Since the first mass-produced electric scooter Peugeot Scoot’Elec in 1996, currently not only are they becoming more advanced compared to their previous models, but they’re now also becoming more popular, especially on college campuses and big cities. There’s no wonder why public interest over these convenient modes of transportation is picking up in pace, especially that there are newer and more advanced models being distributed in the market right now.
Because of this, more and more rental companies are seen today such as Lime, Bird, and even Uber. This is why people are now purchasing these tiny yet great transportation devices. However, are they really worth it? How are we supposed to choose from a myriad of electric scooters now that there are a lot of choices in the market today?
While the answers are subjective, there are a lot of factors that you can consider for you to have the best electric scooter. And, here’s what you need to know about them:
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What are Electric Scooters and Why Should You Buy One?
First of all, you need to identify what electric scooters are. Basically, an electric scooter is a stand-up transportation device that’s powered by an electric motor. So, any type of scooter that runs with the use of the electric power sources are deemed as electric scooters. There are a lot of brands on the market today and each has its own features and uniqueness.
Electric scooters are an accepted mode of transportation, and they’re lightweight and convenient to use. These scooters are ideal to use when traveling on short distances or around cities with huge walkways. That’s why you can often see them on school grounds and city pavements.
Electric scooters are now a great means of transportation that easily uplift the hassles and stress over walking. You can now even rent one for just a short amount of time, making it an ideal arrangement for those who are on the go but don’t have a car with them. Plus, as they’re small, you can easily navigate on crowded streets, making them all the more delightful to use. This is why you should buy or rent one to ease your burden when traveling.
How to Choose an Electric Scooter?
If you’re planning to buy an electric scooter for commuting soon, then you’ve probably thought about what factors you’re going to consider when choosing one. This is normal, so don’t fret too much as this guide will give you the answers that you’re looking for.
Choosing an electric scooter, especially when it’s your first time can be daunting. After all, there are so many models to choose from. However, there are factors that you can take note of that you can see on any type of electric scooter model. This means that you can choose any brands that you like as long as you’re going to consider these features when you start shopping:
Safety Features
While electric scooters are generally safe compared to other transportation modes, it’s still better to include safety in your list. There are three things to consider when checking the scooter’s safety – braking, weight limit, and lights. While these are mostly seen on any type of scooter, there are particular models with better quality safety features; Electric scooter models with amazing safety features have these:
- Brakes
Breaks are essential in any type of vehicle. That’s why you need to get the highest quality of brakes as much as possible. You can either opt for hydraulic disc brakes or mechanic disc brakes. You can also choose scooters with band, drum, or V-brakes. The best type of breaks is hydraulic ‘disc’, like in real bikes.
Although the brakes are of high quality, you have to do maintenance as well. After a while, your brakes are going to thin out, so you need to have a spare when the time to change comes.
- Weight Limit
This safety note should be followed strictly. The weight limit is present as electric scooters can only carry limited weight capacity. Thus, only buy ones that have a bigger weight capacity. The bigger the weight limit is and the lighter you are, the more efficient your electric scooter will be.
- Lights
Next, what you should look for is the lighting feature. Look for electric scooters with a decent amount of lighting – headlight, rear light, handlebar lights, standing deck lights, and the like. Also, check out if the lights are bright enough. This is important especially when you’re always traveling at night.
Scooter Dimensions
The next thing to consider is the electric scooter’s dimension. As mentioned above, there are a lot of models in the market today. So, expect to see scooters with different shapes and sizes. When buying a scooter, picking the right dimensions for your body type is crucial when you want overall comfort. There are three considerations that you should include; these are height, standing deck area, and portability.
- Height
First, check if its height is right for you. This means that you should see if the handlebars are perfect for your height and arms – not too high or not too low for you. In this way, you can comfortably navigate on your scooter when driving.
- Standing Deck Area
Next, see if the standing area is just right for you. Some scooters have slender bases while others have wider ones. Pick a scooter that’s right for your feet size, or one that you personally prefer. But, the general rule is that the more room, the better it is.
- Portability
Also, consider its portability. Do prefer light ones or bulkier scooters? This depends on your preference and situation. If you want to carry around your scooter, then a lighter one is ideal. When you want a portable scooter, you should pick the ones with smaller dimensions. The general rule is – the more powerful scooter is, the more weight it has. So simple 🙂 For instance scooters for performing tricks, a trick scooters (aka stunt scooters) are very small and light unlike fast electric scooters which have much powerful motor.
Overall Performance
The overall performance of your scooter is a crucial aspect when you want to have only the best model. There are a lot of features that you should take note of when you want a great-functioning scooter. These factors will tell if your scooter’s performance is great or not:
- Motor power
The rule is that the more watts your scooter’s motor has, the better it is. But, you don’t really have to buy one with the greatest engine power. Of course, you have to consider what kind of driving you’re going to do. Are you commuting on a busy street? Or are you into off-road driving? If you’re always on busy roads, you don’t have to get a scooter with a high-performing engine as it can get quite pricey. But, if you want to drive fast, engines with 500-1000 watts are great.
- Speed
Next, get a scooter with optimum speed. To get a fast electric scooter, generally, scooters with 15-20 mph speed is already a good pick. However, you can still opt to get scooters with greater speed offers up to 40-50 mph Again, it’s all on your preference.
- Range
You also have to check out the range of the scooter. How long can it last on the road? If you travel short distances, standard scooters are good choices. But, if you’re traveling on long roads, you can increase your range capacity choice up to 50 miles per one charge.
- Battery Type
Very important, check out if the battery type being used is of high quality. Today, there are a lot of quality batteries already. You can opt to get lithium-ion batteries or lead-acid batteries. What’s important though is how you handle your scooter. No matter what type of battery you’re using, it would still wear down, so allow it to rest once in a while
Comfort and Convenience
In choosing your electric scooter, you shouldn’t also miss on comfort and convenience. There are three things to consider when checking these out; these are the seat, motor belts, and tires. These three will determine if your scooter ride is going to be comfortable or not.
- Seat
When choosing an electric scooter, you can opt to get a model with a seat. You can also install a seat if you want to alternate from a standing or sitting down when traveling. But, if you don’t want one, you can stick to standing, which means that the base should be wide enough as mentioned above.
- Belt Motor
Some electric scooters have a chain in its motor engine. But, there are models that use a belt. This is a great feature as it’s less noisy. Plus, it enhances your scooter’s torque, power transmission, speed, acceleration, and overall durability.
Other factors
- Tires
Electric scooters also come with multiple types of tires. For off-road travelers, wider tires are excellent. There are also standard tires with flat or rounded edges; any of these will do for less bumpy roads. In general, tires with stronger material will last long, so you might want to invest in more expensive yet more durable tires to save on maintenance fees.
- Cost and Maintenance Fees
Of course, we’re not going to forget about the cost and maintenance fees. Some of us may be tight on budget, so it’s best to get a scooter with all the needed features for a reasonable rate.
Aside from the features mentioned above, you should also take note of these aspects to fully maximize your purchase:
- Scooter Design
When you’re buying a scooter, you’re also going to check out the design, right? So, aside from the ones mentioned above, make sure that you get a less flashy yet presentable scooter. This means the flashier the design and the more customization you’re going to have, the more expensive it becomes.
- Material
This part is tricky as you’ll have to weigh on the cost and the quality of the scooter’s material. However, it’s better to invest in a high-quality scooter at the beginning than face maintenance fees afterwards. Thus, the better the material being used on the scooter, the fewer chances of it breaking it right away.
- Warranty
Lastly, see if the scooter brand or store offers a warranty. In most cases, there are warranties offered, but there are certain warranties with amazing coverage. So, pick the ones that have a reasonable rate and an amazing warranty inclusion.
- General Riding Conditions
Last on this list is the riding conditions. This means that you have to take note of the terrain or the landscape. Not being to consider this when buying your scooter will lead to disaster. You won’t be able to maximize your scooter’s engine when the riding conditions and the scooter’s power capacity is not in sync.
If you travel on a bumpy road at all times, make sure to buy a scooter with a stronger engine with a great power capacity. On the other hand, if you’re always on smooth pavements, then you can buy the standard models that do not require more engine torque when driving.
Top Electric Scooters in the Market Today
Now that you’re already aware of the features and conditions to consider when buying a scooter, you can now proceed to choose your scooter brand. There are a lot of good ones in the market today. But, to save you some time, here’s a list of the top electric scooter brands that you can choose from.
Black Super Electric Scooter
This California-based electric scooter brand is one of the most popular choices today as they’re known for their quality models. Their latest model, the Super Turbo 1000W Elite, is an amazing electric scooter for adults. The design is sleek and its body is robust, making it durable. Its tires are also strong and made from thick and an all-terrain material. It also has a suspension at the front and back of the scooter. Lastly, it has a powerful engine that has a speed of 20 mph that’s powered by a high-quality lithium-ion battery.
Glion Dolly Electric Scooter
If you want a high-quality standard scooter that’s comfortable as well, then this is the best pick for you. Its vertical self-standing design promotes ease when driving. Plus, it’s foldable and lightweight, so you can carry it when needed with the use of its foot-activated folding device. It’s charging time is also short compared to the other brands, so you can use it right away. Lastly, it has a 15 mph speed and runs for over 15 miles with its honeycomb tires, making it one of the most sought-after brands under affordable electric scooters.
EcoReco M5 Electric Scooter
This is also another foldable and lightweight scooter. It has a gearless motor drive engine with a capacity of 750W as its maximum power, which is already considered a powerful feature. It has a speed of 20 mph and runs for over 20 miles, considerably greater compared to other models. Its battery is also lithium ion, so this more efficient and charges quite fast as well. In addition, it has an LCD display wherein you can check out the scooter’s speed, distance covered, cycles charged, and the like.
Fuzion v-1000 Electric Scooter
Another brand that is located in Canada is this model. This brand is known for its quality mobility scooters. One of their best models is the Fuzion v-1000, a great two-wheeled scooter example. Like the rest of the mentioned scooters in the list, this is also foldable, and because the creators of this brand want to implement convenience, they also designed it to be as lightweight as possible. Despite this, it still has a durable frame, making it long-lasting. Plus, it can cover a lot of terrain types, so you don’t have to worry when you’re traveling on bumpy roads.
Razor E300 Electric Scooter
The last brand on our list is the Razor E300 Scooter. This has all of the needed features a standard electric scooter has. Assembling and using it is fast and simple, so anyone can use this, even kids. Its 10-inch pneumatic tires are great for smooth and rough terrains. Its engine has a speed of 15 mph and runs for over 45 minutes. If you want a standard scooter for just an affordable rate, then this razor electric scooter is a good pick for you.
Benefits of Using an Electric Scooter
Now that you’re aware of the features, conditions, and some of the best models that you can choose from in the market today, it’s best that you’ll know about what benefits you’ll get when driving on one so that you can be all the more inspired to switch to an electric scooter. Here are some advantages you’ll get when you ride on an electric scooter.
- Easy to Assemble and Use
As stated above, electric scooters are easy to assemble. When buying, you’ll have simple instructions that you can use as your guide. In addition, because it only has a few parts, you can already assemble it in just a few minutes. Using it is also straightforward, definitely less complicated than a car or a motorbike.
- Fun to Ride On
Having an electric scooter means that you’re going to have more fun compared to when you’re walking or driving a car. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun riding on other modes of transportation; it’s just that electric scooters are great to use when you want to sightsee casually or reminisce on our scooter-days when were still children.
- Simple to Park
Because these scooters are small, you can easily insert them on any available parking spaces. Especially if you’re in the city, finding a parking spot is hard when you have a car or motorbike. But, with an electric scooter, you can easily fold it and place it inside your office or school locker or even on a grocery cart.
- Convenient Requirements
Electric scooters are tiny modes of transportation with limited speed. So, in most cases, you’ll not need any license in order to drive one. However, it’s also important that you take note of your local electric scooter rules and regulations if there are any so that you’ll not get in trouble.
- Saves a lot of Time
If you are always on the go, then there’s a high chance that you often find yourself stuck in traffic. This is why electric scooters are becoming a fad nowadays as they’re an excellent device that you can use to navigate on crowded streets. In this way, you’ll arrive on time in a quicker and better fashion.
- Portable
As it’s small and lightweight, electric scooters are portable. Thus, you can carry this anywhere. You can even bring this with you on the bus, subway, or train. Because most electric scooter models are foldable, they’re convenient to take with you almost anywhere.
- Eco-friendly
If you want to save the environment, you can contribute by using these electric scooters. As they’re electric, they don’t produce any carbon dioxide. The lesser CO2 produced, the better it is for the environment.
- Affordable
There are also a lot of electric scooter models that are affordable; in general, they’re also cheaper compared to other types of vehicles. Plus, most comes with a warranty, so this is a convenient addition. Lastly, they’re easy to maintain, and, because it comes with few parts, fixing, maintaining, and upgrading them are not that pricey.
- Efficient
Lastly, they’re more efficient to use. Because these scooters are electric, they’re cheaper than fuel-based bikes or scooters. Instead of using your car or motorbike when taking short trips to the convenience store, a scooter can take you to your destination on time while using fewer resources and overall energy.
Summary
Choosing the right electric scooter would still depend on your preferences. After all, this is a subjective task when going shopping. However, we can’t deny that there are certain factors and conditions that you need to check out first before choosing a model.
Because it’s better to be prepared beforehand, applying this guide when shopping will allow you to maximize your budget. Plus, you’re able to get not only a fitting electric scooter for you but also one with complete features that allow a smooth and convenient driving.
Hence, before choosing from any of the electric models suggested above or buying an electric scooter recommended by your friend, take note of the suggestions above to guarantee a great driving experience.