Lectric XP4 Review

Our XP4 Experience

While testing the XP4, a last-minute trip put me behind the wheel of a base-model 2026 Toyota Corolla. After about 200 miles, the parallels were striking: both are the quintessential choice for the pragmatist who wants high-quality, Point A-to-Point B transportation without paying for luxury trims. Like that Corolla, the XP4 is a utilitarian workhorse that doesn't feel like it's missing the essentials. While other bikes in the lineup may offer more comfort or power, the XP4 provides a complete, reliable experience for riders who value function over flair. It's an excellent bike precisely because it nails the basics, proving that a budget-friendly price point doesn't have to mean a compromised ride.

The XP4 isn't boxed in by its budget label, sporting a feature list that includes integrated turn signals, a crisp color display, and a heavy-duty rear rack. We put these components to the test across the scenic bike paths and rolling Sierra Foothill trails surrounding Lake Tahoe. Whether we were navigating bike paths or cruising through town, the bike's upright geometry provided a commanding view of our surroundings. The relaxed posture was a major win for visibility in and out of traffic. At the casual speeds where this bike excels, you get to sit up and enjoy the scenery without ever feeling like you're fighting the wind.

We ride for convenience, and oftentimes the most convenient route is over dirt or gravel. Lectric doesn't really intend the XP to be an off-road bike, but the wide tires with inverted tread give the bike a fighting chance when the pavement ends before your destination. Several of our bike rides were after dark, and we relied on the bike's built-in lighting. Not having to worry about whether you brought (or charged) your lights was nice, but the standard headlight is only moderately bright. It certainly helped to be seen, but if you're doing much riding at night or in the rain, we'd suggest opting for the upgraded headlight, which is 4x as bright.

The lighting on the XP4 with the standard headlight helps you be seen, but doesn't do much to illuminate the roadway.   Credit: Joshua Hutchens

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Our Analysis and Test Results

Ride

The XP4 does a great job of hiding its folding bike identity once you're in the saddle. The frame's heavy-duty locking mechanism is remarkably rigid, eliminating the creaks and mid-chassis flex that have plagued past folding designs. The ride character is somewhat defined by the physics of those 20-inch wheels and the long stem. Even with a wheelbase that rivals a full-sized bike, the smaller tire diameter means you'll stay intimately acquainted with every crack and ripple in the pavement. Additionally, while the telescoping stem is a triumph of adjustability for riders of different heights, its sheer length and folding hinge inevitably introduce a hint of lateral play. It lacks the rock-solid steering precision of a non-folding bike with larger wheels, but that's the small price you pay for a machine that can vanish into your trunk or a closet.

Generating maximum power on a traditional bike requires proper leg extension, but since you're riding a powered machine, having your saddle at the proper height is less important, so you can set it low enough to keep your feet flat on the ground when stopped. This position straightens your back and neck, giving you less of a bent-over feel, with better visibility and situational awareness.

The XP4 uses a new torque sensor that measures your pedaling input and adds a proportionate amount of power. This gives the motor a natural feel and intuitive acceleration and assist that doesn't linger once you stop pedaling. The 500-watt motor feels plenty peppy around town, but struggles on grades above 8%. If your goal is to ride mostly under throttle power, the 750-watt motor is likely a better choice. When we tested the XP4 750, we thought it might be overpowered, but it's more likely that both XP4 models suffer from poor throttle modulation. In the more powerful ride modes, our testers found the throttle to feel jerky and sometimes abrupt.

Lectric wraps the 20" wheels with 3" wide tires featuring an inverted tread pattern. They also install Slime sealant in the innertubes, so in the event you get a puncture, the Slime can patch the leak before you even notice. The tires do a good job of smoothing the roadway imperfections, and bigger bumps are dampened by the adjustable suspension fork. Overall, Lectric has done a good job making a bike with 20" wheels feel comfortable and compliant. The optional suspension seatpost is an excellent addition for riders who want to minimize the impact on their lower backs.

When it's time to stop, or at least slow your roll, Star Union 602 hydraulic brakes, paired with oversized rotors, deliver excellent stopping power. Even when you're pushing the limits of the bike's 330-pound weight limit, the brakes stop on a dime with minimal effort. The brake system feels particularly good for the price. Similarly, the Shimano Altus drivetrain is a solid choice that we don't usually see at this price point.

Since the XP4 is only available in one size, it uses components that offer tremendous adjustability to suit the widest possible range of riders. Lectric claims the bike will fit riders from 4'10" to 6'3", and while they're not wrong, our testers who topped 6 feet tall found it too big.

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You can choose from two frame options when ordering: a step-through or a step-over design. Our test bike is the step-through version that lets you climb aboard by stepping over the 19" high frame. The step-over frame isn't much higher, at 24", but it's interestingly a totally different frame design that foregoes chainstays for super-wide seatstays. Both bikes have a built-in handle that can be used to carry them up stairs or to load them in a vehicle once folded. A slick “Level-Up rack” on the back of the bike can accommodate pannier bags, a rack-top basket, or even a seat that lets you carry a child or passenger up to 150 pounds.

The XP4 is an economical offering without feeling cheap. It's impressive how Lectric can provide such high-quality parts on a bike like this while keeping the price so low. This isn't one of those questionable, no-name bikes from Amazon; it's built by people who understand electric bikes and economies of scale. The inclusion of lights, a rack, fenders, and a color display makes this feel like anything but a bare bones offering.

Real-World Range Test Results, How far does the Lectric XP4 actually go?

This XP4 pairs a 500-watt motor and a 500Wh battery. It's run through a 48V system and a 20-amp controller. If that all sounds Greek to you, know that it's relatively standard and doesn't raise too many eyebrows. What we strive to provide in these tests is a real-world worst-case scenario. To do that, we ride the bike on a hilly course while using only its throttle and setting the power to the highest setting, in this case, Turbo. We inflated the tires to their maximum recommended pressure of 45 psi and set out to drain the battery.

During the range test, the XP4 performed admirably on rolling bike paths, maintaining throttle-powered speed near the upper limit of 20 mph. When we hit the hills, our speed dropped to less than 10 mph, and the motor's pitch changed to a struggling, gnashing sound that got louder as the incline steepened.

The bike's display shows your remaining range as a percentage, dropping in 10% increments. With 20% remaining, the power dropped significantly, limiting our speed to just 10 mph on level ground. When the charge dropped to 10%, the bike slowed to walking speed and, within half a mile, gave us a low voltage warning. All told, we made it 19.1 miles with just over 900 feet of climbing behind us. What we can infer from our power and range results is that the 909-watt peak power draws heavily on the smaller 500-watt battery. The XP4 750, by comparison, uses a 750-watt (1263-watt peak) motor and an 840Wh battery, which together propelled the bike to almost double the range. Sometimes a larger motor can dissipate heat more effectively, making it more efficient. In this case, we see the larger battery had 68% more capacity but provided about 90% more range.

Power

The XP4 feels plenty powerful in most circumstances. It's quick to accelerate, even jumpy feeling at times. On hills, you feel the limitations of the 500-watt motor, at least when you're not pedaling. Using the dynamometer, we measured a peak of 909 watts, about 350 watts less than on the XP4 750. The torque on this bike peaked at just over 35 Nm, about 10 Nm less than the large-motor version. What this translates to in the real world feels less substantial on flat ground but significant when you encounter an incline.

After reviewing the XP4 750, we felt the bike had almost too much power for casual users, but after spending some time on the XP4 500, we're less convinced that is the case. When you press the throttle on either of these bikes, a Hall sensor inside the throttle communicates with the controller, sending a constant power signal to the hub. Both bikes suffer from jumpy acceleration due to how the Hall sensors relay data to the controller; it's not that the XP4 750 is necessarily overpowered, but perhaps both bikes have throttles that feel under-modulated. This translates to acceleration that can sometimes feel abrupt and choppy, especially in the bikes' higher assist settings.

In our hill test, the XP4 shot up to 16.6 mph from a stop at the bottom of the hill. When we passed the marker for the steepest grade, the speed had slowed to just 10.6 mph, giving the bike an average hill-climbing speed of 13.6 mph. This is the 9% grade we test every ebike on, so we can compare their real-world feel on similar surfaces. The XP4 just barely beat the Lectric XP Lite2, which climbed the hill with an average speed of 12.4 mph, which we found surprising. The XP Lite2 uses a 300-watt motor but weighs 16 pounds less and uses narrower tires.

Interface

All of the information you need and more is found in the center of the handlebars on the Lecric's 3.5" TFT full color display. Your current speed is centrally featured, and a colored bar at the top of the screen shows your remaining battery capacity. To navigate the bike's settings and screens, use the 5-button remote on the left side of the handlebars. Using the remote, you can adjust class settings:

Class 1: Up to 20 mph with pedal assist only

Class 2: The same as Class 1 but with a functioning throttle.

Class 3: Pedal assist up to 28 mph and throttle power up to 20 mph.

California Class 3: The same as Class 3 with NO throttle functionality.

Our only real gripe with the display is the imprecise battery gauge, which tracks life in 10% jumps rather than specific percentages. This lack of granularity makes it difficult to gauge your exact remaining range once the power starts to dip. If you want a more accurate representation of the remaining range, you can look at the voltage readout and use these parameters. A full charge is 54.6V, a half charge is between 48V and 50V, a low battery is 44V and 42V, and a completely exhausted battery registers 40V.

Tucked into the down tube, the UL-Certified 500Wh battery is accessible only when the frame is unfolded. The big improvement on this bike is the keyless riding feature, which finally lets you ditch the dangling ignition key in favor of a simple start button.

On the right side is the battery that fits snugly inside the frame.   Credit: Joshua Hutchens

The charge port and power button are located beneath this rubber cover. You do not have to switch this power button on/off every time you use the bike.   Credit: Joshua Hutchens

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The new power toggle and charging port are well protected by a weather-shielding rubber door; the bike gets an IPX5 weatherproof rating. The battery fits perfectly inside the downtube, but removing and reinstalling it is somewhat awkward while balancing the folded bike. At 7 pounds for the battery alone, the entire setup weighs approximately 68.5 pounds. If you purchase this bike and later want a larger battery, it is compatible with the larger 840Wh battery.

Assembly

Assembling a Lectric bike could more aptly be called unwrapping it. The bike arrives with 95% of the assembly complete. You simply unfold it, insert the handlebars into the stem, put the seat and seatpost into the frame, and snap the pedals into place. None of these steps requires a tool and can be completed in just minutes. Lectric sells all of its bikes directly to consumers, so it's created packaging and processes that don't require an engineering degree or a professional mechanic to make sense of.

There are instructions and a QR code included in the box. If you're a visual learner, you can watch a video assembly guide, but most people can probably get the bike rolling with little or no help; it's quite intuitive.

Servicability / Dealer Network

While Lectric sells its bikes directly to you and ships them for free in the US, some people may not want to “just take our word for it” and see the bike prior to making such a large purchase. If this sounds like you, know that Lectric has linked up with over 500 retail locations. Some of these partner facilities offer test rides and rentals, and even sell bikes directly; check the Lectric website for a location near you. If there isn't a bicycle shop or Best Buy location near you, know that the bike can be serviced by just about any bicycle shop, and most of its parts are readily available through normal bicycle distribution channels.

Value

The XP4 is an outstanding value, but some riders may be better served by the XP4 750. At first glance, you can see the XP4 750 costs 30% more, and that's not small change. A deeper look at these deals shows that the bike with 90% more range and 40% more power also includes a bunch of add-ons that the XP4 500 does not. If items like the upgraded headlight ($99), suspension seeatpost ($89), bike lock ($59), and phone mount ($39) appeal to you, they are included with the $300 upcharge. If you just want the no-nonsense basic version of this awesome bike, it's hard to beat the value that Lectric packs in.

Conclusion

Lectric remains the undisputed champion for riders seeking maximum bang for their buck. The XP4 stands out as a stellar value proposition, offering the convenience of replacing shorter car trips and a user-friendly way to explore your local bike paths. The folding frame adds value by eliminating the need for a bulky car rack and making storage a breeze in tight spaces. It is an ideal entry point for beginners, though anyone tackling steep inclines, hauling heavy cargo, or commuting long distances would be better served by the extra muscle of the 750W version.