E-Bike Consumer Trends in 2026: Power, Cargo, Lighter Bikes and the E-Moto Line

What riders want from an e-bike depends on where they live. American buyers favour power, throttles and low prices; European buyers, held to 250 W and 25 km/h by law, spend on e-mountain bikes, everyday trekking bikes and cargo bikes. Underneath both markets, the same shifts are under way: lighter bikes, new ways to own one, and a sharper legal line between an e-bike and an electric motorcycle. This analysis draws on every e-bike in our database and on Germany's 2025 market data.

Two markets, two kinds of e-bike

US rules allow e-bikes with motors up to 750 W, throttles (Class 2) and pedal assistance up to 28 mph (Class 3). EU and UK rules treat an e-bike as a bicycle only up to 250 W of continuous power, with assistance cut at 25 km/h and no throttle beyond walking pace. Here is how the ranges on sale on each side compare:

Medians of the figures brands state for each range. A range sold on both sides of the Atlantic counts in both columns. Some brands state peak rather than continuous motor power, and some ranges sold in Europe are type-approved speed pedelecs or are offered for use on private land, so stated figures can exceed the bicycle limits.

Batteries differ far less than motors: a median of 672 Wh in the US and 725 Wh in Europe. The difference is in how the energy is used: in the US for speed and throttle riding, in Europe for range within a 25 km/h limit. A torque sensor, which makes the motor respond to how hard the rider pedals, is named for 25% of US ranges and 22% of European ones.

What riders buy

In Germany, Europe's largest market, the e-mountain bike remained the best-selling category in 2025, although its share slipped from 40% to 38%. E-trekking, e-city and e-cargo bikes, the bikes of everyday transport, together made up more than half of sales [1].

Source: ZIV [1].

Cargo bikes have become an established family vehicle rather than a novelty. Germany sold 185,300 e-cargo bikes in 2025, 0.4% more than in 2024, while non-motorised cargo bikes kept declining; more than four in five cargo bikes sold now have a motor [1]. In our database, commuter e-bikes make up 66% of the 662 e-bike ranges on sale, followed by cargo e-bikes (13%), electric mountain bikes (11%) and folding e-bikes (4%).

Lighter bikes and minimal assist

After a decade of bigger batteries and stronger motors, the next growth segment points the other way. In the survey of German specialist retailers published with ZIV's 2025 data, light e-bikes with minimal assistance and gravel bikes were the two categories with the most positive outlook: 56% of retailers expect light e-bikes to grow, and 60% expect gravel bikes to [1]. These are bikes that ride like a bicycle first, for riders who want help on hills rather than a motor.

Leasing and refurbished bikes

How people pay for premium e-bikes is changing too. Company bike leasing, offered by employers as a tax-efficient salary benefit, made up 41.9% of German specialist retailers' sales in 2025, and more than three-quarters of newly leased bikes are e-bikes [1]. As leases end, a market for professionally refurbished bikes is growing fast: among the leasing and refurbishment companies of Zukunft Fahrrad, the number of refurbished bicycles has grown by an average of 68% a year since 2023, with demand still higher. About six in ten consumers name price as the deciding factor in a purchase, and about as many are open to buying a used high-end bike from a specialist retailer [1].

The e-moto line

A growing source of controversy in the US is the electric motorcycle sold as if it were an e-bike. The 44 electric dirt bike ranges in our database have a median top speed of 80 km/h (50 mph), a median battery of 2,304 Wh and a median peak motor power of 8,000 W: far beyond any e-bike class.

California has now drawn the line in law. Governor Newsom signed three bills on 30 September 2026 [2]:

• SB 1167, from 1 January 2027: a device that goes faster than 20 mph on its throttle or 28 mph with pedal assist is not an e-bike. It falls under the moped or motor-driven cycle rules, with registration and a licence, and manufacturers, importers and sellers must disclose that it is a motor vehicle in California.
• AB 2346: a 10 mph speed limit on sidewalks where riding there is allowed, and, for e-bikes sold from 1 January 2029, front and rear lights on all e-bikes and a speedometer on Class 2 bikes.
• AB 2595: lets cities in San Mateo County bar riders under 12 from Class 1 and 2 e-bikes, in a pilot running to 1 January 2031.

Rules like these, together with the certification requirements in New York City and California covered in our safety certification report, are turning “is it legal?” into one of the first questions buyers ask. Our riding rules by country and guide to e-bike classes answer it.

What it means

• For brands: one product rarely fits both markets. US ranges compete on power, throttle and price; European ranges on category, range and drive quality within the 250 W limit. Lighter, minimal-assist models are a promising opening.
• For retailers: leasing returns and refurbishment are becoming a business of their own.
• For buyers in the US: check a fast model's class and top speed before you buy; in California, a bike that exceeds the e-bike limits will need registration and a licence from 2027.

Sources

1. 2025 Market Data for the Bicycle Industry (with the VSF and BIKE&CO specialist retail survey and Zukunft Fahrrad leasing and refurbishment data), ZIV – Zweirad-Industrie-Verband (German Bicycle Industry Association), 11 March 2026.
2. California clarifies e-bike vs e-moto rules under new Newsom-signed laws, ElectricBikes.com, 3 October 2026.