VanMoof S6 review: my favourite e-bike made better in all the right places

Introduction

The original poster child for stealthy, tech-centric e-bikes is back with a point to prove. VanMoof’s first all-new model under new ownership keeps what worked before – the ultra-minimal design, the slickly integrated equipment, the traffic light-beating Boost button – but tackles almost everything that didn’t.

A new automatic gearbox gives the leisure and commuter-minded S6 a smoother ride, while a whole bunch of internal changes have improved mechanical reliability and repairability. It’s backed by the firm’s largest ever dealer and service network, which should put any customer concerns about reliability to bed. VanMoof has also learned lessons from the post-COVID turmoil experienced by the bike industry as a whole, so holders of the purse strings Lavoie and McLaren Applied aren’t rushing a US expansion.

Navigating a few Brexit-related hurdles meant it missed the originally planned September 2025 UK launch, but that just means it lands ready for the British summer time. I first sampled the new bike on VanMoof’s home soil in Amsterdam last summer; now I’ve tried it on the UK’s rutted rural roads, does it earn the title of best space-age e-bike?

Design & build: smooth as silk

Seamless frame welds and a trio of eye-catching colour options make the S6 even more of a stunner in the metal than the outgoing S5. VanMoof’s Drift Black loaner looked menacing, while the Pearl Mint hue is almost cuddly; head-turning Electric Blue would be my choice if I was buying my own. Each matte finish is multi-layered to better resist scratches than the outgoing S5, while the subtle VanMoof branding now glitters in the light.

The overall shape is unchanged, with an angular frame and a downtube that’s only slightly thicker than a regular bicycle, in order to make space for an internal battery. It blends in with regular road bikes in ways rival e-bikes with bulky external battery packs simply don’t. That’s true whether you go for the more traditional upright S6 and its 27.5in wheels, or the slightly smaller drop-frame S6 Open, which rides on smaller 24in ones. Each comes in a single size: the S6 Open suits riders 5’1″ to 6’5″ tall, while the S6 covers 5’4″ to 6’9″.

Tightly integrated tech is the name of the game here, with lights that bookend the top tube and Halo Ring LEDs (which indicate your speed and power level) blending into the angled flat handlebar. Swapping the halo colours from soft purple to a brighter blue has made them so much easier to see on sunny days, while the headlight and tail light are both great for daytime awareness and give decent nighttime visibility. The brake light animates along with the Halo rings when you power on the bike.

Really, the only styling stumble – if you can even call it that – is the brake lines being external rather than stuffed into the handlebar and stem. If you’re going to make everything else fully integrated, why not go the whole hog?

It’s not like servicing and maintenance should incur long wait times anymore, as VanMoof has made spare parts more readily available and has been training up technicians on the regular. While almost all of the internal components remain custom, switching to modular wiring has made repairs that much easier than before.

Features & interface: get connected

Everything that makes a VanMoof a VanMoof is present and correct on the S6, only with a little extra polish this time around.

The hub-mounted kick lock has a much larger sweet spot now, so you don’t have to be quite as precise with where your back wheel is rotated. It’s more weather resistant too. Once active it’ll trigger an audible alarm if someone tries to move the bike, then auto-retract if you power the S6 on while your paired smartphone is within Bluetooth range. The UK isn’t a country where I’d solely rely on it to keep ne’er-do-wells from trying their luck, though, so I still supplemented it with a D-lock.

With two physical buttons on either side of the handlebar for adjusting the amount of electric assistance, triggering the boost mode and ringing the electronic bell, the cockpit is as minimal as ever. The smaller button on the left now flashes the headlight and makes a different, softer chime that increases in volume the longer you hold it down. I found it was a nicer way of alerting unaware pedestrians than the main bell – which can still be customised with a bunch of fun sounds. Because nothing screams “get out of my way” like the sound of a laser blaster. There’s also still a sense of fun to the S6’s startup sound, though it’s not quite as overtly sci-fi as the S5’s was.

A partnership with Peak Design has seen the old SP Connect phone mount ditched in favour of the firm’s SlimLink Phone Mount. The magnetic/mechanical mount grips cases securely in either portrait or landscape mode, with versions available for most iPhone, Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel models. There’s also a universal adapter for other cases, which uses 3M VHB tape to keep your phone locked down. I found it a breeze to clip my phone on and off between rides.

You’ll definitely want your phone handy, as while the bike is smart enough solo, VanMoof’s companion app gives the S6 a few extra tricks. The homescreen acts as a live dashboard, putting useful info like your current speed, distance travelled and ride duration front and centre.

Built-in navigation appears to still be in the works, at least for the version of the app I had access to during testing. During the bike’s European launch I was told VanMoof had partnered with mapping specialist Magic Lane, with an aim to use the Halo Rings to indicate left and right turns; right now you’ll need to swap to a different app to plot routes.

Post-ride summaries also only give surface level metrics like average speed and amount of battery used. Integration with health apps for workout tracking is part of the yearly £49 Ride Pro subscription, along with advanced GPS-based anti-theft tracking. Otherwise you can fall back to Apple’s Find My network, which comes as standard.

UK S6 buyers wanting to protect their posterior without resorting to padded undershorts should add the optional Suspension Seatpost – providing VanMoof can meet demand. While my UK test bike didn’t have it fitted, I’ve ridden one previously in Amsterdam, so know the 30mm of travel it provides really does make a difference. European roads are far less rutted than UK ones yet the seat post has proven popular there, no doubt helped by it being backwards-compatible with the older S5. I’d almost call it a must-buy here in Blighty.

Ride & performance: geared for greatness

The mechanical layout hasn’t changed between generations, so the 250W hub motor still sits on the front wheel rather than at the crank like rival e-bikes using off-the-shelf parts. The pedals propel the rear wheel via a chain, with a plastic guard keeping road muck largely at bay; while not as easy to maintain as a belt drive, it proved reliable enough on the old S5 VanMoof had no reason to mix it up for the new model. S6 owners get a longer three-year warranty as standard anyway.

It’s the revised three-speed transmission that makes all the difference to the S6’s ride feel. Whereas the old model could take a second to catch up to your speed, leaving the pedals to go slack while it shifted, here you barely notice the handover between cogs. No matter the assistance level or your own effort, it all feels wonderfully consistent and almost like pedalling a single-speed bike.

Steering isn’t especially light, but copes just fine when weaving around stationary traffic. The wide tyres grip the road well enough and help swallow some vibrations from rougher surfaces, though you’ll still want the Suspension Seatpost if you regularly ride on pockmarked Tarmac.

The front and rear disc brakes provided ample stopping power in all conditions. My back was also kept splatter-free during an unexpected wet weather ride by the pre-fitted mud guards.

Electric power delivery is smooth at all four strength settings, while holding the Boost button instantly gives all the available torque. It’ll get you up to the maximum assisted speed in just a few seconds; I found it ideal for city riding, where multiple sets of traffic lights can otherwise be a drag.

Range is a respectable 37 miles while at full beans, or you can eke out over 90 at the lower assistance levels. I usually managed somewhere in between, which feels like plenty for suburban day tripping. Having the 487Wh battery invisibly stashed inside the frame is what makes this such an incognito e-bike, but does mean having to bring the whole thing to a power socket when it’s time to charge. That’s easier said than done when the S6 weighs over 23kg.

VanMoof S6 verdict

The cosmetic changes may be subtle, but beneath the seamlessly welded surface VanMoof has tackled almost every one of the old S5’s weak points – along with the back-of-house infrastructure needed to keep such a heavily integrated, connected e-bike roadworthy.

It’s still very much built for town and city riding, with the sort of relaxed riding position and reasonable electric range that’ll most appeal to commuters and leisure riders. Long-distance cyclists wanting off-road adventures will be better served elsewhere. You also pay a premium for all that onboard tech, and some of the app features I was told about during the bike’s initial reveal still have yet to arrive.

Otherwise, it’s an across-the-board improvement on its predecessor. If you’re after a set of wheels that smart, secure and stylish in equal measure, the S6 is hard to beat.

VanMoof S6 technical specifications