Cheap vs Expensive Electric Scooter: What's the Difference?

Let's look at what you get when you spend more money on an electric scooter! Is it worth it? How did you decide how much to spend on YOUR scooter?

Scooters in the video:
Use the links and code "NIUSCOOTER" for $100 off!

Videos mentioned:

[melikidis.i]

If you call 700 "cheap", then I feel really poor...

[yungtery]

I have the xiaomi Pro 2 for 1.5 years and I have done 2000km+ in total. I have modded it to go 35km max speed and it has been a life saver inside the town
I use it to go almost anywhere.
It costed me then 420 and something euros
It has made its money back and more
So you don't have to spend a fortune for an escooter to be satisfied.
I want to upgrade to a kaboo mantis 10 Pro that in my country costs 2100 euros and I cant wait to order it.
But I will keep the xiaomi one because it has never disappointed me :)
Edit: I have drove it in snow mud light rain heavy rain, 40+ degrees in the summer and it works flawlessly. Best scooter at 400 euros period

[lshel]

My first scooter Ninebot ES4, steering literally fell apart (warranty replaced entire scooter), second unit battery failed on initial ride (warranty replaced entire scooter) third time lucky... did 11, 000kms on it over 2 years commuting, 5 sets of front suspension, 6 rear mudguards/brake units, 8 sets tires, 1 new rear shock, 2 sets wheel bearings, I hammered that thing to hell, I'm slightly over the recommended weight limit too. Rode in all conditions, heavy rain, cold, searing heat, and 3 minor crashes in the wet all related to debris on the road, (STILL ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET). - The scooter did me proud, but it was horrible.

Second scooter Dualtron Victor :-), 7000kms on it has the usual stem creak noise, thats it, nothing else ever gone wrong, I've not had the flat tire issue many reported, and ive done massive rides on this thing, top speed runs everywhere, the build quality is excellent by comparison, the R&D on Dualtron is obviously exceptional along with quality control and testing.


The main difference, in my opinion, between cheap and expensive scooters as this realistically translates to acceleration/range/top speed, is the operators ability to control them and likelihood of injuries, especially where operators lack experience on 2 wheels. Low end scooters rarely exceed speeds that are deemed dangerous, things dont come up on you so quickly at lower speeds, if things go pear shaped you can usualy stop and/or jump off and take a few steps avoiding anything serious. Most countries have a rule of either 300-350w power limit, or 25-32kmh speed limit (see all eBikes) as these usually limit the speed of an impact dramatically increasing survivability. I know these rules are not present in some countries, but just look at the statistics relating to their injuries 😲.

Many scooter shops I visited for test rides had no issue giving me a demo scooter of very high spec (and set to max) when I turned up on a large Motorcycle in full riding gear, this wasnt the case if I walked in or arrived by car, they assumed 'retard' and took a lot of time setting the scooter up in granny mode and supervising my initial demo ride in a car park.

An expensive high output scooter can get out of shape very easily due to many factors, though most incidents start because of road/pavement surface changes, obstructions, or debris etc. The speed you are travelling at, and protective riding gear being worn, then determine the resulting injuries in most cases.
Motorcross riders crash faster, more often, and much heavier that mtb riders but the protective gear being worn results in far less injuries, bicycle riders have a lot to learn and few formal training channels to learn from.

Experience on a motorcyle does pay huge dividends as you are experienced at reading the surface constantly, something car drivers are not trained for and seldom pay attention to, cars balance themselves due to 4 wheels.

My local shop has had 3x Dualtron Victors back as part of insurance claims for road traffic accidents, each of these factored an inexperienced operator being allowed to "go for a spin on it" and resulted in life changing injuries and lots of damage, none of the others have ever come back for a warranty claim, nothing more than a puncture repair.

Just as RK9 mentioned the high end scooters have fewer reliability issues, and have a longer lifespan, though the most important difference (in my opinion) is the skill required to safely operate these high end scooters.

Just my opinion, love your contribution here RK9, you helped me decide to get a Victor :-). stay safe mate.

[amandalhamilton]

I got a super cheap scooter on Amazon. The gyrocopter Flash 3.0. It was on sale, with tax cost 450 CAD. I use it for my commute to and from work 10-15 min by scooter, cutting walk down from 30-40 mins. Overall I absolutely love it. It's my first scooter. I fold it up and put it in my locker (bikes get stolen because we have to lock them up outside). If it last a year, I'll be thrilled and it'll have been well worth it. It has shocks (from what I remember) but I really have to watch the potholes in the road as they could send me flying or at least give me a nasty jolt. With our roads, I wouldn't want to go faster than 25 Km. The 'expensive' scooter looks kickass, but don't think I'd be brave enough to go 50km on a scooter. Hats off to you. Great little invention for urban traveling. Also, my cheap one can't handle any kind of gravel roads; it's definitely a paved road kind. For other adventures, I'm going to get an ebike. Rode a friends last weekend. Amazing.

[scarletdvore]

BTW. I just received the Niu KQi3 you just compared and I love it! (Style, good speed) perfect for my commuter & leisure usage. Good video tho.

[johnkoutoulakis]

The way i see it, a scooter like Kqi3 Pro is ideal for everyday commute and for people who want a higher quality entry-level scooter(not some cheap Xiaomi scooters) that will probably last longer as well.
Most of the times if you check your tire pressure often the less the risk of you having a flat, that applies to entry-level scooters and high end. People who want serious power and acceleration a scooter like Kqi3 is not ideal but for everyday people who use it for 5-6 or maybe more than 15 klm per day a scooter like this is perfect. My personal opinion!

[windblower]

So, I got the kaabo skywalker 8s last week. I bought it for $610 brand new lol. I think their regular price is $1400. I am not sure if it goes to cheap or expensive scooter. I can say on uphill, it move my 175 lbs behind lol. It's fast and scary going close to 30 mph! I am not sure how someone can go 50 mph and not get scared. I know I want the kaabo wolf king, but I'll enjoy this one first and slowly move to that.

[abadatha]

I just rode my first e-Scooter a few weeks ago (a Bird One), and was instantly hooked. I sometimes use one of the Bird rentals to commute home when I'm not feeling like walking 3 miles, and have been on the hunt for an e-scooter I can use to get to work and run around town. This Dualtron has been on my radar since I started looking. I don't really need to go that fast, but I'm a heavy dude, and a lot of the lighter weight, less expensive scooters aren't built to handle my bulk. These videos have been incredibly useful for me in my hunt for my first electric commuter vehicle, and if it happens to be a ton of fun to ride, all the better.

[georgelewis]

Looks like I won’t die on the “cheap” scooter! Vs wiping out at 50 miles per hour on the expensive one!

[Bxl]

The fact that it said in the thumnail that 700$ is cheap got me laughing

[seafood]

I had an Hiboy s2 pro. Returned it in less than a month and bought the Vsett 9+ and man that decision was great.

[wesleymaia]

*Battery life is great **Latest.Bike** Scooter . Love the different driving modes. It’s got a little headlight and taillight too. Gets lots of looks haha*

[PetreMihai]

I had the classic Xiaomi M365 back in the day, 1600km being used, changed the tires after flat tire to solid wheels to avoid anymore flats, then the fuse failed, not gonna lie, the scooter took a beating during its usage, it behaved pretty well.
Today I'm waiting for the Kqi3 Pro to arrive at my house, let's see how big of an upgrade it is, I chose it over the Xiaomis they have today due to larger wheels, better range, more robust chassis and increased power for some hills so it doesn't slow down too much. I plan on owning it for as long as possible.

[indigosedgwick]

I got a Dualtron this summer as my first e-scooter. Got it for 2k it’s a model down or two form the Victor. It’s pretty cool tho the max speed is 37 but I regularly mob around 20-30mph. I had to do some repairs after getting over 1000 miles on it but it’s been pretty easy to reinforce the areas needed.

[Frostorm]

I have a Gotrax G4 and a Yume S10. The Gotrax G4 I use for small commutes around my area. It’s perfect for that. The Yume S10 I use to go to work and back, which is about a 4.4 mile round trip. I can go back and fourth at least a few times on a charge, it’s great.

[strive]

Vsett 10+ .. it’s in the middle. About 5600 miles so far and still love it like day 1.

[jezzarisky]

Just bought my first scooter, and got it a few days ago. Unfortunately with the inclement weather, I haven't had a chance to ride it. Not being too familiar with scooters, I went with one that balanced weight/speed/range/price and ended up with a copycat scooter, the Fluid Freeride Horizon. Hoping it has enough endurance to last a year or two before upgrading to something that is a step up in quality. Though living on a third floor, it limits my options trying to find one that is still relatively light weight.

[pctshooter]

I ordered a "Cheap" Gyroor X8. I just wanted a scooter that was comparable to the rental scooters they have downtown but, it would be all mine. I'm not looking to do more than 20 mph just recreational riding. Besides, it's harder to check out the dogs walking their chicks if you go too fast!

[ioanc]

I have a cheap scooter, but not the cheapest: an E-TWOW Booster. I need it to be light and I don't want it to be too fast, because I don't want to need too much gear. I think that when I'll want a tougher scooter, I'll just buy a seated one. Or a motorcycle if I need something even faster.

[Edmaster]

I bought my first scooter from China. Which is a Jueshuai, a 2400w model, that is not too expensive but gives all the bells and whistles. I customized it to my liking and now it no longer looks like it did. It goes about 40mph and has a range of 40 miles. Takes 4hrs to charge if really low. I live in the country about 8 miles to the nearest town with its range there is no problem traveling back and forth to town. I have street tires so no off-roading because it has tubeless tires but i don't off-road anyways.