Costco's Cheapest E-Bike Looks Tempting, But The Reviews May Make You Reconsider

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We don't know if you've priced e-bikes lately, but Costco is currently offering the Jetson Bolt Pro Max for $399.99. Even for a small bike, that isn't a bad price. But is this e-bike a good deal or is it a case of getting what you pay for?

We looked at the reviews from buyers who actually bought the bike, not just from Costco, but also from Jetson's website, as well as BestBuy, Amazon, and Temu. The reviews were largely positive — many were downright effusive. They often tout how easy it is to put the bike together and how fun it is to ride. There were some, though, that may give you pause. Some customers received the occasional lemon, reporting that parts — including important components like brakes — simply fall off while riding down the road. Something like that could present a serious safety hazard. At least Costco has a return policy.

So, what are the details about this affordable e-bike? It's got a 350-watt motor that will take you all the way up to a blistering 15.5 mph. It boasts a range of 15 miles when using the motor only, and up to 25 miles with pedal assist. The bike itself weighs just over 49 pounds. It folds up and is compact, making it easy to store. A lot of reviewers bought it for their kids. If you're looking for one for your child read our children's e-bike guide for parents, first.

What do Costco customers think about the Jetson Bolt Pro Max? Are they happy with their purchase? Well, as of this writing, the bike has a 4.6 stars out of 5 at Costco, which isn't bad. There are only 16 reviews, but most of them are glowing.

Annette808 says her 12-year-old daughter "absolutely loves" the bike and that the charge "lasts for a while." Another reviewer who bought it for their child praised its dual mode and ease of assembly, proclaiming, "100% worth it, 10/10!" At least they didn't accidentally buy their kid an e-motorcycle. Justin C also liked how easy the bike is to assemble and praised the manual. They actually read the manual — no wonder they found it easy to assemble. They also liked the fact that it is foldable and compact.

The lone naysayer among the reviewers is Boonoj, who got the bike because they're injured and need it to get from the parking lot to their office, which are a mile and a half apart for some reason. They said that the bike's charge wouldn't even last "⅔ of the way." This reviewer was "surprised by all the rave reviews" and said that other reviews online "are more in agreement with me than with the raves here." Boonoj brings up a good point. With so few reviews on Costco, it would be a good idea to see what reviewers on other sites are saying.

Customers who bought the Jetson Bolt Pro Max directly from Jetson's website seem about as happy with their purchases as the customers who bought it from Costco. There are also only 16 reviews here, and 15 of them are 5-stars, with a single curmudgeonly 1-star review.

Like the reviewers at Costco, multiple commenters on the Jetson site praised the bike for how easy it is to put together. Kevin14 said that the bike "delivers a smooth and comfortable ride," and catherine2024ride said the bike is "perfect for a casual cruise around the neighborhood." ChrisS called the bike "super sturdy" and "very fast." Valentina R, who describes themself as "someone who's been riding e-bikes for a few years," said that "this bike is one of the best electric bikes I've ridden in terms of performance, ease of use, and overall value for money."

But what about the lone dissenter? Lucasbikes, who had the bike only 2 months before writing the review, seems to have had several serious problems with it. They said, "the first time I folded it the throttle wire ripped causing it to go full speed as soon as the power turned on or would randomly lurch forward at intersections when I was stopped and moved the handle bars slightly." They also had problems with multiple parts coming loose. Overall between the Costco and Jetson sites, we still haven't read that many reviews.

Best Buy has 58 reviews for the Jetson Bolt Pro Max, which is a little better. What do these folks have to say? While the reviews are more mixed than on the Costco and Jetson sites, they're still mostly positive, giving the bike an average score of 4.3 out of 5 stars. So, not only are there more 1-star reviews than on the other sites, but there are also 2-star and 3-star reviews.

A lot of the reviewers here liked how light the bike is and referred to it as "affordable." AngelE praised the Bolt Pro Max for being lightweight and safe for both children and adults. JasminM called it "durable." Many of the reviews just talk about how fun the bike is to ride.

Not all of the reviewers were enthralled with it, though. Juvy said the front headlight won't turn on. BobbiFransisco said the rear brake pad fell of their bike as they were riding down the road — no wonder Connecticut requires helmets for e-bike riders. They don't recommend buying one unless you have a lot of gift cards. Saddesign says, "if you get a flat bike tire you will realize it's the end of the investment." We watched a YouTube video of someone replacing the rear tube on the non-Max version of this bike for the first time, and it didn't seem too hard. Our favorite review was from KarlG, who concisely stated, "after a few miles boom flat tire!!!"

Ah, good old Amazon. Surely, Amazon would have at least dozens of reviews for the Jetson Bolt Pro Max. Sadly, no. We found only three reviews for this bike. Amazon combines multiple iterations of the Jetson Bolt into one listing, so we had to filter the reviews for the Bolt Pro Max.

Interestingly, none of the three reviews were especially positive. There was one 4-star review, and the other two were 1-star. But Justin Chambers, who wrote the 4-star review, didn't have anything to say about the bike except to warn us that it is different than e-bikes with foot pegs. Cindy said that "the wire of the wheel" is broken and the bike won't ride at all. Laura said the brakes on the bike she bought don't work, the battery life is bad, and the peddle keeps falling off.

Since there weren't many reviews on Amazon, we decided to check out Temu. Yeah, say what you want about Temu, but we've had some good experiences using them. Unfortunately, Temu let us down this time, as there are no reviews for the Bolt Pro Max. There is one 5-star rating, but there's no comment. At least the Temu listing has pictures of adults riding this bike. Although, we have to say that the human-to-bike size ratio in those photos reminds us of those little bikes clowns ride at the circus.

If you're willing to pay more for a quality e-bike, you might consider perusing your local bike shop. You'll find a larger variety there than you will at Costco. You won't have to worry about putting your bike together either. The bike shop will typically either have it already assembled or will put it together for you. Ongoing support is generally better with one of these shops, since they don't just sell bikes, they usually work on them, too. And you may get to test-ride your bike before you take it home.

That's not to say there aren't advantages to buying your bike from Costco. You will definitely save money. Costco is offering the Jetson Bolt Pro Max for $399.99, which is significantly less than any of the other sites we checked, even Temu. And none of the bike shops around us even list small, budget-friendly e-bikes like the Bolt Pro Max on their websites, though we have seen e-bikes that size for sale inside the actual shops.

So, is it worth it to buy the Jetson Bolt Pro Max from Costco? Judging from the reviews, you're likely going to get a bike in good shape, though there is a possibility you'll get the occasional dud. However, considering Costco has a 90-day return policy, we don't see much of a risk. We'd probably take the chance if we were in the market for an e-bike of that size.