Best e-mountain bikes 2026: Top rated e-MTBs for all types of riding

The Etmo leverages Merida’s aluminium crafting know-how to create a Bosch equipped trail and enduro e-mountain bike that draws inspiration from its bigger travelled brethren, the eOne-Eighty. Built to take on a little bit of everything, the Etmo in its 800 guise dons 160mm of suspension at both ends and benefits from a mixed wheel size, so there’s a 29-inch hoop at the front and a 650b or 27.5-inch wheel at the back.

Although this beast tips the scale at 26.8kg with a large frame, our tester was impressed with its maneuverability and its lively feel. It boasts a fairly well sorted geometry, too, so while it might cost a little less than some of its rivals, the Etmo 800 packs a punch where it matters.

Speaking of affordability, Merida has done well with the build kit. The Etmo 800 comes equipped with Marzocchi suspension, Shimano’s 11-speed Linkglide XT shifting, as well as four-piston Shimano XT brakes. Its Bosch CX motor then kicks out 120Nm of torque and is fuelled by an 800Wh internal battery.

The Lithos is Merida’s flagship Bosch equipped enduro e-mountain bike. With 174mm of flex stay actuated travel at the rear and 170mm up front, it’s built to take on burly trails while bringing confidence and stability when things get steep, along with a playful ride over flatter terrain. This bike is built around a carbon fibre frame with a removable battery, and there’s a flip chip that allows the 650b wheel at the rear to be swapped to a larger 29-inch wheel without affecting the geometry.

Back to that motor, the Lithos revolves around Bosch’s posh Performance Line CX-R motor that offers 120Nm of torque and 750W of peak power. It can then run either a 600 or 800Wh battery, which can be combined with the 250Wh Powermore range extender.

As for the Lithos’s ride, it’s a real refinement of Merida’s tried and tested formula. It’s exceptional at ironing out tricky terrain, but it doesn’t lose a sense of character and feedback. Thanks to the flex stay design, there’s excellent pop to the bike’s suspension, which makes it feel more alive than regular hard-charging e-MTBs. Though, as this bike uses a longer chainstay, it’s more sure-footed rather than agile.

Santa Cruz and affordable don’t usually belong in the same sentence, so it comes as a surprise that the brand’s Vala AL is rather well specified for its asking price. Although it’s definitely not cheap, it’s impressed us with its overall bang for buck. Anyway, this bike takes the formula concocted by Santa Cruz for its carbon framed Vala, but brings it to an alloy frame, while throwing in some cost-conscious componentry.

Differing from Santa Cruz’s other bikes, this one uses a four-bar linkage and is powered by Bosch’s Performance Line CX motor, so it can produce up to 120Nm of torque and 750W at peak power. That’s combined with the smaller 600W battery, so its overall range isn’t quite like that offered by bikes with 800Wh batteries. The Vala AL rolls on mixed wheels, comes with 150mm of rear suspension and 160 mm at the front.

But for the Vala AL, the proof is in the pudding as it provides a lively yet confident ride both up and downhill. It’s a comfortable climber with plenty of traction but, importantly, it’s agile, engaging and impressively capable. Although there are a few components we would change.

With its latest Fuel+ range, Trek has taken a rather different approach, as the Fuel+ EX can be three bikes in one, if you’re up for spending on extra links and suspension. We tested it in its trail-going EX 8 build, and it’s one of the most affordable TQ equipped bikes out there. So yes, this runs TQ’s HPR60 motor that doles out 60Nm of torque and up to 350W at peak power. There’s then a 580Wh battery to power it.

Although there are carbon framed models available, this is built around Trek’s Alpha NEXT Platinum aluminium frame that offers 145mm of rear wheel travel that’s complemented with a 150mm suspension fork. There’s then the provision to run a 650b rear wheel if the fancy takes you, and there’s a flip chip that tweaks the rear suspension’s progression, which is always a nice touch.

As for the performance, well, the Fuel+ EX 8 performs. We were impressed with its rear suspension and its geometry, which encourages hard trail riding while being comfortable when the trail is easier going. It’s great to see loads of adjustability in for good measure, but to properly unlock that adjustability, you’ll need to fork out for new suspension components. But the only real downside we came across was the tyre spec.

The Kado S is Whyte’s keenest priced Bosch powered e-mountain bike that packs quite the punch for its relatively low asking price. With that Bosch motor, it can be updated to output 120Nm of torque and 750W at peak power. There’s then an 800Wh battery as standard, rather than the 600Wh unit we tested. Of course, this is a Whyte bike, so expect some trickery employed to tweak the Kado’s centre of gravity. The motor is tipped up in the frame, which allows the battery to be placed lower, setting more of the bike’s weight between your feet.

At this price, the Kado S brings a more basic spec sheet, but it’s all killer stuff for the cash. The RockShox Psylo Gold fork delivers 160mm of travel while the RockShox Deluxe Select R damps 150mm of bounce. But a note that we took away is that a tyre upgrade is a must to wring out the very best this bike can offer.

But its performance is certainly nothing to be sniffed at. Thanks to its low centre of gravity, the Kado S offers excellent composure over the rough stuff, as well as easy cornering. Its suspension produces impressive traction and comfort, too.

If you’ve got deep pockets and you’re happy to splash the cash, Specialized’s S-Works Turbo Levo 4 might be the e-mountain bike for you. With its carbon frame, 150mm of rear travel, and 160mm up front, the S-Works Turbo Levo 4 produces 111Nm of torque and 720W at peak power. It’s then powered by an 820Wh battery, but thanks to its Wattage Cottage, you can choose a smaller 600Wh battery and have a bit of room to store other bits and pieces.

Of course, this is a very high-end e-MTB, and it gets the kit to match. So there’s Fox Factory suspension, SRAM XX shifting, and Specialized’s unique GENIE shock. This is a Specialized bike after all, so it rolls on Specialized tyres.

This bike is packed full of adjustability, so most geometry tastes are covered, and we found it to be a bike that’s likely to please the masses. We liked its power delivery and versatile ride, but the GENIE technology won’t be for everyone and, yeah… that price.

If it’s a heavy-hitting e-mountain bike for bike park riding you’re after, look no further. The eOne-Eighty is Merida’s alloy framed big trail bruiser that leverages Bosch’s Performance Line CX Gen 5 motor’s torque for breezy climbs, and its 180mm of travel at both ends for unwavering confidence downhill. Unlike Merida’s other bikes, the eOne-Eighty goes for a four-bar linkage.

£7,500 buys you a bike that’s sorted with a RockShox ZEB Ultimate fork and Vivid Air Ultimate shock, as well as DT Swiss’s HF 1700 wheels and Maxxis Assegai and Minon DHR II tyres. Both get soft MaxxGrip rubber compounds, whereas the front gets an EXO+ casing and the rear goes for a burlier Double Down casing. There’s then Shimano XT shifting and brakes.

Despite being quite a weighty machine, the eOne-Eighty does a great job of hiding its weight through impressive agility, only showing that weight when the trail gets steeper, where the bike requires a firmer haul on the brake levers. Suspension performance is excellent, offering an excellently balanced and supportive ride. Our tester just found the short chainstay to be a bit of a problem when cranking up steeper ascents, where the front wheel tended to lift every once in a while.

Although it has had some specification changes since we reviewed it, and a welcome price reduction, Whyte’s ELyte EVO RS aims to blend the joys of a lightweight e-mountain bike with the power and range of a full-fat machine. This bike is driven by Bosch’s Performance Line CX Gen 5 motor that can knock out 120Nm of torque and up to 750W at peak power. But where the ELyte EVO gets interesting is that its equipped with a smaller 400Wh internal battery, in pursuit of a lower weight. However, if that’s not enough, it can be combined with the supplied 250Wh PowerMore range extender.

The ELyte EVO boasts a carbon fibre frame, producing 142mm of travel at the rear wheel combined with 150mm at the front. And as usual from Whyte, it benefits from the brand’s unending pursuit of lowering its centre of gravity.

On the trail, we were very impressed with the bike’s direct and intuitive handling in a package that encourages riders to push their limits. The ELyte EVO RS poses no limits, thanks to its versatile build, excellent geometry, and impressive suspension.