Tern Quick Haul P9 review

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 new 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.

The extensive rear rack system has a very clever trick up its sleeve.

It’s designed to enable the bike to stand safely on its end. This frees up space when storing it, and you can use the Speedlifter stem to turn the bars independently of the front wheel too, which reduces the width of the stored bike.

The Quick Haul is well named because it’s quite a peppy electric hybrid bike to ride. The Bosch motor has plenty of torque (65Nm claimed) and the Eco, Tour, Sport and Turbo modes have distinctive differences between them.

The bike has plenty of range: in my testing I got an average 46 miles/75km per charge with 1,969ft/600m of elevation included in that distance. It's impressive stuff for a bike with 20-inch wheels designed to carry cargo.

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.

However, be aware of your extra width if you’re using the wide Transporteur front rack and the rear Soft Crate, as I was throughout testing.

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.

The contact points further add to the comfort, with the supple Velo saddle negating the need for padded cycling shorts and the ergo-shaped grips taking care of your hands.

The Shimano gears and brakes go about their business in a fuss-free manner and the 9-speed drivetrain means easy going on the climbs, especially when backed up with Bosch power.

The gearing also means you can roll along at quite a lick and take full advantage on the descents.

The brilliance of these Tern bikes, however, is the ecosystem of accessories you can make use of. There’s a huge range of options on racks, packs, crates, bags and panniers to help you get the exact bike for your needs.

If you want safe seating on the back for your child, no problem, and you can even add a storm-proof cover to keep them dry.

Need a hardy crate to move goods or hefty equipment around town? You’re covered here too.

I wanted a large rack on the front and a box on the rear for commuting to the office with test gear and kit in tow during the week. Yet for the weekend I wanted a safe box for riding with my dog.

Tern even had me covered with a combination of the rack-extending Clubhouse Mini, Soft Crate Mini and Dog Roof Mini (which comes complete with pet safety harnesses). I also added Tern's frame-mounted Glovebox to store a couple of bike locks safely.

That does all mount up: my six extras added £575 to the total price. However, at £3,575, it’s still cheaper than Tern’s premium bikes.

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.

I’m more than smitten with the Tern and I’m seriously considering buying a Quick Haul because it has become something of an essential since it’s been on my testing schedule.