This is the best electric bicycle according to the Consumers’ Association

Electric bikes are not cheap. But despite the high price, they are very popular and at the bottom of the corona pandemic they were even unstoppable for a while. The advantage of an e-bike is of course that you can make cycling as heavy as you want with the electrical assistance.

The Consumers’ Association tests e-bikes for, among other things, electrical assistance, range and operation and equipment of the bicycle. A total of more than 540 electric bicycles have been tested that are reasonably to well available.

A Cube e-bike comes out on top in the test. A good and cheaper alternative is a Pegasus bicycle. Note: More bikes came out on top in the test. Here we highlight the bicycle with the lowest target price.

Best in Test: Cube Touring Hybrid Exc 625

From commuting to longer bike rides, this bike from Cube can handle it just fine. It rides smoothly and also has a powerful engine. Even uphill you can easily reach about 25 kilometers per hour. The bike is available in 2 colours: dark gray or mocha.

With the battery of 625 Wh you can cycle quite a bit. It is incorporated in the frame of the bicycle. The motor is so powerful that you can often lower the support. This reduces energy consumption. This makes it possible to cycle a distance of more than 100 kilometers on 1 full charge.

The 12-speed derailleur gears feel sporty. Shifting is fast and smooth. The chain guard on a derailleur is open. This will probably require some maintenance earlier, but that will be easier than with a closed cabinet.

The Cube has both front fork and seatpost suspension, and it has 55mm wide tires. This allows you to cycle very comfortably, despite the leaning forward, sporty sitting position.

He also has some flaws. There is no lock on the bicycle as standard. In addition, charging the battery takes a bit of time. It takes about 9 hours to fully charge it.

Alternative: Pegasus Siena E7F Plus 500Wh

Compared to the Cube, with this model from Pegasus, you have to sacrifice something on various points. But on the other hand, it is a lot cheaper to buy.

At 500 Wh, the battery is somewhat lighter than that of the Cube, but the performance is good. The engine is less powerful, but feels nice and natural. The battery is on the back of this bike and not in the frame.

Instead of a derailleur, this bike has 7 hub gears. This shifts less sporty, but also involves less maintenance. It has a closed chain guard.

The Pegasus has front fork suspension and a comfortable seating position. And despite the fact that the tires are a bit narrower (44 mm) and it has no seatpost suspension, the comfort is okay.

A disadvantage is that on steeper hills you will notice that the engine is less powerful. If you prefer not to, then it is better to choose a model with a more powerful engine.

In this column we write weekly about household and technological appliances that have been tested by the Consumers’ Association. This is a collaboration between the independent editors of this site and the Consumers’ Association.

The Consumers’ Association tests thousands of products every year, together with qualified technicians in specialized laboratories at home and abroad. The products being tested are store bought so they are not pre-manipulated by manufacturers.

New models are tested as soon as possible after introduction. How fast that is varies per product. The Best in Test is the product with the best test rating. This can also be a somewhat older model, because a newer model is not always better. The Best Buy is the product with the best value for money.

The stated price of a product is the lowest retail price currently known to the Consumers’ Association. But prices can vary per day. If no recent retail price is known, the target price is quoted.