I bought a $390 electric bicycle directly from China. Here’s what showed up
Some of my regular readers may remember that I backed a risky-looking Indiegogo campaign for an ultra-low-cost electric bicycle that sounded almost too good to be true. I clearly advised readers against it, but I figured it might still be interesting to take on the risk myself to see what would happen.
This is the culmination of that story.
Now to be fair, I’m no beginner when it comes to buying weird EVs sight unseen directly from China. I’m the guy who imported that white electric mini pickup truck that went super viral several years ago (and the truck is still going strong!), not to mention Chinese electric boats and other fun things I’ve brought in.
And so when I saw an Indiegogo campaign for a super weird-looking electric bike called the Mihogo Mini, I knew I had to have one. With a starting price of $390, it sounded too good to be true, but that has rarely stopped me before.
When this story last left off, I had thrown down the cash and started my waiting game. Despite the promise of delivery a mere two months later, it actually took around eight months, but a bike box did eventually arrive in my family’s driveway. And to answer the question many of you are wondering, yes, this was pre-tariff insanity, back when a $390 e-bike only cost $390 instead of $899.
If you want to see my full unboxing and testing of the bike, check out my fun video here, which includes a super catchy riding song à la the Simpson’s “Canyanero”.
As promised, my tiny e-bike emerged in all its glory from that small bike box! It wasn’t big or powerful, but it was still pretty awesome. The little thing immediately got up to around 20 mph (32 km/h) despite its modest 350W rear hub motor. The 48V 16Ah battery is even surprisingly large at 768 Wh of capacity! These figures might not sound mindblowing, but for a cheap and diminutive e-bike, they’re downright impressive.
The front suspension fork might be tiny with what appears to be around an inch (25 mm) of travel, but it still counts as suspension. And the 12″ tires, each wrapped in an equally tiny fender, add a smidge more cushion to the ride.
For such a small and inexpensive e-bike, you may be surprised to see that it comes with a fairly detailed color LCD screen that can project turn-by-turn navigation arrows from your phone, a folding handlebar stem, and even front & rear LED lighting. It’s also IP65 rated, meaning you can get it splashed without worrying about instantly shorting out the electronics.
But the coolest feature of all, at least in my opinion, is the wishbone-style frame that creates a hollow cavity in the middle to fit a storage bag (included with the bike). While riding around, you can reach down into your mid-trunk and fish out a water bottle, your phone, or a bag of snacks to keep you going strong.
At just $390, of course there are several sacrifices to be made here. The saddle is pretty far from what most would consider to resemble any form of ‘comfort’, and the small wheels paired with the single-speed drivetrain means that pedaling at above 10-12 mph (16-20 km/h) doesn’t add much more speed. You’re almost entirely reliant on using the hand throttle to go any faster.
Despite its small size, it’s also a bit chunky at 41 lb (19 kg), meaning you’re not going to want to carry it up too many flights of stairs by yourself.
The bike is also quite compact and thus it probably wouldn’t fit someone over 5’10” (178 cm). I’m 5’7″ (170 cm) and it felt ok to me, but it’s obviously built with a domestic Chinese audience in mind, not taller Westerners. They claim it will fit riders up to 6’4″ (195 cm), but only so much as those circus bears technically fit on those tricycles.
For $390 though, it is hard for me to complain about it too much. You even get disc brakes and five color options, which is around three more color options than a lot of big-name e-bike brands in the US!
Don’t risk it like I did
Please don’t do what I did – there are plenty of Indiegogo campaigns that have ended badly, with folks never getting the e-bike or e-scooter they ordered. I went into this accepting that I was taking a big risk and knowing full well that I’d have to be ok with getting screwed over. I figured if a bike arrived, I’d get a nice video and article out of it. And if a bike didn’t, perhaps there’d be an article in that, too. But please don’t take this as a blanket endorsement for backing largely unknown e-bike companies in somewhat questionable crowdfunding campaigns.
I’m glad it paid off for me, and I honestly really like the little thing. It’s a shame that they raised the price up to $599 after the campaign ended (and briefly raised it up to $899 after my video came out and they apparently tried to capitalize on all the orders they were suddenly getting). For now it seems to be back to $599 while the company waits to see if they’ll have to raise prices again due to the Trump tariffs.
In the meantime, I’ll keep enjoying my weird little e-bike. Mihogo, Mihogo!
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
New EVs got a little more expensive in April, and consumers saw fewer deals than before, according to new estimates from Cox Automotive’s Kelley Blue Book.
In April, the average transaction price (ATP) for a new EV climbed to $59,255. That’s up 3.7% from the same time last year, and slightly higher, by 0.2%, than in March. Kelley Blue Book even revised March’s average price downward to $59,132.
Erin Keating, executive analyst at Cox Automotive, noted that “Ever since President Trump announced auto tariffs 47 days ago, the cost of new cars has been steadily climbing.”
At the same time, incentives took another dip. They made up just 11.6% of the average EV transaction price in April, down from 13.9% when they peaked in November 2024. This marks the second month in a row that EV incentives have declined.
Tesla led the way in May, selling more than 45,000 EVs – its best performance of the year so far. Most of those sales came from the updated Model Y, which continues to dominate the US EV market. Tesla’s average transaction price rose in April to $56,120, up both month over month and year over year.
Meanwhile, the Cybertruck, once the top-selling EV priced over $100,000, had an average sales price of $89,247 last month. But sales dropped below 2,000 units for the first time in a year, signaling a potential cool-off for the controversial pickup.
Overall, new EV sales in April were down nearly 6% from March, based on Kelley Blue Book’s early estimates. But year-to-date EV sales in 2025 are still up 5.4% compared to the same period in 2024.
Read more: Tesla Model 3 and Model Y prices rose higher in March as sales fell
Now is a great time to begin your solar journey so your system is installed in time for those longer sunny days. If you want to make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. They have hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20 to 30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here. –trusted affiliate partner
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
The EV3 is already one of the top-selling EVs in Europe and Korea, but when will Kia bring it to the US? After it was recently spotted testing on US streets, the Kia EV3 could finally make its North American debut soon. Here’s what we know.
When will the Kia EV3 make its North American debut?
Kia’s compact electric SUV was again the top-selling EV in Korea last month. It’s also currently among the best-selling electric cars in Europe.
Kia sold 27,761 EVs in Europe in the first quarter, up 17% from the previous record set in Q3 2023. The EV3 led the surge with 17,878 models sold, or 64% of Kia’s total electric vehicle sales in the region.
In March, the EV3 was also the best-selling retail electric car in the UK, driving Kia’s EVs to a record 21% share of its total sales. With the EV3 rolling out in other global markets, like Australia and New Zealand, when will it finally arrive in the US?
After the Kia EV3 was recently spotted testing on US streets, its North American debut could finally be coming up soon.
The new video from KindelAuto shows the 2026 Kia EV6 GT-Line trim, but with what appears to be the US-spec model. Despite the camo, you can see the EV3 has minor design changes, like added orange side reflectors, which are likely to meet regulations.
Although Kia has yet to confirm it, the EV3 could make its North American debut as early as later this year and launch in early 2026. Prices will be revealed closer to its debut, but the EV3 will likely start at around $35,000 to $40,000.
Kia’s smaller electric SUV starts at around 36,000 euros ($40,000) in Europe and roughly $30,700 in Korea (KRW 42.08 million).
In the meantime, those in North America will see Kia’s first electric sedan, the EV4, arrive next year. Kia confirmed the 2026 EV4 will have a built-in NACS port to access Tesla Superchargers and an estimated driving range of up to 330 miles. Prices are also expected to start at around $35,000 to $40,000.
Source: KindelAuto, TheKoreanCarBlog
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Less than a year after officially launching in the US, the 2025 Audi Q6 e-tron has received its safety rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). According to the German automaker, its compact luxury crossover has been awarded Top Safety Pick+ status—the highest possible rating from the IIHS.
The Q6 e-tron remains the newest edition to Audi’s long-running all-electric segment of sedans, GTs, and SUVs. We first caught wind of it back in March 2024 when Audi teased a shadowy image while promising the Q6 e-tron would “overtake expectations.”
The 2025 Q6 e-tron made its official debut last September. The lineup includes an RWD version that delivers the longest range (321 miles) of any Audi BEV. At that point, the Q6 e-tron had received a five-star safety rating from the Euro NCAP, but until today, we were still awaiting its rating from the IIHS.
Today, Audi confirmed that the 2025 Q6 e-tron is an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ – the best you can get.
Audi Q6 e-tron wins Top Safety Pick+ amidst higher criteria
When announcing the award status from the IIHS, Audi pointed out that the US institute altered its Top Safety Pick+ criteria for 2025 models, making the top-tier award harder to achieve. This included a new focus on rear-passenger safety and a moderate overlap front collision test, which simulates a head-on collision, whereas the test vehicle strikes a vehicle of equal size and weight at 40 mph with 40% of the front widths of those vehicles overlapping.
The compact crossover achieved a “good” (the highest IIHS) rating on all tests, warranting the Top Safety Pick+ status. As such, the IIHS has deemed the Q6 e-tron one of the safest all-electric models on the road.
The 2025 Q6 e-tron starts at $63,800 in the US and is currently available in three trimlines and a Premium quattro powertrain configuration.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business3 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway