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The Best Electric Scooters for Zipping Around, Well, Anywhere

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You’ve come a long way from tearing up the streets of your neighborhood on your two-wheeled scooter, kicking your way from one friend’s house to another. And just as you’ve grown up, so, too, has your childhood scooter.

Emerging as a surprisingly viable last-mile transportation option in the last few years, those e-scooters that line the streets of major cities across the U.S., from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., can be an affordable alternative to a bike, or for city dwellers, even a car. Not only are they easy to ride, given the relatively straightforward stand-and-kick functionality, but some of our favorite scooters are portable, easily stored and quite speedy.

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How to Choose the Best Electric Scooter for You

When considering the best scooter for your purposes, there are a few key elements to take into consideration. Most importantly, you’ll want to identify its primary use: Will you be scooting to work? Scooting to the grocery store? Scooting to brunch? The distance of these locales and the speed with which you’ll need to get to them will help determine what kind of scooter might be best for you.

You may also consider the terrain that you’ll be scooting over: Do you live in a super hilly environment, or are you generally cruising over flat sidewalks? The relative portability of a scooter may be worth some thought as well; if you live in a fifth-floor walk-up and don’t feel comfortable leaving your scooter outside, getting a lightweight e-scooter will be key to ensuring that it’s more of a boon than a bane. Of course, cost is a constant consideration, but luckily, there are a wide range of e-scooters that cover quite a significant budget span.

Here are our top choices, based on reviews and test drives.

Our Favorite Electric Scooters

electric scooter segway ninebot max
AMAZON

1. Segway Ninebot Max

Best overall scooter

Most of the rentable scooters that you see zooming around city streets have one thing in common: their maker. Segway Ninebot has been making waves in the mobility space for years, and so it comes as little surprise that they really know what they’re doing when it comes to creating electric scooters. The Segway Ninebot Max is their most advanced model to date and boasts a range of 25 miles at peak speeds of 18.6 miles per hour. That means that whether you’re looking to get to the office (one sweet day) in a jiffy or just heading out on a quick grocery run, you can get where you’re going quickly without breaking a sweat. The scooter is relatively lightweight, clocking in at under 40 pounds and is easily foldable, which means that it can easily fit in your closet or be toted with you on public transportation. And thanks to 10-inch pneumatic tires, you can go over bumps in the pavement without feeling too much of a jostle. While many other scooters with this kind of top speed and range will set you back well over $1,000, Segway offers this model for less than $700, making it an easy choice.

electric scooter apollo ghost
Apollo

2. Apollo Ghost

Best upgraded scooter

If you’re able to spend a bit more on your electric scooter, the options from Apollo blow almost all other competition out of the water. (And it should, given the price.) The Apollo Ghost is particularly well suited for those looking for speed and range, so if you want a true alternative to your car, your bike or other modes of transportation, the Ghost’s your best bet. The dual motors allow you to achieve speeds of up to 34 mph, and the battery will last up to 39 miles. The handlebars and stem also fold down for easy storage, and the scooter can support weights of up to 300 pounds.

electric scooter razor e prime iii
AMAZON

3. Razor E Prime Iii

Best lightweight scooter

For folks who will both carry and ride their electric scooter, the Razor E Prime III is an obvious choice. Not only is this scooter affordable at under $400, but it also weighs just over 24 pounds. Combined with its folding functionality, the E Prime III is ideal for folks who are taking their e-scooter on the go, particularly on trips a bit farther away from home. The other specs on the scooter also stack up nicely against other (often heavier) options—you can reach speeds of up to 18 mph, and the long-range 36V lithium-ion battery can go 15 miles before needing to be recharged.

electric scooter inmotion l8f electric scooter
InMotion

4. Inmotion L8f Electric Scooter

Best high-tech scooter

Concerns around being seen on busy city streets while on a relatively compact two-wheeled vehicle are certainly reasonable, which is why most e-scooters ensure certain visibility and safety elements like brake lights and bells. The InMotion L8F scooter, however, takes good lighting to another level thanks to its fully customizable light system that ensures that your scooter can’t be missed at any time of the day. The scooter features an RGB light panel along the body of the scooter, as well as a super bright headlight, to help you see and be seen. InMotion's iOS and Android app lets you monitor your riding stats, adjust your speed limit, lock your scooter and yes, design your own RGB-based light scheme. The scooter also climbs 15-degree inclines with ease, and has a max speed of 18.5 mph and a range of 22 miles per hour. Given that it only weighs 26.5 pounds, that’s a lot more functionality than you might expect.

electric scooter ecoreco l5
ECORECO

5. Ecoreco L5+

Best for bumpy rides

Bumpy terrains are easily traversed with the EcoReco L5+, a seriously heavy-duty electric scooter that moves quickly (up to 20 mph) and for a long time (up to 28 miles on a single charge). The scooter has two rear suspensions that help you ride over gravel, grass, or other unpaved surfaces without the teeth-chattering discomfort that many other city scooters might. The L5+ is also better at climbing hills than most, and is able to accommodate up to a 25 percent incline. There’s also a small bell on the handlebar that you can ring to ensure that pedestrians are well aware of your presence.

electric scooter gotrax gxl v2 electric scooter
GOTRAX

6. Gotrax Gxl V2 Electric Scooter

Best budget scooter

An electric scooter by no means has to cost you an arm and a leg, and Gotrax is here to prove just that. The latest version of their electric scooter comes in at $300, and still has plenty of the bells and whistles that you’d expect from a more expensive model. Reaching a top speed at 15 mph, the GXL V2 has a handy cruise control function that allows you to ride effortlessly. The scooter can take you up to 12 miles before needing a recharge, and it can fold and lock down easily for seamless transport. Plus, it weighs just 27 pounds, so even if you need to manually ride this scooter home, it won’t be too much of a burden.

electric scooter hiboy s2 pro electric scooter
Amazon

7. Hiboy S2 Pro Electric Scooter

Best for commuting

Sleek, smooth, and unfussy, the Hiboy S2 Pro Electric Scooter is the ideal vehicle for getting you to and from the office in style and on time. The scooter can hit up to 19 miles per hour and has an advanced braking system that will help you maneuver city roads with ease. Plus, 10-inch solid tires and dual shock absorbers are ideal for getting in and around potholes. Capable of carrying a max load of 260 pounds up to 25 miles, this scooter is a workhorse that doesn’t look clunky or take up too much space. The Hiboy S2 app is also a nice additional feature that allows you to lock your scooter remotely, as well as customize acceleration and braking responses.

electric scooter levy electric scooter1
Levy

8. Levy Electric Scooter

Best scooter with swappable batteries

Not only is the Levy Electric Scooter relatively affordable at less than $500, but it’s also one of the only scooters with a swappable, replaceable battery. This means that you can effectively double, triple, or heck, quadruple the range of your scooter depending on the number of extra battery packs that you carry on your person. Levy makes two versions of its scooter—the more advanced option has a longer range, but again, given the option of extra battery packs, range doesn’t matter all that much. The scooter is also more customizable than most on the market, with different options for coloring, tire size and even tire composition (solid, tubed, or tubeless). The dependable Levy scooter is also available for rent in some markets, so you might be able to try before you buy.


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Freelance PureWow Editor