As the vehicle world starts its move toward an electric revolution that will change the industry for the better, so too is that happening to the bicycle industry.
While there is always an argument for manual power with bicycles for exercise, electric bikes are finding a big audience as car alternatives for commuting and just being enjoyable to ride. Without requiring gas or worrying about where to park one, along with the benefit of being able to outmaneuver traffic, electric bikes are the future.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the six best electric bikes you can find today for under $1,000.
- #1 Best Overall: Lectric XP Lite
- Best All-Terrain: Ecotric Electric Bike
- Best City Cruiser: Heybike Cityscape
- Best Range: Hiboy P7
- Best for Storage: Ecotric Citycruiser
- Best Budget-Friendly: Ancheer Electric Bike
#1 Best Overall: Lectric XP Lite
- Weighs only 46 lbs
- 40+ mile range
- 5 pedal-assist levels
- 20 mph top speed
- Folding bike
- Arctic White
Widely regarded as one of the best electric bikes available, the Lectric XP Lite is a great option for anyone looking to spend under $1,000.
The Lectric XP Lite is best described as an electric bike that is compact and maneuverable while still offering you plenty of confidence while riding. One of the biggest highlights of the Lectric XP Lite is its 720W peak rear hub motor, which is perfect for both distance and speed. Combined with a 48V lithium-ion battery, the XP Lite, when charged for up to 6 hours, has no problem giving you 40-plus miles of range on a single charge.
With the wide wheels Lectric includes with the XP Lite, you should have no issue riding on grass, dirt, concrete, or gravel, so you can go wherever the road, sidewalk, or trail leads you. An IPS-65-rated LCD display will help you keep track of your battery and trip distance, while you can easily use the twist throttle to give yourself a little more power depending on the surface you are on.
The XP Lite also shines with five different levels of pedal assist to help increase your range as much as possible.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Excellent price-to-performance value | Requires a key to start the bike |
| Terrific range on a single charge | Not ideal for off-road conditions |
Check out the Lectric XP Lite on Amazon.
Best All-Terrain: Ecotric Electric Bike
- 500W
- Foldaway bike
- 20" fat tire
- 36V 12.5AH removable battery
- For beach, snow, mountains, commuting
- UL certified
When it comes to off-road electric biking, no other bike under $1,000 does it as well as the Ecotric Electric Bike.
Powered by a 500W gear motor, the strong power from the Ecotric battery enables it to not only hit a high speed of 20 mph but also power you right through rough terrain. Whether you go with pedal assist, fully electric, pedal mode, or booster mode, you should be able to tackle dirt, grass, trails, and other rough surfaces with ease. Handling these surfaces seems even more reasonable when you factor in the 20-inch fat tires Ecotric has provided with every purchase.
Enabled by the 36V battery, you should absolutely be able to hit up to 21 miles of range in pure electric mode or swap to pedal mode where up to 36 miles is completely reasonable. To hit either distance, you need to charge the Ecotric bike for up to 8 hours at a time before it’s ready for its next ride.
Even so, giving the Ecotric its full battery charge helps enable it to easily climb up to 30-degree inclines at a time without skipping a beat.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| The big motor helps with distance. | Might be too heavy to carry up a flight of stairs |
| Very durable-feeling frame | 20-inch tires might be too small for some |
Check out the Ecotric Electric Bike on Amazon.
Best City Cruiser: Heybike Cityscape
- 350W
- Up to 40 miles
- Removable battery
- 7 speeds
- Shock absorber
- 26"
- For adults
For the moments when you just want to cruise around town, the Heybike Cityscape is the electric bike answer.
Looking at the Heybike Cityscape just makes you think of easy, casual riding, and that is exactly what you get with this bicycle. Thanks to its 350W rear-drive motor and 36V battery, you can easily push up to 40 miles on a single charge while using pedal assist, which is more than enough distance to cover plenty of ground around town.
Paired with two 26-inch puncture-resistant wheels, 7-speeds, and a shock absorber, handling sidewalks, streets, and moving around construction zones will be a breeze. In total, you can enjoy pure electric mode while cruising or utilize any of the 3 different pedal modes to help you go from point A to point B without breaking a sweat.
Best of all, the Heybike Cityscape comes pre-assembled so all you have to do is charge it up and get ready to cruise. At 59 pounds, it’s right in the middle of weight for this category but still light enough to pack away in a garage or up a flight of stairs into an apartment.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Big puncture-resistant tires | Slightly heavier than other models |
| 7 total speeds for picking the right ride | Suspension can be bumpy on rocky roads |
Check the Heybike Cityscape out on Amazon.
Best Range: Hiboy P7
If you are looking for an electric bike under $1,000 that offers the best possible range, the Hiboy P7 is absolutely the way to go.
Any conversation talking about the Hiboy P7 has to start with its available 68 miles of max range when in pedal assist mode. When paired with a 37-mile electric-only mode, it’s clear the Hiboy P7 is a force to be reckoned with in the range category. To help with distance, Hiboy includes 9 gears on the P7, so you can easily find the right gear to help you commute on city streets and push the range as far as possible.
Better yet, with a 500W motor and 48V battery, you can easily push the P7 upwards of 28 mph by pedal or 21 mph in electric-only mode. These are fantastic numbers for the price and help ensure the Hiboy P7 is a shoo-in as a range and speed champion.
All totaled, you do have 3 different modes available: pure electric, pedal-assist, and classic bike mode. Regardless of which mode you are in, the 27.5-pneumatic tires on the P7 are ready to handle trails just as easily as they can handle streets when you want to get your exercise game on.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Fantastic overall range | Twist throttle can be stiff |
| Big wheels make the bike feel very sturdy | Front suspension isn’t great for off-road use |
Check the Hiboy P7 out on Amazon.
Best for Storage: Ecotric Citycruiser
- 26"
- 350W
- Removable 36V 10Ah Lithium battery
- With basket
- 7 speed gears
When you need an electric bike that offers you just a bit of extra storage while cruising around town, the Ecotric Citycruiser is the answer.
While many electric bikes forgo any type of storage capacity in favor of keeping weight down, the Ecotric Citycruiser takes a different approach. As simple as it might be, a basket on the front above the wheel and a flat rack on the back is enough for a little bit of storage for extra goodies like small groceries, a backpack, or a little bit of food for a picnic.
Along with storage, the Ecotric Citycruiser also shines with its 350W motor and 36V battery, which enables you to cruise up to 40 miles after charging between 5-8 hours. Between the 4 possible modes Ecotric offers, you shouldn’t have any issue being comfortable while also taking advantage of the solid ride thanks to 26-inch wheels.
With speeds up to 20 mph, the Citycruiser also offers an LED display so you can easily monitor your speed or choose between any of the modes while on the go.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Offers two different storage opportunities | Only goes up to 20 mph |
| Great overall distance | Long(er) charging times than competition |
Check the Ecotric Citycruiser out on Amazon.
Best Budget-Friendly: Ancheer Electric Bike
- 26"
- 500W
- 20 mph
- Removable 48V 374Wh battery
- LCD display
- 21 speed gears
With plenty of electric bike options available for under $1,000, you still may want to find a budget-friendly option, and the Ancheer Electric Bike is an easy choice.
Available with a 500W brushless motor and a 48V battery, you can easily get enough distance to cover 40 miles on a single charge. Not only is this a good amount of distance, but you can cover this range at speeds topping out at 20 mph. Combined, the range, speed, and 26-inch tires make it easy to handle everything from your daily commute to a trail ride on the weekend.
As is typical with Ancheer bikes, you have a total of 6 different power levels available. The first 5 levels are perfect for city cruising, commuting, and even a little grass riding as you create your own shortcuts. The 6th and final level is when you need a burst of speed to get around traffic or power through the last part of a hill climb.
This 6th level is also good for the Ancheer, which even at its budget-friendly price point, is ideal for mountain bike use when you want to get away for a while. A 21-speed transmission helps you find the right speed for any type of terrain.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Great front and rear brake discs for easy stopping | Only 20 mph total speed |
| 6 different power levels | Only 1 gear is good for off-road use |
Check the Ancheer Electric Bike out on Amazon.
©Mirror-Images/Shutterstock.com
How to Pick the Best Electric Bike Under $1,000: Step-by-Step
When you start looking for a new electric bike under $1,000, there are 5 main considerations you want to take into account before making any purchase.
- Motor power
- Range
- Speed
- Utility
- Size
Let’s break them down below.
Motor Power
Even though a motor may not be top of mind for many electric bike buyers, you still want to consider this before making any purchase. The larger the motor, the more acceleration you have, which is going to come in handy when trail riding, commuting, or even casual riding.
The higher the wattage you have available, the more speed you can get out of your electric bike. Ideally, you want to go no lower than 300W when shopping with a budget of $1,000.
Range
Depending on your needs, the range can play a huge role, so you want to consider this quite a bit before making a final decision on any electric bike. At the very least, you want a range of no less than 20 miles in pure electric mode but ideally, you will find a range of at least 30 miles in pure electric mode, with another 10-15 miles available when in pedal assist mode.
Whether you are casually cruising around a town or using an electric bike as part of your gig work, you definitely want the maximum amount of range just in case.
Speed
Purchasing an electric bike for under $1,000 is never going to be about speed, but it sure helps to get around traffic or when on a trail. For the most part, you want to have at least 20-30 mph available for easily navigating around town while in pure electric mode. You will undoubtedly get less speed in pedal assist mode, so the real focus is exactly how much speed you can get while just using your battery.
Utility
When thinking about an electric bike purchase under $1,000, it’s going to be very helpful to consider exactly what you intend to do with your bike. If you want an electric bike solely for cruising around town, your best options are going to be very different from someone who wants a bike that is made to handle tougher terrains. Everything from the wheel size, number of modes, size of the battery, and motor will differ.
Size
Just as you would with a regular non-electric bike, you want to factor in size when looking at electric bikes under $1,000. Cruiser bikes are going to be sized differently than mountain bikes and that is going to be true for wheel size, the height of the seat, and even the overall style of the bike, which will impact ergonomics and comfort. Many brands will help you factor in your height when looking at bikes, so that might be a great place to start with the bikes on this list.
Using an Electric Bike Under $1,000: What It’s Like
With a $1,000 budget available, you have a great set of options in the electric bike market, so you aren’t making as many sacrifices as you would at a $500 budget. The reality is that you likely don’t even need to spend any more over your $1,000 budget as the electric bikes on this list are that good.
Between cruisers, mountain bikes, and commuting models, they all have one thing in common and that is allowing you to sit back and enjoy the ride. That’s really what it’s like with these bikes, at the end of the day, you just sit back and let the bike’s motor do its thing.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Mariana Serdynska/Shutterstock.com.
