E-bike range calculator
How far will this e-bike actually go? Enter the battery, your weight and how you ride, and get a realistic figure instead of the optimistic number in the listing.
How the estimate works
Range is not a property of the battery. It is the battery's energy divided by how much energy each mile costs you, and that second number changes with the rider, the tyres, the terrain, the assist level and the temperature.
The calculator starts from a measured baseline for each tyre type — roughly 10 Wh per mile on narrow road tyres, 11 on city tyres, 14 on mountain bike tyres and 18 on fat tyres — and then applies four multipliers:
- Terrain: flat multiplies consumption by 0.85, rolling by 1.0 and hilly by 1.25.
- Assist level: the lowest setting multiplies by 0.7, middle by 1.0 and highest by 1.4. This is the single biggest variable, and the one people forget when comparing their range with a review.
- Weight: consumption scales with total mass, bike plus rider, against a 97 kg reference (22 kg bike, 75 kg rider).
- Temperature: 1.15 in cold weather and 1.3 below freezing, because lithium cells deliver less usable capacity when cold.
The result is a central estimate with a typical band of about 15 per cent either side. Treat it as a planning figure, not a promise.
What the calculator cannot know
Four things move real-world range more than any formula:
- How much you pedal. Two riders on the same bike can differ by 40 per cent in range, because one coasts on the motor and the other works with it.
- Wind. A steady headwind costs more than a hill of the same length, and it does not average out on an out-and-back route.
- Battery age. A three-year-old battery may hold 20-30 per cent less than the figure on its label. Our battery care guide explains how to slow that.
- Stops and starts. City riding with traffic lights consumes more than the same distance ridden continuously, because every acceleration costs energy.
Why the range in the listing is always better than this
Published range figures are usually measured at the lowest assist level, with a light rider, on flat ground, at a steady speed, in mild weather. Every one of those assumptions is the most favourable option in this calculator. A quoted "up to 80 km" is therefore not a lie — it is one specific case, and usually not yours.
The practical approach is to plan for about two thirds of the claimed figure, and to know your own real consumption after a week of riding. Once you know how many miles you get per charge on your usual route, you have a better number than any calculator.