ANWB: "Smooth and Effortless"
The Ahooga E-MAX Joins ANWB's E-Bike Comparison: Light, Foldable, Made for the Train
When the Netherlands' biggest mobility authority puts a bike to the test, it's worth paying attention. The ANWB rode the Ahooga E-MAX 2026 for its independent E-bike Comparison, the tool Dutch cyclists turn to when they're deciding what to ride next.
We're proud to be in there. Here's what their expert found, and why the E-MAX earns its place in a country that practically invented everyday cycling.
The numbers that matter
ANWB leads with the specs that count for daily life, and the E-MAX has the right ones.
17 kg. That's light for an electric folding bike, and it's the figure that changes everything. Light enough to lift onto a train. Light enough to carry up a flight of stairs to your apartment. Light enough that folding it away never feels like a chore.
248 Wh, removable. The battery pops out, so you can leave the bike folded in the hallway and bring the battery inside to charge. No cable trailing across the room, no wrestling the whole bike to a socket. Just lift, click, charge.
Front-wheel motor. Power up front means a clean drivetrain at the back and assistance that pulls you smoothly into the flow of city traffic.
Adviesprijs: € 3.499. A serious, Belgian-engineered folder, priced as the premium city tool it is.
Built for the way the Netherlands actually moves
The E-MAX is made for multimodal life, and that is exactly the life ANWB members tend to lead. Ride to the station. Fold in seconds. Step onto the train. Unfold at the other end and ride the last mile to the office.
A folding bike only works if it folds small and rides big, and that is the whole point of the E-MAX. Our patented hingeless double-triangle frame means it rides like a full-size bike, then tucks down to a package you can take anywhere. Trains, trams, lifts, the boot of a car, under your desk. Easy to store. Easy to combine. Easy to live with.
This is the part folders usually get wrong. The E-MAX gets it right.
More than practical
Practical is the price of entry. We wanted the E-MAX to be something you actually look forward to riding, too.
That shows up in the details. A daytime running light built into the head tube. Clean cable routing through the frame. And a colour configurator that lets you build your own bike from front frame to rear frame, matte or gloss, with more than 16,000 combinations in our 2026 programme. Your commute. Your style. No two the same.
What ANWB's expert found on the road
ANWB's bike expert took the E-MAX out for a proper ride, and the verdict was warm. They described it as a modern-looking, compact bike whose one-piece frame folds away neatly at the head tube and rear triangle. A nice touch they singled out: the optional rear rack doubles as a stand, holding the folded bike firmly upright. The small colour display on the left of the handlebar tells you everything you need at a glance.
On the move, their expert praised how smoothly the E-MAX rides and how easily you can flick between assistance levels mid-ride, which helps you squeeze a genuinely useful range out of the compact battery. Their tip: the top assistance level feels a touch lively and is best saved for steep climbs, while the other four offer, in their words, more than enough support. The Shimano Alfine 8-speed hub, they noted, adds an extra dose of sportiness, with a gear spread that suits the bike so well that riding it without any assistance at all is no chore.
They also flagged what makes the Max platform stand apart: you can choose it as an analog bike now and convert it to electric later (or the other way around), which they highlighted as a sustainable, flexible choice for the years ahead. That upgradeable philosophy is core to how we build.
The bottom line
A folding e-bike that's light enough for the train, smart enough to charge indoors, and good-looking enough to turn heads on the bike path. That's the E-MAX, and it's why it sits comfortably alongside the best in ANWB's comparison.
Ready to feel it for yourself?
Specs and comparisons only tell you so much. About one in three people who throw a leg over an Ahooga end up taking one home, so the best way to understand the E-MAX is to ride it.