• rear hub motors
• disc brakes (although they might be cable-operated rather than hydraulic)
• lower weight

Estarli's 20in wheel folder is a modern interpretation of the classic "hinge in the middle" folding bike, with an aluminium main frame. A notable feature of the e20.X is the automatic two-speed gearbox. While there's only one speed between the pedals and the rear hub (driven by a toothed belt) the planetary gearbox inside the hub has a low and high gear to optimise the output from the electric motor. The Estarli doesn't come with a rack as standard, although it's one of a range of options that include various bags and even a child seat. On the subject of options you can also choose from three tyre choices for speed, puncture protection or off-road.

Estarli e20.X, £1,895

MiRider offers a wide range of folding bikes with various wheel sizes and price points. The One GB3 is based on MiRider's extra-compact 16in wheel platform and has a very distinctive look. You may not realise it's an electric bike at all at first glance, with a subtle rear hub motor and the 252Wh battery tucked insidde the frame - you can remove it by folding the bike. Claimed range is 70km (45 miles). All of the One models feature rear suspension that goes some way to mitigate the potential comfort disadvantages of small wheels. The key feature that distinguishes the GB3 from the cheaper One models is the integrated three-speed gearbox in the hub alongside the motor, with a low-maintenance belt drive transmission.

MiRider One GB3, from £2,295

At a whisker under £3,000 the Eovolt Afternoon Pro is arguably high-end, but given that there are more expensive options we've put it in the mid range. At 22kg it's not the lightest, but you're paying for design and features. The Pro's battery is integrated into the seatpost. With 360Wh of capacity Eovolt claim up to 80km of range. There's a belt drive transmission and, most notably, the Bafang rear hub motor includes an automatic gearbox, so you get the benefits of multiple gears without having to actually change them. The overall effect is a very clean, uncluttered profile. As you'd expect, you get Shimano hydraulic disc brakes.

Eovolt Afternoon 20in Pro, £2,999

£3,000 and above

Up above £3,000 you're well into the realms of unique design, high-end materials, hand-made manufacturing or a combination thereof.

What to expect

At these higher price ranges we're well out of the scope of compromise. There's still a lot of variety but nothing for this money is going to have significant drawbacks. It's more about choosing the type and style of folding e-bike that works best for you. Look out for:

• mid-drive motors from well-known manufacturers like Bosch
• lightweight aluminium (or even carbon fibre) frames
• sophisticated folding mechanisms
• proprietary integrated design features like displays or lights

Brompton's folding bikes are iconic and well-known for their super-compact fold - Bromptons have been the number one choice for mixed-mode commuting for decades. As you'd expect, Brompton has worked hard to preserve those strengths with its electric bikes. The presence of a front hub motor and cable-operated rim brakes might seem odd on a bike costing over £3,000 but Bromptons are hand-made in Britain. This version of the C-Line has a 12-speed transmission by combining a four-speed derailleur system with a 3-speed hub gear. An especially neat feature of Brompton's e-bikes is the battery, located in a bag at the front - it's readily accessible and easy to remove.

If you're looking for a more conventional ride feel and greater mixed-surface capability, have a look at the Electric G-Line that mixes the classic Brompton profile with bigger wheels, a rear motor and hydraulic disc brakes.

Brompton Electric C-Line 12 speed, £3,230

All of Gocycles' e-bikes have a distinctive, ultra-modern look but the range-topping special edition G4i+ steps things up even more. This space-age folder features a carbon fibre central frame section, carbon fibre five-spoke wheels and a carbon fibre front fork (which is more of a prong, given that it has just one leg). Other distinctive features include the integrated handlebar that includes a status display that wouldn't be out of place on the starship Enterprise as well as a built-in daytime running light.

Rather than use an off-the-shelf motor, Gocycle has developed its own proprietary design that's smoothly integrated into the single-sided fork. It's controlled via torque sensors at the pedals for smoother and more responsive power delivery. The battery is integrated into the frame (but easily removable) with a 375Wh capacity that Gocycle say should be good for up to 80km (50 miles).

Mudguards and lights are included (although they're not in this picture) and there's a particularly neat kickstand that's designed to match the curve of the underside of the frame when folded away. The fold is a fairly straightforward central hinge, with the folded size further reduced by a fold-down handlebar and pedals.

The G4i+ is one of the most expensive folding e-bikes available, but high-tech materials and striking design don't come cheap. Gocycle also has the regular G4, which has magnesium rather than carbon fibre wheels and is slightly heavier but otherwise the same for £1,500 less.

Gocycle G4i+, £5,499

Tern's range-topping Vektron S10 has a couple of relatively unusual features for a folding e-bike. For a start, it's got a mid-drive motor driving the rear wheel via a conventional chain and 10 rear gears - most electric folders use a hub motor. It's not just any mid-drive motor, either - Tern has specced a Bosch Performance drive unit that offers 300% assistance (that is, it'll deliver three times the power you do) and a healthy 65Nm of torque. The Vektron also has 20in wheels rather than the 16in that's the folding bike norm, delivering a more familiar ride feel and better comfort over bumps. And not only does the S10 have an integrated rear rack, the rack is directly compatible with child seats from Thule and Dash. You can carry up to 27kg on the rack - you don't usually get that kind of load-lugging ability on a folder. Claimed range from the 400Wh battery is 53-106km (34-68 miles).

If the S10 is a little spendy, there's a cheaper Q9 model with the same frame, fork and wheels that makes do with a 9-speed transmission and a lower-torque Bosch Active Line motor.

Tern Vektron S10, £3,900

Frequently asked questions

How easy are folding e-bikes to fold?

There's a lot of variety in the folding mechanisms, so there isn't a single, simple answer to this. In general, the less elaborate the mechanism the quicker it is to fold, although usually at the expense of ultimate compactness. Some manufacturers claim as little as five seconds to fold or unfold and there aren't many bikes that take more than 10-15 seconds with a bit of practice.

Why do folding e-bikes have such small wheels?

The primary design consideration for folding e-bikes is the folding part, so generally everything is skewed towards being as compact as possible. Making the wheels small is a key part of that. The downside is that smaller wheels don't roll over bumps as easily, so they deliver a harsher, twitchier ride. There are a very few folding e-bikes with 24in wheels, but 20in is a good sweet spot between compact size and smooth ride.

Will a folding e-bike fit in my motorhome or campervan?

If you've got a large coachbuilt with a garage, definitely (as long as you haven't already got loads of other stuff in there). We reckon that slightly larger-wheeled folders are ideal for motorhomes - you don't necessarily need a hugely compact fold, but you probably do want a bike that's OK on unpaved surfaces and longer distances. Panel van conversions and smaller campervans vary hugely in the amount of inside space available, so you may wish to compromise on the ride and go as small as possible here. Measure the space available and see what you've got. Do pay attention to weight - folding e-bikes aren't light, two of them could easily be 40kg which is a significant proportion of the typical weight you can put in the garage.

Summary

With a big choice of folding e-bikes, it's important that you consider your needs in terms of ridability (for which bigger wheels are better), foldability (for which smaller wheels are better), performance (look for multi-speed transmissions) and range. That will help you to narrow down the options and home in on the right folding e-bike for you.