Dual Motor eTrikes: The Real Advantages and Disadvantages

Two Trikes, One Honest Question

Picture two electric trikes parked side by side. From ten feet away they look almost identical: same frame, same comfortable seat, same upright riding position, same three-wheel stability that makes electric tricycles so popular with people who want to ride without worrying about balance. Walk a little closer, though, and you start to notice the differences. One has a single 750-watt motor mounted in the rear. The other has that same rear motor plus a second hub motor tucked into the front wheel, along with a second battery to feed it. Combined, that second trike puts out 1,500 watts.

That's exactly the comparison we put together using two versions of our Simple Glide eTrike: the standard 750-watt model and the dual motor model, which also comes in a fat tire version. The question we hear more than almost any other from people shopping for a trike is whether that second motor is worth it. It sounds like an obvious upgrade. More power, more batteries, more capability. Who wouldn't want that?

The truth is more interesting. A dual motor eTrike is genuinely better for some riders and genuinely unnecessary for others. It brings real advantages on hills, rough surfaces, and when you're pulling a trailer. It also brings extra weight, faster battery drain if you aren't careful, transport headaches, and a noticeably higher price tag. None of those tradeoffs are dealbreakers on their own, but together they mean the right answer depends heavily on your body, your terrain, and how much you want to pedal.

Our in-house fit specialist, Dustin, has spent about 20 years in the bike and eBike industry, and he rides both of these trikes regularly. This article walks through everything he's learned about where the dual motor shines, where it doesn't, and how to figure out which side of that line you fall on.

Before getting into pros and cons, it helps to be clear about what you're actually buying. On most electric trikes, including our standard Simple Glide, the motor lives in the rear. It pushes the trike forward from behind, and for the majority of riding on flat or gently rolling ground, it does that job well.

A dual motor trike adds a second motor, usually a hub motor built into the front wheel. On our dual motor Simple Glide, both motors are rated at 750 watts, which is where the 1,500-watt combined figure comes from. Because the front motor pulls while the rear motor pushes, you're putting power down through more than one wheel at the same time. That's a big part of why the extra motor feels so noticeable on a climb or a loose surface: you aren't just adding wattage, you're spreading the work across the trike.

The second piece of the package is the battery. Running two motors draws a lot more energy than running one, so dual motor trikes typically come with two batteries. That's not a luxury feature; it's a practical necessity. Without it, you'd burn through a single pack quickly every time you used both motors.

The third piece, and one that a lot of shoppers overlook, is control. On our dual motor trike you can choose which motor is doing the work. You can run the rear motor alone, the front motor alone, or both together. That flexibility ends up shaping almost every advantage and disadvantage we'll cover, because it means you aren't locked into burning 1,500 watts every time you leave the driveway. If you want to compare the full range of setups, including single motor options, our eTrikes with throttle control and fat tire electric trikes are good places to start browsing.

Advantage #1: Hills Get Dramatically Easier

The headline benefit of a dual motor eTrike is the one everyone expects: more power. And the place you feel that power most is on a hill.

Here's how Dustin describes the difference. On the single 750-watt Simple Glide, he can climb hills, but he has to work for it. On the dual motor version, when he switches both motors on, he can twist the throttle and let the trike carry him up without pedaling at all. On the single motor model, throttle alone often won't get him up a steeper hill. He needs to add his own legs to the equation or use pedal assist.

There's a specific hill near our shop with a decent grade that makes the comparison easy to see. On the 750-watt trike, Dustin has to pedal to get up it. On the dual motor trike, he can sit back, use the throttle, and do no work at all. Same rider, same hill, very different experience.

It's worth being honest about what “hill” means here, because grade matters enormously. A gentle incline in a suburban neighborhood is something almost any modern electric trike will handle without complaint. The difference between single and dual motor shows up as the grade gets steeper and the climb gets longer. If your regular rides include the kind of hills where you can feel the trike slow down and the motor strain, that's when the second motor stops being a nice-to-have and starts earning its keep.

For riders who live in hilly areas, this alone can decide the purchase. A trike you dread taking up the hill to your house is a trike that sits in the garage. A trike that climbs that same hill without drama is one you actually ride.

The single biggest factor in whether you'll benefit from a second motor isn't the trike. It's you.

Dustin's rule of thumb is straightforward. If you're a rider over about 200 pounds, a dual motor setup makes hills substantially easier, and it's the group where he sees the clearest benefit. Every motor has to move the trike plus the rider plus whatever cargo is on board. Add more weight to that total and the same motor has to work harder to climb the same grade. A second motor closes that gap.

If you're under 200 pounds, the hill problem shrinks considerably. In Dustin's experience, riders in that range aren't nearly as affected by grades, and a standard rear-mounted 750-watt motor is often perfectly fine. Below around 180 pounds, he's comfortable saying most people will be happy on a single motor. Between 180 and 200 pounds is more of a gray zone: you'd probably do fine with one motor, but you might really enjoy the extra help of two, especially if you live somewhere hilly.

These aren't hard cutoffs, and they shouldn't be read as rules. A 170-pound rider who lives at the top of a steep canyon road and never wants to pedal could absolutely justify a dual motor trike. A 220-pound rider who only rides a flat beach path could reasonably skip it. But as a starting point, rider weight is the most useful single number to think about. If you're a heavier rider, it's also worth looking beyond motors at overall capacity. Our collection of electric trikes with high weight capacity is built with that in mind, and matching the frame to your needs matters just as much as matching the motor.

Throttle vs. Pedal Assist: The Question That Decides a Lot

There's a related question that Dustin thinks every shopper should answer honestly before choosing: do you want to pedal?

Electric trikes typically give you two ways to get power. Pedal assist adds motor power while you pedal, scaled to whatever assist level you've chosen. Throttle gives you power on demand without pedaling at all. Both are useful, and lots of riders use a mix depending on the day and the route.

On a single 750-watt trike, pedal assist is usually enough to get up most hills, because your legs are contributing too. Throttle-only on that same single motor is where things get harder, since the motor has to do all the work by itself. That's exactly where the dual motor trike pulls ahead. With both motors running, throttle-only climbing becomes realistic on grades where the single motor would bog down.

So if you're someone who's happy to pedal, especially on climbs, the case for a second motor gets weaker. Pedal assist plus a single good rear motor covers a lot of ground. But if your goal is to ride with as little physical effort as possible, whether that's because of joint pain, a health condition, recovery from an injury, or simply because you want your rides to feel relaxing, a dual motor trike makes throttle-only riding far more practical. Dustin points out that even riders under 200 pounds can appreciate that extra power if they don't want to pedal at all.

That's why he frames it as a question about how easy you want to make it on yourself. There's no wrong answer. It just changes which trike makes sense.

Hills aren't the only place where extra power pays off. Dustin also points to surfaces: hard-pack dirt, loose dirt, and gravel.

On loose ground, wheels can lose grip and a single motor has to work against both the resistance of the surface and the weight of the rider. Extra power and torque help you keep moving instead of bogging down. Having a motor in the front wheel as well as the rear means you're driving the trike through more than one point of contact, which can make the ride feel more sure-footed when the ground is less predictable.

If you picture yourself riding fire roads, packed trails, gravel paths along a river, or campground loops, a dual motor setup will feel noticeably more capable. Pair it with fat tires and you get even more grip and cushion. That's why we offer the dual motor Simple Glide in a fat tire version as well; the two features complement each other for anyone who wants to ride beyond pavement. You can see more options in our fat tire eTrike collection.

A quick note of caution: more power off-road doesn't replace good judgment. Loose surfaces call for slower speeds in turns, and trikes handle differently than two-wheelers when the ground is uneven. Strong brakes also matter more once you add power and weight. If you'll be riding on dirt or steep terrain, take a look at our electric trikes with disc brakes for more stopping confidence.

Advantage #3: You Decide When Both Motors Run

One of the most underrated things about a dual motor eTrike is that you don't have to use both motors all the time. In fact, most riders probably shouldn't. On our dual motor Simple Glide, you can switch between running the rear motor only, the front motor only, or both together. That means the trike can behave like a standard single motor trike on flat ground, then turn into something much stronger when you reach a climb. If you only want the second motor for one tough hill on your route, you flip it on for that hill and switch it off afterward.

Dustin likes this flexibility because it removes a lot of the downside of extra power. You aren't stuck with maximum draw on every ride. You can conserve battery on easy stretches, keep the ride calm and predictable through a busy neighborhood, and save the full 1,500 watts for the moments that actually call for it. He's not sure every dual motor trike on the market offers this kind of selectable control, though he'd guess many do. Either way, it's worth confirming before you buy. A dual motor trike that only runs both motors at once is a very different ownership experience from one that lets you choose. The ability to pick your motor is what turns the second motor from a battery drain into a tool you use when it helps.

Both our standard and dual motor Simple Glide trikes can be fitted with a hitch ball, which lets you attach a trailer to the back. And trailers open up a lot of possibilities. You can mount an extra seat on one to bring along a passenger, or put a basket on top to haul groceries, gear, beach supplies, garden tools, or whatever else your day involves.

Anything you hitch to the back adds weight the motor has to pull. On flat ground, a single 750-watt motor can manage a loaded trailer. On hills, that extra load stacks on top of your body weight and the weight of the trike, and things get harder quickly. This is exactly where Dustin sees the dual motor setup as a big advantage. With both motors working, towing becomes far easier, especially when you have to climb.

If carrying things or people is a regular part of how you plan to ride, the case for a second motor gets stronger. It's the same logic as rider weight: the more total load you're moving, the more you'll appreciate the extra help. If you're shopping with hauling in mind, our cargo electric trikes, trikes for passengers, and trikes with a large basket are worth a look, along with our range of sixthreezero baskets.

A loaded trailer also affects handling and braking, so give yourself extra room to stop and take turns gently, regardless of how many motors you have.

Advantage #5: More Speed in Pedal Assist

Speed is another area where the dual motor trike pulls ahead, though the details matter here. In most U.S. states, the rules for electric bikes and trikes cap throttle-only speed at 20 mph, while pedal assist can go up to 28 mph depending on how the vehicle is classified. Both Simple Glide versions are set up to respect that. With the throttle, neither trike will go past 20 mph. Twisting the throttle on the dual motor won't suddenly launch you to 30.

Pedal assist is where the difference shows. On the single 750-watt trike, Dustin finds it tough to get much above 20 mph even in pedal assist. On the dual motor trike, getting north of 20 mph with pedal assist is realistic. If you've ever been on a long, flat stretch and wished you could keep a slightly higher pace without working too hard, the second motor makes that possible.

Dustin has also taken the dual motor version off-road on private land and had a lot of fun going fast. Higher speed on three wheels, though, requires more care than on a bicycle. Trikes don't lean into turns the same way, so slowing down before corners is important, especially on loose surfaces. Extra speed is a great feature on open, straight stretches where it's legal and safe, and something to dial back everywhere else.

There's an important detail behind all of this extra power: the law. In many states, the legal definition of an electric bicycle includes a motor power limit of 750 watts. A dual motor trike with 1,500 watts combined goes beyond that number when both motors are running.

Because each motor can be switched on and off independently, how you ride the trike is in your hands. You can run a single motor on public roads and bike paths, and save the combined output for places where it's allowed. Off-road trails and private land often give you more freedom, but not always. Some trails have their own rules about motors, speeds, and access, and they're worth checking before you go.

We'd encourage every dual motor rider to look up the specific regulations in their state, city, and on the trails they plan to use. The rules vary, they change, and the responsibility for following them sits with the rider. Knowing exactly what's permitted where you ride lets you use the extra capability with confidence instead of guesswork. The upside is that the selectable motor design makes it easier to ride responsibly. You aren't forced to choose between a trike that's always maxed out and one that never has enough power. You can match the trike to the setting.

Disadvantage #1: Two Motors Drain Batteries Faster

Now for the other side of the ledger. The first and most obvious downside of a dual motor eTrike is energy use.

Two motors running at the same time draw a lot of power. That's why our dual motor Simple Glide comes with a second battery. Even with two batteries, though, running both motors at full output, especially throttle-only at the 20 mph limit, drains them quickly. You're pulling 1,500 watts, and there's no clever trick that makes that energy free. Dustin is blunt about it: if you run full bore, you'll go through both batteries pretty fast.

This isn't unique to dual motor trikes, either. The single motor Simple Glide has one battery, and if you ride it in the highest pedal assist level or rely on throttle-only all day, you'll drain that battery a lot faster too. Range on any electric trike depends heavily on how you ride. The dual motor trike just gives you more ways to use up energy quickly.

So it's worth being realistic about your riding style. If your idea of a ride is constant throttle at top speed with both motors on, expect shorter range than the spec sheet's best-case figure. If you mix in pedaling, use lower assist levels, and only call on the second motor when you need it, you'll get much more out of the same batteries.

Here's where the selectable motor design really turns things around. Because you can run just one motor most of the time, the dual battery system can actually work in your favor.

Think about it this way: if you spend most of a ride on flat ground using only the rear motor, you're drawing energy at roughly the same rate as a single motor trike. But you have two batteries instead of one. Dustin's point is simple: if you mostly run a single motor on a dual battery trike, you'll get a lot more range. The extra battery that exists to support the second motor becomes extra distance when you don't need that motor.

A few habits help stretch range further. Use the second motor for climbs, rough patches, and towing, then switch it off. Lean on pedal assist at lower levels rather than throttle on long flat sections. Keep your tires properly inflated, since soft tires add resistance. Avoid frequent hard accelerations from a stop. And keep your batteries in good health by charging and storing them according to the manufacturer's guidance.

If you ever need a replacement or a spare, our batteries and chargers page is the place to look. Some riders like to have a spare on hand for long days, though with a dual battery trike that's less often necessary.

The bottom line: dual motor trikes don't have to mean short rides. They mean range depends more on your choices.

Disadvantage #2: The Trike Gets Heavier

The second major downside is weight. Adding a second motor and a second battery adds roughly 20 pounds to the trike, and possibly a bit more.

Some of that is easy to forget about once you're riding, because the motors are doing the heavy lifting. But weight never disappears. It affects how the trike feels when you're pushing it around a garage, how it handles at low speed, and how much work any motor has to do to move it. There's an irony here that Dustin is quick to point out: part of why the second motor is so helpful on hills is that it has to make up for the weight it added in the first place.

For heavier riders, that tradeoff is clearly worth it. The extra power far outweighs the extra mass. For lighter riders, the calculation is closer. If you're under 200 pounds and your hills are moderate, you're adding 20 or so pounds to solve a problem you may not really have. That's why Dustin encourages lighter riders to ask whether they really need the extra motor, rather than assuming more is automatically better. Weight also matters if you ever have to ride the trike without power, for example if you run the batteries down before you get home. A heavier trike is harder to pedal unassisted. Planning your rides around your battery levels takes care of most of that risk, but it's worth keeping in mind.

Weight shows up most painfully when the trike isn't moving under its own power. If you plan to put your trike on a rack, lift it into a truck bed, load it into a van, or carry it up a step into storage, the dual motor setup makes that harder.

You can remove the batteries before lifting, and that helps. But the motors stay put. The front hub motor is surprisingly heavy on its own, about 10 pounds or more, and it sits right where you'd normally grab the trike to lift it. On a single motor trike with the motor in the rear, lifting the front end onto a rack is generally pretty easy. Add a hub motor to that front wheel and the same move becomes noticeably more of a struggle.

So think honestly about how you'll move your trike. If it'll mostly live in a garage and leave on its own three wheels, transport weight barely matters. If you plan to drive to trailheads or take it on trips, it matters a lot. Your own strength and mobility factor in too. Dustin's suggestion for anyone who needs to transport a heavier trike is to look at a loading ramp or a setup that lets you roll it on and off rather than lift it. If portability is a top priority, it's worth comparing against lighter or more compact options, including our folding electric trikes, which are designed with storage and transport in mind.

Disadvantage #4: You'll Pay More

The last disadvantage is simple math. A dual motor, dual battery trike costs more because you're getting more hardware. Motors and batteries are two of the most expensive components on any electric bike or trike, and the battery is usually the pricier of the two. Add one of each and the price goes up accordingly.

Between our two Simple Glide versions, the difference is about $800. Across the market more broadly, Dustin says the premium for a second motor and second battery usually falls somewhere between $500 and $1,000, depending on what kind of motor and battery are being added.

Whether that's a lot of money depends on what it buys you. For a heavier rider in a hilly area who otherwise wouldn't ride because the climbs are too hard, $800 is a reasonable price for a trike you'll actually use. For a lighter rider on flat terrain, the same money might be better spent on accessories that make daily riding more pleasant, like a bigger basket, a more comfortable seat, panniers, or a canopy.

If the upgrade is the right fit but the budget is tight, our financing options can help spread the cost. Either way, it's worth deciding based on how you'll ride rather than on spec-sheet numbers alone.

Our dual motor Simple Glide uses two 750-watt motors, but that's not the only way manufacturers build these trikes. Dustin points out that different brands and models use different combinations.

Some pair a smaller front motor with a larger rear one, such as 250 watts up front and 750 in the back. Others go the opposite direction on total output, with something like a 1,000-watt rear motor and a 500-watt front motor. Each combination changes how the trike feels, how quickly it uses battery, how much it weighs, and how much it costs.

A smaller front motor gives you a little extra help on climbs and loose surfaces while keeping weight and battery draw more modest. A larger combined setup gives you more raw power but costs more and uses energy faster. Neither approach is automatically better. It comes back to the same questions: how heavy is the total load, how steep is your terrain, how much do you want to pedal, and what's your budget?

When you compare dual motor trikes, look past the combined wattage headline. Check the size of each motor, the capacity of each battery, whether you can select which motor runs, and the overall weight of the trike. Those details tell you much more about real-world riding than a single big number.

Who Should Choose a Dual Motor eTrike

Putting all of this together, a few rider profiles stand out as strong candidates for a dual motor setup.

• Riders over about 200 pounds. This is where Dustin sees the biggest, most consistent difference, especially on hills.
• Anyone who lives or rides in hilly areas. If steep grades are part of your regular routes, the second motor turns climbs from a chore into something you barely notice.
• Riders who want throttle-only riding. If you'd rather not pedal at all, whether for comfort, health, or preference, two motors make that realistic on grades a single motor can't handle alone.
• People who tow. If you'll regularly pull a trailer with a passenger seat or cargo basket, the extra power makes a real difference.
• Off-pavement riders. Hard-pack, loose dirt, and gravel all benefit from extra torque and traction, especially paired with fat tires.
• Riders who want higher pedal-assist speeds on open stretches where that's legal and safe.

If you see yourself in two or more of these, a dual motor trike is likely worth serious consideration. If you see yourself in all of them, it's probably the right call.

Who'll Be Perfectly Happy With a Single Motor

On the flip side, plenty of riders will get everything they need from a quality single motor trike, and save weight and money in the process.

• Riders under about 180 pounds who ride mostly on flat or gently rolling ground.
• People who enjoy pedaling and are happy to use pedal assist on climbs.
• Riders who need to lift or transport their trike regularly, especially without a ramp.
• Anyone who mainly rides paved paths and neighborhood streets at relaxed speeds.
• Budget-conscious buyers who would rather put that $500 to $1,000 toward accessories or a better overall fit.

For many of these riders, a single motor trike is not a compromise. It's simply the better fit. Our electric trikes for seniors, most comfortable electric trikes, and easy-to-mount eTrikes include plenty of single motor options built around comfort and ease of use, which matter far more than raw power for a lot of everyday riding.

And if you land in that 180 to 200 pound middle ground, it's honestly a matter of preference. Think about your steepest regular hill and how you want to feel at the top of it.

If you're still on the fence, Dustin's advice boils down to thinking about the type of riding you'll do, your body, and what you want to get out of the trike. These five questions put that into practice.

1. What's the steepest hill I'll ride regularly? Not the steepest hill in your town, but the one you'll actually face week after week.
2. How much does the total load weigh? Add your body weight, your typical cargo, and any trailer or passenger.
3. Do I want to pedal? Be honest. If the answer is “as little as possible,” that tips things toward two motors.
4. How will I move and store the trike? If you'll lift it onto a rack often, weigh that extra 20 or so pounds carefully.
5. What's my budget, and what else would that money buy? Compare the upgrade cost against accessories or features that might matter more to you.

If you'd like help working through those answers, our personal fitting consultation connects you with Dustin directly. There's no chatbot or automated quiz involved, just a conversation about how you'll ride. Our buyer's guide is another useful resource if you're comparing several styles at once.

Try It Before You Commit

Reading about power and weight only goes so far. The quickest way to know whether a dual motor trike is right for you is to ride one on the kind of terrain you'll actually face.

That's one reason we offer a 30-day test ride. Take your trike home, ride it up your own hills and down your own paths, and see how it fits into your life. If it isn't the right fit within the first 30 days, you can send it back. Every trike is also backed by our one-year warranty covering parts and labor, so if something goes wrong in that first year, we'll take care of it.

If you're near Southern California, you're also welcome to visit our store and test ride both versions of the Simple Glide back to back. Riding them one after the other on a real hill makes the difference between single and dual motor very clear, very quickly. And if you're still researching, our Bike Advice blog and Video Blog cover plenty of related topics, from range and batteries to choosing the right trike style.

The Bottom Line on Dual Motor eTrikes

A dual motor eTrike is a genuinely useful machine, but it isn't automatically the better choice. Its advantages are real and specific: much easier hill climbing, especially for riders over 200 pounds; more traction and torque on dirt and gravel; much easier towing; higher speeds in pedal assist; and the flexibility to choose when you use that extra power.

Its disadvantages are just as real: faster battery drain when both motors are running, roughly 20 extra pounds of weight, a heavier front end that makes transport harder, and a price premium that usually lands between $500 and $1,000.

The good news is that the selectable motor design softens most of those downsides. Run one motor most of the time, save the second for when you need it, and you get extended range from the dual batteries along with power on tap for the climbs.

If you're a heavier rider, live somewhere hilly, plan to tow, or simply don't want to pedal, the second motor will likely make your rides easier and more enjoyable. If you're lighter, ride flat ground, and don't mind pedaling, a good single motor trike will probably serve you just as well, for less money and less weight. Think about your body, your terrain, and how you want each ride to feel, and the right choice tends to become clear. However you go, enjoy the ride.