I was delivering food and worked as a courier on my electric bike for 4 years, mainly doing Uber Eats and Stuart (same as Just Eat but a different app and service), and Deliveroo. It was hard to get access to delivery where I lived in Sheffield UK. I was an early starter in this job. Using an electric bike is more accessible than a car and a motorbike as you don’t have to submit proof of insurance and MOT to the food companies, I’ve been compiling for a while the best electric delivery bikes, which are most cost-effective.
Electric bikes are rechargeable, and they cost only a few pence for each charge less maintenance is required on a bicycle, so the maintenance costs are low, so they are the perfect mode of transportation for courier or messenger service, or food delivery. They are good for quick short deliveries and are good for getting through traffic.
Not only is it good for the environment eco-friendly it’s also sustainable, as most bike frames last a lifetime, if you enjoy biking on a normal bike, you will also love having electric power as a fallback when you are tired.
I have a lot of experience in this job and at times I had to walk home pushing my bike for various reasons. Hopefully, this article will help you find a bike and be a better delivery rider than I was. Many delivery riders come into this job underprepared. You will have an advantage after reading this.
The best delivery bikes I recommend and why
1) NCM Moscow Plus 250 watt motor (768 Watt Battery) 48v 16 ah Battery Cost £1599 13ah version £899
This is the best delivery bike on a budget out there. I had one with 29-inch wheels. It was my first delivery bike. It did over 1500 miles on mine. You will not find a bike with the same size of battery and motor for a cheaper price. It was made in Europe. This bike is quality built like a tank in Germany and I used it for 2 years delivering food. It was superb. It has a large battery but you will need 2 batteries if you work a full day shift.
The only reason I stopped using this bike is I felt a bit hunched over and was making my back ache, but that’s just me if you ride a mountain bike, 99% of people won’t have this issue.
It is a 250-watt electric bike, so all perfectly legal. It’s also pedal assist, which means the motor kicks in when you start pedaling. There is no throttle, so there is no pure electric assist, as throttles are illegal on electric bikes in the UK (many still have them).
These bikes are manufactured in China (like all bikes) and assembled in Germany. This company sold 3 million of these bikes in one year, as you can imagine that is a lot of earnings for a company. Three million times £1000 at the time is a staggering 30 million.
The battery on this bike will get me through one shift (it’s called a Dorado battery if you want to Google it and check the prices beforehand). For example, from 11.30 in the morning till 2.30 in the afternoon, you will be using it on full power settings, so the battery will drain quicker than on the lower, slower settings. I would only do one shift a day.
Good points
- Perfectly ROAD LEGAL
- Excellent support, mostly email, but it was excellent.
- Good quality has a durable frame, is bomb-proof, is a solid ride, very cost-effective.
- A massive long-range battery can get replacements so very eco-friendly
- The amazing specs cannot be matched for this price.
- Easy to use, the battery has a key and an on-off switch, that is all.
- Reliable hub motor, efficient and reliable
- Can be de-restricted at your own risk!!
Things to consider
- Batteries are expensive to replace, and sometimes hard to buy.
- The sitting position is not upright. I have problems with a sore neck sometimes.
- Punctures were my main issue, so I needed to use Tanus armour
- It’s big and heavy. I used to lift it into my van and nearly put my back out!
- You can only buy online, which can make returns annoying if you need to do them.
- No suspension (buy a suspension seat post)
2) H9 Electric Fat bike 250 watts road legal 15ah battery £999
Good Points
- Great quality bike, with very solid great think tyres
- Hydraulic brakes, not mechanical!
- has good lights and even turning indicators
- Large battery
- Sat up straight in saddle so good for bad backs
Things To Consider
- It does not fold so cannot be transported around easily
- Very heavy, and does not fold.
- Style doesn’t suit everyone
- Max speed of 15.5 mph unless you remove the restrictions from the bike with the password.
- No basket or rear rack
This bike is brand new and by Ouxi who is a big e-bike company from China its one of the few bikes I’ve decided to stock on my site because it is such a great value bike.
Fat bikes are great for delivering food because they are very durable, they are solid bikes that can get you around, they have good range and are a workhorse of a bike, which is what you need for delivering food, it’s also relatively cheap you can check out the product page for more information.
Before you buy your electric bike, consider this
1) As a delivery rider, you want the biggest battery you can find, the battery comes in ah, which means ampere-hours, read more about this here the bigger the AH, the bigger the range, and the range is more important than speed, but speed is the second most important, but big batteries are expensive!
2) Do not spend 4 grand on a spanking new stylish e-bike. This job is hard on your ebike. It will be covered in scratches and wear and tear. You need a workhorse bike. You wouldn’t deliver in your Ferrari. Your budget should be between 500-2500 max. Bits have fallen off my bike and it makes all sorts of clanking noises, but it keeps going. It’s a workhorse, you’re not cruising in the Cotswolds.
3) There is a legal route and a non-legal route. If you want to stay within the law, you need to have a bike with a motor of 250 watts or less. 250 watts and more is classed as not legal in the UK. If you do, the max speed is 15.5 mph, you can derestrict some bikes to make them go faster but this will invalidate the warranty and is still not legal.
4) Think about the wheel size more about that here and the size of the bike, most bikes are massive, and they won’t fit in a car at least not with ease, are you riding to work, or putting your bike in the back of the car or van? check the sizes
5) You could consider hiring a bike first, some sites hire out food delivery bikes.
Many people go the illegal route. I’ve done both. It’s faster if you use a 500-watt or higher bike. It’s as simple as that, will you get pulled over by the police? Well, I’ve never had it happen or know anyone personally that has, and mention this on boards on Facebook. You will get attacked for even considering an illegal bike, if you kill someone you will end up in prison etc. It’s just a calculated risk. Don’t be an idiot and you will be fine.
If you are going this route, that’s fine. It would be best if you were comfortable with it. If you are worried, then buy a legal bike and de-restrict it. Most self-built ebikes are illegal. There may come a time when the police crackdown on this. Who knows? but it’s pretty difficult to tell an illegal bike from a legal one, so I think the police don’t have the time for this kind of problem currently.
Just so you know, you are supposed to have insurance and an MOT for any bike over 250 watts, like any other vehicle on the road. Therefore, it’s considered a moped in the eyes of the law. That is the law, no matter how inflexible it is at the moment.
It is also illegal to use an electric scooter to deliver food. I have seen people doing this on YouTube, but once they find out you are doing this, they will remove you from the delivery platform.
4) Making deliveries too quickly will get you banned quickly. If you use a de-restricted takeout meals delivery ebike and are going 30mph for every delivery, you will get thrown off the platform as they will assume you are using a car. There is no return from this ban, so you can go too fast. I generally ride at 20mph when delivering.
5) Consider getting a folding bike. You can put them in the back of your car. This way, you can go to different areas close to you, you can experience which areas pay you the best, riding to a restaurant far away can sometimes take 30 mins. It’s better to have a motorized backup solution. The only problem I found with this was the weight of the bike. You want a relatively lightweight bike you can lift onto the back of your van or car.
Once you find the best areas, you can plan from there.
I will go through some of the accessories needed to do this job on this page. Also, at the bottom of the page, I have tried to make a list of what I would consider the best delivery e-bikes. This is for fast food meals, groceries, or parcel delivery and does not include a bike you would use for pleasure, as you need a totally different bike to deliver takeout with.
Answers to Common Questions with Explanations
Are you allowed to use an electric bicycle or scooter for delivering food?
It’s perfectly legal to deliver goods on your e-bike and you do not have to provide any specific information about your bike, motor size, or anything at the moment, there is no check to see if your bike is legal or not with the apps themselves.
However you cannot use an electric scooter to deliver food, it’s not legal, people do it and they get away with it, but if the delivery companies find out they will ban you.
Are e-bikes good for delivery workers?
They are a perfect solution for someone who wants to get fit and also deliver food or items, you do not need insurance or MOT to deliver food on your bike, you do not have to use an ebike though you can use a normal pedal cycle to deliver food.
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I'm the passionate mind behind this online web shop. As an avid cyclist, I have a particular fondness for electric bikes and scooters, believing they offer a unique sense of freedom and joy. Not only do I enjoy riding them, but I also take pride in reviewing and sharing my insights about these fantastic machines. Additionally, as someone who suffers from dry eyes, I'm committed to stocking products that genuinely enhance and improve people's lives. Dive into my shop, and you'll find a curated selection of e-bikes, scooters, and other life-enhancing products that I stand by.
