While the debate about some versions of e-bikes continue (ahem, MTB…), one category where the electric assist is mostly uncontested is for cargo bikes. Especially the long-tails which are mostly (around here, at least) used by families for hauling kids or groceries, but usually kids. Over the past few years our family has been testing lots of e-cargo bikes and in our latest stint we’ve honed in on a specific sub-category of these bikes, the compact e-cargo bike—where both tires are the smaller 20-inch size.
The biggest draw to this category is the price. Though, some of them will still stretch modest budgets. The bikes we tested ranged from $1,700-$3,000. This is probably why the cargo bike innovator, Xtracycle, made an exception from their long-standing design of a 26-inch front wheel and introduced the Hopper in November of 2024—to be more price competitive. Nevertheless, they are still the most expensive ride in this test.
I’ll also be totally honest: I don’t like this category. I find a 20-inch front wheel makes the steering twitchy and I think they look a little silly. Rather, the rider looks silly, like clown-on-a-mini-bike silly. After reviewing lots of other e-cargo bikes, I still think the Xtracycle Swoop (see my video review) or RFA configuration of a 20-inch rear tire to keep the center of gravity low and a 26-inch front tire for stability and better roll-over is the way to go. But those bikes start at $5k, which I understand can be a factor.
That said, I’m not going to delve too deeply into the ride quality of the bikes below. Instead, there are some great features that make some of these bikes stand out for specific use-case scenarios. And, since we’ve been riding these for a while now, I can speak a little about long-term durability.
All of these bikes have throttle assistance, removable batteries, front suspension, integrated lights, mounting points for front and rear racks, disc brakes, and fenders at the minimum. All of these features work as advertised on the bikes so I wouldn’t base your purchase decision heavily on these elements.
Also, a note on pricing: I’m listing the cheapest original price you can get these bikes from the manufacturer’s website for the base model at the time of publishing. I also list the price the bike would come to if you got all the accessories I used, the “As Tested” price. You’ll find many of the brands have prices reduced on their website as a limited time offer or a special accessories package—I can’t keep up with all of that. So, take the numbers in stride and check the manufacturer’s website for the current price and offerings.
Video Review
Best Overall Compact E-Cargo Bike:
Xtracycle Hopper
Base Price: $2,999
As Tested: $3,149
xtracycle.com
Ok, you already know Xtracycle is a favorite in our household and I thought it very interesting when they released the Hopper. As far as I can tell this is so Xtracycle can compete in the sub $3,000 cost (just barely) category. Still, the Hopper is my favorite bike in this category because it fits our lifestyle really well.
With kids aged 8 and 11 years old Xtracycle has our favorite rear railing configuration to span the ages. Most bikes have a full rail like Xtracycle’s Hooptie, but for bigger kids like mine the Half Hooptie and the Snack Bars prevent the kids from climbing over the rails and potentially toppling the bike. Both of these containment systems offer much easier loading from the side, or sides.
The other feature I really like about the Hopper is the kickstand. It’s even better than the one on the Xtracycle Swoop. It has a nice wide base and two little feet that reach out the sides so it works really well on lots of surface types including soft grass or gravel. Our Swoop 2.0 has a peg-leg style stand and it does not work well, if at all, on grass.
I also like the simple, round, symmetrical, coaxial charging port of the Hopper. I wish the Swoop had this sort of charging port as well.
The opportunity for the Hopper is to simplify the use of cargo panniers. The set on the Swoop aren’t big, but they stow away nicely when carrying kids instead of groceries. The panniers that came with our Hopper are so long they cover the running board and don’t seem like a good idea to have on the bike at all when carrying kids. They are also rather difficult to attach and remove from the frame so it’s not a convenient conversion process you would want to do much. In our case, we don’t really use the bike for shopping trips so it’s not a big deal to us.
The Hopper was also the only bike in this test where the handle bar did not fold down for more compact storage. Which, in reality, I didn’t find to be such an amazing feature because if the passenger rails and footboards are installed, then stowing the handlebars doesn’t really make the bike that much skinnier to tuck away into a smaller space.
- Class 2 (20mph max) Throttle and Pedal Assist
- Battery: 720 Wh
- Motor: Xtracycle rear hub motor, 48V 750W, w/ integrated torque sensor, UL 2849 certified by SGS
- Payload: 500 lbs.
- Weight: not listed
- Rider Height: 5′ to 6’5″.
- Included (at the time of publishing): Hooptie passenger rail ($240), MagicCarpet seat pad ($75), passenger FootRests ($125), Porter Rack (front rack; $200); $640 total value in accessories
- Kickstand – best in the test: 15” wide base, 2 x 2.5” wide “feet”, lifts rear tire off ground, better than the Swoop
- Parking Maneuverability – poor grip under rear of seat; hooptie bars good alternative
- Control system – 2” diagonal monochrome screen; simple & intuitive;
- Cargo area – soft sided cargo panniers store flat but length is long so that they curl over the foot rest (kid’s feet will be on top of it, getting it dirty, wearing it down, and is slippery for kids feet when climbing in). Panniers are not easy to add and remove – a committed configuration; sizing is a little odd and it comes with a separate cover with nice broad reflective strips on it, but it’s not intuitive to configure or convert from cargo carry to being stowed for passenger carry.
- Rear seat is 24” long; only holds one baby seat
- Front Porter Rack is great with the separately purchased Porter Pack ($150)
- Charge port: round coaxial; battery is integrated in downtube; Not the same charging port as the Swoop
- Handlebar: does not stow
- Trigger shifter
- Seat comfort – medium
Best Cargo Conversion Compact E-Cargo Bike:
Aventon Abound
Base Price: $1,999
As Tested: $2,458
aventon.com
Much like with many three-row SUVs, a choice has to be made as to what kind of cargo you want to haul—people or supplies. The Aventon Abound cargo bags are the easiest to attach or remove if you’re regularly switching between hauling kids to school or getting groceries.
The pannier bags are more like boxes which have clever quick clips that reach around the side-tube of the rear rack. The cargo boxes ship flat and just need to have the front and rear walls put in place for the cargo space to take its ready-to-use form. For storage, just remove those pieces and it folds flat again.
The Abound also has a great handle at the rear of the seat for maneuvering the bike into a good parking spot. This handle can also be used by a rear passenger while underway.
A locking hinge on the head tube allows the handlebars on the Abound to fold down alongside the front tire for more compact storage of the whole bike. But as mentioned above, it only saves a few inches on either side compared to the width of the rear passenger rack and passenger foot rests.
The integrated turn signal lights took a bit for me to get used to, and I never really did. I’m much more comfortable with using arm signals than finding the turn signal button and remembering to turn it off.
The kickstand is one of the better ones out there with a nice wide base and feet to help with parking on softer ground, but not quite as nice as the Hopper.
- Class 2 (20mph max) Throttle and Pedal Assist
- Battery: 48V, 14.4AH (678.2Wh)
- Motor: 48V, 750W sustained, 1200W peak brushless rear hub motor
- Payload: 440 lbs.
- Weight: 82 lbs.
- Rider Height: 4’11” – 6’3″
- Integrated turn signals
- Kickstand – 12” base; 1.5” feet
- Parking Maneuverability – nice handle under seat for moving rear tire side to side; doubles as small handle for rear passenger
- Control system – 3” diagonal color screen at center of handlebars; control switches on separate unit by left thumb-easy to control (including turn signal); app compatible
- Cargo area – flat 28” rear rack; multiple add-on accessories available
Tested with the following non-included accessories:
– Frame storage bag ($55): great for holding the wall charger and cables
– Abound Seat Pad which includes a 24” padded seat with padded back rest ($73); and Abound Handrails, double tube for finger protection ($122). Front Pizza Rack ($73)
– Abound Panniers ($136) hard sided; very easy to add or remove as cargo needs change; removable side walls to store bags flat - Grip Shifter
- Handlebar: collapsable for storage
- Seat: Very comfortable; one-hand grab quick height adjustment (fastest/easiest option of all)
- Charge port: round w/ three internal nubs; battery integrated into down tube
Most Stowable Compact E-Cargo Bike:
Lectric Xpedition, Dual Battery
Base Price: $1,745
As Tested: $1,778
lectricebikes.com
NOTE: This review is for the original Xpedition; there’s now an Xpedition2 model.
The Xpedition gets the “most stowable” label because it’s the only one in this test where the pedals can easily be removed along with the handlebars that fold down thanks to a locking hinge in the head tube. Other than that, the only other standout feature is the dual battery capacity which is only matched in this test by the Engwe LE20 below.
There is a good grip under the seat for lifting the rear tire a little to move the back of the bike side to side as needed for good parking maneuverability.
The Xpedition has the worst kickstand of the lot with peg-leg tips that simply disappear into the ground when parking on grass. And when parking on hard surfaces, if there is any slope it topples to the side or the small surface area of the peg legs might start to slip down hill.
The Orbiter passenger rail we tested was the first version and it was a single tube style. The new 2.0 version has a double tube like the other brands above to protect little fingers from being pinched.
- Class 2 (20mph max) Throttle and Pedal Assist
- Battery: 48V, 13Ah (624Wh) lithium-ion battery
- Motor: 750W rear hub-motor (1310W Peak) with 85Nm of torque
- Payload: 450 lbs.
- Weight: not listed
- Rider Height: 4’11” – 6’5”
- Kickstand: 9.5” span dual pegleg (the worst)
- Parking Maneuverability: good grip under seat
- Control system: 3.75” monochrome display with nice large numbers; located in center of handlebar
- Cargo area: 20.5” tube rack with lots of connection options
- Includes kid & cargo carry systems (sit pad $69, Orbiter rail plus extra sit pad $199, running boards $89, XL Cargo Pannier bags $199; $625 total package value)
- We loved having the $74 (now $33) frame bag
- Orbiter has a 22” padded sitting area
- Pannier bags Velcro on, pretty involved to add and remove but they do fold relatively flat so they can stay on when taking the kiddos out—though, the thickness of the pannier bags take up half of the running boards when folded flat. Otherwise, panniers are nice hard-sided, square-bottom with great buckles. I’d like to see a better integration with the running boards when stowed.
- Front rack mounts, rack sold separately
- Shifter: Shimano 7-speed thumb shifter
- Storage: collapsable handlebars and quick-release pedals
- Seat: medium comfort; dual quick-release
- Charge port: round coaxial, batteries (single or dual) sit in center frame cage
Most Economical Compact E-Cargo Bike:
Engwe LE20
Base Price: $1,699
As Tested: $1,699
engwe-bikes.com
As the least expensive in this lineup, it follows the rule: you get what you pay for. The LE20 did not come with any sort of kid-containment for the longtail nor did it come with any bags for groceries. The longtail is padded but I never took my kids on it since there weren’t any rails, though, they could just hold onto my waist as we rode. This is the second bike from Engwe that we’ve used and while they both get the job done, our experience with both bikes so fare have been mediocre. But, like I said, you get what you pay for. So, if a simple and basic e-cargo bike is all you need, this might be your jam.
- Class 2; 20mph w. throttle and 28mph Pedal Assist
- Battery: 48V, 19.2Ah (1,844Wh) Lithium-Ion Battery
- Motor: 750W Rear Hub Motor with 75Nm of torque
- Payload: 440 lbs.
- Kickstand: 10” base; 2” feet
- Parking Maneuverability: no underseat handle (no kid bars to test with)
- Control system: 2.5” color LCD display at center of handle bars; large 3-button right hand controller (+power button); left side thumb turn signal controller
- Cargo area:
– standard package includes pads on rear rack; does not come with any extra bars, panniers, or front rack
– optional Passenger Package available for $1,799, comes with running boards
– available with single battery in downtube or dual battery with the second behind seat
– single battery version offers a tall storage compartment instead of the second battery. - Shifter: Shimano 7-speed thumb shifter
- Storage: Collapsable handlebar stem; non-removable pedals
- Seat: good comfort
- Charge port: round, 3-prong: takes some twisting to find the fit to plug in; also does not match other Engwe plugs which was a simple round coaxial-very easy to plug in.
