Priority E-Coast review

Sweet summer cruising

Priority E-Coast cruiser on beach
(Image: © Tom's Guide)

Tom's Guide Verdict

The Priority E-Coast is a great-looking electric beach cruiser that can keep up with any boardwalk adventure thanks to a rust-resistant belt and powerful motor. It’s not the most versatile ebike, though.

Pros

  • +

    Retro, beachy design

  • +

    Comfortable seat cushion

  • +

    Rust-resistant Gates drive

  • +

    Zippy throttle

Cons

  • -

    Struggles without assist

  • -

    Jolts on big bumps and cracks

Why you can trust Tom's Guide Our writers and editors spend hours analyzing and reviewing products, services, and apps to help find what's best for you. Find out more about how we test, analyze, and rate.

Priority E-Coast: Specs

Weight: 56 pounds
Range: 20 to 60 miles, depending on assist setting
Motor: 500W rear hub motor
Top assist speed: 28mph
Battery: 576mAh

If you ask me, there’s nothing quite like ocean-scented air whipping through my hair during the summer. But after testing out the Priority E-Coast, I found zipping down a beachside boardwalk on a teal electric bike (with my locks tamed by a helmet) comes pretty close. 

The Priority E-Coast is the first ebike made specifically for sandy escapades, complete with beefy 3-inch tires and fuss-free, rust-resistant drive. I spent a few weeks cycling around my small beach town on the E-Coast, from my condo to the coffee shop and from the library to the bike rack outside the beach gazebo. I even took it for an early-morning spin beside the ocean with the help of its 500W motor.

With a subjective range and clumsy ride when pedaling without assistance, it’s not a commuter bike — unless your commute is to the beach and back, that is. And while it can soar across smooth sand, it rides awkwardly over some bumps and cracks. But if you live near the coast and want a retro-looking set of wheels that can withstand salty air and sediment, this Priority E-Coast review covers why it might be the best electric bike for you.

Priority E-Coast review: Design

The Priority E-Coast is one of the few ebikes that embraces a retro aesthetic. Minus the obvious motor, the bike doesn’t necessarily look like a high-tech device. The mint-hued unit I tested, paired with a cushy light brown seat and matching handlebar grips, made me feel incredibly cool and comfortable while riding. 

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Priority offers the E-Coast in both diamond (recommended rider height: 5’5” to 6’5”) and step-through (recommended rider height: 5’0” to 5’11”) style frames. Neither would support a second passenger on the rack, which conveniently house’s the bike’s 500W motor. It comes with built-in bike lights, but no bell, so I took the liberty to accessorize with my own.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

The Priority E-Coast is set up as a class 2 ebike out of the box (which gives you an assist up to 20 MPH), but you can configure it for class 3 use (which boosts it to 28 MPH) on the included control panel attached to the left-hand handlebar. The black and white LED control panel is simple enough to navigate, letting you switch between gears, monitor your mileage and more. Meanwhile, the right handle houses the throttle.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

When I wasn’t actively riding, the included center-mount kickstand kept the bike sturdy. Both at the beach bike rack and in my garage, the Priority E-Coast could handle being bumping against without falling over.

Priority E-Coast review: Performance 

Though I picked up the E-Coast fully assembled, Priority otherwise ships it directly in a box, and recommends having a professional put it together. Unless you have some experience building bikes, I would take it to a bike shop.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Powered up and peddling, navigating the E-Coast is pretty intuitive. If the assist is turned on, it automatically kicks in when you start moving your legs, switching gears is very smooth. There are 5 gears total, each tacking on a 2mph boost. The motor kept up even riding higher gears for a few minutes up some inclines.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

The throttle made for some fun rides down straightaways. The faster I rode, the less I felt the road’s imperfections, too. But at slow-to-moderate speeds, the lack of suspension fork wasn’t very forgiving. Big bumps and cracks rattled the bike more than I would have expected.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Yet out on the beach, the E-Coast rode well on dense sand closer to the shoreline. Between the salty air, clear sky and scenic waves, I thoroughly enjoyed zipping so near the water. With the tires it comes with, it’s not made for dunes or other imperfections you’ll find at many beaches. But if you know your local beach is rather flat and well-compacted, the E-Coast should ride fine. Plus, the Gates carbon drive belt means that moist sand kicking up won’t cause rust and ruin the bike. Still, you’ll want to make sure you wash any sand and saltwater off the bike on a regular basis.

Priority E-Coast review: Battery life and range

I don’t recommend riding the E-Coast with a lifeless 576mAh battery for more than a few miles. It felt like I was dragging the 56-pound bike home when it died on one of my rides. I was just grateful I didn’t have beach gear with me at the time.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

The bike’s range is between 20 and 60 miles depending on the rider weight, assistance level, and road conditions. I found I averaged about 40 miles with varied gear use. Since the beach is a 5-mile ride from my condo round trip, I needed to charge the Priority E-Coast less than once a week.

Priority E-Coast review: The competition

Priced at $1,999, the Priority E-Coast costs the same as our favorite ebike overall, Rad Power RadCity 5 Plus. But the RadCity 5 offers a lot more versatility with 7 gears and larger 750W motor. It can be used for shorter joy rides and daily commutes alike, whereas the E-Coast is more niche.

While the E-Coast is great for coastal living, I wouldn’t call it rugged. If you’re looking for a true off-road ebike, the Aventon Aventure.2 is our top pick. It offers stability in all sorts of terrains and weather conditions. Yet it’s significantly heavier than the E-Coast, weighing 77 pounds. 

Priority E-Coast review: Verdict 

The Priority E-Coast is a speciality ebike designed for looking good on the way to the beach, and arriving there without breaking a sweat. Sure, I rode it for some exercise, but it performs best as a leisurely transport to the ocean. After over a dozen rides, the bike showed no signs of wear.

The Priority E-Coast’s retro vibe and effortless summer cruising successfully romanticize riding an electric bike. If you want to feel like an extra in a laid-back beach movie, it’s the right set of wheels for you. 

Kate Kozuch

Kate Kozuch is the managing editor of social and video at Tom’s Guide. She writes about smartwatches, TVs, audio devices, and some cooking appliances, too. Kate appears on Fox News to talk tech trends and runs the Tom's Guide TikTok account, which you should be following if you don't already. When she’s not filming tech videos, you can find her taking up a new sport, mastering the NYT Crossword or channeling her inner celebrity chef.

Read more
An electric bike in a backyard surrounded by grass
The best electric bikes of 2025: expert tested and rated
Wing Freedom 2 sitting outside at park
Best budget electric bikes in 2025
Urtopia Carbon Fold 1 - Cover
Urtopia Carbon Fold 1: an impressive folding e-bike for commuters
Ride1Up Roadster V3 e-bike
Ride1Up Roadster V3 e-bike review: A truly excellent bike
Aventon Sinch.2 ebike parked on some grass
The best folding electric bikes for space-saving rides
Segway Xbyer
I took the Segway Xyber ebike for a test ride, and I’ve never had so much fun
Latest in EVs
2025 Nissan Ariya Platinum+ AWD review.
I drove the Nissan Ariya EV for a week — and it's nearly the perfect crossover
Composite image of Lucid Air Pure, Rivian R1T and Kia EV9
I've driven over 30 electric cars in the last year — and these are the coolest features that really stand out for me
2025 Chevrolet Silverado EV test drive.
I drove the Chevrolet Silverado EV for a week — here’s my pros and cons
2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz Limited review.
I drove the Hyundai Santa Cruz for a week — here’s my pros and cons
2025 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid Limited review.
I drove the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid for a week — here's my pros and cons
2025 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid Limited test drive review.
I drove the Hyundai Elantra Hybrid for a week — here's my pros and cons
Latest in Reviews
The Dnsys X1 Exoskeleton being worn
I tested an AI exoskeleton to help treat my immune arthritis — here’s what happened
EarFun OpenJump open-ear earbuds photographed in front of a blue background.
EarFun OpenJump review: I couldn’t take these earbuds off quick enough
A pink and teal Cooler Master CH351 wireless gaming headset
This Cooler Master PS5 gaming headset works best when wired — so why call it wireless?
the breville dose control pro, called sage dose control pro in the uk, a silver coffee grinder with 60 grind settings and labeled grind size adjustment
The Breville Dose Control Pro is one of the most divisive coffee grinders — here’s why I disagree with the haters
the clever dripper, a brown transparent plastic manual coffee maker with a handle and a sluice feature in the bottom to keep water inside
The Clever Dripper is my new favorite way to brew coffee — and I think it’s easier than a French Press
A white Lemokey P1 HE magnetic keyboard
I’m a mechanical switch die-hard — then I tested this magnetic keyboard, now I’m a believer