Why a leading electric bike company just slashed nearly all its prices
Ride1Up, a San Diego-based electric bicycle maker known for an increasingly broad range of affordably-priced electric bikes, is trying to make its e-bikes even more accessible. The company just announced that effective immediately, it is cutting prices on nearly its entire lineup.
Massive sales are nothing new in the e-bike industry. Several e-bike companies have been running incredible deals for much of the past six months. Remember those Black Friday deals that turned into Holiday sales only to then morph into Valentine’s Day bundles and Easter discounts? Yeah, the entire e-bike industry has been offering incredible rollercoaster sales as warehouses remain largely packed with overstocked bikes fueled by pandemic-era buying sprees.
But unlike most companies, Ride1Up is taking the major step of making those sale prices permanent. Instead of offering a misleadingly high MSRP and a much more attractive sale price, Ride1Up is moving more of its models towards a simplified, lower-cost model that is more sincere and transparent.
“Ride1Up proudly announces permanent price reductions for many of our highly rated ebikes, making them more affordable without sacrificing build quality and components,” the company explained. “Since our inception in 2018, Ride1Up’s mission has always been to make ebikes more affordable to the riding community.”
As a nod toward any consumers who recently purchased an e-bike from Ride1Up before the announcement of the drastically reduced pricing, Ride1Up is offering a 30-day price match guarantee. Basically, if you bought an e-bike from the company in the past month, they’ll credit you the difference in the sale price.
The new sales include up to $300 in savings, and offer up some incredible pricinging we haven’t seen in years. For example, the much-vaunted Ride1Up Roadster V2, which is the epitome of a lightweight, single-speed e-bike, is now priced at just $895. Its Gates belt drive and gravel-focused cousin, the Roadster V2 Gravel, comes in at a more-than-fair $1,295.
Other impressive deals include the new $1,395 price for the Cafe Cruiser, a 28 mph cruiser-meets-commuter e-bike that can carry up to two riders, as well as the $1,995 Prodigy V1, which might just be the most affordably-priced Bosch mid-drive electric bike on the market.
The company says that this is a shift in strategy to provide consumers with more sincere pricing that steers away from sale gimmicks common in the industry and maintains consistent low pricing regardless of the time of year. “From now on, Ride1Up will avoid massive discounts from our new retail prices. The goal is to provide you with the best price possible year-round without having to wait or anticipate the next big sale.”
Electrek’s Take
To be honest, I wish more companies were like this. Kickstarter e-bikes are the worst, guilty of pricing gimmicks more than anyone else (“Get this $4,000 MSRP e-bike for just $1,699!”). But even big-name e-bike companies have laid the high MSRP meets low sale price trap many times.
Perhaps Ride1Up is signaling to the industry that they simply aren’t going to play that game anymore. Perhaps they’re daring others to follow this lead. Or perhaps they just want consumers to see fair, realistic pricing upfront. Whatever the reason, this should become a much more common practice.
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Mercedes calls it the “one-liter” car for a reason. The new Mercedes CLA EV has an impressive EPA range of 374 miles, but in real-world driving, it can go even further.
Mercedes CLA EV beats EPA range in real-world driving
The new CLA EV might just be the most critical Mercedes model yet. It’s the first of the luxury brand’s latest generation of electric vehicles, promising to be much more advanced, efficient, and refined than ever before.
Powered by an 85 kWh battery pack, the 2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250+ has an EPA-estimated range of 374 miles.
Although that’s already among the highest for any 2026 model-year EV in the US, the electric CLA can drive even further in the real world.
The folks at Edmunds just got their hands on one to test it out. In the Edmunds EV Range Test, the 2026 Mercedes CLA EV crushed its EPA figures, driving an impressive 434 miles on a single charge, beating its official ratings by 16%.
Out of 13 Mercedes models Edmunds has tested, the new CLA EV had the second-longest driving range, trailing only the EQS 450+. However, given that the EQS is a full-size sedan and significantly more expensive than the CLA, it’s expected.
The 2026 Tesla Model 3 Standard went 339 miles, while the 2026 Audi A6 E-tron drove 402 miles during the EV Range Test.
The Edmunds EV Range Test is 60% city and 40% highway driving with an average speed of 40 mph. Each vehicle is set to the most efficient drive setting, while the climate control is set to 72 degrees to reflect the most accurate real-world driving conditions drivers encounter each day.
During the test, the electric CLA used 23.2 kWh per 100 miles of driving, beating the EPA’s estimates by 16.5%.
On the Edmunds EV Charging Test, it had an average charge rate of 193 kW from 10% to 80%, earning a score of 833 miles per hour. That’s the second-best of those tested, behind the Hyundai IONIQ 6.
| 2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA trim | Starting Price* | Driving Range |
| CLA 250+ | $47,250 | 374 miles |
| CLA 350 4MATIC | $49,800 | 312 miles |
The new Mercedes CLA EV is now the least expensive car they’ve tested, with over 400 miles of range. Last week, Mercedes launched the 2026 CLA 250+ EV, starting at $47,250.
Mercedes said it will begin delivering the first customer models this month, with output ramping up throughout early 2026.
Ready to test one out for yourself? We can help you get started. Check out our link to find the 2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA EV in your area.
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Tesla is pulling every demand lever available as we head into the final weeks of the year. The automaker has launched a new set of aggressive incentives in the US, including free upgrades on inventory vehicles, 0% APR financing, and $0 down leases.
It’s the end of the quarter (and year), and as per usual, Tesla is trying to empty its inventory, but it’s more difficult this year due to the end of the tax credit in Q3 pulling a lot of demand away from Q4.
We have regularly reported on Tesla ramping up incentives at the end of the year, but this new batch is arguably the most aggressive we have seen in a long time.
First off, Tesla is offering one free upgrade on eligible inventory vehicles.
If you go to Tesla’s inventory page for Model 3 or Model Y, you will see a lot of vehicles listed with a “Free Upgrade” tag. This basically means that if you pick a car that has a paid option, like a premium paint color (Ultra Red or Quicksilver), 20″ Induction wheels, or the White interior, Tesla is waiving the cost of that option.
That’s a value of anywhere from $1,000 to $2,500 depending on the option.
On top of that, Tesla has expanded its financing offers. The company is now offering 0% APR financing for up to 72 months on Model 3 and Model Y purchases.
This is a significant move. We have seen low interest rates before, but 0% for 72 months is basically free money, especially in the current interest rate environment.
But wait, there’s more.
For those looking to lease, Tesla has introduced $0 down leases for the Model Y.
Previously, Tesla required a down payment of at least $3,000 for its best lease rates. Now, you can drive off the lot with a Model Y for $0 down, though the monthly payments will obviously be higher than with a down payment.
Tesla writes on its website regarding the new push:
“Take delivery by December 31, 2025 to take advantage of these limited-time offers. Available on select inventory vehicles while supplies last.”
The automaker is clearly trying to deliver as many cars as possible before the ball drops on 2025.
Electrek’s Take
The end-of-year push is in full swing.
When you see Tesla stacking incentives like this, 0% financing, zero down, and free options, it tells you one thing: they have inventory to move.
With a lot of demand in the US pulled forward into Q3 due to the end of the tax credit for electric vehicles, it was always clear that Tesla would have trouble moving cars in Q4.
These are roughly the best end-of-quarter incentives we have ever seen, and even then, I’d be surprised if Tesla can come close to its record deliveries of last year’s Q4: 495,000 vehicles.
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