Ebike Motors: the Best and More Recent —> Gorgeous Large Choice

Last update 21/10/2025 with Yamaha Qore Peak & Qore Power, Giant 48 Volts, Mahle X20, Brompton e-Motiq & Electric G Line.

Although ebike motors in Europe can’t legally deliver more than 250W without license plates, their torque, functioning, noise, and levels of assistance can significantly vary. The best-selling motors, in Europe and worldwide, are Bosch, Bafang, Shimano and Yamaha. In Europe, Bosch outsells Bafang, and German Brose, Mahle and TQ sell well.

A large choice of motors — Motor brands, alphabetically ordered — Discerning the right amount of torque

There is plenty of choice for motors on the ebike market

We hope we are not skipping your favorite motor. Although we don’t pretend to be exhaustive, we hope that this post will let you grasp ebike motors basics, enabling you to better choose.lick on the links below to see each brand or type, when motors are mentioned in one of the four categories, i.e.

All around motors —Powerful motors —  Light motors —Motors with embedded gearbox. They are usually not included in their brand category.

Motor brands, alphabetically ordered, click on each to see:

Bafang, Bosch, Brose, Dji Avinox, Fazua, FSA, Giant, Hyena, Impulse, Intradrive, kYnamic, Mahle, Maxon, Owuru, Panasonic, Pinion, Revonte and Effigear/Valeo, Polini, Promovec, Rocky Mountain Dyname, SACHS, SEG Automotive Shimano, Specialized, Sram, TQ, Urtopia, ZF, Yamaha.

Discerning the right amount of torque

Torque is expressed in Newton meters. For commuting on hilly roads, more torque is better, even if that involves three or four additional kilograms for motor and battery together. For mountain biking, the more you intend using your muscles, the better choosing a lighter motor with less torque.

Some of the most common ebike motors in Europe

Light motors for light ebikes

Bosch Performance Line SX – Quite an innovation for Bosch. Instead of focusing on performance and power, this motor excels for versatility, ease of use and harmonious, pleasant assistance. Not that other motors from Bosch lacked these qualities, but this one is the state-of-the-art. With 55 Nm of torque, it weighs only about 2 kg and sports a power to weight ratio of 300 watts per kilogram. The rather narrow Q-factor of 160 millimetres and a noticeably lower pedalling resistance support the famous “natural” pedalling. Peaking at 600 watts, this silent, discrete engine features a new assistance mode, the Sprint, which calibrates its support according to your pedaling cadence. 2025 update: up to 600 W / 60 Nm / 400% assistance with the update 1.30 of the Bosch eBike Flow app.

TQ — The TQ HPR 40 (hub motor), 2025: Weight: 1.17 kg, the lightest of all. Continuous rated power: 200 W Maximum power: 200 W (mechanical) Assistance up to: 25 km/h / 45 km/h Maximum torque: 40 Nm Maximum assistance: 100%. TQ HPR60, 2025, in the head image, the most powerful in terms of torque of the very light motors, on a par  with the Fazua Ride 60. Rated continuous power: 250 W – Maximum power: 350 W (mechanical) – Assistance up to: 25 km/h; 45 km/h (depending on model) – Maximum torque: 60 Nm – Maximum assistance: 200 percent – Weight: 1.924 kg TQ HPR50 – Quite light, at 1.850 kg, the TQ HPR50, with 50 Newton meters of torque, is extremely small. This motor is very silent, offering one of the best torque to weight and dimensions ratio on the market.

Fazua –> Ride 60 – The Fazua Ride 60 weighs only 1.96 kg for 60 Newton meters of torque. Very small and extremely silent. You can take it off, together with its battery, turning your e-bike into a normal bike. In autumn 2021, Ride 50 replaced the system previously known solely as Evation. It weighs only 1.2 kg for 50 Newton meters of torque.

Mahle

Mahle X20 (hub motor)– The Mahle X20 (2025 update) hub motor itself weighs only 1.399 kg, being the lightest of all, with 65 Nm of torque (27 Nm at the rear wheel, see below), and 275W peak power. Together with its 242Wh  battery, wiring, controller, and head unit, it weighs an astoundingly low 3.2 kg. It bundles the most modern technologies into the drive. Basically, it is a search for a system that gathers information from the way you ride and, with the help of the collected knowledge, highly individualises the support of the motor.

Mahle X30 (hub motor) – At the right cadence, you can generate a torque of 45 Newton metres. However, this value should be considered with a degree of caution. The manufacturer determines this value using its own formula and uses it as an equivalent to the performance of mid-mounted motors. For comparison: for the X20, Mahle likes to talk about a torque of 65 Newton metres. However, this is a calculated value. The torque at the rear wheel is measured at 27 Newton metres. The same applies to the X35: calculated 40 Newton metres and measured 18 Newton metres. Consequently, the measured torque of the X30 probably settles at around 20 Newton metres.

Mahle X35+ (hub motor) – Unobtrusive, slim and light. The intube battery and the control units together weigh only 3.5 kilograms. Of course, in terms of power, the Mahle drive with its motor output of 250 watts, the torque of 40 Newton metres and the 245 watt hours of battery capacity is far away from the Bosch power. Indeed, the Mahle X35+ is for manufacturers who want to integrate a drive system into sporty bikes that don’t look like ebikes at all. For a good reason, the list of Mahle’s cooperation partners mainly includes illustrious names from the racing bike sector: Colnago, Pinarello, Bianchi, Orbea.

Urtopia – Hong Kong-based manufacturer Urtopia’s Titanium Zero motor: small, round and powerful, with 60 Nm and solid-state battery.

Maxon Bike Drive Air weighs only 3.5 kg together with its 250Wh battery. Ideal for very light e-bikes, it offers no resistance when turned off, giving your eBike the feeling of a regular bike. New Maxon Bikedrive Air S, 2025: currently the lightest full-power motor? Weighing just two kilograms, the motor delivers 620 watts at peak, with a torque of 90 Newton metres et 400% assistance.

Specialized SL 1.1: Relatively light at 1.95 kg, it delivers only 35 Newton meters of torque. Compare it with the Fazua Ride 60. Not particularly silent, it offers excellent regulations through its application and control unit.

Brompton e-Motiq generates a torque of 24 Newton metres. The Electric G Line, which is more geared towards trekking and off-road riding, delivers 30 Newton metres. Its three riding modes use data collected by sensors for speed, torque and cadence. There’s an extra feature waiting for you when you’re stopped at traffic lights. If you want to get going as quickly as possible when the lights turn green, you can boost it with the Start Assist mode.

Shimano EP8 RS – Its hardware is identical to that of the Shimano EP8. At 2.65 kg, being the heaviest of the light e-mountain bike motor of the category, it delivers 60 Newton meters of torque, and is more silent than the EP8.

All around ebikes motors

For daily commuting or steep climbs, more torque is needed, although that requires more weight for motor and more powerful batteries.

Bosch Performance Line PX (BDU347Y) 2025 Clearly aimed at trekking and touring bike enthusiasts. Nominal power: 250 W – Maximum power: up to 700 W – Assistance speed: 25 km/h – Maximum torque: 90 Nm – Maximum assistance: 400% – Versions: derailleur & hub – Weight: approx. 2.9 kg.Auto mode automatically selects the assistance level.

Bosch Performance Line and Performance CX 2019-2025 and Bosch Performance Line Speed – Riders will now be able to adjust maximum power output. The Gen 5 CX motors from 2025 deliver up to 100 Nm of torque and 750 W peak power—up from the previous 85 Nm and 600 W—offering up to 400% support. This upgrade should help tackle technical and steep terrain even more easily. Extremely precise and smooth, it’s almost unbeatable when it comes to harmonizing leg power and assistance. The Performance Line, particularly silent, delivers 65 Nm of torque, and 75 Nm in the Smart System version. With 85 Newton meters, the Performance Line CX, weighing 2.8 kg,  enables easy starting even on steep climbs, and accelerates quite promptly. It’s a little noisy, although only in its early versions. The 2025 version is more silent, and weighs only 2.7 kg. It features a new hill start assist, which gives a brief response of the motor to an active pedal kick. You can use this, for example, when you roll up to an obstacle in neutral and get a brief push from the motor just before or while you are riding over the obstacle to help you get over it. This kick, the Extended Boost, reacts much more sensitively than before. The reduced pedaling resistance, combined with the updated cell technology of the battery, guarantees longer ranges than before.

Bosch Performance Line developed a torque of 65 Newton meters in its 2022 version. The new 2025 version has a torque of up to 75 Nm and a power of 600 W, for assistance equivalent to 340%, and is a good 400 g lighter, at 2.8 kg.

Bosch Cargo Line – Bosch adapted their Performance CX already sporting a sound 85 Newton meters of torque to render it even mightier, thus reaching state-of-the-art level for cargo eBikes. Bosch has specifically designed its special cargo riding mode for the enormous stresses and strains of riding with a high payload, which are particularly noticeable when starting off.  2025 version: 250 W / up to 750 W / 100 Nm / 400% Weight: approx. 2.8 kg. 

Bosch Performance Line CX Race – Even more powerful, even more abrupt, even higher revs. The greater part of the development work probably went into the software. The result is a completely new support level – the race mode. According to Bosch, the assistance is even more direct than in the existing modes. In addition, support is provided up to 400 percent of your own pedal power. The “normal” Bosch Performance Line CX stops at 340 percent. Weight: approx. 2.75 kg, 150 g lighter than the Performance Line CX.

Bosch Active Line and Active Line Plus – It was conceived for the city, and is silent and smooth. Its 4o NM of torque (50Nm for the Active line plus) are sufficient on flat itineraries. Should riding uphill be frequent, a Performance CX would be highly appreciated.

Shimano –> The EP5 delivers 60 N meters of torque, quietly and smoothly providing a long range, thanks to its moderate energy consumption. It supports Shimano automatic shifting – and that for compatible electronic derailleur and hub gears. It weighs 3 kg. Shimano E5100 – This entry-level drive is quiet, smooth and rather sweet-tempered. The E5100 delivers 50 new the meters of torque and weighs 2.4 kg. Shimano EP800/EP801 – Delivering 85 Newton meters of torque, this motor is relatively light, 2.6 kilogram, and rather compact. It’s compatible with several kinds of batteries, enabling its integration in different e-mountain bike frames, what allowed its adoption by many manufacturers. It works quite differently from the Bosch performance CX, since it requires more inputs from the rider in order to deploy all its power. It’s nevertheless appreciated by those who like a more active role of their legs. EP801 combined with DEORE XT Di2 or CUES Di2 shifting offers innovative FREE SHIFT technology, which allows to quickly shift gears at any time, even when the pedals are stopped. It can support AUTO SHIFT for automatic shifting. Shimano E7000 – Only 60 Nm of torque, fluid and smooth, although strong at the start. Shimano E6100 – Versatile and silent, 60 Nm of torque, conceived for city ebikes. Weight: 2.88 kg. Shimano EP600 – A little heavier, with 2.9 kg, but also cheaper, still 85 Newton meters of torque and AUTO SHIFT or FREE SHIFT, and DEORE XT Di2 or CUES Di2 rear derailleur compatible. SHIMANO EP600 delivers EP801-level performance at a more affordable price. Better suited for city and trekking than for MTB. Shimano E5000 – Silent, barely 40 Nm of torque, light with 2.5 kg, conceived for city ebikes, it’s the lightest and cheapest of the range.

Brose –> The Drive S Mag/Alu is one of the most silent of its category, thanks to its belt transmission. 90 Nm torque for 2.9 kg weight (S-Mag, 2.95 kg for the S-Alu). It’s particularly powerful at low pedaling cadences. The Brose Drive 3 sports a  95 Nm torque, peak power: 600 W for 2.9 kg weight. With a hefty 95 Nm of torque, it supports you up to a maximum of 420 per cent. Weighing 2.9 kilograms, 200 grams more than a Bosch Performance Line CX. Brose ebike motor division was recently acquirted by Yamaha.

Some Bafang Motors, from their wide range:

To yhe best of our knowledge, it has yet to be proven that Bafang quality can compete with the likes of Bosch, Yamaha, TQ, Shimano, Brose, Mahle, etc.

M820 – Good weight to torque ratio, 2.3 kg for 75 Newton meters. Even 95 Newton meters for a short time at peak are declared for the Bafang M820. Its case is made of magnesium, which effectively dissipates heat. It also attenuates the vibrations. Maximum extended cadence support of 120 rpm. M620 – 2.3kg 75Nm (max torque) for a maximum extended cadence support of 120 rpm. Just two of their numerous hub motors: H610,  65Nm torque for 4.5kg – H700, 40Nm of torque for 3.2kg, lightweight and compact, 136 millimetres in outer diameter.

Yamaha

The impressive New Qore Drive3 Peak – Operating voltage: 48 V – Continuous rated power: 250 W Peak power: 800 W – Assistance up to: 25 km/h – Torque: 105 Nm – Maximum assistance: 600 % – Weight: 2.9 kg. New Qore Drive3 Peak – Operating voltage:48 V -Continuous rated power:250 W Peak power: 700 W – Assistance up to: 25 km/h – Torque: 90 Nm – Maximum assistance: 410 % – Weight: 2.9 kg

PW-ST – Weight, 3.4 kg. Rated Output, 250 W. Max. Torque, 70 Nm. Assist Mode, 4 modes. Yamaha PW-SE – Weight, 3.5 kg. Rated Output, 250 W. Max. Torque, 70 Nm. Assist Mode, 4 modes.

Yamaha PW X3 and PW XM – The PW X3 sports 85 Newton meters of torque and is quite similar to the Bosch Performance CX, weighing only 50 g more. The PW XM is 250 g lighter, at 2.6 kg, thanks to its magnesium case. It has got improved bearings and fins that, together with the magnesium case, help dissipate heat. PW series S2 for Speed Pedelec – Max. Torque 75 Nm; Weight 2.85 kg; Max. Assist Speed 45 km/h; Assist Mode 4 modes.

Yamaha PW-CE – Yamaha’s entry-level mid-motor  It has mainly been deployed in urban ebikes. With 50 Newton metres of torque, it weighs 3 kg. Yamaha PW-C2 – Updated (in 2023), bettered version of the PW-CE. It generates 55 Newton metres of torque (10% more than the PW-CE) weighing about three kg.

ZF Centrix –> ZF, with more than 160,000 employees worldwide, is a giant car parts manufacturer. They now have launched an impressive ebike motor weighing barely 2.5 kg, impressively small with 88 mm of diameter, sporting a whopping 90 Newton meters of torque. A detailed review of the ZF Centrix here.

Polini E-P3+, E-P3+GP and E-P3+MX

Light, powerful and compact, the Polini E-P3+ motor has one of the smallest lateral encumbrances in its category and is available in 3 versions: the E-P3+ model that delivers 75 Nm torque (for all terrain or trekking bikes), the GP model with 80 Nm torque (designed specifically for road and gravel bikes) and the MX model (specifically for MTB) with 90 Nm torque for the most demanding customers. They alla weigh 2.950 g, with 250W and a peak power of 500W for the  E-P3+ and a peak power of 600W for both the E-P3+GP and E-P3+MX.  Five levels of assistance for all.

Panasonic’s GX ultimate –> With 95 Nm of torque and a weight of 2.8 kilogram, it proves once more that torque and weight are strictly correlated. It deploys its power quite strongly and constantly, even at lower cadences. Its design is compact and particularly narrow, which enables a small Q factor. A reduced distance between pedals avoids knee problems, grants more efficient pedaling, and also lessen the risk of hitting obstacles on trails.

Sram Eagle Powertrain–> Based on the Brose  S Mag, delivering a gorgeous 90 Nm of torque, it shines with the impressive technology of the whole Sram Powertrain. For instance, you enter your preferred cadence into the system and the ebike drive does the necessary gear shifting. The only Auto Shift which does this with derailleur gears. It displays even your leg power output in watts.

Hyena –> Hyena Unidrive 70 motor: with a weight of just 2.4 kilograms and 70 Newton metres of torque, this new ebike motor sports one of the best weight-torque ratio ever. The Hyena MRC-F250, designed for use in sporty ebikes with drop handlebars and derailleur gears, has a  35 Nm torque, thru axle. Weight: only 2.0 kg.

Impulse Motors – Impulse Evo RS Motor Impulse Evo and Impulse Evo Next deliver 80Nm of torque. The latter available also with 350w for speed ebikes assisted up to 45km/h. Impulse 2.0 as juts 70Nm torque, also with 350w for speed ebikes.

The Giant Family

They are Yamaha motors with a special Giant software.  New Giant SyncDrive Pro 3 : Operating voltage: 48 V – Peak power: 800 W – Assistance up to: 25 km/h – Torque: 105 Nm – Maximum assistance: 600 % – Weight: 2.9 kg –
All compatible with a 2-speed chainring. Giant Sync Drive Life has 60Nm. Giant Sync Drive Sport and Giant Sync Drive Pro have both 80 Nm. Giant Sync Drive Pro 2 sports delivers 85Nm of torque.

Specialized motors – They all weigh 3.4 kg and support 320% excepted the Specialized 2.1 “Drive S Mag” weighing 3.0 kg, 90 Nm, up to 410% support, and the Specialized 2.1 “Drive S Alu”, offering 380% support 90Nm, weight 3.4 kg. Specialized 1.1 from 2016, with 82 Nm. Specialized 1.2 “Drive T” and Specialized 1.2 “Drive TF”, both 85 Nm. Specialized 1.2E “Drive CB” delivers only 50Nm torque. Specialized SL 1.1, see above.

Shengyi kYnamic – 65 Newton metres. See Kynamic offers various drive systems for ebike manufacturers.

FSA E-System Tawainese hub motor with 42Nm (not for climbing), relatively light.

Powerful eBike motors

Always with 250 W, some motors offer an impressive torque.

DJI Avinox –> Awesome. 850W peak power. 105 Nm torque. Small and light, around 2.5 kilograms, 300 g lighter than a 85Nm Bosch Performance CX. Maximum support of 800%. In boost mode, which can be activated for a short time, the data even increases to an output of 1,000 watts and a torque of 120 Nm.

Mahle M40 – Impressive Mahle M40, first mid-drive by Mahle: Rated continuous power: 250 W – Maximum power: 850 W Maximum torque: 105 Nm – Maximum assistance: 400 % – Weight: 2.5 kg

Bafang M510 – With 95 Nm of torque and weighing just 2.9 kg, this motor, especially conceived for eMTBs, sports one of the best weight to torque ratio across the board. Moreover, it delivers its pedalling assistance up to  high speeds of 120rpm.

Bafang M600 – A whopping 120Nm max. torque, just 3.9kg, for eMTBs and eCargo bikes.

SACHS RS –> With 110 Nm of torque, this German motor weighs 3.6 kg. It’s very powerful, but it’s not easy to master especially on steep climbs, because it delivers its power depending more on the cadence than on the pressure exerted on the pedals.

Rocky Mountain Dyname 3.0 and 4.0 –>Quite silent. Motor weight: 3kg, outstanding weigth to power ratio | Modes: Eco, Trail, Turbo | Norminal power: 250 W | Peak Power: 700W | Torque: 108Nm

 

TQ HPR 120 S – You can appreciate its whopping 120 Newton meters of torque on steep paths, albeit it being also the heaviest with its 3.9 kg. With such impressive power, one should better be careful when starting, to avoid that the ebike wheels up or that the rear wheel sleds. That’s why Haybike has developed a special sensor for this motor.

New Motor Brose Drive 3 Peak  2025 at a glance: Operating voltage: 48 V | Peak power: 600 W | Torque: 95 Nm | Maximum assistance: 420 % | Weight: 2.9 kg. –> Small, light, silent and powerful thanks also to 48V insteads of 36V.

Promovec motors –>This Danish manufacturer produces front and rear hub motors, and mid-motors. The former with a classic 45Nm torque, the latter sports a 100Nm torque with 90 RPM. Silent and smooth. Sold both as kit and mounted on OEM ebikes.

Motors with embedded gearbox

We extensively wrote about those, notably the Effigear, the Pinion MGU, E2 Drives Owuru, Valeo Cyclee, Revonte One, Intradrive GD8.  We tested the Effigear, which shifts automatically and smoothly according to the terrain, for instance when you start climbing, enabling even shift at standstill, or to shift multiple speeds at once, even with lower gears. Th Effigear gearbox equips the Valeo Cyclee ebike motor, sporting a 130 Nm torque. The Pinion MGU is not second to Effigear, to the best of our knowledge.

The Bafang 3-Speed Automatic Gear Hub (GHA-3) motor. Weighing only 1.7kg, it shifts automatically. No need for an additional shifter.

Owuru –> The OWURU propulsion module from the Belgian E2 Drives, also on some Decathlon ebikes, integrates the intelligent assistance and gearshift function into a single unit. OWURU offers a continuously variable transmission (CVT): you never find yourself between two gears, because there are an infinite number of them within a certain range. Smooth and pleasant.

SEG Automotive –>BMM 85 Hypershift from SEG Automotive, introduced in June 2025:  it is a unit with integrated automatic gear shifting. This means that you do not need to operate any gears. The drive system takes care of this. Depending on the riding situation, it automatically shifts to the appropriate gear ratio. its standard torque of 85 Newton metres rises to a peak of 100 Newton metres.  With its weight of 2.45 kilograms, and 600 W peak (although less tahn the 750 W peak power of Bosch Performance CX ), it sports one of the best powert to weight ratio.

Intradrive GD8–> The Intradrive GD8 is yet another unit consisting of a motor and gearbox. Peak power: 650 W – Torque: 80 Nm – Assistance: 350 % – Range: 480 % – Weight: 4.5 kg.

Pictures: TQ, Fazua, Bosch, Brose, Bafang, Shimano, ZF, Yamaha, Specialized, Maxon, SEG