Best electric road bikes 2023 ⁠— choose an e-bike that looks like a road bike to add power to your rides

The Boardman ADV8.9E stands out from the crowd as it manages to match the performance of its spendier counterparts, with considerably more riding versatility.

The integrated Fauza Evation drive system offers three power modes and intuitively feeds in extra assistance when needed based on your pedal stroke. It’s a mid-motor with a 250Wh battery, a stated torque of 60Nm and peak power of 400W.

Tipped by Boardman as an adventure bike “blending the speed of a road bike with a more relaxed position and off-road focussed geometry”, the ADV8.9E felt at home across a range of terrain largely due to 38mm Schwalbe G-One Speed tyres which offset a stiff frame. A slackened head tube, lengthened chainstays and subtly dropped bottom bracket combine for a more stable ride, while the position still felt aero enough for fast road riding.  

The ADV8.9E runs a SRAM Apex 1x11 drivetrain, which is SRAM’s lowest 11-speed spec, but it works brilliantly. Gears are lower than you’d find on a classic roadie as the 42T single chainring is paired with an 11-42T cassette, but you do get a 1:1 bottom gear to power up steep climbs.

At 16kg, it’s not the lightest e-road bike out there, but it’s still nimble enough to ride with only light ‘breeze mode’ power assistance. A hilly 50km sucks up 6/10 of the battery bars, so it should cover a gently undulating 100km in one charge. Battery and modes are displayed on a bar-mounted remote, which isn’t best feature of the bike, but more info can be found when connected to Fauza’s smartphone app.

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The Roadmachine is BMC's do-everything road bike, and that transfers over to the electric version with an impressively low weight (a shade over 12kg) nippy steering and neutral road-going geometry.  

While the geometry is easy to live with, the frameset is stiff meaning this bike is primarily for performance rather than pootling. Mahle's latest motor system offers a smooth and intelligent power boost, which really allows you to ride harder for longer, with the added weight of the motor and battery never a major concern.

It is quite a firm ride and the hub motor limits wheel upgrades; which is the same as any e-road bike with a rear hub motor, although this one is spendy and performance-focussed, so that's something you might wish to do. Otherwise, this is a fun bike to ride fast and it retains the same DNA as the Roadmachine without electric assistance. 

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The S-Works Turbo Creo SL is a headline-grabber and a suave-looking e-bike. The SL 1.1 motor coupled with Future Shock 2.0 damping system are excellent. If you can justify the mighty spend, with the price you get a high-quality build and well-rounded machine.

The SL 1.1 motor’s designed as a lightweight system, and was developed in-house with the help of German specialists Mahle. A peak output of 240W and a 340Wh internal battery means it’s not in competition with some of the heavyweight power machines here, but it is the lightest around at an impressive 12.3kg.

The motor has three assistance modes with a control in the top-tube, which can offer 100% assistance up to its 240W limit. This isn’t the bike for those after effortless pedalling, rather a helping hand on big climbs.

Like most, range is around 100km, give or take. The Creo SL comes with hydraulic disc brakes and SRAM Red eTap AXS levers. The 46T ring mated with a 12-speed,10-50t cassette offers enough for most riders to crawl up the very steepest climbs.

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The Pinarello Nytro was the company’s first shot at an e-road bike, and a few years on it's stil a classy ride. The Nytro is based on Pinarello’s asymmetric Torayca T700 UD carbon frame, whose origins lie in the TDF-winning Dogma F8, with albeit a less aggressive geometry and lower grades of carbon. The Nytro feels very comfortable over longer distances thanks to the 28mm Pirelli tyres and the high Onda fork, allowing the Nytro to track extremely well round corners according to our reviewer. 

The Fauza Evation motor is one of the two most popular systems on the market. It’s a mid-motor meaning it drives the pedals directly, with a claimed output of 400W and 60Nm torque, plus 250Wh battery. 

The motor and battery can drop out as a single unit, taking the overall weight from 14kg to 10kg. As for range, our reviewer got 85km out of the Nytro on low mode with juice left in the tank, so it could reach 100km fairly easily. 

It's certainly not cheap, and there’s no denying that you can get a similar spec level for less; but the Pinarello name has plenty of cachet though, and it's a fun and comfortable bike to ride.

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Ok, so this is e-gravel rather than e-road specifically... but we're counting pretty much anything with drop bars, and this bike will ride handsomely on the road too!

The Look e-765 Gravel is the carbon gravel e-sibling to Look’s road-faring e-765. Assisted gravel bikes have a lot going for them, because they’re capable enough to cope with technical terrain, while remaining light enough to perform on the road.

The e-765 also shares a lot of DNA with Look’s 765RS gravel bike. A carbon frame combines with a ‘3D Wave’ seatstay, and substantial 37mm WTB Riddler tyres, which are grippy enough to cope with a range of terrain. Our reviewer said that the on-bike position is fairly upright, with the option there to hunker down on the drops for aero spurts. At speed, the stiff stem gives the front of the bike a stable, solid feel.

The e-765 Gravel’s motor is the Fauza Evation system with 250Wh battery. The three power levels will carry you up most demanding and technical sections without too much effort. Bear in mind that gravel riding’s much more battery heavy than road, so expect one charge to cover a heavily assisted, hilly 50km.

The motor coupled with a carbon frame and SRAM Force single ring groupset don’t add too much weight to the bike, which comes in at 14.8kg. This is key for a gravel machine, meaning it’s not too heavy to chuck over stiles and up steps. It’s not unpleasant to ride with the motor off either, which is a big plus.