An electric mountain bike with a distinctive style that provides a very smooth ride and plenty of power. Its centrally located shock absorber can ride bumps with ease, as long as it's correctly set up. A mid-drive Bosch power plant can get you up to top speed very quickly as you cycle through the gears, and the hydraulic disc brakes give strong stopping performance. A small rack at the back can be used for panniers.

Cube's long tail electric bike can be used to carry a versatile load up to 60kg on its rear rack, and its mid-drive Bosch motor can take that weight up hills with ease. It provides a high level of comfort when riding over speed humps and other imperfect conditions, and its hydraulic disc brakes can bring it to a stop effortlessly. A lockable compartment along the down tube allows for small items to be stowed securely during a ride.

The Pedal Eagle ST is a ste-through electric bike with a small rack at the rear for carrying panniers or small items up to 25kg. It has a mid-drive motor that can make small work of big hills, and it's just a nice, basic bike overall. It does have slightly short grips and some crowding around the controls, which means some adjustments may need to be made to make the bike a bit more comfortable.

By far the largest electric bike we've ever tested, the Cube Cargo Sport Dual Hybrid 1000 is designed to carry large loads in its front-mounted box. The box can accommodates a versatile load up to 60kg, for a total ride weight of 220kg. That makes it a hefty beast to control, and it's the type of bike that can take some getting used to. Due to its size, it's not a bike that can be taken anywhere, and some planning might need to be undertaken to figure out the best route to your destination, and how you will park it once you get there. Once you get used to riding it, it is exceptionally comfortable over humps and uneven terrain, and it has plenty of power. Its Bosch mid-drive motor went up hills easily, but we did have to use the higher pedal assist levels when carrying a load. This model comes with two batteries for longer ride times.

Tern's Quick Haul Long D9 has long tail with a sturday rack that can carry up to 90kg. It's suitable for carrying items in panniers hanging off the side of the rear rack, along with a couple of children in child seats along the top. More mounting points along the down tubes gives give it even more flexibilty for carrying loads, and its Bosch mid-drive motor will make it easy to take those loads almost anywhere, including hilly areas.

The Riese and Muller Carrie City is a front loader with a lockable box that can accommodate versatile loads of cargo, or child seats (with belts). It's a long bike, which might take some getting used to, but we found that it handles very well, even when under load. A mid-drive Bosch motor gives plenty of power up hills, and there is an Auto pedal assist mode that will adjust the output from the motor as needed. An internal gear hub makes for a neat rear wheel, but to change gears you have to twist the handle, which also might take some getting used to. Overall, a very nice ride with a high capacity for carrying extra weight -- up to 90kg at the front and 27kg at the rear, for a total of 200kg including the rider.

Tern's HSD P5i is a neat little cargo carrier that is perfeclty suited to carrying an extra passenger at the back. A padded seat, rear handle bar, foot rests, and an open cage design allow even an adult passenger to sit at the back relatively easily, and the mid-drive Bosch motor can supply plenty of power to propel both rider and passenger up a hill reasonably easily. A belt is drives the rear wheel instead of a chain, while the gears are inside the rear hub, which makes the bike very neat at the back. It handles very well and is very comfortable to ride overall, but you just have to get used to twisting the right grip in order to change gears.

The Sunmono E-Mono Atlas is an electric bike with a long, padded tail, bars and foot rests, which can be used for carrying small children or cargo. It has a rear-hub motor that provides a good dose of power, but we found it to be inconsistent when supplying that power. How much power the motor gives will depend on the assist level used, and we had to use it regularly to control the speed of the bike, especially when turning or making subtle movements. A supplied throttle isn't limited to the legal limit of 6km/h, but instead can provide the full speed of the chosen assist level. We found this bike to be a little unpredictable in its performance, and it also took some time to get used to the way it handles when carrying a load.

The Benno Boost EVO4 can be loaded up with up to 60kg of cargo or a passenger at the rear (there is a cage installed, as well as foot rests), and another 20kg can be strapped to the metal basket at the front. It's a large and comfortable bike overall, with a powerful Bosch mid-drive motor that can reach top speed very quickly, even on a moderate assist level. You just need to be careful when loading it with cargo or getting a passenger to sit at the back, as the single leg kickstand makes the bike lean and can be unstable.

Benno's Ejoy V1 is a classic looking bike with a strong Bosch motor and the ability to carry loads on installed rear and front racks (40kg and 15kg, respectively). The rear load can be a box or a child seat, while the front load can be a small item strapped to the bars of the rack. Note that when loading the bike, it might become unstable due to the use of a single leg kickstand that makes the bike lean. When riding though, the bike felt very smooth and there was enough power to get up hills easily, even with a load on the rear.

Good looks are the tip of the iceberg for Cube's Ella Ride Hybrid 500 Green. It's mid-drive Bosch motor supplied a very smooth and comfortable ride in our tests, with exceptional power provided when riding up hills. A step-through frame makes it a good all-rounder for a family, and rack on the rear provides some carrying space for shopping. There are plenty of gears (10) to cycle through on this bike, which contributes to a fun and active ride overall.

The Focus Adventura 6.8 2023 is a large bike with a large price tag. It has a powerful mid-drive motor that can make short work of hills, and it has an advanced, colour display that can show detailed information about the e-bike's performance. The battery is located in a protected position on the frame's down tube, but care must be taken if removing it as it is heavy.

Kalkhoff's Endeavour 1.B Move - Step Over is a mid-drive bike that feels luxurious to ride. It makes riding up hills easy, and it also felt comfortable going over uneven ground. The battery sits on top of the frame's down tube and isn't flush with the frame.

Kristall's Y20 Fat Tyre Folding Bike is a large unit that resembles a motorcycle more than a bicycle. Its combination of fat tyres, fork suspension, and seat-post suspension, all made short work of rough and bumpy terrain. A large battery is attached to a powerful rear hub-drive motor that made climbing hills very easy, and large hydraulic disc brakes stopped the bike reassuringly at the bottom end of the hills, though they weren't as aggressive as they look. In addition to regular lighting, there is a brake light, left and right indicators, and an electric buzzer (rather than a bell). Comfort could be increased with better handle grips (they feel too hard and the right has a twist-throttle), and closer placement of the pedal assist controls to the left handle (it's a bit of a reach over the lighting controls). It can be very heavy to fold and unfold the frame.

The Leitner Milan Cruiser has a step-through frame and height-adjustable handlebars, which can make for a very comfortable sitting position. However, the comfort level of the handles themselves is low as the right handle incorporates a twist-throttle (6kp/h), which can feel awkward. It's motor is powerful enough to make hills easy to climb, but a mid-to-high pedal assist level may be needed to get a good speed. The motor does have plenty of power, and this can be felt in jolts, especially when taking slow turns -- something one has to get used to.

Leitner's SuperT is a rear hub-drive bike with a large battery, and it can be folded up for storage, or when transporting it to another location. It's powerful enough to make hills easy to climb, but a mid-to-high pedal assist level may be needed to get a good speed. The motor does have plenty of power, and this can be felt in jolts, especially when taking slow turns -- something one has to get used to.

The Merida eBIG Nine 300SE is a mid-drive bike that didn't feel as powerful as expected. We had to use the maximum pedal assist of the motor to feel comfortable going up hills. Overall comfort was not high, with the bike feeling a bit more rigid than most, and its handlebar grips lacked softness and contours.

Moov8's C2 Cargo e-bike looks awkward, but handled surprisingly well. It has a rear hub-drive motor that supplied good power going uphill, and it wasn't impulsive when taking slow turns or making subtle manoeuvres. There is plenty of carrying space at the front and the rear for shopping or other goods, and the Accessories Bundle includes a cage, footrests, and padding for a child passenger. The battery is very small compared to other e-bikes, and it sits neatly within the area of the crank. Our 30km test ride completed with the battery still showing more than 50 per cent remaining. A downside is the high cadence of pedalling, even when using the highest gear.

The Moov8 22X may appeal to a minimalist. It has a low top bar with tall handle and seat stems. The top bar has integrated front and rear lights, and these (as well as the rear hub-drive motor) are powered by a small battery that's nestled in the corner of the top bar and seat tube. Our 30km test ride completed with the battery still showing approximately 60 per cent remaining. We noticed plenty of power in our tests, especially when going uphill. Pedal cadence was too high, with very little resistance at the highest gear, which made it difficult to reach the bike's top speed and beyond.

The NCM Prague is more mountain bike than road bike, and has a powerful rear hub-drive motor that can make uphill climbs comfortable, even when using a middle level of pedal assistance. Low-speed turns may take some practice to perfect due to the way the motor kicks in. The battery sits noticeably on the down tube, and protrudes a bit each way over the frame. It has a USB-A port for charging external devices such as smartphones.

NCM's T3S is a step-through bike with some rear carrying capacity. It has a rear hub-drive motor that felt powerful during our rides, but overall the bike felt like it dragged a bit; we had to use the motor's assist levels regularly to gain speed comfortably. The motor kicked in too hard when taking slow turns, which made it difficult to control. Uphill performance was good, but required upper levels of assistance from the motor to produce a comfortable speed. It's a bike that might take some getting used to, especially for subtle movements.

The Norco Indie VLT 1 has a mid-drive motor that's powered by a large battery inside the frame's down tube. It's a relatively sleek looking bike with handle bars that angle towards the rider. It's a very comfortable e-bike overall, but we had to use the maximum level of pedal assist to make uphill climbs more bearable. An interesting aspect of this e-bike is the dropper seat, which can be lowered to allow the rider to more easily touch the ground at traffic lights, for example.

Orbea's Vibe H30 looks more like a regular bicycle than an e-bike. It has a smaller hub-drive motor in the rear wheel, a slim battery inside the frame's down tube, and it lacks a screen. Minimalist controls with colour coding inform you about pedal assist level remaining battery charge (an app is available to get a bit more detail on the battery). It's not as powerful as other rear hub-drive e-bikes in this test, but it's very comfortable to ride, relatively light, and attractive. It's also expensive, and accessories such as a kickstand are not included.

The Ordica Neo Mid 27.5 is distinguished by easily adjustable handlebars that offer a more upright riding position, and, as such, can make for a very comfortable ride. It has a strong, mid-drive motor, which made uphill climbing easy while using only the middle level of pedal assistance. There is a very small screen that was almost impossible to see in daylight conditions, and the handle grips are a little narrow, but all controls are within easy reach. The battery sits on the top of the down tube and almost looks like it's part of the frame.

Reid's classic step-through bike is very comfortable to ride. The handle bars have ample width and can be angled more upright than most. A rear hub-drive Bafang motor supplied plenty of power when going up hills, without us having to use a high pedal assist level on the computer. The battery is located within the downtube, and while comparatively small in capacity, still had approximately 40 per cent left after a 30km ride. It looks good, it rides well, and there is carrying space at the rear. Ours arrived in a box and we found that it did not come with assembly instructions specific to this model.

The Smartmotion E20 has a step-through design, and it can be folded when put in storage or when packing it in the car for a trip. Its rear, hub-drive motor can provide a noticeable kick on level ground, but we had to use almost all its muscle when climbing hills. There is a throttle that can be used to access all of the motor's power on demand, while you make a pedalling motion.

Smartmotion's Pacer offers plenty of power through its rear hub-drive motor; it was a breeze getting up hills while using the medium level of pedal assist. The design of the bike is more e-bike than regular bike, with a thick frame that houses an inbuilt screen, and LEDs that run along the underside of the frame to make you more easily seen (and turn heads) at night. The battery is on the top side of the frame's down tube and feels secure; it even has a USB-A port so you can charge your phone while you ride. The inbuilt screen can be awkward and potentially dangerous to look at while riding due to its low position.

The Vamos El Rapido is a step-through bike with front and rear carrying capacity. It has a rear hub-drive motor with more power than other bikes we've tested (up to 32kp/h) and it can gain speed quickly as you change gears. It was lots of fun to ride, because we could just use the first pedal assist level and still access all of the motor's power by cycling normally and changing gears, rather than playing with the assist level on the computer. The handlebar height can be adjusted for optimal comfort, and suspension at the front, and on the seat post, made the overall ride very smooth.

NCM's Moscow Plus is a powerful rear hub-drive e-bike that is more mountain bike than road bike. We could use a middle level of pedal assistance to go uphill comfortably, and the ride was reasonably comfortable overall. Low-speed turns can be a bit jumpy when the pedal assistance kicks in, which is something that requires a bit of practice. A large battery sits on the down tube and almost looks like it's part of the frame. It has a USB-A port for charging external devices such as smartphones.

The XDS E Cruze Step Over is a classic looking bike with a mid-drive motor and a large, easy to see, screen. It provides a comfortable ride, and can make it easy to climb hills when using a high level of pedal assistance. The battery sits on top of the down tube, flush with the frame, and feels reasonably secure.

The Ryder Dulili (Revom) is a large cargo bike that can be a bit hard to handle. It has a rear hub-drive motor that kicked in hard when taking slow turns, which is something that will take some getting used to. That power was more useful when going uphill, as the Ryder had plenty of speed on inclines, even when carrying a load. It came with mechanical (cable) disc brakes instead of hydraulic brakes, which felt a bit too soft. Rider comfort was high, with plenty of smoothness over rough terrain thanks to its thick tyres, and the riding position can be high by adjusting the handlebars. If carrying children or goods, accessories that can safely hold them in place will be needed.