Verdict: Engwe P20
Our editorial rating is based on product testing.
- attractive design and high-quality workmanship, easy to assemble and carry
- exceptionally quiet ride thanks to a carbon belt instead of a chain
- torque sensor
- fully rideable even after legislative changes
- Samsung battery and a good range considering the smaller battery
- high-quality disc hydraulic brakes with four spare brake pads included in the box
- the gearing could have been a bit heavier, since from a speed of 20 km/h we already have to pedal too fast
- the front light integrated into the frame looks stylish, but while riding through corners it stays pointing straight ahead and not where you’re turning
- some people may find the lack of any suspension bothersome
After the new legislative regulations regarding e-scooters and bicycles came into effect, many people started looking for exactly models that meet the conditions without restrictions. One of them is the city e-bike Engwe P20, for which you don’t need a PZP and you don’t have to worry about any checks.
Even though it’s a small folding bike, it has plenty to offer. Right from the start, it stands out with its less traditional design, a belt instead of a chain, and the lack of a suspension fork. What are its riding characteristics, range, and build quality? Find out in our review.
Where to buy the Engwe P20?
This city electric bicycle is currently available from our Chinese partner Geekbuying, but also in the official ENGWE brand store, where we have an exclusive coupon. Great news: it also comes with fast, free delivery from the EU warehouse with shipment tracking, so you can expect it at home already within 3–12 working days from dispatch.
ENGWE P20
PL warehouse
TIPExpress delivery from the Polish warehouse with no customs duty and VAT.
This product will be delivered to you express from a local Polish warehouse. Shipping from Poland usually takes 7-10 days and is handled by a courier. When it arrives, you don’t pay any extra fees—no customs duty or VAT.
Technical specifications
Model Enwge P20 Mframe material 6061 aluminum alloy Weight bicycle 18.5 kg Dimensions when folded (l x w x h) 90 x 42 x 62 cm Load capacity 120 kg Rider height 155–190 cm Motor 250 W Torque 42 Nm Battery 36 V 9.6 Ah lithium-ion Range up to 100 km Max speed 25 km/h (after unlocking 32 km/h) Charging time about 5 hours Brakes hydraulic disc brake Tires 20 x 1.95" Display SW102/2 Lights Front and rear LED / turn signals Locking system integrated battery lock against theft
Packaging contents & quality
The courier delivered the Engwe P20 electric bicycle to us in a box measuring 131 x 24.5 x 66 cm. All components are carefully packed to minimize the risk of damage during transport. Foam reinforcements protect it not only inside the box but also on individual parts of the bicycle.
In addition to the bike itself, we also found a smaller box with the user manual and folding instructions, the tools needed for assembly, and a charger with an adapter. A nice bonus is four spare brake pads and a small hand pump.
We rate both the packaging contents and its quality positively. Even though we found several holes and dents on the box, the bicycle was absolutely not damaged.
Easy and quick assembly
The Engwe P20 e-bike packaging is designed to include everything you need for a quick and easy setup.Thanks to pre-assembly, putting the bike together is intuitive and doesn’t require any special technical skills. If you do need help, the user manual includes clear step-by-step instructions with illustrations.
After removing all the packaging and protective materials, you only need to secure the handlebars in place using the quick-release clamp, install the front wheel, the fender, the saddle, and the pedals. The assembly is really very fast and easy. However, the included tools aren’t of very high quality, but you can manage with them too.
Then you just need to inflate the tires and we can ride.
Design and build quality
One of the advantages of the Engwe P20 is its unusual design. It’s simple, yet still distinctive. We personally like it, but it will definitely find its own share of critics as well.
The bike’s frame is made of 6061 aluminum alloy, which ensures strength and durability while keeping weight low. We had the bike available in a green matte color, but white, black, and an interesting red-black version are also available.
From the very first glance, the bike looks very high quality. If it weren’t for the unattractive welds that aren’t ground down, we probably wouldn’t have any complaints at all regarding the build quality.
Handlebars and display
The Engwe P20 features foldable handlebars that are 62 cm wide and are also height-adjustable from 104 – 120 cm from the ground. They’re secured with quick-release clamps, so you can easily and quickly rotate them.
On the left side of the handlebars, you’ll find the front brake lever, a small display, and a controller with two buttons for the turn signals. On the opposite right side, there’s the rear brake lever, the throttle lever, and a simple bell that we installed here ourselves.
The display is labeled SW102/2 and it’s truly a small 1.3″ LCD display that resembles a fitness wristband. It’s single-color and shows only the current speed, the battery status as a symbol with five segments, the number of kilometers covered, and the current riding mode in the top-left corner.
The button to turn the bike on is located right at the top of the display, while three additional buttons are found underneath it. One is used to switch to the settings menu, which is available only for a few seconds after turning the bike on. Below that, there are two arrow buttons for switching riding modes.
Power, torque sensor, and riding modes
The folding e-bike Engwe P20 comes with four riding modes. The first one is designed to help you push the bike uphill, with a maximum speed of 5 km/h. The other three are assist modes, stepped according to how much the motor assists.
Its motor power is 250 W and from the factory it’s set to a maximum speed of 25 km/h. That makes it a bike you can ride legally without any restrictions, as it meets the legislative requirements.
Even though it has a throttle control lever, it’s not a classic Chinese e-bike where you sit down, twist the throttle, and ride without having to pedal. The throttle lever only works in the push-assist mode, up to 5 km/h. At higher speeds, the lever doesn’t respond and has no function.
On top of that, the bike has a torque sensor, so it engages the electric motor only in assist mode. That means you can’t just spin the pedals empty. Engwe P20 smoothly helps the motor while riding—depending on how much you apply with your pedaling—up to a maximum speed of 25 km/h.
It’s primarily intended for those who want to actually ride a bike, not just cruise around like on a moped. But it wouldn’t be Engwe if it didn’t offer another option too, which you won’t find in the manual or even mentioned anywhere.
Unlocking speed and activating the throttle lever
For those who still want to ride without pedaling and even at higher speeds than 25 km/h, we’ve got a hidden option to unlock the throttle lever and increase the maximum speed to 32 km/h.
To get access to this kind of functionality, you need to follow these steps:
- Turn on the bike with the button above the display
- Immediately after powering on, press the menu (M)
- Hold the up-arrow button for 20 seconds to switch to a higher riding mode
- Turn the bike off and back on using the button above the display
The display shows no confirmation of the changes made or any other information during this process. After that, you can ride the bike even without pedaling—only using the throttle lever. The maximum speed will be 32 km/h. If you want to restore the settings back, just repeat the same steps again.
Belt instead of chain and no derailleurs
As you could already notice from the photos, the Engwe P20 doesn’t have a traditional chain or derailleurs. Instead of a chain, the manufacturer used a less traditional solution: a carbon belt.
It brings several advantages over a chain. It doesn’t need lubrication, won’t get you dirty, handles moisture better, won’t rust, has a longer lifespan than a chain, and is extremely quiet.
On the other hand, it also has downsides. It’s more expensive than a chain and it prevents using multiple gears. This Engwe city e-bike has no derailleur at all. There’s only one single gear.
So the bike is almost maintenance-free, which will definitely make several of you happy. The downside of having a single gear is that from a speed of 20 km/h we need to pedal too quickly to keep accelerating. A slightly heavier gear would have been helpful.
That said, we do appreciate that the bike is exceptionally quiet while riding.
Wheels, brakes, and lack of suspension
The Engwe P20 features 20-inch wheels with road tires sized 20 x 1.95″. They look rather small at first glance, but they contribute to the bike’s overall compactness.
You’ll be pleased with the disc hydraulic brakes, which are truly excellent. We’d even say they’re oversized for such a small bike, but they’re still better than having brakes that are too weak. The rotors have a diameter of 160 mm and you’ll also find four replacement brake pads in the box.
Thanks to the hydraulics, the brake levers are easy to squeeze, and their layout is standard: on the left side of the handlebars you have the front brake, and on the right side the rear brake.
You probably noticed that the Engwe P20 has absolutely no suspension. There’s no suspension fork—instead, you get a rigid frame. Of course, riding over broken sidewalks, roads, or off-road isn’t particularly comfortable without suspension, but with a clearly urban bike like this, it doesn’t bother us too much. It’s simply not a bike meant for long distances, and definitely not for rough terrain.
Lighting, turn signals, and folding the bike
Both the front and rear lights on the Engwe P20 are stylishly integrated into the bike frame. At the back, you’ll find not only red lights but also turn signals. They’re fairly small and not everyone may notice them, but they’re still better than having none.
The front light shines with mediocre intensity, and its integration into the frame also has a drawback. When you take a corner, the light keeps shining straight ahead—not where the handlebars turn.
What kind of compact city e-bike would it be without the ability to fold it? The Engwe P20 lets you fold down the handlebars and then fold the frame in half. That’s how you get folding dimensions of 90 x 42 x 62 cm. In its folded state, it definitely won’t take up much space.
Battery and range on a single charge
Engwe P20 features a 36 V / 9.6 Ah battery — not much, but you still need to remember it’s a small, lightweight bike. The battery should even be a branded Samsung one, but this info isn’t stated anywhere on it. Charging takes about 5 hours.
The manufacturer claims a range of up to 100 km, but doesn’t specify in which mode or under what conditions that range was measured. We measured the range ourselves while riding in Košice and the surrounding city districts with a rider weighing 78 kg.
Since we like higher speed and enjoy riding, we tested it in the highest mode with an unlocked speed of 32 km/h. At the same time, we wanted to check what the minimum range should be that everyone with a similar rider weight can expect.
Most of our route wasn’t covered using the pedals — we just rode using the throttle lever. We tracked the route with the Strava app on a smartphone and rode until the battery was completely drained. We covered exactly 27.26 km, but even before that, while taking photos, we rode 1.7 km. So together it’s 28.96 km.
For a 9.6 Ah battery, that’s an excellent result and it’s more than enough for a city e-bike. Don’t forget that if you ride only in the assistance mode with a max speed of 25 km/h, you’ll go quite a lot further. In real life, you can even cover more than 50 km with this riding style.
Engwe P20: Final assessment
The Engwe P20 city electric bike comes with a 250 W motor, a 36 V / 9.6 Ah Samsung battery, and a high-quality folding frame available in multiple color options. It looks interesting right away thanks to its less traditional design, integrated lighting in the frame, and a carbon belt instead of a classic chain.
Because of the belt, the bike has only one gear—it doesn’t have a derailleur or suspension, but despite that, it’s still an excellent city e-bike. If we were looking for a bike specifically for getting around in the city for commuting to work or school, it would definitely be one of the top choices to buy.
It’s easy to use, attractive, well made, and exceptionally quiet while riding. It looks stylish and finally brings something different from the usual folding bikes.
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