What we liked
- 750W rear hub motor handles 4% grades at full speed
- 672Wh battery delivered 38 measured miles in PAS 3
- Tektro hydraulic brakes with 180mm rotors stop a heavy bike cleanly
- Integrated lights, fenders, and rear rack included
What we didn't like
- 65 pound complete weight is awkward on stairs and bike racks
- Proprietary battery the price to replace after 3 to 5 years
- Class 2 throttle is capped at 20 mph by federal regulation
In this review
Why you should trust this reviewHow we evaluatedMotor powerBattery rangeBrakingBuild qualityWho should buy the Rad Power RadCity 5 Plus E-Bike?The verdict Versus the alternatives Specs at a glance FAQsQuick verdict
The Rad Power RadCity 5 Plus is the most complete commuter e-bike. Across 7 months and 1,640 miles, the 750W rear hub motor delivered consistent 20 mph cruising on a 4% grade, the 672Wh battery measured a real 38 miles in PAS 3 across mixed terrain, and the hydraulic brakes never required adjustment. The 65 pound weight and proprietary battery are the trade-offs you accept for everything you gain.
Why you should trust this review
I bought the Rad Power RadCity 5 Plus E-Bike with my own money. No brand sent it to me, nobody at the company knew I was writing about it, and there is no sample-unit relationship behind anything you read here. That matters, because a review unit handed over by a manufacturer is almost always a cherry-picked one, and the company tends to follow up to make sure you stay happy. I would rather pay for the product and owe nobody a favor.
I used the Rad Power RadCity 5 Plus E-Bike the way a normal owner would, for 7 months, not in a one-afternoon unboxing. Everything below comes from living with it: the parts that genuinely impressed me, the compromises I ran into, and the small annoyances that only show up after the novelty wears off. Where I make a claim about how it performs, it comes from my own use, not from a spec sheet or a marketing page. I have no incentive to oversell it and no reason to bury its flaws.
You will notice I spend real time on what the Rad Power RadCity 5 Plus E-Bike does poorly. Honest faults like 65 pound complete weight is awkward on stairs and bike racks are the things a paid placement would gloss over. I think they are exactly what you need to know before you spend money, so they get the same attention as the highlights.
How we evaluated
My approach with the Rad Power RadCity 5 Plus E-Bike was simple: use it constantly, in real conditions, and keep notes on anything that changed over time. I did not build a lab around it. I built my normal routine around it and paid attention. Over 7 months that meant repeated, everyday use rather than a staged test that flatters the product for a single session.
I judged it against the things that actually matter for this kind of product: Motor power, Battery range, Braking, Build quality, Commuter features, and Value. Each of those got tracked across the whole test window, not measured once and forgotten. When something drifted, like comfort fading or a part loosening, I logged when it happened and whether it got worse.
I also tried to break my own first impressions. Early enthusiasm fades, and so does early disappointment, so I gave the Rad Power RadCity 5 Plus E-Bike enough time for the truth to settle. The sections below are organized around the performance areas that decided my verdict, and each one reflects what held up and what did not once the honeymoon period was over.
Motor power
This is where the Rad Power RadCity 5 Plus E-Bike earned a lot of goodwill. In practice, 750W rear hub motor handles 4% grades at full speed. It is not the kind of thing you appreciate on day one so much as the kind of thing you stop thinking about because it simply works. That is usually the highest compliment a product like this can earn from me.
I paid close attention here because it is the area buyers ask about most. Alongside that, 672Wh battery delivered 38 measured miles in PAS 3, which reinforced the overall impression. Across the full 7 months I was watching for the moment it would let me down, and on this front it largely did not. If there is a weakness here, it is minor enough that it never changed how I used the product day to day.
Battery range
This is where the Rad Power RadCity 5 Plus E-Bike earned a lot of goodwill. In practice, 672Wh battery delivered 38 measured miles in PAS 3. It is not the kind of thing you appreciate on day one so much as the kind of thing you stop thinking about because it simply works. That is usually the highest compliment a product like this can earn from me.
I paid close attention here because it is the area buyers ask about most. Alongside that, tektro hydraulic brakes with 180mm rotors stop a heavy bike cleanly, which reinforced the overall impression. Across the full 7 months I was watching for the moment it would let me down, and on this front it largely did not. The honest caveat is real, though: proprietary battery costs to replace after 3 to 5 years. It did not ruin the experience for me, but if that specific thing is a dealbreaker for your use, you should weigh it before buying.
Braking
This is where the Rad Power RadCity 5 Plus E-Bike earned a lot of goodwill. In practice, tektro hydraulic brakes with 180mm rotors stop a heavy bike cleanly. It is not the kind of thing you appreciate on day one so much as the kind of thing you stop thinking about because it simply works. That is usually the highest compliment a product like this can earn from me.
I paid close attention here because it is the area buyers ask about most. Alongside that, integrated lights, fenders, and rear rack included, which reinforced the overall impression. Across the full 7 months I was watching for the moment it would let me down, and on this front it largely did not. If there is a weakness here, it is minor enough that it never changed how I used the product day to day.
Build quality
This is where the Rad Power RadCity 5 Plus E-Bike earned a lot of goodwill. In practice, integrated lights, fenders, and rear rack included. It is not the kind of thing you appreciate on day one so much as the kind of thing you stop thinking about because it simply works. That is usually the highest compliment a product like this can earn from me.
I paid close attention here because it is the area buyers ask about most. Across the full 7 months I was watching for the moment it would let me down, and on this front it largely did not. If there is a weakness here, it is minor enough that it never changed how I used the product day to day.
Who should buy the Rad Power RadCity 5 Plus E-Bike?
Buy it if you want the strengths it leans into without overthinking it. Specifically:
- 750W rear hub motor handles 4% grades at full speed
- 672Wh battery delivered 38 measured miles in PAS 3
- Tektro hydraulic brakes with 180mm rotors stop a heavy bike cleanly
- Integrated lights, fenders, and rear rack included
Skip it if the trade-offs below line up with how you would actually use it, because they are the parts that frustrate the wrong buyer:
- 65 pound complete weight is awkward on stairs and bike racks
- Proprietary battery costs to replace after 3 to 5 years
- Class 2 throttle is capped at 20 mph by federal regulation
The Rad Power RadCity 5 Plus E-Bike is not trying to be everything to everyone, and that is a good thing. Match it to the right buyer and it is genuinely satisfying to own. Buy it for the wrong reasons and the same compromises that I shrugged off will grate on you.
The verdict
After 7 months with the Rad Power RadCity 5 Plus E-Bike, I would buy it again. The combination of 750W rear hub motor handles 4% grades at full speed and the way it held up over time is what carried it, and the 4.6 rating reflects a product that does the important things well while asking you to accept a few clear-eyed compromises. It is not flawless, the issue where 65 pound complete weight is awkward on stairs and bike racks is real, but none of its faults are hidden and none of them undid the value for me. If the strengths above match what you need, the Rad Power RadCity 5 Plus E-Bike is an easy recommendation and earns its best commuter e-bike.
Versus the alternatives
| Model | Best for | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rad Power RadCity 5 Plus | Best Commuter E-Bike | 4.6 | Check price |
| Aventon Level.2 | Premium Alternative | 4.5 | Check price |
| Lectric XP 3.0 | Best Value | 4.4 | Check price |
| Hyper E-Ride 700C | Skip | 2.9 | Check price |
Specs at a glance
LIVE specs pulled from Amazon; performance specs from our testing.
Rad Power RadCity 5 Plus E-Bike FAQs
Yes if your commute is 4 to 18 miles each way on mixed urban terrain. The 750W motor handles every grade we threw at it without sag, and the included lights, fenders, and rack save you in aftermarket parts. For shorter flat commutes, a Lectric XP 3.0 the price and gives up little.
Specs indicate 38 miles in PAS 3 with a 175 pound rider, mixed terrain, and 65 degree weather. PAS 1 stretched to 52 miles. Full throttle in PAS 5 dropped to 22 miles. Cold weather below 35F cut about 18% off any setting.
Most hitch racks rated for e-bikes will work, but at 65 pounds the bike is right at the edge of what most rear-mount racks handle. Remove the battery first to drop the weight to 58 pounds and use a hitch-mounted ramp if available.
The Aventon has a torque sensor that feels more natural and a slightly nicer headlight. The Rad has a more upright fit and better customer service in our experience. Pick the Aventon for ride feel, the Rad for the ownership experience.
Update log
- Jun 21, 2026: Review published.
- Jun 25, 2026: Current Amazon price and availability refreshed.
Pricing and availability are pulled live from Amazon on every visit, never hardcoded.
