Updated November 18th, 2024
Folding ebikes are a great option for people with limited storage space. You can transport them in a car or SUV without using a hitch rack. They make great travel companions to keep in an RV for exploring after you arrive. How do you know which folding ebike is the best for you? There are so many different styles and types of folding electric bikes from heavy fat tires bikes to lightweight compact street bikes.
The 8 Best Folding EBikes
- TOP PICK: Lectric XP3.0
- TOP PICK: Mokwheel Slate
- BEST VALUE: Gotrax F1
- MOST PORTABLE: Blix Vika+
- BEST OFFROAD: Heybike Horizon
- Aventon Sinch.2
- Heybike Mars2.0
- Ride1Up Portola
1. Top Pick – Lectric XP 3.0
Specifications
- Max Speed – 28 mph
- Range – 45-65 miles
- Max Rider Weight – 330 lbs
- Bike Weight – 64 lbs
- Folded Size – 37 x 18 x 28 inches
- Motor Power – 500 watt rear hub
- Battery – 48 volt 10.5 or 14 ah
- Speeds – 7 Speed Shimano Tourney
- Brakes – Hydraulic disc
- Wheel Size – 20 inch x 3 inch
The Lectric XP 3.0 improves almost everything upon the already very popular Lectric XP 2.0. It has more torque, more suspension travel, more braking power and still comes in at a very affordable price.
The XP 3.0 is one of the best folding electric bikes out there. It looks like a bike that should cost $3000-$4000 instead of just $1000. Lectric keeps the cost down by selling a ton of them. The XP 3.0 is available in both step-thru and regular frame designs to suit rider preference.
It has a 500 watt motor and 2 battery options. A regular range (10.5ah) and long range version (14ah). The controller and all electronics are upgraded from the older version. The XP 3.0 has much improved acceleration and taller gearing means it is easier to pedal at higher speeds too.
They use a power/wattage based cadence sensor instead of a speed based sensor which gives you a bit more control over the power level and responsiveness of the bike. You aren’t stuck with 100% power all the time up to a fixed speed.
New for the XP 3.0 is an integrated rear rack that has a weigh capacity of 150 lbs. This means it can be used for a passenger or just carrying lots of stuff.
Lectric also offers tons of accessories for the XP 3.0 from rear seats, pet carriers to food carriers. It makes it one of the most versatile bikes out there.
What we liked:
- Convenient folding design that can be stored almost anywhere
- Available in regular and step-thru frame designs
- Heavy duty rear rack with 150 lb capacity
- Has fenders, racks and lights all standard
- Improved motor, controller, and gearing over the XP 2.0.
- Fun to ride with lots of power and top speed
- Strong hydraulic brakes with 180mm rotors
- Power based cadence sensor makes it easier to control
What we didn’t like:
- At 64 lbs it’s a bit heavy to carry around
- There isn’t much to dislike about this bike
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2. Top Pick – Mokwheel Slate
Specifications
- Max Speed – 25 mph
- Range – 50 to 60 miles
- Max Rider Weight – 350 lbs
- Bike Weight – 64 lbs
- Folded Size – 39 x 18 x 28 inches
- Motor Power – 500 watt rear hub
- Battery – 48 volt 15 ah
- Speeds – 7 Speed Shimano
- Brakes – Hydraulic disc
- Wheel Size – 20 inch x 3 inch
What we liked:
- Small compact folding size that easily fits into the back of an SUV
- Anti-theft display that keeps the bike from being powered up
- Fun to ride and handles like a full size bike.
- 3 inch wide wheels are not as big and bulky as full 4 inch fat bike wheels
What we didn’t like:
- At 64 lbs, the bike is still very heavy to pick up.
- The torque sensor isn’t that responsive when powering up after coasting at higher speeds
- The bike is not geared high enough for riding at speeds above 20mph
The Mokwheel Slate is Mokwheel’s answer to the popular folding ebike category. It comes with a 48 volt 15 ah battery and 500 watt motor. It uses a torque sensor to provide smooth feeling power. It has 20 x 3 inch wheels that give a smooth ride without being as heavy and large as 4 inch wheels that are common on a lot of folding ebikes.
The Slate has a LED display that you can remove when not riding the bike. The bike cannot operate while it is off. This is similar to anti-theft face plates on car stereos. The bike can still be stolen but whoever takes it won’t be able to turn the motor system on.
The braking system uses hydraulic brakes, which have more stopping power and are smoother than cable pull brakes. The rear lights can act as turn signals using the controller.
See our review of the Mokwheel Slate to learn more.
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3. Best Value – GoTrax F1
Specifications
- Max Speed – 20 mph
- Range – 15-25 miles
- Max Rider Weight – 265 lbs
- Bike Weight – 58.3 lbs
- Folded Size – 38 x 18 x 27 inches
- Motor Power – 350 watt rear hub
- Battery – 48 volt 7.8 ah
- Speeds – 1 Speed
- Brakes – Mechanical disc
- Wheel Size – 20 inch x 2.6inch tires
What we liked:
- Powerful and punchy feeling for a 350 watt motor
- Small compact size when folded
- Quick acceleration when riding with just throttle
- Easy to adjust for different rider sizes
- No assembly required
- Has headlight and tailight
- Easy to read and use LCD display and controls
What we didn’t like:
- The key is difficult to turn to unlock the battery for removal
- One crank required tightening after the second ride
- The brakes needed a little adjustment
- The front wheel has a slight wobble and could use truing
The Gotrax F1 is a cheap folding electric bike that is big on performance. It only has a 350 watt motor but you will swear it’s got more when you ride it.
The F1 is a simple lightweight folding bike with a single speed driveline and 350 watt motor to keep the weight down. This makes it very easy to store it almost anywhere. It’s easy to throw into the back of an SUV to take on trips. You could also easily fit it into the storage area of a boat or carry it with you and hide it under your desk at work.
The bike is surprisingly fun to ride. It has strong acceleration on throttle only. It can go up to 20mph on throttle alone or with pedal assist. The gearing is about right for riding the bike between 10-15mph so it works for most flat ground riding.
During our test rides, we were able to get more than the 25 mile published range with the F1 even with a heavier rider. We were impressed by the range of this bike for the battery size.
The handlebar and seat height can be adjusted to make it work for most riders. We found it comfortable to ride for as long as it took to empty the battery.
If you want a cheap and fun electric folding bike, then the GoTrax F1 could be the bike for you.
See our full review of the Gotrax F1 to learn more.
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4. Most Portable – blix Vika+
Specifications
- Max Speed – 24 mph
- Range – up to 45 miles
- Max Rider Weight – 240 lbs
- Bike Weight – 55 lbs
- Folded Size – 36 x 21 x 28.5 inches
- Motor Power – 500 watt rear hub
- Battery – 48 volt 12.8 ah
- Speeds – 8 Speed Microshift
- Brakes – Hydraulic disc
- Wheel Size – 20 inch x 2.4 inch
The Blix Vika+ is a classic looking bike with chrome parts and silver wheels that takes a more lightweight approach. The Vika has 20 inch x 2.4 inch wheels with street tread and a 500 watt motor that helps shave some pounds off the bike. This bike is meant for riding in urban terrain and comes in at a very reasonable 55 lbs. You can get it down to 47 lbs taking the battery out. For those who want an easy to store and transport folding ebike this is very important.
This bike is one of the few ebikes I’ve seen with chromed handlebar, seat post, and rims giving it a much more classic look than the typical black trimmed bike. It reminds me of a fun bike from when I was a kid. It has color matched fenders and racks to go with it.
The Vika+ is light and nimble feeling with good acceleration. The 500 watt motor feels a lot more effective on a bike with lighter wheels that don’t eat so much power. It has an 8 speed pedal driveline with a twist shifter.
The cadence sensor only needs about a 1/4 turn of the cranks to activate which makes it one of the more responsive cadence sensors out there. The 5 PAS levels vary the speed and power output. Level 1 and 2 give you good low speed performance that isn’t jumpy for riding in congested places. PAS levels 3-5 give you fast acceleration and higher top speeds.
What we liked:
- Classic chrome and silver trimmed appearance
- More lightweight than most folding ebikes
- 2.4 inch width street tires give the bike a much more light and nimble feel
- Lots of available accessories for customizing the bike
- Step thru design is good for smaller riders
- Hydraulic brakes give good stopping power
What we didn’t like:
- Ride can be a little rough with no suspension fork and narrow width tires
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5. Best Off Road – Heybike Horizon
Specifications
- Max Speed – 28 mph
- Range – 55 miles
- Max Rider Weight – 330 lbs
- Bike Weight – 79.4 lbs
- Folded Size – 49.2 x 23.6 x 31.5 inches
- Motor Power – 750 watt rear hub
- Battery – 48 volt 14 ah
- Speeds – 7 Speed Shimano Tourney
- Brakes – Hydraulic disc
- Wheel Size – 24 inch x 4 inch
Overall Score
What we liked:
- The bike easily powers up to 28 mph with heavy riders
- Good hill climbing ability for a fat tire ebike
- The rear suspension gives it a cushy smooth ride
- The 24 inch x 4 inch fatbike wheels make it smoother and feel less like a folding bike than other folding bikes
- The bike can carry a lot of rider and gear with it’s 350 lb limit
What we didn’t like:
- It’s size and weight (75 lbs) make it very awkward to lift up into the back of an SUV.
- The automatic headlight feature stays on when the bike is turned off. The auto button under the throttle doesn’t make sense.
The Heybike Horizon is a folding fat tire ebike that is as close to a non folding fat tire bike as you can get. It has full suspension with a hydraulic damped front fork. It has a 750 watt rear hub motor that can dish out up to 1400 watts. It has 24 inch x 4 inch fat tires that are only a little smaller than full size 26 inch wheels.
The Horizon is a cadence sensor bike with 5 levels of pedal assist. It can go up to 28mph on both throttle and pedal assist which means you can really scoot around on this folding bike. It does well on hill climbs too.
The bike has an upright geometry with an adjustable height handlebar. It feels smooth and comfortable riding at speed. The full suspension smooths out the right on both pavement and offroad surfaces. The Horizn is a lot of fun to blast down dirt roads and trails.
The downside to the Horizon is just it’s size and weight. It is a larger than normal folding bike that weighs 75 lbs with the battery removed. It will fit into the back of a small SUV. You will need help lifting and loading it.
See our full review of the Heybike Horizon to learn more.
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6. Aventon Sinch.2
Specifications
- Max Speed – 26 mph
- Range – up to 55 miles
- Max Rider Weight – 300 lbs
- Bike Weight – 68 lbs
- Folded Size – 35 x 28 x 31 inches
- Motor Power – 500 watt rear hub
- Battery – 48 volt 14 ah
- Speeds – 8 Speed Aventon
- Brakes – Mechanical disc
- Wheel Size – 20 inch x 2.4inch tires
What we liked:
- Very quick and smooth feeling motor activation with torque sensor
- Folds into a small space for storage or transport
- Folding latch is easy to use with positive engagement
- Upright comfortable riding position
- Includes fenders, rear rack and light
- Wide tires give good traction on a variety of surfaces
What we didn’t like:
- It’s a heavy bike at 68 lbs for picking up to load
- Aventon branded shifter and derailleur are clunky feeling
- Folding mechanism pivot is very stiff
The Aventon Sinch.2 is their latest folding bike that has all the improvements they added to the second generation Aventon bikes. It has a silky smooth and responsive torque sensor. It has a color LCD display that can be linked to a phone app to adjust settings. It has a beefy heavy duty feeling frame that reminds of of the Aventure 2 frame. It has 20 inch by 4 inch wide big fat street tires that give it excellent traction and balance.
The Sinch.2 is fun to ride and has good power with a 500 watt hub motor and 48 volt battery. The torque sensor responds super quick to pedal input. It rides almost as nice as my favorite Aventon Level 2 ebike.
The bike has a top speed of 26mph in pedal assist and 20mph with throttle. You have to pedal really hard for anything over about 23mph.
The Sinch.2 folds up with a folding frame, folding handlebars, and folding pedals. The handlebar won’t quite fold vertically down making it take a little more space. This is still a very heavy bike weighing in at 68 lbs. Without the battery it will still weigh close to 55 lbs. That is the biggest downside to this bike. It’s fun to ride. It’s compact. It’s portable. It weighs a lot.
See our review of the Aventon Sinch.2 to learn more.
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7. Heybike Mars 2.0
Specifications
- Max Speed – 28 mph
- Range – 45 miles
- Max Rider Weight – 330 lbs
- Bike Weight – 75 lbs
- Folded Size – 37 x 28 x 22 inches
- Motor Power – 750 watt hub motor
- Battery – 48 volt 12.5 ah
- Speeds – 7 speed Shimano Tourney
- Brakes – Mechanical disc
- Wheel Size – 20 inch
What we liked:
- Lots of power and strong acceleration
- Good for heavier and larger riders
- 100 lb capacity heavy duty rack
- Phone app that lets you customize the bikes performance
- Can fold into a compact size for storage and transport
- Easy to use folding mechanisms
- 28mph top speed with throttle and pedal assist.
What we didn’t like:
- Bike is very heavy to pick up and carry after folding
- The battery meter is very erratic showing 2 to 3 bar swings due to battery sag.
- Difficult to ride in tight or congested spaces due to the strong motor activation and cadence sensor
The Heybike Mars 2.0 electric foldable bike is a great high powered offroad e-bike. It has a specified capacity of 330 lbs along with a 45-60 mile range and 28mph max speed.
This bike has a 750 watt rear hub motor with a peak output of around 1200 watts. It has plenty of power for taking heavier riders uphill without much need for pedaling. It has a 7 speed Shimano driveline to help with climbing if needed.
It has 20 inch wheels with 4 inch wide tires. The bike has front suspension and a suspension seat post that give it a nice cushy ride. For more cush or traction on loose surfaces, you can lower the tire pressure too.
There are mechanical cable pull disc brakes for stopping. The brakes have plenty of power. You won’t mistake them for hydraulic brakes but they get the job done.
The bike folds to allow it to fit in your car or storage space. It also weighs 75 lbs so it is not a carry around bike when you are not riding. Not real far anyways. You can reduce the weight by removing the battery but it’s still a heavy bike.
This is a great e-bike that is fun to ride and very comfortable. It’s got lots of power for heavy riders and climbing hills.
See our review of the Heybike Mars 2.0 to learn more.
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8. Ride1Up Portola
Specifications
- Max Speed – 28 mph
- Range – 20 to 45 miles
- Max Rider Weight – 300 lbs
- Bike Weight – 60 lbs
- Folded Size – 33 x 19 x 30 inches
- Motor Power – 750 watt rear hub
- Battery – 48 volt 10.4 or 13.4 ah
- Speeds – 8 Speed Shimano Altus
- Brakes – Hydraulic disc
- Wheel Size – 20 inch x 3 inch
The Ride1Up Portola is the latest new bike from Ride1Up and their first folding bike. They took a take no prisoners approach to the design with great features. You get a 750 watt motor, heavy duty rack welded on the frame, hydraulic disc brakes, and 2 battery options. It uses a Shimano Altus shifter derailleur and shifter. No Shimano Tourney anywhere. All this for under $1000.
The Portola folds just in front of the crank allowing a battery that can be removed with the frame folded or unfolded. They offer both a 10.4 and 13.4 ah battery giving you up to 45 mile range. It comes shipped as a Class 2 ebike with 20mph top speed but can be set up to 28mph for pedal assist making it Class 3. It uses a 24 magnet cadence sensor which is about as responsive as a cadence sensor can be.
The Portola comes in at just 60 lbs. This is still heavy. It is light considering it still has front suspension, a really beefy rear rack, and a long range battery. They achieved this using smaller 3 inch wide tires with hybrid tread instead of heavier 4 inch wide offroad tires. Most people will never take these bikes anywhere beyond a dirt road and that is all the ability it needs.
What we liked:
- Easy to use step-thru frame good for short or tall riders
- Has Shimano Altus components throughout (no Tourney)
- 750 watt rear hub motor gives good climbing power
- 2 available battery options
- 3 inch tires are a nice balance between comfort, range, weight, and a little offroad ability
- Heavy duty welded on rear rack that can hold a second passenger
What we didn’t like:
- Heavy to pick up and carry
- Very simple black and white LCD display
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Ryan Craig
Co-Founder & Chief Editor
I am a total gear nerd and love learning how things work and thinking about how they could be improved. Nothing excites me more than trying out new gear. I’d rather spend 3 hours taking my bike apart and learning how to change something than go to a bike shop. These days, I reside in Michigan by the Great Lakes and go skiing, biking, and boating as much as possible. Visit our About Us page and learn more.
ryan@lowbudgetadventurer.com