3-Wheel Electric Bikes: Types, Costs and 15 Adult Models Compared

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A 3-wheel electric bike is a tricycle with a battery and a motor. Three points on the ground mean it stays upright by itself: you can stop without putting a foot down and start on a slope without a wobble. That is the reason to buy one, and the weight, the width and the modest top speeds are what you pay for it.

This page is the overview of the category: the types, what the machines cost, who they suit, and one table of fifteen adult trikes from Addmotor, Emojo, Lectric, Mooncool and Velotric. Addmotor alone sells more trikes than appear here, so treat the table as a cross-section of the market, not all of it. Nothing here comes from riding them: every figure is a maker-published specification, or arithmetic on one.

The types of 3-wheel electric bike

Layout decides how a trike behaves; the extras decide how it fits your life. Check the layout in the maker’s photos before you order.

• Delta: one wheel at the front, two at the back. The usual utility layout. The rear axle leaves room for a basket or deck between the wheels, and the trike is completely stable when stopped. The cost is in corners: weight swings outward, and a delta taken fast through a tight turn can lift its inside rear wheel, so you slow down and steer rather than lean.
• Tadpole: two wheels at the front, one at the back. Braking and cornering loads land on two wheels, so it is steadier in turns and under hard braking. It sits lower, is often a recumbent, and carries less. The Addmotor Spytan 2 in the table below is one.
• Semi-recumbent, tilting and tandem. Addmotor sells all three. Its Arisetan II semi-recumbent is in the table; the U-Trike U-750, which Addmotor says can lock upright or lean into turns, and the M-380 tandem for two riders are not.
• Folding. A hinge lets the trike collapse for a hallway or a car trunk. Most adult trikes here fold: Mooncool lists all four of its models as foldable, Emojo says the Dexter and Dexter Jr. frames fold, and Lectric calls the XP Trike2 fully foldable (product pages checked October 2026). Addmotor sells the Citytan, Citytri and Spytan 2 as folding trikes, and Velotric says the Triker folds small enough for an SUV. Folding does not make them light: those eleven weigh about 86 to 126 lb. What folding costs you is covered on the folding trike page.
• Fat-tire. Wide, low-pressure tires cushion the ride and grip on gravel, grass and sand, in exchange for more rolling resistance and weight on pavement. Mooncool sells the FT1 as its fat-tire trike, and Addmotor’s Grandtan M-340, Grandtan X and Arisetan II all run 4-inch tires; the trade-offs are on the fat-tire trike page.
• Cargo. Many delta trikes carry a rear basket. The makers’ load limits run from 300 to 500 lb across the fifteen here (see the fit table further down); check the figure before hauling anything heavy.

Fifteen adult 3-wheel e-bikes compared

Fifteen adult trikes from five makers, sorted by the price on each maker’s own page (maker list prices, October 2026). Every maker but Velotric was showing a sale price against a higher struck-through one, so expect these to move. The planning range is rated battery capacity divided by 30 Wh per mile, an assumption for mixed ground and not a maker claim or a measurement. At 25 to 35 Wh per mile the 672 Wh packs would give 19 to 27 miles instead.

Reading across the table. The median battery is 804 Wh, the Velotric Triker’s, with seven packs below it and seven at 960 Wh. Velotric gives that pack as 48 V and 16.75 Ah, and Addmotor gives its packs as 48 V and 20 Ah, or 13.5 Ah on the Citytan; the watt-hours in the table are that arithmetic. Eight of the fifteen use a 750 W motor, six a 500 W motor, and Addmotor sells the Citytan with either. All fifteen list a top speed between 14 and 20 mph. Velotric ships the Triker limited to 12 mph, adjustable from 8 to 20 mph, and Addmotor’s Spytan 2 page gives both 15 and 20 mph. Listed weights run from 80 lb for the Emojo Bull to 128 lb for the Addmotor Grandtan X. Addmotor’s Spytan 2 page gives 126 lb in its spec table and 104 lb in its FAQ, so confirm that one before planning around it. Mooncool gives the FT1 as 48 kg, about 106 lb. Emojo’s weights include the battery, as do Addmotor’s for the Citytan, Citytri and Spytan 2, and Lectric lists the XP Trike2 at 79 lb plus a 7 lb battery (product pages checked October 2026, linked in the fit table below).

Lectric XP Trike2 has the smallest adult pack here and the lowest top speed, so its case rests on other details: at about 86 lb it is one of the three lightest here, with the 80 lb Emojo Bull and the 85.8 lb Velotric Triker, and Lectric rates it for a 415 lb payload. Mooncool lists all four of its trikes, the FT1 included, as Class 2, and Lectric says the XP Trike2 can run as a Class 1 or Class 2 e-bike; Emojo’s product pages do not state a class for its three, nor do Addmotor’s for its six. Velotric lists the Triker as Class 1/2. How that matters on your roads is on the street-legal page.

Mooncool’s CD1 (249.6 Wh, 250 W, 12 mph) is a youth model. It is left out of the table, the medians and every other figure on this page.

What a 3-wheel electric bike costs

The fourteen adult trikes with a price printed on this page list between $1,099 and $2,799 (maker list prices, October 2026), with a median of about $1,650, halfway between the seventh and eighth. Below $2,000, price mostly tracks pack size and motor; from $2,000 up, every trike has a 750 W motor and the differences are mostly in layout and frame:

• Under $1,500: Addmotor Citytan from $1,099, Mooncool FT1 at $1,350, Emojo Dexter Jr. at $1,399 and Lectric XP Trike2 at $1,499. Each has a 500 W motor, and Addmotor also offers the Citytan with 750 W.
• $1,500 to $1,700: Mooncool TK2 at $1,500, Emojo Dexter and Addmotor Citytri at $1,599, and Mooncool TK Pro at $1,700. The Citytri and TK Pro are the step up in pack and motor, to 960 Wh and 750 W.
• $2,000 to $2,799: Mooncool TK2 PRO at $2,000, Addmotor Grandtan M-340 and Spytan 2 at $2,199, Velotric Triker and Addmotor Arisetan II at $2,499, and Addmotor Grandtan X at $2,799. All six pair a 750 W motor with a 960 Wh pack, except the Triker at 804 Wh; the Addmotors differ mainly in frame: fat tires on the Grandtans, full suspension on the Grandtan X, two front wheels on the Spytan 2 and a semi-recumbent seat on the Arisetan II.
• Emojo Bull: its price is not printed on this page; the retailer’s live listing is the source.

Dividing list price by battery capacity gives cost per watt-hour, a fairer yardstick than the sticker. Across the fourteen with a price printed above it runs from $1.67 for the Addmotor Citytri to $3.11 for the Velotric Triker. The Citytan ($1.70) and TK Pro ($1.77) come next, the FT1 works out at $1.94, the Dexter Jr., TK2 and TK2 PRO all land near $2.08, the XP Trike2 at $2.40, and the four Addmotors above $2,000 at $2.29 to $2.92.

Two price steps stand out. The TK Pro lists $200 above the TK2 and adds 240 Wh and 250 W. The TK2 PRO lists $300 above the TK Pro with the same 960 Wh pack, 750 W motor and 15.5 mph top speed, and weighs 99.2 lb against 97.02 lb. Mooncool’s spec tables list several smaller differences; among them, the TK2 PRO has a reverse function and fast-charging support, which the TK Pro lacks, and a higher step-over, 16 in against 12.2 in (product pages checked October 2026). The pair is taken side by side on the adult tricycle picks page.

Costs that are not on the price tag

• Delivery and assembly. The listed weights run from 80 to 128 lb, so ask whether assembly and delivery are in the list price.
• Seat, backrest, basket, mirror. Check what the base price includes.
• A replacement battery. The pack is usually the single most expensive part, and the battery warranty is worth reading closely: Mooncool gives 2 years on the battery, Emojo’s Dexter page lists 1 year on the battery within its 3-year warranty, Lectric gives 1 year on the whole bike, Addmotor gives 2 years on its 20Ah packs and 18 months on the Citytan’s 13.5Ah pack, and Velotric’s 2-year warranty includes electrical parts (product pages checked October 2026). Ask what a replacement pack costs before you buy; the guide to e-bike batteries explains what to look for.
• Storage and transport. A standard bike rack is not built for a three-wheeler this heavy, so a car trip usually means a folding model or a hitch platform rated for the weight.
• Electricity. Almost nothing. At about 18 cents per kWh, the US average residential rate for January to July 2026 (EIA; use your own rate), a full charge of a 960 Wh pack takes about 1.15 kWh from the wall once 20% is allowed for charger losses (an assumption), which is about 21 cents, so 100 full charges cost about $21.

Who a 3-wheel e-bike suits

The reasons that hold up are about stability, not speed.

• Balance, joints or confidence. Anyone for whom stopping, starting or mounting a two-wheeler has become the hard part. This is the core case; the adult tricycle picks work through it by rider need, seniors included.
• Stop-start riding with a load. Errands with a basket, where you stop at every door. A trike stands up by itself while you load it.
• Slow, steady riding. Every published top speed is 14 to 20 mph, so none of these is built for fast road work.

Look at a two-wheeler instead if you ride one comfortably and want less weight, a narrower machine or more speed; the trike versus e-bike guide sets the two side by side on median specs. The same goes if the bike must be lifted, since 90 lb is not a lift for many people, or if it must squeeze through a narrow gate or path.

The fit and safety numbers makers publish

Four numbers decide whether a particular trike fits: load limit, step-over height, overall width and warranty term. Each maker gives most of them on its product page, collected below (checked October 2026) with the electrical safety certification each one claims. Addmotor splits its load limit into rider and cargo weight, and Velotric gives the Triker’s rear track width, not its overall width. Step-over height matters most if a knee or hip is why you are buying; width matters if it must fit through a door. Confirm them with the maker, in writing where you can, before ordering.

What the certification column means. UL 2849 is the safety standard for an e-bike’s electrical system: UL Solutions describes it as testing the drive train, battery and charger systems in combination. UL 2271 covers the battery pack on its own. Twelve of the fifteen product pages name UL 2849; Mooncool says SGS tested the FT1 to it and calls its other three certified. The Spytan 2 and Grandtan X list UL 2271 for the battery only, and the Citytan page names neither for the trike as sold. New York City has required UL 2849 for e-bikes and UL 2271 for their batteries sold, leased or rented there since September 16, 2023, and Addmotor’s Citytan, Spytan 2 and Grandtan X pages say they cannot be delivered there because of that law (Local Law 39).

A certificate is not the whole of battery safety. The CPSC’s micromobility guidance is to use devices and batteries certified to the safety standards, to be present while a battery charges and never charge it while asleep or away from home, to use only the charger supplied or recommended by the maker, to unplug it when charging is done, and to fit only a replacement pack approved to work safely with that trike.

Common questions

Is a 3-wheel electric bike the same as an electric trike or tricycle?

Yes. Electric trike, electric tricycle and 3-wheel electric bike name the same kind of machine.

Is the Mooncool CD1 a 3-wheel e-bike for adults?

No. Mooncool sells it as a youth trike, with a 250 W motor and a 12 mph top speed. Its 249.6 Wh pack is under a third of the 804 Wh adult median, so it is not a small adult model.

Do all 3-wheel e-bikes have a throttle?

Thirteen of the fifteen list one on the maker’s product page (checked October 2026). Mooncool lists a thumb throttle on the FT1 and a half-twist throttle on the TK2, TK Pro and TK2 PRO, and rates all four Class 2, which under the common US three-class system means a throttle that can move the bike without pedaling, with motor assistance cutting out at 20 mph. Lectric fits the XP Trike2 with a half-twist throttle, and Emojo lists a thumb throttle on the Bull. Addmotor lists a half-twist throttle on all six of its models here, and Velotric a removable throttle on the Triker. Emojo’s Dexter and Dexter Jr. pages do not mention one, so ask before you order. The e-bike classes guide has the full system.

Can a portable power station charge an electric trike?

Yes in principle, because a standard e-bike charger plugs into the AC outlet a power station provides. The question is capacity: a full charge of a 960 Wh pack takes 960 Wh plus inverter and charger losses; allowing 20% for them (an assumption), that is about 1,150 Wh of station capacity from empty, and about 810 Wh for a 672 Wh pack. A smaller station still tops up a partly used battery. The charger side is on the power station charging page.