2024 has been chock with new e-bike launches, fresh motors released, and household names like DJI and ZF entering the game. All of which is giving riders greater performance and even more choice as we head into 2025. 

So as the curtain draws on another hectic year, we pick our top MY25 models from all the amazing electric bikes that have been unveiled in the last six months. 

There’s a strong argument that the Whyte ELyte Evo is all the e-bike you’ll ever need.

Kicking off with the Whyte ELyte Evo, our SL E-Bike of the Year winner with a full power Bosch CX motor. Perhaps a strange choice on paper given the modest 400Wh battery, but Whyte includes the 250Wh range extender with every bike, and even with the extra battery mounted, it still has best-in-class weight distribution to ensure the ride and handling remains uncorrupted. 

Entry-level pricing without the entry-level performance: Decathlon’s Rockrider E-Expl 520S

Decathlon’s Rockrider E-Expl 520 S and Polygon Siskiu T7E both impressed us with their high performance ride at budget prices. The Rockrider has everything you need to hit the trails, at less than £2,700, while the Polygon ramps up the ride with a Shimano motor and battery for £4k. 

Big travel, little motor: The Trek Slash+ gets TQ’s tiny HPR 50 drive unit powered by its new 580Wh battery.

Trek’s Slash+ initially seemed like a waste of time when we read the press release, with an inefficient high-pivot drivetrain to limit the range of the TQ motor. But having ridden it, we’ve had to eat humble pie. The bigger battery gives plenty of range, and the high-pivot design manages to be hugely capable as well as deftly dynamic. 

The latest Trek Rail+ transforms into a mixed wheel all-rounder with more travel and the impressive new Bosch CX motor.

Then we’ve got two bikes with the new Bosch Performance CX motor – the Santa Cruz Vala and Trek Rail+. These are significant bikes for their respective brands, and having ridden the new Bosch motor, we know they are going to be top drawer in the drive unit department. But with e-bikers everywhere getting distracted by the ludicrous power of the DJI Avinox motor in the Amflow PL Carbon, will Bosch still carry the cache it used to command? That’s the big question, particularly as we’re starting to find out who else will be bringing out bikes with the DJI motor <cough> Forbidden </cough>. 

How will Specialized respond to the threat from Bosch and DJI? Will we see a new Turbo Levo in 2025?

Which only leaves Specialized – a brand that hates being left behind. So what will be the response from the big S? With the Turbo Levo now nearly four years old, a new one has to be on the cards for 2025. But what form will it take, and how will it lure riders away from DJI?