Electric mountain bikes are usually among the first to benefit from new tech. Whether it’s smart suspension systems, or new mid-drive motors, chances are they’ll be the e-bikes with the latest kit on.
There are plenty of varieties of electric mountain bike – from electric hardtails, which tend to be more leisure oriented, to full-suspension beasts. If you’re not sure whether a full-on eMTB is the best fit for your riding, read our overall guide to the best electric bikes to weigh up some alternatives.
So what do you get for your money with an eMTB? Well, most 'proper' electric mountain bikes - and by that we mean the ones we would actually take to the trail - come with a mid-drive system. This provides superior balance and - because a mid-motor can fully exploit your bike's gears - better power at low speeds than with a hub motor, with obvious advantages for off-road riding.
There is however a big price variation when it comes to electric mountain bikes. You can easily spend over £10k on top-end models. At the same time, you’ll be able to find decent value for a couple of thousand pounds – as long as you don’t want the lightest or best components on there.
Best electric mountain bikes
- Best electric trail bike – YT Industries Decoy | Buy for £6,499 from YT Industries
- Best lightweight eMTB – Scott Lumen eRide 900 | Buy for £5,995 from Blazing Bikes
- Best electric hardtail – Canyon Grand Canyon:ON | Buy for £3,569 from Canyon
- Best enduro eMTB – Whyte E-160 | Buy for £6,999 from Whyte
- Best hub motor eMTB – Volt Alpine | Buy for £2,299 from Volt
- Best of the rest
- FAQs about electric mountain bikes
How we chose
Best electric trail bike: YT Industries Decoy 29 Core 3 - £6,499
Not only is this a relatively lightweight (23kg) eMTB, its progressive trail geometry and full-fat motor give it an edge over others in this category. YT itself describes the bike as a ‘do-it-all, all-mountain’ electric mountain bike, and we’re inclined to agree.
Reviewer Liam said this about the Decoy: “Despite its comparably short reach and overall length for a modern trail-orientated e-MTB, the Decoy is fun on almost any trail thanks to a welcoming but impressively well-rounded ride."
The Core 3 looks like it might be restricted to the outlet stores for now, but the Core 4 is still around and comes with several component upgrades to make it worth the investment for not much more money than the 3 cost.
For more detail, read off-road.cc’s review of the YT Industries Decoy 29 Core 3.
Best lightweight eMTB: Scott Lumen eRide 900 - £9,300
Lightweight eMTBs provide the balance between full-fat (bigger mid-drive motors and larger batteries) capabilities and more natural feeling power assistance, still from a mid-drive motor. The Scott Lumen eRide may be priced too high to some, but it’s incredibly capable, and uses one of the lightest mid-motors on the market.
Thankfully, it’s not all about weight saving gimmicks here, and the bike is extremely capable, as reviewer Liam explains: “Thanks to some solid geometry choices and responsive trail manners, the Lumen is a real dark horse and one of the best e-MTBs on the market.”
For more detail, read off-road.cc’s review of the Scott Lumen eRide 900.
Best electric hardtail: Canyon Grand Canyon:ON 9.0 - £4,149
The 9.0 is the flagship Grand Canyon:ON, and for good reason. An all-round performer, this electric hardtail pairs Bosch’s powerful Performance Line CX motor with a 750Wh battery for plenty of performance and range for your off-road adventures. This is new for the latest model, and an update from the bike we reviewed in 2020. You also get a 12-speed Shimano Deore drivetrain to boot.
Reviewer Jon summed up his feelings on the bike nicely. “If you're after a versatile e-bike that's more than capable of hitting dirt trails as well as being used for all manner of other activities, then Grand Canyon:ON AL 9.0 is a very polished package.”
For more detail, read off-road.cc’s Canyon Grand Canyon:ON AL 9.0 2020 review.
Best enduro eMTB: Whyte E-160 RSX 29 - £6,999
Whether you’re racing e-enduro or just wanting to ride more laps of the bike park, the Whyte E-160 RSX 29 is a complete package eMTB with a top spec to boot. It uses Bosch’s newest motor, the Performance Line CX Smart System.
We haven’t had the chance to ‘live with’ the bike just yet, but we were invited to a demo day when the bike was launched. The price has come down since the initial launch, and for the spec and overall performance, it’s definitely one of the best full fat eMTBs out there.
For more detail, read our first ride of the Whyte E-160 RSX 29.
Best hub motor eMTB: Volt Alpine - £2,299
The first mountain bike offering from the British brand Volt, the Alpine impressed our tester Richard despite the use of a rear hub motor. At £2,299 it undercuts a lot of the bigger brands but still offers decent performance for the price. The Alpine features the same Spintech branded Bafang rear motor that is seen throughout the Volt range, and it is paired with a torque sensor.
The 504Wh battery is removable and our 70kg tester managed 40 miles of off-road on one charge. If that’s not enough, you can buy bigger batteries for more range. The front forks are Suntour X1 with 120mm travel which suggests this isn’t something for particularly technical trails, but a fun ride on light off-road nonetheless.
For more detail, read our review of the Volt Alpine.
Best of the rest
Specialized Turbo Levo SL Comp Carbon - £7,000
Specialized has taken the best bits of their unassisted trail bikes and kept the lightweight theme running in electric form. The Turbo Levo SL Comp Carbon is ideal for flowy trails and longer adventures as some of the components hold it back over more technical sections - but the SL 1.2 motor provides a high quality natural feeling ride.
The motor provides up to 50Nm of torque, which compared to some of the bigger mid-drive motors like Bosch’s top offering is quite a significant drop. However, when off-road.cc reviewed it, it had the 1.1 motor which only offered 35Nm of torque, and tester Rachael found this didn’t impact the overall ride that much.
“The Levo SL's power delivery is smooth and will get you speedily from bottom to top... if not quite as fast as a Levo, it is a great deal faster than an acoustic bike,” she said.
For more detail, read off-road.cc’s review of the Specialized Turbo Levo SL Comp.
Canyon Spectral:ON CF8 - £5,079
If you’re after an electric trail shredder that’s also decent value, then the Canyon Spectral:ON CF8 e-MTB is worth consideration. With 160mm of travel up front and 155mm at the rear, and a mullet wheel set up (29” and 27.5”), it’s a highly capable bike and thanks to recent geometry tweaking, it's set up for more all-round performance than before.
Our sister site off-road.cc had this to say in their review: “The Canyon Spectral:ON CF8 is a bike that devours descents without compromising its all-round trail manners. While its tall front end requires some attention on particularly steep climbs, its real appeal is nestled within its descending prowess.”
For more detail, read off-road.cc's review of the Canyon Spectral:ON CF8.
FAQs about electric mountain bikes
What is the best electric mountain bike brand?
There’s no one brand that is head and shoulders above the rest in the eMTB world. The motor and battery technology is generally shared across brands with the differences lying in the frame designs and componentry. Many brands have jumped into the eMTB market, so you’ve got plenty of choice.
What styles of electric mountain bikes are there?
Just like unassisted bikes, there are both electric hardtails and electric full-suspension bikes available. Hardtails have only front suspension (in the forks), and typically have less travel than a full-suspension bike.
Electric full-suspension bikes have suspension forks and also a rear shock that provides suspension to the rear part of the bike’s frame. Hardtails are typically cheaper and easier to maintain, but full-suspension bikes are more capable and can tackle more technical terrain.
What wheel sizes are available on electric mountain bikes?
Similarly to unassisted mountain bikes, electric mountain bikes are usually available with either 27.5” or 29” wheels. On rare occasions there may be 650b wheels, but these are typically reserved for the smaller frames.
What motors are used on electric mountain bikes?
The vast majority of electric mountain bikes now use mid-drive motors. These are motors positioned at the cranks and are far more effective for balance, off-road handling and power at lower speeds compared to hub-mounted motors.
You can expect a 250W motor but with higher levels of torque than other types of electric bike. The top Bosch motors can produce up to 85Nm of torque, for example. The levels of assist will vary depending on the motor and manufacturer, but for the best experience, look for a motor that provides natural feeling assistance rather than something that surges as this should ensure you feel in control of the bike.
How we review e-bikes
A lot of work goes into testing e-bikes thoroughly. Our reviewers ride each bike for at least a month before writing up their findings and coming up with final verdicts.
Every bike we review is assessed thoroughly based on its suitability for the intended discipline and riding style. A lot of focus is of course on the motor and battery, but we pay attention to all the component choices from wheels and tyres to the drivetrain and finishing kit.
We also compare the bike to its main rivals – if there is a similar bike with better spec and a lower price, we'll take this into account. In the case of electric mountain bikes, a lot of these have been reviewed by our sister site, off-road.cc, but they follow the same principles as us when reviewing and testing a bike.
Why you can trust us
E-bikes recommended in ebiketips' buyer's guides will almost always be those we've reviewed in full, or which are rated highly by multiple members of the team.
We've reviewed literally hundreds of e-bikes over the years, and the bikes you'll find in this guide will all have scored 8/10 or more to have been considered for inclusion. Whatever the brand, whatever the marketing claims, if the bike hasn't performed, it isn't listed here.
All of our reviewers and buyer's guide writers are experienced e-bikers. You can therefore be sure we've carefully considered our selections, while the advice you'll find above is based on our real-world experience.
If you're new to e-bikes, you might want to take a look at our beginner's guide to buying an e-bike. Our overall guide to the best electric bikes may also be of interest if you're not yet quite sure what type of electric bike you're after.
