The one that gets ridden
Start here, because everything else is secondary to it. A regular bike is cheaper, lighter and simpler, and for a fit rider on a flat five-mile route it is the better tool. The problem is the rides that do not happen: the hot afternoon, the headwind home, the hill before the office, the day you have a bag and a meeting and cannot arrive sweating. An e-bike removes most of the reasons not to ride. That is the practical case for a motor, and it is a better one than any spec: the excuses go away.
So the honest first question is not which bike is better in the abstract but which one you will get on in February, or in July, or with a load. If the answer is “both, equally”, buy the regular bike and save the money. If it is “the e-bike, obviously”, the exercise question below is the one that matters, and it comes out better than you think.
Exercise: what the research says
A systematic review of seventeen studies, published in 2018 in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, found moderate evidence that e-cycling provides physical activity of at least moderate intensity — lower than conventional cycling, but higher than walking — and that it can improve cardiorespiratory fitness in physically inactive people. The authors’ conclusion was that e-cycling can contribute to meeting physical activity recommendations and that e-bikes offer a potential alternative to conventional cycling. That is the whole argument in one sentence: an e-bike is a moderate-intensity activity you do more of, against a vigorous one you might not do at all.
For calories, the reference numbers this site uses come from Harvard Health: a 155 lb person burns about 288 calories in 30 minutes of cycling at 12 to 13.9 mph, and about 133 in 30 minutes of walking at 3.5 mph. Harvard publishes no e-bike line, and we will not invent one; the review above places e-cycling between those two figures, with the exact position depending on how much assist you use. On a pedal-assist bike set to a low level, you are doing most of the work. On full throttle, you are doing none. The rider decides. Our cycling for weight loss guide goes further into the numbers, and e-bike vs pedal assist explains why the sensor type decides how much you pedal.
Cost: purchase, electricity, maintenance, theft
Purchase. The cheapest real e-bike we list costs more than a decent regular bike and a great deal less than most people assume; its live price is on the card above. Everything on this site sits under $1,500, and our e-bike cost guide explains what each bracket buys.
Electricity. This is the number people overestimate most. At the current U.S. average residential rate of 18.44 cents per kilowatt-hour (May 2026, EIA), a full charge of the Jasion EB5’s 360 Wh pack costs about 7 cents, and a full charge of the GoTrax F3’s 672 Wh pack about 14 cents. A year of daily commuting is a rounding error next to the price of the bike; our charging cost guide shows the method.
Maintenance. An e-bike is a bike with a motor, so it has every regular-bike wear item — tires, chain, pads — and it goes through them faster, because it is heavier and you ride it more. Then there is the battery, which is the real cost difference: it fades with cycles and years and eventually needs replacing. Our battery lifespan guide puts a number on that, and it is the number to include when comparing total cost.
Theft. An e-bike at the same price as a regular bike is a more attractive target, and a stolen e-bike is a larger loss. Budget for a Gold-rated U-lock as part of the purchase, and read how to lock an e-bike. The regular bike wins this category outright.
Speed and distance: what becomes possible
The Harvard calorie tables treat 12 to 13.9 mph as an ordinary cycling pace, and on a regular bike that pace drops sharply on hills and into wind. A Class 1 or 2 e-bike holds up to 20 mph on assist regardless; a Class 3 holds up to 28 mph. The difference is not that the e-bike is faster on its best day; it is that its worst day looks the same as its best. That is what turns an eight-mile commute from an occasional feat into a daily default. Our speed guide and classes and laws cover the limits and where each class is allowed.
Weight: the stairs test
Take a regular bike and add a motor, a controller and a battery pack, and you add real weight. The lightest e-bike we list is about 49.6 lb; the fat-tire folders run to 75. If your bike lives up a flight of stairs, this is the difference between a bike you ride daily and a bike you ride when you feel strong. Our weight guide has the published figure for every bike we cover, and e-bikes in an apartment is the practical version of the problem.
The third option: convert the bike you already own
If you already have a regular bike you like, the cheapest honest route to a motor is a rear hub conversion kit. The Varstrom kit above is a geared hub, so it freewheels with the power off and the bike still rides like a bike when the battery is flat — which is exactly the point for someone who is not sure they want a motor at all. The price on the card does not include a battery, which is usually the larger half of a conversion; our conversion kits roundup covers what to check on the donor frame before you buy.
So which should you buy?
Buy the regular bike if your route is short and flat, you are already riding it, and you want the cheapest, lightest, least stealable option. Buy the e-bike if the honest answer to “why don’t I ride more” is hills, distance, sweat, wind or a load — and accept that you are trading a vigorous activity you skip for a moderate one you do. Convert if you love the bike you have and want to find out cheaply. And if the e-bike wins, start with the starter guide and the best value e-bikes.
