For years, German tuning house BRABUS has built its reputation on taking already premium machines and pushing them into something louder, sharper, and altogether more confrontational. Primarily known for adding even more growl to the Mercedes AMG range of vehicles, they’ve also dabbled in the world of two-wheels with KTM. Now, for the first time, they’ve turned their attention to small-scale electric bikes, partnering with DAB Motors to produce a line of electric motorcycles that land somewhere between urban mobility and high design. The result is the DAB X BRABUS range, and it’s as much a fashion statement as it is a form of transportation.
At the core of the collaboration sits DAB’s lightweight electric platform, already known for its minimalist approach and city-focused usability. But where the standard bike leans toward functional simplicity, BRABUS has layered on its signature sense of drama. The transformation isn’t subtle. This is a machine designed to be noticed, whether it’s parked curbside or carving silently through city traffic.
Three variants make up the range, each pushing further into exclusivity. The entry point, the DAB 1A BRABUS, delivers the aesthetic and material upgrades without straying too far from the base formula. Step up to the Urban E and things get more serious, with increased performance and a higher level of finish. At the very top sits the Urban E First Edition, a strictly limited run aimed squarely at collectors, with production numbers low enough to ensure you’re unlikely to ever see another one in the wild.
Performance figures tell an interesting story. With a top speed hovering around 120 km/h and a city range of up to 150 kilometres, the Urban E isn’t chasing superbike territory. Instead, it leans into the strengths of electric power: instant torque, silent acceleration, and effortless urban usability. That torque figure, quoted at up to 475 Nm at the wheel, is where the bike earns its BRABUS badge, delivering a punch off the line that far outweighs its modest horsepower figure.
Where the collaboration really distinguishes itself is in the details. Carbon fibre is used extensively across the bodywork, with more than twenty individual components reshaped or replaced to achieve the final look. CNC-machined parts appear throughout, from controls to finishing hardware, while bespoke lighting elements and subtle branding cues reinforce the connection to BRABUS’s automotive lineage. It’s a level of finish that pushes the bike firmly into luxury territory.
The design language walks a careful line between minimalism and aggression. DAB’s clean, almost architectural base is still visible, but it’s been sharpened and tightened, with BRABUS injecting a sense of tension into every surface. The result feels less like a traditional motorcycle and more like a rolling piece of industrial design, something that would sit just as comfortably in a gallery space as it would on the street.
That positioning is no accident. Unveiled during Milan Design Week, the DAB X BRABUS range is aimed as much at design-conscious buyers as it is at riders. This isn’t about lap times or long-distance touring. It’s about presence, materials, and the kind of exclusivity that comes from limited production and a recognisable badge. You can’t miss the hues either, Black, Gloss Carbon and Red give the entry-level machines their status, but the ultra limited run of 40 ‘First Editions’ can be had in the truly wild ‘Peetch,’ ‘Desert Sand,’ ‘Superviolet,’ and ‘Fusion Red.
And that exclusivity comes at a price. With entry-level models starting around the mid-teens in Euros and the First Edition pushing well beyond €30,000 for just 40 units worldwide, this is firmly boutique territory. But that’s exactly the point. The DAB X BRABUS isn’t trying to compete with mainstream electric motorcycles; it’s carving out its own niche, where performance, design, and status intersect. And while the Stark VARG will retain its title as the best performance EV on two-wheels, this new range is by far the best looking we’ve seen so far, and for some, that’s what matters most.
[ DAB Motors ]