Guides · Budget
How much does an electric trike cost? Fifteen real prices, and the extras
By Linda Garrett · · 7 min read01What does each price band buy?
Under $1,000 (2 trikes). The Viribus TG1 at $699 and the Viribus FC1 at $999. The TG1 is a simple trike for flat ground: 350 W, cable brakes, 468 Wh. The FC1 is the surprise of the whole comparison, with hydraulic brakes, a differential and 706 Wh, in exchange for 129 lb on the scale.
$1,500 to $2,000 (7 trikes). The heart of the market, and where our top four sit. At $1,499 the Lectric XP Trike2 already has hydraulic brakes, parking brakes and a differential. $1,599 buys the Addmotor Citytri's 960 Wh battery, $1,699 the XP Trike2 750's torque sensor, $1,999.99 the Mokwheel Granite's gears, third brake and 2-year warranty.
$2,200 to $2,600 (2 trikes). Fat tires and comfort: the Addmotor Grandtan M-340 and the Emojo Caddy Pro, the second with a 3-year warranty and dealer shops.
$3,000 and up (4 trikes). Two premium trikes sold on service (EVELO Compass, 4-year warranty; Pedego Fat Tire Trike, 5 years and local dealers) and two that carry a passenger (sixthreezero Rickshaw, Addmotor Greattan L).
02Why do two trikes at the same price differ so much?
Because brands spend the money in different places. The clearest way to see it is to divide the price by the battery, in watt-hours. It isn't the only thing that counts, but the battery is the single most expensive part of an electric trike, so the figure tells you where your dollars go.
On November 13, the Viribus FC1 cost $1.42 per watt-hour and the Addmotor Citytri $1.67. The Lectric XP Trike2 came to $2.40, the Mokwheel Granite to $2.78. At the other end, the Liberty Trike cost $5.42 per watt-hour and the Pedego $6.03.
Is the Pedego six times worse than the FC1? No. Its price holds a dealer who assembles and services the trike, and a 5-year warranty. The Liberty's holds a frame that splits in two and a reverse gear. What the figure does is make you ask the right question: if it isn't battery I'm paying for, what is it, and do I need it?
03Are the prices you see real prices?
Yes and no. Every price in this guide is one we read on the brand's own store on November 13, 2026, two weeks before Black Friday. Thirteen of the fifteen were shown as sale prices next to a higher crossed-out figure: $1,978 for the Lectric XP Trike2 sold at $1,499, $1,999 for the Viribus FC1 sold at $999, $4,999.99 for the sixthreezero Rickshaw sold at $3,399.99.
We can't tell you how often anyone pays the crossed-out price, so we don't count the discount as a quality. Judge each trike at the price you'd pay today, and compare that with its rivals at their price today. Mokwheel is the one brand in our list that states a price promise: it says it refunds the difference if its own price drops within 30 days.
Free extras move too. On the day we checked, Lectric was adding baskets, a backrest seat, a headlight and a suspension seat post to its trikes at no charge, items it lists at $198, $69 and $99 for the first three. Check what's in your cart on your day.
04What will you pay on top of the trike?
Less than with a car, more than nothing. Here's what the product pages themselves list.
Assembly. From zero (Lectric ships assembled) to a real job (the Viribus TG1 arrives 35 to 40% built). Emojo charges $200 to assemble the Caddy Pro fully. A local bike shop will quote you for the others.
Seat and baskets. Included on most. A backrest saddle is a $149 option at sixthreezero. Mokwheel's front basket is $49.99.
A faster charger. Lectric's 5 A charger was $134. The stock 2 A one takes 5 to 9 hours depending on the battery.
Helmet and lock. Viribus offered a helmet at $89 at checkout, sixthreezero at $79.99. Budget a solid lock as well: the cable lock in the Viribus TG1's box is the only one we saw listed.
Fees. Pedego adds a $15 battery recycling fee to every order. sixthreezero lists a "fulfillment and inspection fee" among its options; read your cart.
Getting it home and around. Shipping is free on most stores. A hitch rack that can take a trike is the big one if you travel: see how to transport an electric trike.
Video: "The Best Budget E-Trike Just Got Better: Lectric XP Trike2 Review", Freshly Charged on YouTube. Not made by us; chosen because it shows the trike or the topic clearly.
05What does it cost to run?
Almost nothing in electricity, and it's easy to work out yourself. A battery's size in watt-hours, divided by 1,000, is the number of kilowatt-hours a full charge takes, a little more with charger losses. The Lectric XP Trike2 750's 840 Wh battery is 0.84 kWh. Multiply by the rate on your electric bill: at 15 cents per kWh that's about 13 cents a charge, at 30 cents about 25 cents.
The real running costs are the ones of any bicycle: brake pads, tires, a yearly check. They're higher on a trike that carries 400 lb than on a light bike, and no brand in our comparison publishes a figure, so ask a local shop what they charge for a tune-up on a trike before you buy one online.
The big-ticket item, years down the road, is the battery. The spare-battery prices we read give the scale: $348 for the Liberty Trike's 313 Wh pack, $599.99 at Mokwheel, $699 for a 20 Ah pack at Addmotor or MaxFoot, $849 at EVELO. That's a quarter to a third of the price of the trike. A long battery warranty is worth real money: ask how many years the battery itself is covered, because it's often less than the frame.
06Does Medicare or insurance pay for an electric trike?
Don't build your budget on it. The Medicare page on wheelchairs and scooters says Part B covers power wheelchairs and scooters as durable medical equipment only when they're medically necessary, after a face-to-face examination and a written prescription from a treating provider, and you still pay 20% of the approved amount after the deductible. The page doesn't mention bicycles or tricycles.
An electric trike is sold as a bicycle. If cost is the deciding point and your mobility is limited, the conversation to have is with your doctor, about what you medically need. Some Medicare Advantage or private plans have their own wellness benefits; call the number on your card and ask before you order.
07Where is it safe to save, and where isn't it?
Save on range before anything else. Most errands are a few miles. A 624 Wh battery, charged twice a week, does what a 960 Wh one does charged once.
Save on speed. A trike capped at 14 mph costs less to build and is the easier one to ride.
Save on brand polish if the parts are there. The Viribus FC1 has the brake and axle hardware of trikes at twice its price.
Don't save on brakes: hydraulic discs and a parking brake are worth the step from $700 to $1,000. Don't save on the differential if you ride on anything but straight paths. And don't save on fit: a trike with an 18-inch step-over that you struggle to mount is expensive at any price.
Our ranking of trikes under $1,500 applies exactly that logic, with price at 45% of the order.
08The trikes in this guide, side by side
| Trike | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Motor | 350 W | 750 W (1,200 W peak) | 500 W (1,092 W peak) | 750 W |
| Battery | 36 V 13 Ah (468 Wh) | 48 V 14.7 Ah (706 Wh) | 48 V 13 Ah (624 Wh) | 48 V 20 Ah (960 Wh) |
| Top speed | 15.5 mph | 20 mph | 14 mph | 20 mph |
| Payload | 395 lb | 400 lb | 415 lb | 360 lb |
| Stand-over height | 15 in | Not stated | 13.5 in | 13.8 in |
| Brakes | Mechanical disc | Hydraulic disc | Hydraulic disc | Disc |
| Folds | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Warranty | 1-year | 1-year | 1-year | 2-year |
| Where to buy | Check price at Viribus | Check price at Viribus | Check price at Lectric | Check price at Addmotor |
✓ marks the best figure of the row. Prices checked November 13, 2026 on each brand's own US store.
This guide helps you buy; it isn't medical or legal advice. Rules for electric bicycles change from state to state and city to city, and only your doctor knows whether riding suits your health: check both before you buy.
