Tern Quick Haul P9 or Long D9: which compact cargo bike for the school run

Tern builds two compact cargo e-bikes that keep turning up on Australian school runs: the Quick Haul P9 and the Quick Haul Long D9. They look related because they are. Both ride on 20 inch wheels, both run Bosch motors capped to the Australian 250 W and 25 km/h limit, and both park in roughly the space of a normal bike. The gap between them is about $2,000 and one child's worth of carrying capacity. Here is how to pick.

The P9: one kid, lighter, cheaper

The Quick Haul P9 is the compact one. It runs a Bosch Performance Line motor with 65 Nm of torque, a 400 Wh battery, and a Shimano Alivio 9 speed drivetrain with hydraulic disc brakes. Tern rates the range at 53 to 105 km depending on load. It weighs 22.9 kg, carries 50 kg on the rear rack, and tops out at a 150 kg gross weight. The standout is fit: a 490 mm standover and a tool free seatpost and stem suit riders from 150 cm to 195 cm, so two adults of different heights can share one bike. RRP is $4,795, and over the end of financial year some dealers have it closer to $3,995.

The Long D9: two kids, more grunt, more bike

The Quick Haul Long D9 stretches the same idea to carry two children. It steps up to a Bosch Cargo Line motor with 85 Nm, the unit Bosch tunes for loaded bikes, and the rear rack jumps to a 90 kg limit on a 190 kg gross weight. Battery is the same 400 Wh as standard, with a 500 Wh option worth taking if your run is long, because the heavier bike works the battery harder. Tern quotes 42 to 85 km. It weighs 29.3 kg, runs Tektro hydraulic brakes and a Tektro 9 speed, and fits riders from 155 cm to 185 cm. RRP is $5,995.

Where the money goes

The extra $2,000 buys three things: a second child seat's worth of rack, a stronger 85 Nm motor to move the extra weight, and a longer tail. It does not buy a bigger standard battery, so a D9 owner with hills should budget for the 500 Wh upgrade on day one. The P9 keeps the smaller 65 Nm motor, which is plenty for one child on flat ground and starts to feel its limits two up on a climb. That is the point: the P9 was not built for two up.

What they share

Both are road legal as sold, capped to 250 W and 25 km/h with no throttle, which is what keeps them clear of the tightened state rules. The P9 we checked carries a NSW Fair Trading certification mark on its dealer listing, the paperwork the new battery rules now require. Both use puncture protected Schwalbe tyres, both have lights wired in, and both park like a normal bike rather than a long tail barge. Tern's frame warranty runs to five years, ten with Tern Care.

Cartell Assessment

Pick the P9 if you carry one child or none, ride mostly flat, and want the lighter bike and the lower price. Its fit range is the widest in the class, which makes it the easy buy for a two adult household sharing one bike. Pick the Long D9 if you carry two children, live somewhere with hills, or want room to grow into the load, and if you do, order it with the 500 Wh battery. Both are sensible. The mistake is buying the D9 for a single kid the cheaper, lighter P9 would move, or buying the P9 and then asking it to do the job Tern built the D9 for.