E-bikes and child bike seats – all your questions answered

Are you confused about the difference between an e-bike, a cargo bike, and an electric cargo bike? Wondering whether a child bike seat will fit onto an electric bike or if it’s even safe to use one? You're not alone! With so many options out there, choosing the best e-bike to carry your child can feel overwhelming.

We’ve got first-hand experience of finding bike seats and fitting them, and we’re here to help. In this article, we answer the most common questions parents ask when switching to an e-bike for family transport. 

In this article we’ll help you find the right set up for your e-bike with front or rear child seat to carry your baby, toddler or child, up to around 10 years old.

If you are considering to carry your children on an electric cargo bike, we’ve got you covered in our guide on the Best cargo bikes for families.

If you're choosing a new bike, it’s worth reading our guide on What to look out for in an adult’s bike. And if you’re just starting out, check out our tips on How to start cycling with a small child in a bike seat, cargo bike or trailer.

Do I need a licence or insurance to ride an e-bike?

The good news is that you don’t need a driver’s licence or insurance to ride an e-bike in the UK. You need to be 14 years or older and your bike needs to fit certain criteria to be classified as an ‘electrically assisted pedal cycle’ (EAPC).

Learn more about the legality of e-bikes in the UK in our guide on E-bikes and the law.

What type of child seat can I fit onto an e-bike?

There are several options for fitting a bike seat to an e-bike. In this article we’ll be covering several types of front and rear seats, to suit children aged 9-12 months up to 10 years old.

We will cover different mounting options, to make sure you know what to look out for when searching for a solution to carry your child on your e-bike.

Child seat options:

• Front seats for babies and toddlers
• Front seats on top tube for slightly older children (3-6 years old)
• Rear seats for toddlers and small children (up to 5 or 6 years old)
• Rear bike seats for older kids (up to 10 years old)

Front seats for babies and toddlers

Front bike seats are either full seats that mount to the head tube below your handlebars or on a bar that fits between the seat post and head tube of your bike, or an open-style seat that mounts to the top tube on your bike.

Find out more about front seats for babies and toddlers.

Front seats for slightly older children (3-6 years old)

Front seats for small children are open-style seats that mount to the top tube of your bike. They come with footrests and sometimes little handlebars for your child to hold on to.

Find out more about front seats for slightly older children.

Rear seats for toddlers and small children (up to 5 or 6 years old)

Rear seats are full seats that mount to a pannier rack or to the seat post of your bike.

Find out more about rear seats for babies, toddlers and small children.

Rear seats for older kids (up to 10 years old)

Rear bike seats for older children are open-style seats with a seat, backrest and footrests that mount onto the pannier rack of your bike.

Find out more about rear bike seats for older kids.

Which e-bikes fit rear child seats?

We’ve put together some options for e-bikes that are suitable to be fitted with a rear bike seat. We opted for hybrid bikes because they are versatile all-rounders suitable for most people. If you are not sure what type of bike is best for you, read our article on What to look out for in an adult’s bike.

E-bikes that come with a pannier rack fitted are often suitable for a rack-mounted bike seat for children up to 22kg. Always check the weight limit of both the pannier rack as well as the bike.

The bikes featured all have a step-through frame, to make it easier to get on and off the bike with your child sitting on a bike seat.

Look out for the e-bike's maximum total weight, which refers to the maximum combined weight of the bike, rider and anything you carry such as a bike seat and child.

We recommend a rack-mounted rear bike seat for e-bikes with a rear rack, with mid-range and premium options available for £84 - £150.

Cargo bike option: Tern HSD (from £4,100 + bike seat)

Some cargo bikes are especially designed to carry one child. One of the top-of-the-range options is the Tern HSD, a so called ‘midtail’ electric cargo bike. ‘Midtail’ refers to the slightly longer rear rack (but not as long as on a longtail cargo bike), designed to carry stuff (or kids!).

Maximum total weight is 180kg, which would include the bike (27.6kg), rider and bike seat and child.

The benefits of a cargo bike are that you can fit panniers in addition to a bike seat and that it has a higher maximum total weight, so you can keep carrying your child (and other stuff) on the bike when they get older.

What we like: great long-term investment if you're planning to do all sorts of trips with your bike and child, including shopping for example.

Find out more about the Best cargo bikes for families.

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Can I lease or hire an e-bike with a bike seat?

Yes, e-bike subscription service Blike offers e-bikes on a subscription basis, including through cycle to work schemes. You can lease the Estarli e28 e-bike with a bike seat for about £100 per month through Blike. This is a great way to try if this set up is right for you and your child.

Another option is to borrow an e-bike and seat through a bike library, if you've got one local to you. Check out our article on Where to try family cycling equipment to find out if there's one near you.

Which e-bikes fit front child seats?

Finding an e-bike suitable to be fitted with a front seat is somewhat complicated. On e-bikes with a step-through frame, you can only fit head tube-mounted front seats and it can be tricky to tell if the seat will suit you and your e-bike, because there may not be enough space between the bike seat and your saddle. This will depend on the combination of the geometry of your bike, your height and the seat.

Can I fit a child seat onto an electric mountain bike?

Most electric mountain bikes have an integrated battery in the downtube (the tube running between the handlebars and pedals), which means it is wider than a normal downtube.

Kids Ride Shotgun have thought of this and have developed a mountain bike-style front seat that has zero frame contact and adjustable leg width to be suitable for use on e-bikes with integrated batteries.

The Kids Ride Shotgun Pro seat fits most electric mountain bikes and is suitable for children between 18 months and 5 years old.

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Mounting a bike seat onto your e-bike

Front child seats can be mounted onto:

• the head tube
• the top tube or cross bar
• a bar that is placed in between the head tube and the top tube

Rear child seats for children up to around 5 years old (or 22kg) can be mounted onto:

• the pannier rack of your bike (rack-mounted)
• a mount attached to the seat tube of your bike (frame-mounted)

We’ve made a handy overview of rack-mounted and frame-mounted rear kids bike seats.

Rear bikes for older kids are always mounted onto a pannier rack.

Can I use a child seat with a folding e-bike?

Yes, some folding e-bikes are suitable to fit a rear child seat, but not all.

We suggest the Estarli e20.7 Comfort Pro in combination with a rack-mounted seat like the Urban Iki. 

Always check the maximum load weight as well as the maximum load for the rear rack.

Does the position of the battery make a difference when fitting a child seat?

E-bikes come with a battery which powers the motor. The battery can be fitted to your bike in two different places:

• On the rear rack
• On the frame of your bike (usually on the downtube or seat tube)

Read more: E-bike motor and battery options.

Wherever the battery is located, you will probably be able to fit a rear bike seat. Whether you can fit a front seat won't depend on the position of the battery. More on this later on.

If you are looking for a rack-mounted rear seat, you'll need to check the suitability of the rack first. Measure the width of the rack and also check the maximum weight it can hold. The rack will need to be able to carry the weight of the bike seat and your child - and don’t forget your child will grow and get heavier!

If you are looking for a rack-mounted rear seat, you'll need to check the suitability of the rack firs. Measure the width of the rack and also check the maximum weight it can hold. The rack will need to be able to carry the weight of the bike seat and your child - and don’t forget your child will grow and get heavier!

If you want to use a frame-mounted bike seat on an e-bike with a battery on the rear rack, make sure the seat won't be touching the battery.

If the battery is on the rear rack, a rack-mounted seat will have to go on top of the rack, which will be slightly higher due to the battery. This will heighten the centre of gravity.

Choosing between a rack-mounted and frame-mounted rear seat

If you haven’t bought your e-bike yet, we’d recommend buying an e-bike where the battery is on or integrated in the frame of the bike and is fitted with a rear rack or has mounting points for one. This way, you’ve got a lot of different options and you’ll be sure to easily find a set up for your e-bike to carry your child.

If you’re short and your seat post is down as far or nearly as far as it can go, there may not be enough space on the seat tube to mount the bracket onto for a frame-mounted bike seat.

Pros of rack-mounted bike seats on e-bikes:

• Child seat is on the lowest point on your bike, so lower centre of gravity
• Can swap for a bike seat for an older child

Pros of frame-mounted bike seats on e-bikes:

• No need to fit a pannier rack on your e-bike
• More bike seats available, in a wider price range

Are there any particular types of e-bikes that can’t be fitted with a child seat?

Full suspension mountain bikes and most folding bikes are not suitable to use with child seats.

Carbon e-bikes are also not suitable for child seats which clamp onto your bike.

If you are looking for a frame-mounted rear seat, make sure your e-bike has a round seat tube and doesn’t have cables attached to it.

For front seats, you'll have to make sure there are no controls integrated at the location where you'd fit the bike seat. Some e-bikes have a power button on the top tube, which could be covered by the child and their seat making it impossible to turn the bike on.

For head tube-mounted front seats, you'll need to ensure your e-bike is compatible with the seat in terms of stem diameter. For Thule Yepp Mini and Urban Iki front seats, there are adapters available to fit the bike onto stems with limited mounting space, like mountain bikes.

What other things to look out for in an e-bike to carry kids on?

Other things to look out for in a new e-bike are to do with your needs, stability of the bike and other practical things.

Most of these things can be altered or fitted on any e-bike, but if you are currently looking to buy one, look out for these things to save time and spending later on:

1. The weight limit of the rear rack: Remember that this weight limit will need to be able to carry the weight of the bike seat and your child.
2. Step-through frame: If your child will go on the rear of your bike, you may want to consider a step-through frame for easier getting on and off the bike.
3. Mudguards: Having mudguards will help you and your child not to get wet or muddy when cycling on wet roads or paths.
4. Kickstand: A kickstand is a very handy thing to have when you need to lift your child in and out of the e-bike. A double kickstand is even better, but usually not fitted as standard.
5. More than one child: If you are thinking of carrying two kids in bike seats on your e-bike you will need to look for an e-bike that can have a frame-mounted seat fitted on the crossbar or a front seat to the head tube. You may also want to look into cargo bikes for families.

What pannier rack is best to carry an older child on a junior bike seat?

Most rear racks go up to 25 or 27 kg, which may not be enough for an older child in a junior bike seat.

We recommend the Tortec Expedition rear rack which can hold a maximum load of 35 kg and is therefore a good option to use with an older child. This rear rack has got separate rails for panniers, which means that you can potentially carry panniers and a child.

How to carry stuff when your rear rack is taken up by the bike seat

With a bike seat mounted to the rear rack on your bike, you can usually not fit panniers on.

There are a couple of solutions to this:

• Attach a small rucksack to the child seat
• Front basket or rack
• Pannier(s) attached to your front wheel with a front pannier rack

Other articles you might find useful:

• The best front bike seats for toddlers and young children
• E-bikes and the law
• The best rear bike seats for toddlers and small children
• Best cargo bikes for families
• How to start cycling with a small child in a bike seat, cargo bike or trailer
• Four ways in which e-bikes are revolutionising family cycling
• The best front mounted bike seats for older kids