Flemish mobility organization VAB has again put 45 electric bicycles on the rack to nominate the ‘2025 eBike of the Year’. In this eleventh edition, a professional jury of mobility journalists and a family jury crowned four laureates in distinct categories.
Winners are the Giant Expressio E+0 (€2,899) in the ‘Economy’ category with a price tag up to €3,250, the Kettler Pinniato FS Sport (€7,999) in the premium category without a price limit, the Stromer ST5 Smartshift (€10,990) among the speed pedelecs with a maximum speed of 45 km/hour, and the Riese & Müller Carrie Vario (€7,660) in a new category: cargo bikes.
VAB, named initially the ‘Vlaamse Automobilisten Bond’ (Flemish Car Drivers Union), is today the largest mobility organization in the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, providing road assistance to its member car drivers, mostly families, but also focusing on the growing needs of cyclists.
All its road assistance attendants are trained to fix all common problems that can occur with (e-)bikes, too. Today, almost 300,000 two-wheelers can count on VAB’s roadside assistance.
For this 2025 edition of the ‘eBike of the Year’, jury members could test 45 different bikes on and around the racing circuit in Zolder, taxing the contenders based on various criteria, such as steering behavior and maneuverability, comfort, ergonomics, safety, pedal assistance, and, of course, the price–quality ratio.
In the category up to 3,250 euros, the Giant Expressio E+0 nosed out the Kalkhoff Endavour L Season (€2,999) and the Norta L520 (€2,899).
The Expressio E+0 from Taiwanese bike giant Giant is a premium electric city and trekking bike designed for comfortable, low-maintenance riding in urban environments and on light trails. The jury gave Giant the top score for driving feel, comfort, and ergonomics, as well as for the quality of the engine and the support.
The frame is crafted from lightweight ALUXX aluminium with an extra-low step-through design. The Giant SyncDrive Core mid-drive motor delivers 50 Nm of torque. This motor, powered by Yamaha, features Smart Assist technology with six sensors to adjust support based on terrain and rider input.
The company claims it comes with a 600Wh EnergyPak battery, offering a range of up to 200 km under ideal conditions. The drivetrain features no chain, but a Gates Carbon Drive belt system paired with a Shimano Nexus 8-speed internal gear hub.
Giant Manufacturing Co. Ltd. Giant is one of the world’s largest and best-known bicycle manufacturers. The company was founded in 1972 in Taiwan and produces bicycles (mainly in China) for its own brand and other renowned brands. For Europe, it assembles its bikes in Lelystad, the Netherlands.
In the ‘premium’ e-bikes category, without a price limit, the German-made Kettler Pinniato FS Sport takes the credit with a price tag of 7,999 euros. Kettler Alu-Rad GmbH focuses on producing high-quality aluminium bicycles and e-bikes, strongly emphasizing innovation and quality ‘Made in Germany’. The KTM Style 820 Di2 D51 (€4,699) finished second, and the BESV CT-8 1.1 (€3,799) finished third.
The Pinniato FS Sport is a high-end, full-suspension electric trekking bike designed for riders seeking comfort, performance, and low maintenance on urban roads and light off-road trails.
It has a Pinion Motor Gearbox Unit (MGU), which combines an 85 Nm mid-drive motor with a 12-speed gearbox, a 960 Wh FIT Ultracore battery, which provides extensive range, and a Gates Carbon Belt Drive.
Speed pedelecs
The category of the speed pedelecs, bikes that offer support up to 45 km/hour, but requiring wearing a helmet in Belgium and a registration number plate, was sparcely populated with only 712 contenders as a lot of manufacturers are awaiting a new line of Bosch motors for their next best offer.
The winner is also one of the most expensive (€10,990) in the competition: the Swiss-made Stromer ST5 Smartshift, a top-tier speed pedelec engineered for high-performance commuting and long-distance riding. Belgian-made Ellio Original with a more reasonable price tag of €7,495, a deserved silver medal before the Riese & Müller Deliite 5 GT Pionion (€9,254).
The Stromer features a rear-wheel Syno Sport motor delivering 850W of power and 48 Nm of torque, enabling speeds up to 45 km/hour. It has an integrated BQ983 battery with 983 Wh capacity, up to 180 km range, and a Pinion C1.9 Smart Shift 9-speed electronic gearbox.
Regenerative braking
As is common in this kind of high-tech bike, it has high-level connectivity options like the Integrated OMNI Connect system, which offers GPS tracking, over-the-air updates, anti-theft protection, and ride analytics via a smartphone app. This one offers something all e-bikes should have to recuperate energy when going downhill: regenerative braking.
A new category is cargo and longtail bikes, which are becoming increasingly popular with families with young children as an alternative to a second family car. Where a traditional cargo bike offers a lot of space, a longtail—a typical Belgian cargo bike style—is more agile and comes closer to the riding feel of a regular bike.
Here, the Riese & Müller Carrie Vario (€7,660) beats the Specialized Turbo Porto (€6,500) and the Norta C7040 (5,890). Riese & Müller is a German bicycle manufacturer based in Mühltal, but the aluminium frames for their bikes, including the Carrie Vario, are produced in Portugal.
It is equipped with a Bosch Performance Line (Smart System) mid-drive motor, providing smooth pedal assistance up to 25 km/hour. It features the Enviolo 380 continuously variable transmission and a Gates Carbon Belt Drive.
Powered by a 545 Wh Bosch PowerPack battery it should offer a range of up to 90 km under optimal conditions. The loading surface supports up to 80 kg, and the rear carrier can handle an additional 27 kg.
