There are a number of physical, philosophical, environmental, and logistical reasons why it’s better to hop on a bike than it is to drive a car. Gas prices are rising. The Earth is on fire. And yet, somehow, it’s easy to ignore all this when you’re late to work and have yet to wrestle pants onto your screaming toddler.
If you’re trying to reconcile your carefree biking days of yore with your current life as a family chauffeur, I highly recommend getting an electric cargo bike. Mine has transformed my life, turning my dull, daily errand running into a multitasking combination of joyride and workout. We’ve reviewed ebikes for a few years here at WIRED. I regularly tote kids, groceries, and bags of who knows what around town on some of the best (and worst) electric cargo bikes around. These are our favorites.
Once you have a bike, check out our guide to family biking with kids. Need a smaller vehicle? Check out our roundups of the best electric bicycles and best bike accessories.
Updated June 2022: We took out an older pick, added a slide of honorable mentions, and added the Tern Quick Haul.
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