With more college campuses loosening their personal electric vehicle (PEV) restrictions, what is the best e-bike for a college student? In our opinion, this comes down to 3 main factors: portability, safety and price. In this review we’ll go over some standout bikes in each of these categories, as well as a couple options that perform well in all three.
Portability
In order to score high on our portability rankings, a bike should fit into the back of a typical sedan (for example a Toyota Corolla), it must be foldable, and it must be less than 70 lbs. Bonus points if the handlebars also fold down for extra compact portability.
Safety
Important safety features for any e-bike, especially one being ridden on college campuses include:
- Horn or Bell for alerting pedestrians
- Lighting adequate for night riding (front and rear)
- Brakes (front and rear), bonus points for electric brakes
- Wide tires (at least 3″) for better grip in wet/icy conditions
Price
College students are probably some of the most price-conscious members of society. Juggling expenses like tuition and textbooks, food and rent, all without a full-time job (usually) means that e-bikes with a price tag of above $1,500 will be considered “unaffordable” for our rankings.
Heybike Mars
We reviewed the Heybike Mars a while back, and it’s still one of our favorites. Price is $999 to $1099 depending on configuration, and it comes with 4-inch fat tires, a powerful 750W motor, and full folding capability.
The weight of the Mars is 75 lbs, which is slightly heavier than what we’d consider “lightweight”, but it’s still manageable if you are lifting it into the trunk of a car or SUV. Carrying it up stairs might not be super feasible, however.
Click here for the current price of the Heybike Mars 2.0.
Ride1Up Portola
The Ride1Up Portola is a great compact e-bike, at a decent price, with many of the features needed for a college student. It weighs only 59 lbs, costs $995, has 3-inch tires, and has a rear light that acts as a brake light. However, the front light isn’t nearly bright enough for night riding, and we’d recommend an auxiliary light. Price is just under $1,000.
We couldn’t find any definitive proof that the Ride1Up Portola fits into the back of a sedan, but it would comfortably fit into any size SUV.
Click here for the current price of the Ride1Up Portola.
Lectric XP 3.0 – The Best E-Bike For a College Student In 2024
The Lectric XP 3.0 is a fantastic choice for a college student. It has front and rear brakes, 3-inch tires, decent lighting, and is foldable. It weighs 64 lbs, and one Reddit user posted this photo showing that it can fit in the trunk of a Tesla Model 3, along with a Onewheel! Price ranges from $799 to $999 depending on ongoing sales.
Lectric also has excellent US-based customer service, and we have reviewed many of their bikes, such as the XPress and the XPeak.
Click here for the latest price of the Lectric XP 3.0.
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