Best Electric Motorcycles in 2024: Your Complete Guide to Buying Electric... and Should You?

Updated: 24 September 2024

It’s getting hard to ignore the number of electric vehicles you see on the roads these days. What used to be a novel rarity is now commonplace with models from most major manufacturers and electric specialists like Tesla swooshing almost silently around the road network and filling motorway charge points.

Jump to:

Electric commuter bikes to consider
Case study – commuter EVs
Electric leisure bikes and large-capacity equivalents
MCN’s Electric Bike of the year winner for 2024! Livewire’s S2 Del Mar
Electric motorbike FAQs

It’s an especially charged topic in 2024, with Labour now in Government and a discussion about a 2030 new vehicle petrol ban could be on the cards – although nothing is set in stone, it is still a concern.

And while many bikers still regard EVs as a threat to their way of life, one type of rider seems quite happy to adopt battery power: commuters.

BMW CE-04 parked up with petrol commuters at a train station

Related: Get that all weather protection for your commute with MCN’s round up of great textile jackets!

Cities are filled with stand-up electric scooters (some legal, some not) and burgeoning low and ultra-low emissions zones are engulfing swathes of the commuter belt. Add to that the skyrocketing cost of petrol and diesel and it’s easy to see why those who commute by car might want to switch to something else.

And while a new Tesla will cost you north of £40k, there are plenty of affordable small-capacity electric motorbikes that can be ridden on a CBT to get you to and from the office or railway station.

Below we have listed a few of the best EV commuters MCN has tested this year. Additionally, we have listed some of the bigger, more leisure based EV bikes. As more and more companies pit against one another, to produce faster charging, longer ranged, and more engaging bikes to ride. We have produced a list of these as well, which includes MCN’s Electric Bike winner for 2024, Livewire’s S2 Del Mar.

2024-on Vmoto Stash

Specs: Power: 19bhp Weight: 153kg Range: 90mile Charge time: 5hrs (to 100%)
Price: £6,299 (new)
Read MCN’s in-depth Vmoto Stash review
Review snapshot:
The first ‘proper’ motorcycle from top-selling electric scooter firm Vmoto, a strong contender for the 125cc class of bikes. It is designed by the likes of Adrian Morton, better known for the Benelli Tornado and the MV Agusta Brutale Rush. With that you would be right to expect some beautiful design finishes and components through out the bike. A high spec chassis and premium electric power, mated to a traditional chain drive set up. Without a clutch or gearbox to worry about, the connection between the twistgrip and the tyre is far better than many traditional petrol 125cc bikes.

2024-on Maeving RM1S

Specs: Power: 14bhp Weight: 133kg Range: 80mile (with two batteries) Charge time: 2.5hrs (to 20-80%)
Price: £7,495 (new)
Read MCN’s in-depth Maeving RM1S review
Review snapshot: A British-built electric motorcycle, hailing from Coventry, amidst the other giants in British Biking manufacturing. With its 1920 board tracker styling, the RM1S is a retro-styled electric bike with swappable batteries to take on the Chinese-built competition. The RM1S now does 70mph and easily keeps up with traffic between towns, packed with K-Tech shocks and carbon goodies, there is little to go wrong on this well designed bike.

2024-on Zeeho AE8 S+

Specs: Power: 7bhp Weight: 133kg Range: 50mile Charge time: 2hrs (80%)
Price: £4,699 (new)
Read MCN’s in-depth Zeeho AE8 S+ review
Review snapshot: A newly established company set up by CFMoto, Zeeho brought out three electric models within 2024, with the AE8 S+ being the top one. With a top speed of 62mph the Zeeheo offers performance equivalent to a conventional 125cc scooter. With a stylish design, ideal for those city riding, beating the increasing low emission zones. With Brembo brakes and gentl ergonomics, it will bring you to an adequate and safe stop, and plenty of comfort for darting round the city.

2024-on BMW CE 02

Specs: Power: 15bhp Weight: 132kg Range: 56miles Charge time: 2.5hrs (20-80%)
Price: £8450 (new) – £8000 (used)
Read MCN’s in-depth BMW CE 02 review
Review: The second battery-powered city bike in BMW’s range following the larger CE 04 electric scooter. Aimed at younger riders, with modern styling and easy to use TFT dash. Using dual lithium ion batteries, giving a 56mile range, which if the bike is specced with the Highline 1.5Kw charger the time drops to 102 minutes for a charge. With typical BMW components and attention to detail that wouldn’t go amiss on the R1300GS, the bike is an impressive package, if a little expensive for the target market.

2023-on Silence S01+

Specs: Power: 16bhp Weight: 154kg Range: 35miles (flat out)- 75miles (sticking to 30mph) Charge time: 9hrs
Price: £7,475 (new)
Read MCN’s in-depth Silence S01+ review
Review: The added ‘Plus’ in the name may be a nod to Silence’s claims of more speed, better suspension and upgraded stopping power over the firms previous model the Silence S01 (now named S01 Connected), but it could be equally applied to the significantly increased asking price. Best under seat storage in the electric line up, but unfortunately not compatible with public chargers, so you have to charge from your house or a conventional three pin outlet.

2023-on Segway E300SE

Specs: Power: 13bhp Weight: 130kg Range: 67mile (in ECO Mode) Charge time: 4.5hrs (to get 100%)
Price: £3,999 (new)
Read MCN’s in-depth Segway E300SE review
Review: The E300SE is proper road-legal electric scooter that’s broadly equivalent to a 125 petrol machine. Compared with electric commuter rivals it’s quick, capable, keenly priced and boasts an impressive lineup of safety aids and practical features. The riding position is a little compact, and accessing the two removable batteries beneath the floorboard isn’t the slickest process, but overall this a deceptively impressive creation.

Case Study: Getting our hands on some commuter EVs

Comparing them in the car park at MCN’s offices, the BMW CE 04 maxi scooter, Super Soco TC Max 125-equivalent and Yadea G5S might look like awkward stablemates but there’s a reason we chose them for this test.

Related: electric motorbikes and insurance – your in-depth guide

The BMW represents the luxurious, high-tech and expensive end of the market. The Super Soco is the people’s champ, a more affordable option that regularly appears in the sales charts. And the Yadea is the newcomer, a simple, cheap, knees-together scooter imported by Lexmoto.

The £12,270 (or £14,120 in the spec we are testing today) CE 04 would look right at home in the angular, whitewashed garage of a turtleneck-wearing architect. With styling that sits somewhere between a Tron Light Cycle and a Lego Technic build, the BMW will certainly turn heads. But there’s a hint of the kind of po-faced worthiness often associated with Tesla’s early adopters.

Fortunately, all that disappears the moment you twist the throttle. The BMW’s spaceship looks are backed up by spaceship performance from 0-30mph and the first wave of acceleration is more like engaging a warp drive than a throttle. I can’t think of anything else I’ve ridden that takes off from a standstill so quickly… including 200bhp superbikes.

It’s genuinely hilarious and it may explain why BMW saw fit to put the rear wheel quite so far away from the rest of the scooter. The CE 04’s wheelbase is a massive 1675mm, just 2mm shy of a Triumph Rocket 3, largely because the rear wheel is stretched out behind you like a drag bike.

⏱️ Join @benclarkejourno for #60secondswith the BMW CE 04 scooter and then read our ultimate electric bike guide here: https://t.co/wTOsDzGNkg pic.twitter.com/SwmuaLlpvu
— Motor Cycle News (@MCNnews) February 3, 2023

I honestly think (and suspect BMW do too) that a shorter wheelbase and higher centre of gravity would result in riders “doing a Bautista” on their way out of a Starbucks car park. Performance plateaus from 30-50mph, but it still doesn’t take long to reach the limited top speed of 80mph – plenty for dual carriageway work.

Want to spend a bit less?

Super Soco’s £4399 TC Max (£4499 as tested) feels far more pedestrian than the BMW, but it’s still not what you would describe as slow. Again, performance off the line is impressive and it gets to its 60mph top speed faster than a petrol equivalent could.

Find a used one: Buy electric motorbikes for sale

The TC Max has a more motorcycle-esque layout than the BMW but it feels a little like one of those folding bicycles – some dimensions have been adapted specifically to create the impression of bigger bike ergonomics. The body is tall with low footpegs to compensate for the small wheels. But it works well and at 6ft, I can ride it comfortably.

Yadea’s G5S is a very small and lightweight option that would be best suited to a short dash across a city. The 55mph top speed limits the Yadea’s abilities in national speed limit sections, but it has just enough about it for a very short stretch if really needed. At £3699, the Yadea is the cheapest option here but it’s still not exactly peanuts.

Despite being a scooter, the BMW actually feels the most like a ‘proper’ motorcycle. Although this is mostly down to its 231kg heft – enough for BMW to feel the need for a reverse gear – you also sit with your feet either side of a central structure, which feels more bikey than the Yadea’s knees-together riding position.

The BMW’s weight means that the front suspension and tyre load up like a proper bike under braking, giving you feedback and stability. The way it responds to steering inputs mid corner feels very familiar too, and because of the battery regen system you even get engine braking. So much so, in fact, that you can almost abandon using the brakes around town.

Although the Super Soco is the most motorcycle-shaped model here, its small size and low weight mean that it has the feel of an incredibly fast bicycle rather than a motorbike. This does mean you sacrifice a bit of front-end feel, but that’s not really an issue on a bike of this type.

Packed with gizmos

As you’d expect, the BMW has the most gizmos. Features like heated grips, smartphone connectivity and a watertight, ventilated phone charging compartment are nice touches. Keyless tech is de rigueur in the electric bike world and all three of the bikes have it.

The BMW key fob is pretty big and cumbersome (it’s the size of a car fob) but you can stick it in a pocket and forget about it. The Super Soco’s is fairly big and circular and annoyingly you need to use its buttons for locking and unlocking the bike so the alarm deactivates. This means the fob has to live somewhere accessible, so its size is a bit annoying.

Both the Yadea and the Super Soco come equipped with alarms and systems that lock the rear wheel if you try to push them away without the key. This scuppers the preferred bike thief’s method of pushing a rider along with an outstretched leg and a TMAX, something that could still be done to the BMW.

The Super Soco also comes with a SIM card that’s preloaded with two years of data and allows you to track the bike in real time through an app. Impressive stuff for the cheaper end of the market!

The Yadea and the Super Soco both have removeable batteries, meaning you can whip them out at your home or office and stick them on charge at a three-pin power outlet. The BMW, meanwhile, has a built-in battery, so you need to be able to get the bike to the socket. It’s the only option here that can use a wall box or public charging station but it’s also the least convenient if you live in a flat and have no outdoor sockets.

The verdict

The BMW CE 04 is an impressive bit of kit and gives me hope for an electrified biking future but I cannot justify the price. The version we tested had a few extras that took the price to £14,120, which isn’t a problem if you are the aforementioned architect but as an option for a normal person to get to a normal job, it’s flippin’ ridiculous.

So, with the BMW ruled out, it’s a straight fight between the Yadea and the Super Soco and my money would go with the latter. Sadly, because the Yadea’s volume is largely filled with batteries there’s no practical advantage to its scootery shape. It’s also let down by a pitiful ground clearance.

Related: All electric motorbike reviews on MCN

Meanwhile, the Super Soco is just bikey-enough to scratch the riding itch, fun to chuck around in a city centre and fast enough to tackle big roads if you need to. The price of electricity may be high right now, but even so a full charge will still only be around 95p. That means it’ll cost you around 1.6p per mile.

What about electric leisure motorbikes?

Commuting is one thing, but it’s arguably the simplest use-case going as there’s no need to worry about where you are going to charge the bike. You either do it at the home or the work end of the journey.

But many bikers restrict their riding to their own time; from Sunday blasts or long weekends to full on bike tours, greenlaning or even trackdays. So what does the electric world have to offer for these kinds of riders?

Related: Get the latest in helmet protection by checking out MCN’s Sports Touring helmet guide

Electric bikes may not be troubling their petrol equivalents for most riders in this sector just yet, but ranges well over 100 miles are already possible, making an EV bike a more viable proposition.

Recharge times are dropping too as technology improves. A full battery in 30 minutes isn’t an unrealistic ask these days as high quality, high-speed chargers become more prevalent and easier to use.

Here is a list of what we consider the most relevant large-capacity electric motorcycles in 2024.

2024-on Livewire S2 DEL MAR

Livewire S2 Del Mar left side on the road

Specs: Power: 83bhp Weight: 198kg Range: 60-86 miles (mixed use) Charge time: 1hr 18 mins (20%-80% charge)
Price: £16,990 (new)
Read MCN’s in-depth Livewire S2 DEL MAR Review
Review: The Livewire S2 Del Mar is a superb machine in its own right, so much so MCN made it our electric bike of the year winner for 2024!

Battery power suits a fun roadster more than any other kind of big electric bike. Its monstrous torque is delivered smoothly and the chassis is just as polished. It’s comfortable, easy to ride and flows serenely through corners. The Livewire’s tautness, handling and all-round togetherness puts its electric rivals in the shade and is so well-rounded it’s every bit as engaging to ride as its petrol competition.

2024-on Zero DSR

Specs: Power: 70bhp Weight: 242kg Range: 100miles (mixed use) Charge time: 6hrs (From 0-100% charge, using a household 3 pin outlet, a rapid charger is available for more money)
Price: £17,000 (new)
Read MCN’s in-depth ZERO DSR review
Review: Coming in at almost £4000 cheaper than its sibling the DSR/X, its smooth and easy to ride, and can be A2 compliant to boot. Zero themselves dont claim that the DSR is the unicorn to solve the decarbonisation of motorcycling and it to be the answer for electric biking but it does represent a decent progressive step in the right direction. A cheaper package for tackling a daily hour-each-way commute with ease, with credible big-bike presence and while costing peanuts per mile, it is undeniably effective.

2023-on RGNT NO1 Scrambler SE

Specs: Power: 28bhp Weight: 167kg Range: 50miles (at 60mph) Charge time: 6hrs (From 0-100% charge)
Price: £13,990 (new)
Read MCN’s in-depth RGNT NO1 Scrambler SE review
Review: Hand built in Sweden, where Retro meets electric power, the RGNT NO1 Scrambler has a top speed of 76mph, and can cruise a typical A road, however its range is a little less than the other leisure bikes mentioned above, but it stands out with its retro charm. Also its packed with features, regenerative barking and a reverse mode helping with manoeuvrability, Excel rims, Italian Paioli suspension, and a seat made by Sweden’s traditional leather artisans. The bike’s quality is not to be missed.

2022-on Energica Experia

Specs: Power: 100.6bhp Weight: 260kg Range: 160 miles Charge time: 50 minutes (with fast charger)
Price: £25,990 (new)
Read MCN’s in-depth Energica Experia review
Review: An older model now but still an effective leisure electric bike, the Energica Experia. It was claimed to be a ‘Green Tourer’ and was launched at the end of 2022 as their new flagship model. Real world range figures fell well short of the claimed 160 miles combined range Energica claim but a 50-minute fast charge is still impressive.

We said: “If you could take price and range out of the equation, the Experia is a very impressive motorcycle. The electric motor is superb, the level of tech comparable to petrol-powered rivals (aside from a lack of semi-active suspension) and the handling and comfort levels certainly good enough to class it as a sports tourer.”

Money no option, potentially the ultimate electric leisure bike? What will be next?
2022-on Arc Vector

Specs: Power: 115bhp Weight: 240kg Range: 270 miles Charge time: 40 minutes (with CCS Type 2 Rapid Charger)
Price: £90,000 (new)
Read MCN’s in-depth Arc Vector review
Review: OK, so the Arc was never likely to grace very many garages and carparks around the country. Especially now as of the spring of 2024, Arc filed for bankruptcy. It is a real shame as the £90,000 brainchild of ex-Jaguar/Land Rover designer Mark Truman is important nonetheless. Right at the vanguard of new tech and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, the Arc represents the ghost of electric bikes future.

We said: “Throwing a leg over a motorcycle that costs the same as a Ducati Superleggera is always intimidating enough, but there’s a lot else going on to unnerve you at first. There’s a sequence of buttons to push on the Domino switchgear to make it live and after that the engine waits for you silently, which is always slightly sinister on an electric bike.”

Electric motorbike FAQs

Q: Is an electric motorcycle worth it?

A: This depends heavily on how you use the bike, because electric bikes are very expensive to buy relative to conventional motorcycles of similar performance. You’ll need to cover a lot of miles on electricity in order to pay back the premium in most cases.

However, with the introduction of finance deals specifically aimed at making these bikes more affordable by spreading the cost over long periods, it’s likely costs will drop at some point in the coming years.

Q: Are electric motorcycles good for beginners?

A: The lower-powered versions are great, because they’re twist-and-go bikes, which means they don’t require gear changes. You can also get some that are equivalent to a 125cc petrol bike, which means you don’t need to pass the full bike test in order to ride one. You’ll just need a provisional driving licence and a day-long CBT course. A good example of this is the Super Soco TC Max.

Of course, there are now several electric bikes available with far higher performance.

Q: Are electric motorbikes fun?

A: They’re different to a petrol-powered bike, but do have their advantages – primarily, that they usually have 100% of their torque available at 0rpm, which makes them feel properly rapid, even when they’re not. They’re also smoother.

Q: Is an electric motorbike harder to insure?

A: Our specialists at MCN Compare are on hand to answer this question. Head this way for their advice.

Q: What other electric motorbikes are there?

A: Check out MCN’s other reviews of electric bikes from previous years here: Electric Motorbike reviews

Q: Where can I find electric bieks for sale?

A: Check out MCN’s classified and dealer listings for a diverse range of electric motorbikes for sale