6 Best Electric Cargo Bikes for Families (2023)

If you’re short on space, I recommend Tern’s Quick Haul. Tern Bicycles makes some of our favorite electric bikes, including the GSD S00 (8/10, recommends WIRED) that I bought for myself. Their latest Quick Haul is a good compromise between reliability, utility and cost. For example, instead of a carbon belt drive it has a standard derailleur chain transmission (still powered by a Bosch Performance Sport engine!), which requires just Little more maintenance than belt drive. In addition, the front fork does not fold, making it little more difficult to transport and store.

However, in all important respects it is similar to the Tern – a small yet surprisingly powerful and capable electric cargo bike. I can put it in my car. I took my 40kg 5 year old to and from school every day on this bike for two weeks and we both loved how much faster and more agile it was. The riding position is much sportier than the sitting position on the GSD and HSD. It’s also less than 6 feet long – shorter than the average road bike. This is the bike you’ll get if you have room and money for just one bike, which will come in handy when commuting to work and also shopping at the farmer’s market on Saturday mornings.

★ Alternatives: Tiny cargo bike is my kryptonite; I will always be tempted by the promise of convenient urban compactness. Slightly more expensive option Tern HSD (9/10, WIRED recommends) which has an upgraded belt drive and internal hub.

The more expensive option is still R&M Tinker2 ($5799)with whom I recently had the opportunity to take a day trip to Austin, Texas. It’s tiny, but it comes with all the perks – an Enviolo hub, a Bosch 545Wh power supply, and an Intuvia display. It was amazingly agile among the waterfront crowds and allowed me to hit 18 mph when I took too many shots and lost the rest of my group. I still think about this bike every day.