The best electric mountain bikes

While this is a more budget choice, it does not compromise on what you need – it has a super powerful and very responsive Bosch Performance line motor situation where the bottom bracket is, giving you direct power to your pedals where you feel the boost. It’ll provide you with 65Nm of torque to help you over the boulders and tree roots with a maximum of 250watts to help you up the hills.

The 400Wh battery is situated in the downtube, and on the bike, you get an 11-36t Sunrace cassette with entry-level Shimano Alivio M3100 9-speed gears. Two-piston hydraulic disc brakes and Suntour XCM32 Boost DS front forks with 120mm of travel will make tree roots a thing to wheelie over and not wince.

Kicking off with hydraulic disc brakes and Shimano Deore groupset, while still entry-level, it’s a step above the Alivio Groupset on the Haibike above; coupled with the BOSCH Performance Active motor, this can go some way to explaining the £100 price difference between the two.

We also find a Shimano CS-M4100 10-speed cassette giving you 11-46t gears, offering an extensive range to help you rail the descents and nail the ascents. Coiled suspension forks give you 100mm of travel; you’ll also get space for two bottle holders, plus a battery for extending the range from the already impressive 400Wh battery integrated into the frame.

Cannondale has produced a versatile eMTB that will get you to the trails up them and back home with up to 60 miles of range – depending on how you use the battery, which mode the motor is in, the weather and the amount of climbing you do. This Shimano E7000 motor is controllable via the button on the top tube and the accessible Shimano App.

With Shimano Deore 10-speed Group set and MT200 Hydraulic disc brakes and Suntour Coil forks, with 100mm of travel, the big party piece of this bike is the 504Wh battery integrated into the frame. There are also mounts for two bottle holders giving you everything you need for a weekend ride out.

If you want a full suspension eMTB at a lower cost, the Vitus could be the one for you; it has much to shout about and not much in the way of downsides.

The powerful Shimano STEPS EP8 motor can deliver up to 250W of power and maxes out at 85Nm of torque, and the Shimano E8036 battery has a class-leading 630Wh crammed into the downtube. What’s more, you get a mid-range groupset with the Shimano SLX system, so what you lack in name or brand compared to Cannondale or Specialized, for example, you make up for in groupset, battery range and utilising wheels, handlebars, stem and saddle from Nukeproof, you’ve got some recognised brands to back up the grunt.

You may be looking at this bike, scratching your head, wondering why if it’s on Shimano Deore groupset, bringing the MT410 hydraulic disc brakes with it, is it worth over £5,000? Well, the answer may lie in the motor and other components on the bike. Tubeless-ready wheels wrapped in Maxxis rubber may explain it, but through the much acclaimed Shimano EP8-RS motor and Orbea’s own RS Internal battery, which is suitable for a massive 540Wh and we are getting closer to understanding why it’s worth so much.

Rounding out the spec, you get an Orbea OC MC20 Dropper seat post and combining Marzocchi Bomber Z2 forks with the Orbea Rise Hydro frame, giving you 140mm of travel, and it’s easy now to see where these extra pennies go.

Specialized has combined an M5 alloy chassis with one of the most powerful and smoothest running motors to bring you the Turbo Levo Comp. It has four assist modes and a massive 700Wh battery pack to give you up to five hours of riding time, depending on the use and conditions.

With a middle-range SRAM GX Groupset, things start getting serious, giving you 12 gears and a 10-52t range – massive for the inclines. Four-piston calliper hydraulic disc brakes offer modulated and mighty stopping power with just a couple of fingers on the brake lever. An internal cable-routed dropper seat post allows you to move the saddle out of the way for the steep drops. 150mm of rear suspension travel and 150-160mm in the fork efficient shock absorption gives you the confidence to attack the descents and jumps.

Sometimes bikes don’t have to be from the top-of-the-range brands to stand out, but we love this from Orbea; the colour scheme and the way the suspension colours match the frame, yeah – that’s nice. Let’s talk about the paint here, too, because it starts with this beautiful deep burgundy at the front and blends into a black at the rear – we have much time for that.

Top of the range Shimano XTR groupset - you can go one higher, and that’s XTR Di2 which is only really reserved for the pros. Full-suspension full carbon fibre frame gives you an extra bit of flex in the frame but is still super strong and stiff where needed. Fox 38 Float Factory, 160 Grip2 QR15x110 Kashima E-Bike Optimized front suspension with a Fox DHX2 Trunnion 2-position, adjust rear suspension, of course, the brakes are hydraulic, and you get a 10-51t 12-speed cassette.

Motorwise, if it matters at this point, it is a BOSCH performance CX Cruise with a BOSCH Powertube 625Wh Horizontal battery pack. Wow.

Look at this. Just look at it – even the dropper seat post matches the suspension. How can you not think that’s cool?

Before we get into the finer details of the spec, this has a colossal 720Wh battery integrated into the downtube, coupled with a powerful Shimano EP8 motor delivering 85Nm of torque. Not only does it utilise a top-line motor but it takes every component part from the top shelf, too. Wireless SRAM X01 Eagle AXS 12-speed drivetrain and SRAM Code RSC hydraulic disc brakes.

The full carbon frame is fully suspended with 150mm progressive suspension on the rear and 160mm forks courtesy FOX 36 RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate suspension.

OK – here it is, the ultimate in mountain biking, the Specialized S-works Turbo Levo, a full carbon frame with a two-tone paint job that is just as fancy as the multi-colour chain and gears.

Full SRAM XX1 (top of the range) Groupset with a 12-speed cassette ranging from 10-52T. Fox Float front and rear suspension with a Specialized Turbo Full Power System 2.2 motor bring a more robust belt that delivers a more reliable motor. This new firmware update gives smoother delivery of power and a better water-rated charging plug and cover—some extensive upgrades over the previous motor. The new mastermind control unit is a small computer integrated into the top tub, displaying battery levels and the power level you are in. It’ll also give you information on distance covered and elevation gained and connect to your heart rate monitor.

It’s also a mullet-only set-up, don’t go thinking you can whack a 29er on the back; it’s been built around this set-up and has a 29-inch wheel on the front and a 650B rear wheel, giving you the ability to roll over bumps with the front wheel and provide plenty of traction with the rear, great for an eBike.

The batteries are also massive, giving you 700Wh of power – so it’s easy to see where your money is going—what a bike.