Though small, the Lectric XP has the internal chops to handle some offroad riding. Photo: Steve Andrews//The Inertia
With new electric bikes popping up all the time, narrowing down the perfect one for everyday use can feel daunting. It’s important to have a bike that is reliable, fun to ride, and won’t break the bank. After testing numerous ebikes in our reviews of The Best Fat Tire Electric Bikes and The Best Folding Electric Bikes, I’ve found one that suits the above criteria and also has a huge library of add-ons to customize to your heart’s content.
The Lectric XP 3.0 ($999) folds up for easy storage, accelerates like a champ, and has a decent battery that lasts. All this comes in a package just under a grand, leaving you with more cash to spend on the massive array of add-ons if you so choose. The bike is available in a step-over as well as a step-through model, white and black colorways, and the battery can be upgraded to a long-range battery for an extra $200. I’ve been testing the XP 3.0 for the past 10 months, on mountain roads and city streets throughout the Pacific Northwest. For a folding electric bike that is fun to ride, I couldn’t find many to match it for the price point.
Lectric XP 3.0: First Impressions
| Pros | Cons |
| Great value | Display is fairly basic |
| Smooth acceleration | Battery drains fast on long hills |
| Tons of accessories | Bike won’t turn on without the key |
| Turns on with key for added security |
The XP 3.0 came almost entirely assembled, which is a huge advantage for those of us who are not bike mechanics and just want to ride right away. All you need to do (after removing the foam and zip ties) is put the handlebar and seat into place. This is a big win compared to many other ebikes (especially those coming from overseas) where installation can be tricky for those unaccustomed to building a bike.
The bike also comes with a variety of free accessories to choose from, including front and rear baskets, a sturdy lock, an upgraded headlight, and more. Depending on when you purchase the bike (purchasing holidays like black Friday tend to offer the most extra accessories/value), three to five of these accessories are usually included with your purchase. Other standout features are a solid rear rack, a large headlight, and hydraulic disc brakes. With all of these extras and premium components included, it’s impressive that Lectric can keep it all under a grand.
Once I took it for a ride I found the bike to be really fun, handling hills with ease, especially considering the motor is 500W. The 1000W peak rating seems to kick in well on uphills, and I noticed that it could handle hills just as well as other electric bikes I tested with a stronger motor, such as the Engwe L20 2.0.
Notable Features of the Lectric XP 3.0
Payload: 330 lbs
Top Speed: 28 mph
Power: 500W (1000W peak)
Weight: 64 lbs
What really shines with the XP 3.0 is the sum of all of its parts, and how that sum still somehow manages to have a sub-$1000 price tag. For an American-built company, that’s surprisingly good value. Speaking of American-built, it’s a real treat to have customer service that is based nearby and available to help if you need it. I didn’t have any issues with the bike so I can’t speak to their warranty experience, but the interactions I had with the customer service team were knowledgeable and helpful.
The bike itself carries a few great features that aren’t always standard on a lower-priced ebike. One is Lectric’s own Pedal Assist Wattage Regulation, or PWR. The PWR system regulates the power output to the motor based on the pedal assist mode, rather than capping it on speed. This allows you to pedal harder and still go faster, even if you’re not pedaling in the top pedal assist setting. So where other standard cadence sensors will cap out, with a bit of extra leg energy you can still go faster, and won’t hit a speed limit where the motor just shuts off. This allows for not only improved battery life, but also for a much smoother ride than some other bikes that seem to go from 0-100% immediately when engaged, and 100-0% when they hit their limit.
And perhaps the biggest aspect of this ebike is its ability to fold. While folding electric bikes are not new, it certainly is one of the main features of this bike that will be the deciding factor for most, especially for city-dwellers who might be short on space. For those who have never had a folding ebike, or even considered one, it adds a ton of capability for a class of transportation that is traditionally much harder to manage when it comes to storage and transportation. With folding pedals and two hinges, one on the handlebars and one on the frame, it’s easy to transform from bike mode into storage mode. Having a folding electric bike also opens up the options on where you can ride since you can easily stash it in the back of a car, something that is a frustrating chore with a full-sized electric bike.
Another unique feature of the bike is that it requires a key, inserted into the battery, to turn it on. This feature has some pros and cons to it. The pros are a bit of added security (a thief can’t simply turn the bike on and ride away if you take the key out), but the cons are you need that key to turn the bike on, and were you to leave it in the bike, a savvy thief might realize they can make away with the expensive battery without much effort. Finally, the location of the keyhole (on the bottom of the bike frame) isn’t our favorite location as it’s a bit tricky to insert and easy to forget the key is down there.
The display is large, bright, and well-placed, but lacks a percentage-based battery readout. Photo: Steve Andrews//The Inertia
Drawbacks
While the XP 3.0’s motor is rated at 1000W peak output, it’s only rated to be steady at 500W. So the 1000W is great for short bursts but it won’t be able to sustain such levels for an extended period of time. If you do ride in a very hilly area, it might be worth it to have a bike that is rated for 750 or 1000W consistently.
In another difference from most ebikes, the throttle (a twist throttle rather than the thumb trigger which is more common) is limited to the power level of the current pedal-assist mode, meaning, at level 1, the boost from the throttle is quite weak, and at level 5, you get full power, up to the 20mph cut off legally required for throttle-powered ebikes (pedal assist will take you up to the full 28mph class 3 speed the bike is capable of if you have class 3 enabled). This wasn’t our favorite feature on the bike, as, at lower pedal assist levels, it’s often nice to have the extra juice from the throttle when you need it to, for example, get across a busy intersection, but we can also see how it’s a bit more user-friendly for those intimidated by the power of an ebike to have the power of the throttle match the power of the current pedal assist mode. It’s also certainly more efficient.
The display on the bike, while full of helpful info like trip time, wattage, odometer, and speed, the big thing missing is the battery level as a percentage. It does show a well-sized battery icon with 10 bars, a big step up from battery readouts with only three or four bars, but we much prefer to see the battery as a percentage so you can keep a closer eye on how fast you’re burning battery life as you ride. That said, this drawback feels very nit-picky, especially considering that most bikes in this price range don’t feature a battery percentage readout, and often have a battery icon with only three or four bars, which makes battery management far trickier than the XP’s 10 bars.
The key activation, mentioned above, is also worth mentioning as a drawback, as, depending on where and how you ride, requiring a key to turn the bike on could be a pro or a con.
Compact and capable, the Lectric XP 3.0 is one of the best folding ebikes we’ve tested, with a great price to boot. Photo: Steve Andrews//The Inertia
Final Thoughts
For a folding ebike that has decent power, is fun to ride, efficient on the battery, and has a ton of accessories and customization options, The Lectric XP 3.0 is a winner. It’s not a top-tier performer, but for something that can zip around city streets while still holding its own off-road, I found it to be quite versatile and fun to ride. Considering the price tag, and its ability to fold up and stash in a compact space, it has incredible value and will be a convenient addition for fun missions in the city or the wild.
Editor’s Note: Not the folding ebike for you? Check out more options in our Best Folding Ebikes guide. Looking to haul a bit more? Here’s our guide to The Best Cargo Ebikes. We’ve also reviewed the class of Fat Tire Ebikes, which includes both folding and non-folding options. For more gear reviews and features on The Inertia, click here.
