Our review

Genuinely a viable car replacement: versatile, well made and a great ride Tern’s small-wheeled compact cargo bikes are ever popular thanks to versatility that means you can adapt them using a wide range of Tern accessories. The brand's electric cargo bikes can carry huge loads (up to 70kg on the Quick Haul range), children and dogs.

The downside in the past, however, has been that the highly rated HSD and GSD bikes came at prices from £3,600 up to a huge £8,400, and that’s before you added the accessories you’ll need to build your perfect cargo companion.

The Quick Haul range has a more compact design and a much lower price, starting at £2,800 for the D8 model.

Tern Quick Haul P9 specifications and details

At the heart of the P9 is a very clever compact frame with a low-slung design that makes it easy to use for a wider range of riders.

I’m 6ft 2in and fitted the bike well, as did my partner who, at 5ft, is very much at the other end of the scale.

Along with a quick-release seatpost, there’s a clever Speedlifter stem, so you can adjust bar height by up to 150mm in an instant, enabling you to swap between riders easily.

The frame’s core holds a Bosch Performance motor mid-mounted and low down, with the Bosch external 400Wh battery also sitting low within the extended rear of the bike.

Tern Quick Haul P9 ride impressions

The P9's handling is brilliant. The steering is light and for quite a long bike it feels very agile, slotting through bike-path gates and between street furniture in the city with great balance and fine, swift responses.

The ride quality is superb too. The high-volume Schwalbe tyres squash lumps, bumps and ruts with ease, to the point where I never considered I’d need the suspension fork you’ll find on the more expensive HSD model.

Tern Quick Haul P9 bottom line

Through my extensive testing of the Quick Haul, it’s been a superb commuting bike. It’s carried the weekly grocery shopping with ease, transported my dog out to the countryside and even brought home bags of compost, bedding plants and enough supplies from a garden centre to keep Monty Don busy for a few weekends.

Like its pricier siblings, the Quick Haul provides a genuine replacement for a car. It can carry huge loads, has more than enough range for the longest commutes (and the compact Bosch charger fits in the glove box too).

It’s practical beyond all else, but at its heart is still a bike and therefore fun to ride.