Best Electric Scooters for Commuting in 2021

Choosing the best electric scooter for you is not a difficult task, however, there are plenty of options on the market so you may suffer from analysis paralysis. Especially, if you are a beginner and have no clue what electric scooters are about, how they work, cost, maintenance or specs it will be a lucky shot trying to choose the best one.

Hopefully, you found us! We will guide you through exact steps for choosing the best electric scooter for commuting given your specific situation. Without further ado, let’s dive into some specs you may want to pay close attention to. Then, I will recommend 5 electric scooters which are perfect candidates for your purchase.

Specs

Before choosing an electric scooter or worse, buying the first recommended one, you should first understand some of the main specs and their importance to you.

Engine

The engine is part of the electric scooter power-train and one of the most important pieces of the scooter’s hardware. Most electric scooters engines have power between 250W-1000W but the average is about 450-500 W. Choosing a scooter with 450W or more will give you some ability to climb hills and more speed.

If you live in a hilly region, getting a powerful scooter is a must so my recommendations in this article will help you decide (Top 5 Electric Scooters for Climbing Steep Hills).

Also, if you are a big guy and weigh more than 200 lbs (or 90 kg) you may want to get an electric scooter with 500W or more. If you are lightweight and your route doesn’t involve steep hills you may get a 300-450W one. I personally don’t suggest getting a scooter with 200-250W because they are slow and their build quality isn’t that great.

Battery

The battery is the main factor when talking about range. As we saw in the electric scooter range article, the average range for an electric scooter is 6-25 miles. If you have a short ride to work or school you may get one with a lower range and charge it when you get there. The charging time for a small scooter is between 1.5 hours and 3 hours.

But, I recommend taking a margin of safety considering most real conditions are not as those tested by manufacturers. If they tell you a scooter will do 10 miles, I would only bet on 7-8 miles. The wind, rider’s weight, and terrain conditions can fluctuate and decrease your range by quite a bit. A 20-25% margin of safety is recommended on the range.

As I said about engines, I would stay away from scooters with a very low range like 6-8 miles. They usually are low-end products.

Tires

There are two main aspects of tires. One of them is their size and the second one is if they are airless or with air.

The size influences your ride as if you have a small tire (equal or less than 6 inches) you will feel most bumps in the road. If you don’t have suspension, it’s even worse. The size I recommend is 8 or 8.5 inches or more, but if you have a flat terrain with no bumps or crazy curbs, you may get a 6-6.5 inches wheel but make sure the scooter has suspension (preferably both rear and front).

Airless tires have the advantages of giving you more range (as the friction with the road is low) and removing the risk of puncture. On the other side, because they are hard, you will feel more bumps and will give you a shake on rough terrains.

Suspension

As a follow up to tires, you really need a suspension with small tires. If you often ride on rough terrains or jump curbs you may find suspension very useful. You will usually find suspension on the high-end products.

Features

– Adjustable

The ergonomics is not worth missing. Make sure you buy a scooter that’s adjustable on height. Also, make sure the scooter’s deck is large enough for your feet.

– Light

It’s better if your scooter already has an LED light, otherwise, you may need to get an external one and mount it onto your scooter. Read more about electric scooter accessories in this post.

Most scooters have it, but it’s worth checking. It’s more difficult to handle an external light because you will need to charge it separately and that’s a headache. Some scooters also have auto-lights that power on the light automatically if it’s too dark outside. While this sounds fancy I didn’t find it very useful. It’s nice to have but not a deal-breaker or worth extra money.

– Cruise control

Cruise control means you can press the acceleration button for 3-5 seconds and then your scooter will maintain that speed constant until you press the acceleration or brake.

This is something that I don’t really use because I don’t have a flat, straight and long ride. I don’t find it very useful in the city because you always need to stop at a traffic light or slow down because of other riders. But, if you have a long bike track to work or school I can see it’s usefulness, preventing finger numb.

Read more about cruise control and why I don’t use it in this article.

– Easy to fold and unfold

My girlfriend finds it hard to fold and unfold my electric scooter. I don’t mind, but if you plan giving it for a day to your kids, wife or girlfriend it may be a disadvantage to have a hard to fold scooter. Basically, to fold my electric scooter you need to press that red button with your foot and at the same time push the handlebar. It may sound simple, but you really need to press that red button!

Also, these “button balls” on the handles are not the easiest buttons to press.

If you don’t know yet, this is a UScooter Booster. The mechanism is the same on all UScooters. Xiaomi M365 scooter folds nicely by a hand lever. But, the downside is that it occupies more space. Xiaomi M365 folds the same way as BoostedRev scooter and I have in this article two comparative photos of the folding mechanism.

– Weight

We took a look at multiple electric scooters in this article and figure out their average weight. I’ve also given lots of examples and what the max (rider) load is on those. The average weight is between 23.9 lbs (10 kg) and 33 lbs (15 kg) depending on many factors which you can read in the dedicated article if you’re interested.

If you plan to carry the scooter in your hand for quite a while, the scooter’s weight can influence your purchase decision. And if you’re a big guy you need to look at the max load of the scooter and take a margin of safety because you may carry extra weights sometimes (like a laptop backpack or similar).

– Display

Some electric scooters don’t have a display. An example is one of the most popular electric scooters available: Xiaomi M365. Of course, you can install their Android/iOS app in order to see the speed and access settings. Widewheel is another popular scooter that doesn’t feature a display screen.

Overall build quality

You will notice that there are some electric scooters with similar specs but very different price tags. The overall built quality is responsible for this. You can tell visually if an electric scooter is well-made or it’s covered by lots of cheap plastic materials. I recommend getting a solid one which may be a little bit more expensive but will be more reliable especially if you have bumpy roads, difficult terrains or you plan to ride it a lot.

Consider paying a little bit more upfront than spending it on maintenance.

Top 5 Best Electric Scooters for Commuting

1. Segway Ninebot ES2

A classic electric scooter from Segway. One of the best options for commuting. The scooter features are pretty average, but the build quality is great and the cool features will impress your friends. It can connect with your mobile phone and update itself and also show some important stats. It even has ambient lights which are both cool and useful at night as you’ll get spotted more easily by other riders or pedestrians. The folding mechanism is also better than on other scooters.

The weight of this scooter is also only 27.5 lbs (or 12.5 kg). We compared the weights of various popular scooters in this post. So if you need to carry your scooter in hand a considerable distance feel free to compare it against other options.

Advantages:

• Speed –  15 mph (or 25Km/h)
• Range – 15 miles (or about 25 km)
• Folding mechanism is great

 Disadvantages:

• No disc brake
• The electric motor is not that powerful for hilly regions (it has only 300 watts) so you can climb only 10-15% inclination hills

Click here to check the current price on Amazon.

2. UScooters ECO/Booster

We already reviewed and compared UScooters, also known as E-Twow, in a previous post. Check it out here. They are a solid option for your commuting. They have a good 20+ miles range, they are powerful enough for the city, even though I recommend the Booster version for hilly regions. Lightweight, about 24 lbs (or 11 kg) and the build quality is great as they can last over 3000 miles without visiting the service (believe me, I’ve seen a lot of Uscooters with more than 3000 miles on board). Price is also very affordable as they are mid-range electric scooters. Click here to check the current price on Amazon.

The main disadvantage I see with this scooter is the folding mechanism. It’s a bit hard to fold it but once you get used to it, it’s not that bad. Definitely, not recommended for a girl.

Another one is the lack of disc brake. The built-in electromagnetic brake is not enough at high speeds. Of course, it has a foot brake on the rear wheel, but you can’t brake in time because you’ll lose your balance which is important when approaching a road obstacle. Yeah, you can keep your leg there all the time like on a classic scooter, but that’s just uncomfortable.

Main advantages: 

• Suspension
• Airless tires (you won’t get a flat tire)
• Good range (over 20 miles)
• Good speed ~16 mph (or 25 km/hour)
• Build quality

Main disadvantages:

• Folding mechanism
• No disk brake

Click here to check the current price of UScooters ECO on Amazon.

Click here to check the current price of UScooters Booster on Amazon.

3. Xiaomi M365

One of the best scooters used by many e-scooter share companies is the Xiaomi M365. Probably, the main advantage is the low price for the quality. It has big tires (8,5 inches) which improves the comfort on uniform tiles, but, on the other side, it doesn’t have suspension. Also, the tires are normal (with air) which improves the comfort. Overall, I think the comfort is the same as on the UScooters, even without suspension. The only disadvantage of air tires is the puncture. But anyway, the package usually comes with 2 spare tires.

Main advantages:

• Quality
• Big tires (more comfort)
• Good Speed ~16 mph (or 25 km/hour)
• Range – 14-18 miles
• Disc brake

Main disadvantages:

• Lacks a display screen (you can use the mobile app though, but it’s not the same thing)
• No suspension
• Folding (it’s easy to fold but occupies more space than other scooters as it folds from about the middle of the handlebar)

Click here to check the current price on Amazon.

4.  Gotrax GXL V2

The Gotrax is another solid option for your ride. The construction is pretty solid and I could associate this one with Xiaomi M365. It is less powerful than other models, but the build quality and price make it suitable for this list. It’s designed for flat cities and maximum comfort.

Main advantages:

• Price
• Build quality
• Comfort
• Disc brake

Main disadvantages:

• Speed: 15.5 mph (or 15km/h) on flat areas but it will be hard to reach it if you are heavier
• Range: only 9-12  miles and 4 hours charge

Overall, it’s a good option for short commuting, more like 2-3 miles each way).

Click here to check the current price on Amazon.

5. Razor E300

Razor is an old player in the electric scooters market. Razor E300 is not the best looking e-scooter on the market, but it’s a decent option considering all the specs. You can tell it’s a solid scooter by the wide tires and build materials. It’s a heavy one too, so better consider another option if you don’t live on the ground floor.

A very useful electric scooter for several miles (at work, supermarket, walks). It can be used either electrically, only manually or mixed as it does not resist pushing resistance compared to other scooters including mine (UScooter Booster) which do.

Generous wheels with good quality tires give stability and good shock absorption. The riding position is comfortable and the materials are of good quality. The features are limited but this is supposed to be a simple e-scooter so it’s fine.

Braking is good and acceleration responds well. Additional equipment (headlamp, stop, mileage, ringtone, etc.) can be purchased separately from Amazon or a local bicycle store, making it easy to fit. Check out our recommended accessories for electric scooters.

The autonomy, acceleration, and speed of travel are quite good considering a 75 kg adult with a backpack. The speed is about 12 mph (or 20 km/h) and it goes as far as 6-9 miles (or 10-15 km) with a single charge, depending on road conditions and slopes

Charging is very slow on this one. It takes about 6-8 hours, but the book recommends 12 even if the light turns green faster. Better charge it at night.

Another disadvantage is the position of the engine which is too close to the ground, with the risk that it will be hit by bumps.

Main advantages:

• Durability
• Very good balance and stability
• Wide and comfortable platform (deck)
• Price

Main disadvantages:

• Speed 12 mph (or 20 km/h)
• Range 6-9 miles (or 10-15 km)

Click here to check the current price on Amazon.

6. Boosted Rev

Yeah, we have an entire article dedicated to the Booster Rev, so you can find every piece of information you need there. The link is here.

All in all, Boosted Rev is a premium electric scooter who has it all. The build quality is phenomenal and the power of this scooter will impress the child inside you.

Main advantages:

• Build quality
• Incredible Speed  24 miles per hour (or 39 kph)
• Range 22 miles (or 35 km)
• Exceptional on hills
• Weatherproofing
• Durability

Main disadvantages:

• Price
• No front-wheel brake
• No suspension but it has air tires at least

7. Qiewa (with attachable seat)

QIEWA Q1Hummer is, as Boosted Rev, another beast in the realm of electric scooters. With a powerful 800 watts electric motor it can climb anything you want as fast as you want. The features are incredible and are more than enough for a city electric scooter. It’s also a great option for big guys as the max load is 550 lbs.

Main advantages:

• Speed: 37 mph (or 60 km/h), you’d better have good brakes!
• Range: 65 miles
• Exceptional on hilly regions: can conquer 35-degree inclines
• Comfort: 10 inches tires and suspension
• Waterproof
• Anti-theft
• Attachable seat
• Max load of 550 lbs

Main disadvantages:

• Price

Click here to check the current price on Amazon.

8. NandroBot X4

NANROBOT X4 is another flagship in the electric scooters ocean. With solid construction, you may think it’s a military tool, but that’s just how it needs to look if a scooter is durable. Suspension, LED light, color display, USB port, speed, range, you name it, this electric scooter has them all. The big downside of this scooter is probably the weight, but what would you expect when this scooter is built with quality in mind? Certainly, this is an electric scooter for constant long rides as it will last you for years.

Main advantages:

• Speed: 15-20 mph (or 24-32 kph)
• Range: 18-25 miles (or 29-40 km)
• Durable
• Nice folding (it folds from the deck)
• Cool features (LED light, display, design, etc)
• Wide wheels (helps balance), shock absorber and Airless tires (no flat tire)

Main disadvantages:

• Weight:  33 lbs (or 15 kg)
• Maybe the price

Click here to check the current price on Amazon.

9. Swagtron

Swagtron is another popular electric scooter but I recommend it as a last-mile vehicle only. The features of this scooter are good, but the durability and quality of the components are not top-notch. Even so, it’s a good option for short rides on flat areas. If you have a bumpy road or more rough area, I would recommend getting a solid scooter that can handle these types of terrains.

The speed and range of this scooter are perfect for a smooth ride to work and the air tires with a high diameter will offer you extra comfort.

Main advantages:

• Weight & mobility – only 26 pounds (or 11.7 kg)
• Excellent as a last-mile vehicle
• Speed and range are good: 18 mph (or 29 kph) speed and range of 11 miles (or 17.7 km)
• Air tires and big (8.5 inches), more comfort
• Cool features: LED light, display, reflectors, and phone app with GPS and settings

Main disadvantages:

• Not powerful enough for steep hills with decent speed (only 250 watts motor)
• Charging: it has a short cable and no overcharge protection
• Handlebar get loose after some time
• Risk of a flat tire

Click here to check the current price on Amazon.

10. Glion Dolly

Glion Dolly may seem small and innocent, but it has cool features that make it ideal for last-mile commuting. Certainly, it’s not the fastest and greatest, but the quality and features you get for the price may impress you. It has a top speed of 15 mph (or 25 kph) and a range of 15 miles (or 25 km) which may put an end to boring commutes to/from subways and train stations.

The portability is also a strong point of this electric scooter. If you need to carry this scooter through public transportation or crowded places, this is one of your best options. You can even fit it between your legs if you are on a subway or train.

Of course, as with all electric scooters, there are some cons as well. The quality of the ride is not the best due to the delay between pressing the acceleration button and actually accelerating. Also, the brake is not ideal as it doesn’t seem uniform. The other downsides are the noise and the lack of power (only 250 watts electric motor) on steep hills especially if you are a heavier rider or riding into strong winds.

Main advantages:

• Portability, Weight: 28 lbs (12 kg)
• Easy to fold
• Price

Main disadvantages:

• Quality of the ride
• Lack of power, but you may not need it!
• Not good for heavier riders (only 255lbs/115 kg max load)

Click here to check the current price on Amazon.

11. NANROBOT D5+ with seat

NANROBOT D5+ electric scooter is another beast. I would recommend it for longer rides where comfort and speed and range are important. Nandrobot D5+ can be found on Amazon with or without a seat. You can even buy the seat separately later if you think you don’t need one for now, but it may be more expensive.

If we looked at small and portable electric scooters that are suited for “the last mile”, this doesn’t match the pattern. It has two independent 1000 watts (yes, 1000 watts!) electric motors pushing this scooter to high speeds of 40 mph (or 64 kph). You can ride for 40 miles (or 64 km) on a single charge and the charge takes only 3 hours.

Together with the attachable seat, it is one of the best options for long rides. It’s a bit more expensive than other scooters but it’s great quality and the extra comfort may be worth the price.

Main advantages:

• Speed
• Range
• Durability and comfort

Main disadvantages:

• Portability, weight: 70 lbs (or 32 kg)
• Price

Click here to check the price on Amazon.

BONUS:

Yeah, this is not an electric scooter, but it’s a bonus. If you’ve read the article comparing electric scooters to folding bicycles, you may have noticed the main advantage of an electric bicycle over the electric scooter. That’s right, you do a little bit of exercise.

One of the best folding bikes is the Shaofu Folding Electric Bicycle. You can say it’s for kids, but if you are not a big guy you can ride this pretty comfortably. It has a max load of 265 lbs (or about 120 kg) which is enough for a lot of people. It combines exercise with mobility. This bicycle folds very well and it occupies little space.

Check out this beauty on Amazon here.

Seat?

If you have a long ride to work or school you may consider getting an attachable seat for your scooter. Some scooters have this by default, but you can fit a universal one on most scooters. It will improve your ride quite a bit because standing up for a long time is not the most comfortable thing to do. You can combine standing up with sitting and it’s not going to break the bank. You can check the current price on Amazon.

Should you get an electric scooter?

This is a question you need to ask yourself before getting an electric scooter. If you plan it to be your toy or emotional decision, that’s fine, but if you are buying it for economic and financial reasons like cutting money spent on car, gas or maintenance you need to read this article. I calculated the average price per mile that you will pay and if it’s worth buying an electric scooter depending on your situation. There are lots of pros and cons to buying an electric scooter and if you already have a car, the decision balance can easily shift.

Conclusion

Hopefully, after reading this article and my other related articles which I’ve put a link to, you know if you should buy an electric scooter, what specs you need to pay close attention to and have a clear picture of 2-3 electric scooters which will work for you. At least, you know what to look for. If you have any burning questions or you didn’t find help in this article you may leave a comment below and I will try to help you decide which option is best for you.