Best Electric Bikes For Kids | Be Safe AND Have Fun!

To be clear, the JackRabbit XG wasn’t intended for kids; it is billed as a portable way to cross college campuses that is compact enough to fit in a car trunk, but its compact dimensions are what make it an suitable choice for kids. Due to its diminutive design, children can easily reach the handlebar and the ground from the saddle.

Since it lacks a drivetrain, the JackRabbit XG can function as a balance e-bike, which makes it easier to ride for kids who might struggle with the coordination required to pedal, steer, and balance at the same time.

While our experience showed that the bike could be quite peppy, it offers three pedal assist levels with speeds as low as 15.6 mph. We’d recommend starting kids there (the modular throttle can be kept at slower speeds without depressing the thumb lever fully) and working up to faster speeds as kids age (or if an adult wants to go for a spin, too).

Of the many e-bikes we’ve reviewed over the years, few offer such a low saddle height. Thanks to an adjustable stem, the already short reach can be reduced for smaller riders.

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When considering an e-bike for a kid, not only does the size of the e-bike matter but how complicated it is also matters. Some kids become flustered by the extra layer of complication that comes with a multi-speed drivetrain. In fact, you don’t need to be a kid to prefer an e-bike with just one gear, which is why Lectric’s one-speed XP Lite2 makes our list of the best e-bikes for kids.

One of the reasons that the Lectric XP Lite2 makes our list is that this is the least expensive e-bike that we have recommended in full confidence. Our experience with Lectric e-bikes is considerable and we’ve found them to be both reliable and safe.

With a standover height of 22 in., the Lectric XP Lite may be a challenge for some smaller riders to straddle, but it allows for a very low saddle height. The lack of a multi-speed drivetrain not only makes the XP Lite2 less complicated but also helps keep its weight down, coming in at 47.5 lbs.

Lectric suggests that riders as small as 4 feet 8 can ride the XP Lite in comfort; that’s the height of 10 year olds in the 75th percentile.

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The Ride1Up Roadster V3 is one of our favorite e-bikes for adults, and fortunately, the brand makes a low-step model that’s suitable for riders as low as 5’2″. According to our findings, this should fit teens of around 13 who are in the 50th percentile.

Our team of testers is made up of folks who are kids at heart. We loved the Roadster V3’s peppy and responsive motor, which offers five assist levels with power levels ranging from light and active to speedy and easy. It’s an extremely fun bike to ride, but it also comes very well equipped for its price.

The Roadster V3 features lights for enhanced visibility, fenders to keep the rider dry, and knobby gravel tires that can cruise streets, dirt, and grass alike. The bike also weighs a super manageable 44 lbs., making it easy for a teen to move around and control while riding.

Additionally, it has some unique upgrade options. We tested the standard 9-speed option, but Ride1Up offers a belt-drive version that requires far less maintenance and a chain + suspension model that offers a step up in comfort. Priced below $1,500, it’s an affordable and reliable e-bike that offers great bang for the buck.

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Let’s say you have a teen who has good eye-hand coordination, a healthy respect for both speed and traffic, and a need for more self-directed transportation. An e-bike is an affordable alternative to a car, and the Ride1UP Portola makes our roundup because few e-bikes have reached this level of value.

We like the Portola because it is an effective means of transportation, and for students, the rear rack is perfect for carrying a book bag or pannier. Also, because it’s a folding e-bike, should there be a late function at school, it can be folded up to fit in the back of almost any car. Also, it comes with a longer-than-usual seatpost (350mm), which means your teen can grow and grow without outgrowing this e-bike until, or unless, they make the starting squad on the varsity basketball team.

This is a folding e-bike that Ride1UP says will fit riders as short as 4 feet 10, thanks in part to an adjustable handlebar mast. It sports a 750W brushless, geared hub motor and comes standard with a 500Wh battery, but that can be upgraded to a 643Wh battery if your teen has a long ride to school. And in case of a longer commute, the Portola can be unlocked to give Class 3 speeds, which maxes out at 28 mph.

Ride1UP gave the Portola hydraulic disc brakes with 180mm rotors and an 8-speed Shimano Altus drivetrain with a wide-range (11-32t) cassette, making it well-suited to use in hillier places. The Portola folds up in seconds, making it easy to store. Plus, it comes with a complete array of accessories for commuting: front and rear lights, fenders, a rear rack, and a heavy-duty kickstand.

To make starting off easier and cut the lag time between when a rider begins pedaling and when the motor starts, Ride1UP included a 24-magnet cadence sensor as opposed to the 12-magnet cadence sensor we usually see. Ride1UP included a full selection of accessories, including front and rear lights, fenders, a rear rack, and a heavy-duty kickstand.

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The Specialized Turbo Levo SL Kids makes our collection of the best e-bikes for kids for a couple of reasons. First, this is the only eMTB on our list, and it is capable of going to most of the places Mom or Dad might go. Second, it accommodates a broader cross-section of kid-sized people than any other e-bike in our roundup. Third, the Specialized Turbo Levo SL Kids allows a parent to set the controller to one of two max pedal-assist speeds: either 10 or 15.5 mph.

The Specialized 1.2 motor provides 300W of power to help kids keep up with grownups, whether going uphill or on the flats. Thanks to Specialized’s smartphone app, parents can adjust a number of performance parameters to give their pint-sized rider the performance necessary to keep riding as fun as possible.

The parts picked for the Specialized Turbo Levo SL Kids reflect the reality that most parents inclined to take their kid mountain biking would rather not drop five figures on an ultra-sophisticated eMTB. Specialized began with an aluminum frame, which offers a great combination of low weight and durability. A SRAM NX 11-speed drivetrain gives the sort of broad gear range necessary to ride technical singletrack. SRAM Level T hydraulic disc brakes paired with 160mm rotors provide excellent brake power and help to keep weight down.

We love that Specialized acknowledged how crucial dropper posts have become to mountain biking by equipping the Turbo Levo SL Kids eMTB with an 80mm-travel dropper post, a kid-appropriate size.

When we look at Specialized’s sizing info and check that against the CDC’s growth curves, the Turbo Levo SL Kids should fit most kids between the ages of 7 and 14.

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With teens, it can sometimes be hard to know if you should still be looking at kids’ e-bikes or adult e-bikes. With eMTBs, though, the big legacy brands such as Trek and Specialized make them in multiple sizes and work hard to make sure that their smallest sizes offer a comfortable fit for people who might not have reached 5 feet in height. We’re closing out our collection of the best e-bikes for kids with Trek’s Marlin+ 8 in part because it comes in five sizes but also because this mid-drive eMTB offers an impressive value.

The Trek Marlin+ 8 features a 6000-series aluminum frame (Trek’s Alpha Gold) paired with a Rock Shox Recon Silver suspension fork. This air-spring fork is a far cry from the coil spring forks we see on e-bikes going for less than $2000. The Bosch Active Line Plus is a top-notch mid-drive motor that has the power and torque necessary to handle technical trails.

A 12-speed Shimano Deore drivetrain, 4-piston hydraulic disc brakes with 203mm rotors, and a dropper post help round out a parts package worthy of a proper eMTB. The wheels and tires are both tubeless-ready; Trek even includes sealant to run the tires tubeless.

Trek produces the Marlin+ 8 in five sizes to cover a broad range of rider heights. According to Trek, the XS size in the Marlin+ 8 can accommodate riders from a height of 4 feet 9 up to 5 feet 1; that’s small enough to accommodate some ten-year-olds. The S size can accommodate some 12-year-olds.

Parents concerned that their tech-savvy teen might want to turn their e-bike into a speedy Class 3 ride with a top assist speed of 28 mph need not worry; the Trek Marlin+ 8 is a Class 1 e-bike with a maximum assist speed of 20 mph and no throttle. Bosch motors are restricted from providing more assistance than that.

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Hiboy BK-1: This is one of the smallest balance e-bikes we found. Thanks to the 12-in. wheels the Hiboy BK-1 rolls on, the standover height is just 16.3 in., which makes it a great candidate for smaller kids. It features a 100W motor that is restricted to 9 mph. It also weighs just 17.6 lbs., making it one of the lightest e-bikes we’ve ever encountered.

Rambo Trailbreaker: This Class 2 e-bike rolls on 20 in. wheels and a BMX-style frame. This single speed e-bike offers a size in between the Himiway C1 and the Specialized Turbo Levo SL Kids. The Trailbreaker includes a throttle and limits the rider’s top assist speed, whether pedaling or throttling, to 17 mph. Rambo gave the Trailbreaker mechanical disc brakes to give it better stopping power than we usually see with kids bikes.

Bluejay WILD: The Bluejay WILD is an eMTB with 24-in. wheels, much like the Specialized Turbo Levo SL Kids, but Bluejay has selected a less expensive motor, as well as more value-oriented parts in the drivetrain and brakes. In doing this, Bluejay is able to shave $1000 off of the Specialized’s price. Bluejay also makes the WILD in two different sizes; riders as small as 50 in. tall can ride the small size. Bluejay limits the assist to a top speed of 12 mph.

We spend a lot of time in our reviews discussing the nuts and bolts of the e-bikes we tested. From motor size to battery capacity, we dig into the many details that may make one e-bike better for a buyer than another. However, in our roundup of the best e-bikes for kids, we shift our priorities a bit. Here are the factors that we looked at in their order of relative importance.

Sizing: The right e-bike is invariably the one that fits the rider. When selecting an e-bike, finding one that will allow both the correct saddle height and the right amount of reach to the bar from the saddle is a big part of the rider’s comfort and confidence.

Motor output: Seeing your kiddo take off at the speed of an Olympic sprinter might not be what every parent has in mind when they consider an e-bike for their child. We’ve included several e-bikes here that allow a parent to restrict the top assist speed that the rider may be assisted to. Something to consider is that for many of us, 4 mph is a very brisk walk, and 7 mph is a jog. It’s important to consider whether you want to be able to keep up with your rider by walking, jogging, or riding.

Cost: Considering that kids can grow faster than kudzu in summer, we respect that many parents would like to balance their investment against how long their rider is likely to fit that e-bike. While we’ve favored e-bikes that cost less than $2000, we’ve included a few that are more expensive to demonstrate that the more technical the riding, the better the e-bike needs to be. The good news? Even after your mini-me has outgrown any of these e-bikes, they are well-made enough that they can be resold.

Weight: Expecting someone who weighs 60 lbs. to pick up something that weighs 60 lbs. is kinda mean. We have prioritized e-bikes in this collection that managed to keep their weight low or at least low-ish. We favored e-bikes that weigh less than 50 lbs.

Sharing cycling with your family can be a terrifically fun way to connect and spend time outside. As manufacturers come up with an ever-increasing number of segments for which to create specialty e-bikes, it is only natural that they would begin to make e-bikes for kids.

Whether you’re looking to ride with your kid, make it easier for them to get around, or flatten the learning curve for riding anything with two wheels, an e-bike can make riding both fun and a learning experience for kids. With a good helmet, such as the Brentwood Jr. from Bern, the experience can also be plenty safe and confidence-inspiring.

Feel free to contact us with any questions about these bikes and others. We’re always happy to assist you in your search for a great e-bike, whether that means your child, yourself, or the whole family!