$999 Lectric XP 3.0 complete review: Best value fat tire e-bike gets even better
The Lectric XP 3.0 is already the best-selling electric bike model in the US. But when the team at Lectric eBikes announced they were planning to make it better than ever with the addition of hydraulic disc brakes, that was the proverbial cherry on top.
The Lectric XP 3.0 is widely considered to be the top bang-for-your-buck electric bike in the US. That hard-earned title is largely thanks to its low cost of just $999, and its surprisingly good reliability and feature set.
Now that the company has upgraded to more premium braking, the XP 3.0 is widening the gap in its lead over the competition.
In my opinion, this is the single best affordably-priced electric bike out there for getting someone back out on two wheels, replacing a car for daily tasks or just having fun outdoors.
Check out my testing of the latest edition of the hot-selling e-bike below, then keep reading for my full thoughts!
Lectric XP 3.0 video review
Lectric XP 3.0 tech specs
- Motor: 500W (1,000W peak) geared hub
- Top speed: 45 km/h (28 mph)
- Range: Up to 72 km (45 mi)
- Battery: 48V 10.4 Ah (460 Wh)
- Weight: 29 kg (64 lb)
- Max load: 150 kg (330 lb)
- Brakes: Hydraulic disc brakes
- Extras: Large LCD display with speedometer, wattmeter, battery meter, PAS level indicator, odometer and tripmeter, front and rear LED lights, 5 pedal assist speed settings with true current-based limits, half-twist throttle, removable and lockable battery, and robust rack & fenders included standard
- Price: $999
New brakes, new you
We’ve talked before about the advantages of hydraulic brakes over mechanical brakes. Basically, they’re stronger and more reliable since they don’t require the same level of maintenance that mechanical cable brakes need.
Since there’s no cable to stretch, hydraulic disc brakes simply stay perfectly tuned. For sporadic and recreational riders, you might only need to change your brake pads once a year. For daily riders and commuters, that maintenance step may need to be taken 2-3x times a year depending on your mileage, but that’s still much better than 2-3x per month.
That reduced maintenance is a major upgrade over mechanical disc brakes that can sometimes need to be adjusted every couple of weeks when the bike is ridden often, especially with heavier riders that require more braking power at stops.
Impressively, Lectric eBikes didn’t increase the price of the XP when adding the higher end hydraulic disc brakes, keeping the price tag at the industry leading $999 figure that we’ve come to know and love.
But of course there’s so much more to the bike than just the new hydraulic brakes.
With a 500W motor that puts out a true 1,000W of peak power, the Lectric XP 3.0 offers excellent acceleration and hill climbing power. It comes out of the box with a 20 mph (32 km/h) speed limit, but you can unlock the Class 3 operation with 28 mph (45 km/h) of speed by adjusting the settings.
You’ll need to pedal a bit to go past 20 mph, since most states in the US require class 3 e-bikes to only surpass 20 mph when the rider is pedaling, not on throttle only. But even just throttling up to 20 mph is still plenty fast and a lot of fun; plus, it’s great for on those long rides when your legs are tired and you just want to head back home quickly.
The 500 Wh battery also offers decent range, though there’s a longer range battery that you can opt for with 40% capacity for just an extra $200.
The standard battery is still good for around 20 miles (32 km) on throttle only, but you’ll get closer to 30 miles (51 km) with the longer range battery. Of course you can stretch that range out even more if you pedal. You’ll get up to 45 miles of range with the standard battery or 65 miles of range with the long range battery if you keep it in pedal assist level 1, though that also means you’re doing most of the pedaling work.
That brings me to the Lectric XP 3.0’s pedal assist design. It’s still cadence sensor-based, so it’s not as fancy as having a true torque sensor (though not as pricey, either). But they sort of “cheated” their way to having performance similar to a torque sensor by using current-limiting programing for the pedal assist levels. That means the pedal assist feels less jerky and offers lower power in the lower settings, yet still gives good power in the higher settings. It’s a nicely executed model that feels great when you try it.
Next, check out all the features you get with this bike. The rear of the frame is actually the rack itself. That means there are no bolted connections, and you get the strongest construction for a rack. In fact, the rear rack is rated for 150 lb (68 kg). You can carry an adult back there. And I have!
When I first tested the Lectric XP 3.0, it was at Lectric’s headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona. The company’s CEO Levi Conlow took me for a spin on back, and then it was my turn to take the bars as he rode in the rear. For a relatively small and unassuming e-bike, it’s a great two-person ride. The optional passenger kit makes it easy to bring a friend, significant other or child (hopefully yours) with you.
Then there are all the other considerations. Full metal fenders so you don’t have cheap plastic bouncing around. LED lighting for visibility. Front suspension (and optional seat post suspension for your butt/spine). Front cargo mounting options. The list goes on and on.
Look, this isn’t the nicest quality e-bike out there. It’s decent, even quite good. It’s not great, and I never expected it to be. I’ve ridden $5,000 e-bikes that knock its socks off. But I also don’t really want to shell out $5k for an e-bike. For $1k, this is a steal of a deal. It’s all that most people need. And that’s its secret to having become the best-selling e-bike in the US. It’s not really a secret at all – just a good bike at a great price, matched with a helpful US-based team out in Phoenix to support it.
There’s something beautiful there in the simplicity. It works, and it works pretty darn well. It gets the job done, whether that’s commuting, utility riding, or just plain old fashioned recreational riding for fun. At $999, I really can’t complain about much here. Well played, Lectric.
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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
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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
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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.
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