The Ultimate Electric Scooter Buying Guide
Two things before we get started:
Not Smartphone Friendly: For now this guide is meant to be viewed on computer, not a smartphone
Our Research Process: You can read about who we are and our research process below.
PORTABILITY & AFFORDABILITY
VS
COMFORT & PERFORMANCE
Foldable scooters are awesome to own because they’re so portable. You can carry them easily down a flight of stairs, put them under your work desk or under your bus or subway seat, in the trunk of your car, etc.
Yet generally, the more portable a scooter is, the less comfortable and less capable it is.
So figuring out where your needs are along the portability & affordability vs comfort & performance spectrum is generally the biggest decision that needs to be made when deciding what model to buy. Here’s a visual guide to help out:
CHOOSE PORTABILITY
& AFFORDABILITY IF:
- Short Trips: Your trips are under 1 mile
- Great Road Conditions: Your road conditions are generally smooth, without bumps or cracks
- No Hills: Your roads are generally flat
- More Metro Transfers: You have 2 or more public transit stops where you have to stow and retrieve your scooter
- Need To Carry: You will need to carry your scooter around for more than a few minutes
- Less Maintenance: You do not wish to pump your tires semi-regularly or worry about flats
CHOOSE COMFORT
& PERFORMANCE IF:
- Medium-Longer Trips: Your trips can be over one mile
- Bad Road Conditions: Your road conditions are less than ideal, with bumps and cracks
- Hills: You have some slopes or hills to deal with
- 1 Metro Transfer: If you don’t have too many public transit transfers that require folding, stowing, unstowing, unfolding
- Don’t Need To Carry: If you don’t need to carry your scooter around with you or if you’re ok rolling it around (as some models allow)
OUR RECOMMENDATIONS
BEST FOR
- If your rides are short
- If you don’t have significant hills
- If your pavements are smooth
- If weather isn’t a big issue
BEST FOR
- If your rides are short
- If your pavements are smooth
- If weather isn’t a big issue
BEST FOR
BEST FOR
BEST FOR
- If you don’t need to carry it for more than a few minutes or up several flights of stairs
BEST FOR
- If you don’t need to carry it for more than a few minutes or up several flights of stairs
- If you don’t have significant hills
- If you don’t have rough pavement to deal with
BEST FOR
- If you don’t need to carry it for more than a few minutes or up several flights of stairs
BEST FOR
COOLEST FEATURES
Foldable & Seat
Rollable Cart
(Optional Basket)
Cupholder
(Optional)
Removable Battery
And Charger Bank
Cool Deck Lights
Airless Tires
Strong Yet Light
Carbon Fiber Body
Built-In And
Retractable Charger
DETAILED SPECS
SCOOTER OVERVIEWS
Comfort | •• | 6″ Foam Core Front 5″ Solid Tire No Suspension |
Weight | ••••• | 17.5 lb |
Power | •••• | 500 watts |
Range | • | 5-9 miles |
Speed | ••• | 1 mph |
e-Joe
MOMAS CARBON
$399
Currently Available: From e-Joe
Colors: Black, White
PROS
- Lightest mass market e-scooter
- Strong yet light carbon fiber frame
- Super compact, great for storing quickly and in discrete locations
- Incredible price
- Flexible deck for slight road dampening
- Bright LED headlight
- Puncture proof tires, maintenance free tires
CONS
- Bumpy due to small, rubber tires. Not recommended for rides longer than one mile
- Not recommended for weather due to solid rubber tires
Comfort | ••• | 8″ Air Tires No Shocks |
Weight | ••• | 27.5 lb |
Power | • | 250 watts |
Range | ••• | 18 miles |
Speed | ••• | 15 mph |
Xiaomi
MI
$499
Currently Out Of Stock: From Amazon
Colors: Black
PROS
- Very affordable
- Quality build with a solid, durable frame
- Comfortable 8” air tires
- Front/rear lights
- Integrated bell
- Good aesthetic design
CONS
- A bit underpowered for inclines or hills
- Too heavy to carry for more than a few minutes
- Hard to comfortably/quickly stow in discrete places like under bus/subways seats or at a cafe
Comfort | ••• | 8″ Airless Tires No Shocks |
Weight | ••• | 28 lb |
Power | • | 250 watts |
Range | •• | 11 miles |
Speed | ••• | 15 mph |
Glion
DOLLY
$629
Currently Available: From Glion Dolly
Colors: Black
PROS
- Quality scooter with 100+ Amazon user ratings with a 4.5 star average
- US based company with great customer support
- Fold-and-roll with built in dolly wheels and handle
- Quick release-and-fold handles
- Place anywhere with the self standing design
- Slim foldable profile makes it easy to stow
- Front lighting, rear reflector
- Responsive half-grip twist throttle
- Never-flat honeycombed tires that aren’t as rigid as solid rubber tires, giving a bit more cushion over bumps yet don’t need regular air pumping like an air tire and do not puncture
- Strong regenerative braking
CONS
- Weak front light
- Braking is all-or-none
- Display only shows battery level, which isn’t very accurate
- It’s too heavy to carry for more than a few minutes, but is rollable
- A bit underpowered for inclines or hills
Comfort | •• | 8″ Solid Tires Front/Rear Shocks |
Weight | ••• | 27.6 lb |
Power | •• | 300 watts |
Range | •• | 11 miles |
Speed | ••• | 15 mph |
Ninebot
SEGWAY ES2
$555
Available For Pre-Order For $555 From E-Wheels
Or Available For $649.99 From Amazon
Colors: Black/Silver
PROS
- Very affordable
- Quality build with a solid, durable frame
- Front/rear shocks
- Puncture proof tires, maintenance free tires
- Upgradable with an optional battery that doubles the range and add 3 mph
- Front and rear lighting
- Cruise control
- Clean aesthetic design
- Ambient deck lights
CONS
- The suspension isn’t enough to compensate for the solid rubber tires, making rough roads bumpy
- Too heavy to carry for more than a few minutes
- Hard to comfortably/quickly stow in discrete places like under bus/subways seats or at a cafe
Comfort | •• | 8″ Honeycomb Tires No Shocks |
Weight | •••• | 23.5 lb |
Power | •• | 350 watts |
Range | ••• | 16 miles |
Speed | ••• | 16 mph |
UScooters
ECO
$669
Currently Available: From UScooters
Colors: Black, White, Green, Grey
PROS
- Never-flat honeycombed tires that aren’t as rigid as solid rubber tires, giving a bit more cushion over bumps yet don’t need regular air pumping like an air tire and do not puncture
- Foldable handlebars give this scooter a very slim folded width of only 5.3” for easy stowing
- High-mounted visible front lighting
- Small rear lights
- Regenerative braking with thumb lever AND rear heal skid brake
- Cruise control
- Comfortable rear suspension
- Horn
- Fairly lightweight
CONS
- Braking feels all-or-none
- Front suspension is quite stiff
- Charge port isn’t easily accessible when folded
- Folding mechanism takes getting used to, requiring both hands, which isn’t great for repeat stowing
- Loose-feeling handlebars, require both hands to fold
- Handlebars feel a bit too narrow
- No kickstand
Comfort | •• | 8″ Solid Front, Air Rear Tires, No Suspension |
Weight | •••• | 26 lb |
Power | • | 250 watts |
Range | ••• | 19 miles |
Speed | ••• | 18 mph |
InMotion
L8F
$697
Currently Available: From E-Wheels
Colors: Black
PROS
- iF 2018 Design Award
- Fold-and-roll with built in dolly wheels and handle
- High-mounted, visible front headlamp
- Bright rear lights
- Unique LED light strip
- Front thumb lever regenerative brake
- Rear heal friction brake
- Quick folding handlebars give this scooter a very slim folded width of only 6.5” for easy stowing
CONS
- A bit heavy to carry for more than 5 minutes, but is rollable
- A bit underpowered for inclines or hills
Comfort | •• | 8″ Honeycomb Tires Front/Rear Shocks |
Weight | •••• | 24 lb |
Power | •••• | 500 watts |
Range | ••• | 21 miles |
Speed | ••• | 18 mph |
UScooters
BOOSTER PLUS
$999
Currently Available: From UScooters
Colors: Green, Grey/Black
PROS
- Never-flat honeycombed tires that aren’t as rigid as solid rubber tires, giving a bit more cushion over bumps yet don’t need regular air pumping like an air tire and do not puncture
- Foldable handlebars give this scooter a very slim folded width of only 5.3” for easy stowing
- A light scooter, yet with a powerful 500 W motor
- High-mounted visible front lighting
- Small rear lights
- Regenerative braking with thumb lever AND rear heal skid brake
- Cruise control
- Comfortable rear suspension
- Horn
- Fairly lightweight
CONS
- Braking feels all-or-none
- Front suspension is quite stiff
- Charge port isn’t easily accessible when folded
- Folding mechanism takes getting used to, requiring both hands, which isn’t great for repeat stowing
- Loose-feeling handlebars, require both hands to fold
- Handlebars feel a bit too narrow
- No kickstand
Comfort | •• | 8″ Solid Front, Air Rear Tires, No Suspension |
Weight | •••• | 26 lb |
Power | •••• | 250 watts |
Range | • | 19 miles |
Speed | ••• | 18 mph |
Micro Kickboard
MICRO FALCON
$999
Currently Available: From Micro Kickboard
Colors: Black
PROS
- Best weight to power ratio with an impressive 500 W motor on a 17 pound scooter
- Great for short commutes with hills or inclines
- Swiss design
- Movement sensor activated automatic on/off
- Soft EVA foam on front wheel to help with shock absorption
- Slim foldable profile makes it easy to stow
- Cruise control
- Rear light
CONS
- Can get bumpy due to small tires. Not recommended for rides over 1 mile
- Not recommended for weather due to small tires
- No kickstand
- Short range
Comfort | •• | 7.8″ Foam Core Front, Solid Rear Tires, No Suspension |
Weight | •••• | 24 lb |
Power | •••• | 500 watts |
Range | •• | 11-15 miles |
Speed | ••• | 15 mph |
Micro Kickboard
MICRO CONDOR
$1199
Currently Available: From Micro Kickboard
Colors: Black
PROS
- A light scooter, yet with a powerful 500 W motor
- Great for 1-2 mile commutes with hills or inclines
- Swiss design
- Movement sensor activated automatic on/off
- Soft EVA foam on front wheel to help with shock absorption
- Slim foldable profile makes it easy to stow
- Cruise control
- Removable front light
- Rear light
CONS
- Not recommended for bumpy roads
- Not recommended for weather due to rear rubber tire
Comfort | ••• | 8″ Air Front, Airless Rear, Front Suspension |
Weight | ••• | 33 lb |
Power | •• | 350 watts |
Range | •• | 10-15 miles |
Speed | ••• | 18 mph |
Magnum Bikes
I-MAX T3
$999
Currently Available: From Magnum Bikes
Colors: Black
PROS
- Stow discretely with very compact folding width of 5.3”
- Great suspension, very comfortable
- Ergonomic grips
- Slim foldable profile makes it easy to stow
CONS
- Mediocre folding mechanism
- Rear airless tire makes the ride bumpier
- A bit too heavy to carry for more than a few minutes
- A bit underpowered for inclines or hills
- Too expensive for what you get. You could spend $300 less and get the much lighter UScooters Booster Plus with the same motor power of 350 W
Comfort | ••• | 10″ Air Tires, No Suspension |
Weight | •• | 40 lb |
Power | •••• | 500 watts |
Range | •• | 15-20 miles |
Speed | ••• | 20 mph |
Magnum Bikes
I-MAX S1+
$1299
Currently Available: From Magnum Bikes
Colors: Black
PROS
- 2015 Red Dot design award
- Beautiful aesthetic design with the choice of a wood or green deck
- USB port for charging your phone
- Ergonomic grips
CONS
- At 42 pounds, it’s definitely too heavy to carry for more than a minutes, maybe up one flight of stairs
- Confusing folding mechanism that takes learning
Comfort | •••• | 8″ Air Front, Solid Rubber Rear, Front/Rear Suspension |
Weight | ••• | 36 lb |
Power | •••• | 500 watts |
Range | •••• | 28-34 miles |
Speed | •••• | 28 mph |
Speedway
MINI 4 PRO
$850
Currently On Backorder (Available End of July): From E-Wheels
Colors: Black, White
PROS
- Fantastic price to performance
- Comfortable ride with 8” front air tire and front/rear shocks
- Fold-and-roll with built in dolly wheels and handle
- Powerful motor
- Great range and speed
- Cruise control
- Front/rear lighting
- Optional seat
- Folding handlebars
CONS
- At 36 pounds, it’s too heavy to carry for more than a few minutes, but you can fold-and-roll
- Rear drum brake only, longer stopping distance
- Fold-and-roll wheels included, but self-installed
Comfort | •••• | 10″ Air Tires, Front/Rear Suspension |
Weight | •• | 42 lb |
Power | ••••• | 600 watts |
Range | ••••• | 30+ miles |
Speed | ••••• | 28+ mph |
Speedway
III
$975
Currently On Backorder (Available Mid-July): From E-Wheels
Colors: Black, White
PROS
- Rugged build quality
- Large, comfortable 10” air tires
- Front/rear suspension
- Powerful motor
- Great range and speed
- Cruise control
- Folding handlebar arms
- Front/rear disc-brakes
- Front/rear lighting
- Turn signals
- Horn
- Optional seat
CONS
- At 42 pounds, it’s definitely too heavy to carry for more than a minutes, maybe up one flight of stairs
Comfort | •••• | 10″ Air Tires, Front/Rear Suspension |
Weight | •• | 42 lb |
Power | ••••• | 600 watts |
Range | ••••• | 30+ miles |
Speed | ••••• | 28+ mph |
Speedway
IV PRO
$1560
Currently On Backorder (Available Mid-July): From E-Wheels
Colors: Black, White
PROS
- Rugged build quality
- Large, comfortable 10” air tires
- Front/rear suspension
- Powerful motor
- Superb range
- Insane speed
- Cruise control
- Folding handlebar arms
- Front/rear disc-brakes
- Front/rear lighting
- Turn signals
- Horn
- Optional seat
CONS
- At 52 pounds, it’s too heavy to carry for more than a few seconds
Comfort | •••• | 10″ Air Tires, Front/Rear Suspension |
Weight | • | 61 lb |
Power | ••••• | 2x 800 watts |
Range | ••••• | 50+ miles |
Speed | ••••• | 40+ mph |
Dualtron
II EX
$1994
Currently Available (Limited Quantity): From E-Wheels
Colors: Black
PROS
- Rugged build quality
- Large, comfortable 10” air tires
- Front/rear suspension
- Powerful dual motors
- Superb range
- Insane speed
- Cruise control
- Front/rear disc-brakes
- Front/rear lighting
- Optional seat
- Long deck
CONS
- At 61 pounds, it’s too heavy to carry for more than a few seconds
- No horn for such a fast scooter
- Pricey
Comfort | •••• | 11″ Air Tires, Front/Rear Suspension |
Weight | • | 81 lb |
Power | ••••• | 2x 1200 watts |
Range | ••••• | 80+ miles |
Speed | ••••• | 50+ mph |
Dualtron
ULTRA
$2997
Currently Available (Limited Quantity): From E-Wheels
Colors: Black
PROS
- Rugged build quality
- Large, wide, comfortable 11” offroad air tires
- Front/rear suspension
- Powerful dual motors
- Superb range
- Ludicrous speed
- Cruise control
- Front/rear disc-brakes
- Front/rear lighting
- Optional seat
- Long deck
CONS
- At 81 pounds, it’s too heavy to carry period
- Ludicrous speed
- No horn for such a fast scooter
- Very pricey
Comfort | ••• | 8″ Airless Tires, Pushrod Suspension |
Weight | ••• | 30 lb |
Power | •• | 250 watts |
Range | ••• | 14 miles |
Speed | ••• | 16 mph |
URB-E
SPORT AND SPORT GT
$899 – $1099
Currently Available From URB-E: URB-E Sport, URB-E Sport GT
Colors for Sport model: White, Grey
Colors for Sport GT model: Black, Red
PROS
- High quality build, aircraft grade aluminum
- A folding scooter with a seat
- Fold-and-roll
- Removable battery with handle that has four USB 2.0 and a USB C charging ports
- Dampener (Sport) or Pushrod (Sport GT) suspension
- Self-standing kickstand
- Leather carrying straps
- Collapsible handlebars
- Optional basket
- Rolling basket for light grocery shopping
- Optional cupholder
- Optional phone holder
- Optional foldable trailer (currently sold out)
- Fun interchangeable color sleeves
- Quirky, distinctive design
- Sport GT:
- Slightly better suspension than the base Sport model
- Faster acceleration than the base Sport model
CONS
- At 30 pounds, it’s too heavy to carry for more than a few minutes, but you can fold and roll
- Can get a bit bumpy on many less-than-ideal roads
- Spare tires are not available online. Unit must be shipped to Pasadena to for new tires. Hopefully this is just growing pains for the company.
- If you run out of juice, you can’t really manually scoot
- Only 3 levels on battery indicator
- Weak motor
Comfort | •••• | 10″ Air Tires, Coilover Suspension |
Weight | ••• | 35 lb |
Power | ••• | 350 watts |
Range | ••• | 20 miles |
Speed | ••• | 18 mph |
URB-E
PRO AND PRO GT
$1699 – $1999
Currently available from URB-E: URB-E Pro, URB-E Pro GT
Colors for Pro model: White, Grey
Colors for Pro GT model: Black, Red
PROS
- High quality build, aircraft grade aluminum and carbon fiber
- A folding scooter with a seat
- Fold-and-roll
- Advanced coilover suspension
- Self-standing kickstand
- Leather carrying straps
- Optional basket
- Rolling basket for light grocery shopping
- Optional cupholder
- Optional phone holder
- Optional foldable trailer (currently sold out)
- Cool interchangeable color sleeves
- Quirky, distinctive design
- Pro GT has faster acceleration than the base Pro model
CONS
- At 30 pounds, it’s too heavy to carry for more than a few minutes, but you can fold and roll
- Spare tires are not available online. Unit must be shipped to Pasadena to for new tires. Hopefully this is just growing pains for the company.
- Does not have the awesome removable battery bank of the Sport models 🙁
- If you run out of juice, you can’t really manually scoot
- Only 3 levels on battery indicator
Comfort | ••••• | 11.5″ Air Tires, Front/Rear Suspension |
Weight | • | 65 lb |
Power | ••••• | 500 watts |
Range | •••• | 25 miles |
Speed | ••• | 20 mph |
OjO
CLASSIC, FORD, VINTAGE MODELS
$1499 – $2399
Currently available from OjO: Classic OjO, Ford OjO, Vintage OjO
Colors for Classic model: Black
Colors for Ford model: Grey, Black, Silver, Blue, Orange, Red
Colors for Vintage model: Orange/Wood, Red w/ White Stripe, Grey w/ Black Stripe, Aqua/Wood, Dark Wood/Light Wood
PROS
- High quality unibody aluminum frame
- Very comfortable with large air tires and mono front shock and dual rear shocks
- Sit or stand design
- Wireless key fob that activates a motion sensing alarm
- Bluetooth speakers
- Brilliant retractable built-in charger
- Waterproof components
- All-weather tires
- Optional basket
- Side mirrors
- Headlight
- Big touch screen display
- Clean, sleek design, throwback (picnic basket not included)
- Cool colors
- Ford and Vintage models have a bit more power and uphill ability than the Classic
CONS
- Not portable or foldable
Comfort | ••••• | 18″x19.5″ Air Tires, No Suspension |
Weight | • | 121 lb |
Power | ••••• | 800 watts |
Range | ••••• | 40 miles |
Speed | ••• | 20 mph |
SSR Motorsports
SEEV-800
$1499
Currently Available: From Amazon
Colors: Black, Red, White, White/Red
PROS
- Rugged build
- Comfortable ride giant 18” tires that are extra wide at 9.5”
- Beefy hydraulic disc brakes with excellent stopping power
- Can handle any rough road conditions
- Bold, iconic design (Batcape not included)
CONS
- Not portable or foldable
- Quite heavy
- Only 3 levels for the battery indicator
- No lights for a scooter that can definitely ride in the dark
- Rides a bit differently than any other scooter due to the large tires, so it has a slight learning curve, but not a deal-breaker in the least
OUR RESEARCH PROCESS
We are Have A Go. Our mission is to help transition the world away from expensive, dangerous, and unsustainable modes of transportation to greener, more fun, safer, and healthier alternatives. We do this by helping people find the best electric scooter, electric bike, and any other e-wheel that fit their needs and lifestyle. Last year we built the prototype of Have A Go (this website). Since then, we have done a lot more research, interviews, and data collection to build Have A Go 2.0 (coming in a few weeks).
Using all that we’ve learned, we decided to also put together an electric scooter guide to help the thousands of people now looking to get a scooter of their own!
We combed over 100 models and dozens of portable electric scooter manufacturers. Then we narrowed down the choices to the most reliable brands. We aggregated reviews from all across the web, from YouTube reviews, to Amazon customer reviews, to top 10 review sites. Then we test rode many of them to corroborate the information we gathered.
Here is our selection criteria:
- Great engineering
- Solid build/manufacturing
- Good industrial design
- 2nd/3rd generation products and/or ones with proof of real-world durability
- Reputable manufacturer
- Ride comfort, range, portability, etc.
Then we threw in two of the most cool/capable non-folding scooters on the market today (the OjO and the SEEV-800) for the sake of fun and variety!
We hope you find this guide useful 🙂
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