Buying an Electric Scooter - The Ultimate Guide 2020
Getting around with an electric scooter provides a fast and smart way to travel a short distance while being environmentally friendly in a busy city. This amazing invention remains much more economical than a car, is less bulky than a bicycle, and is way more fun to ride while requiring no excessive physical skills. Everyone can easily find a scooter that matches their lifestyle and use ! On today's market, there is a real diversity of performance, size, comfort and brand's electric scooters. Choosing the right electric scooter that fits your needs can be a challenge. There is so much to choose from ! This article aims to help you in your decision-making. To make the smartest decision in buying your new electric scooter, here are 4 key points to take into consideration:
  1. Utility
  2. Speed & Autonomy
  3. Weight
  4. Safety
These 4 key points will help you meet your budget and target needs.

1. Utility- For what purpose?

There are 3 types of electric scooter users:

  1. Intensive users
  2. Moderate users
  3. Occasional users

1.1 Intensive user:

If you intend to use your electric scooter to get to work everyday, to shop, to get you to your gettogethers/activities, then you definitely need to consider a substantial budget for your new urban mobility step. Your new electric scooter will need to be:
  • 99,99% reliable
  • Confortable to drive (speed, suspension)
  • Safe (brakes and lighting)
Our best advice will be:
  • Choose a well-known electric scooter brand: Therefore you insure that
    • you can get spare parts
    • you can read and browse forums for users feedback
  • Locate the nearest repair service shop in your city who is able to fix that scooter's brand: you will have an intensive use of your scooter, hence there is high chance that you will need to repair it. Below are the most common issues:
    • Water infiltration: killing the battery or electronics
    • Controller becoming defect: most of the time under warranty but can happen often if you overload your scooter (weight, high slopes)
    • Replace tyres: if inflatable or when the tyre becomes slick (especially if you brake aggressively). Some types are very expensive to change, as we have to open completely the motor.
  • Choose an electric scooter with an IP certification: As you are using your scooter everyday, there is high chance that you will drive under the rain. If it is the case, look for an electric scooter which has an IP certification. This refers to: IP65 to IP67.
IP 65 and IP 66: Fully protected against dust. Protected against water jets from all directions with the lance. IP 67: Completely dustproof. Protected against temporary immersion up to 1 meter deep.
  • Avoid inflatable Tyres and opt for suspension: Nothing is more annoying than having a flat tyre when you are heading to work or an important meeting. Try to avoid this unfortunate situation by choosing a scooter with front and rear suspension. Especially, if your city is bumpy.
  • Setup a decent budget for autonomy, speed, safety and comfort: This will be explained later in this article.

About Intensive Users, our best suggestions will be:

Ninebot ES4

-Speed: 30km/h +Autonomy 40km +Max power: 800W -Weight : 14kg +Battery: 36V 10,4Ah
+Waterproof: IP54
+Suspension: Front & Rear

Ninebot G30 Max

-Speed: 25km/h +Autonomy 65km +Max power: 700W -Weight : 18kg
+Battery: 15,3 Ah 36V +Waterproof: IPX7
-Suspension:10 inch pneumatic tires.

E-TWOW GT 2020

+Speed : 45km/h +Autonomy : 40/45km +Max Power : 700W +Weight: - 11.3 kg +Battery : 48V (10,5 Ah) +Max load : 125kg -Waterproof: No

SPEEDWAY 4

+Speed : 45km/h +Autonomy : 85km +Max Power : 1600W -Weight : 24kg +Battery : 52V – 23.4Ah +Max Load : 120 kg +/-Suspension : Front & Rear + inflatable +Waterproof : IP54

1.2 Moderate user:

The moderate user is the one who will go to work, shop and get to activities but not every day. In other words, when the sun is shining! He has an alternative transport for rainy days: car, public transport or simply walking. Water resistance can drastically increase the price of your scooter. The range of escooters is wider if Water Resistance is not needed. Our best advice will be:
  • Choose a well-known electric scooter brand
  • Locate the nearest repair service shop in your city who is able to fix that scooter's brand
  • Avoid inflatable Tyres and opt for suspension
  • Setup a decent budget for autonomy, speed, safety and comfort

About Moderate Users, our best suggestions will be:

Ninebot ES2 :

-Speed: 25km/h +Autonomy 20km +Max power: 700W -Weight : 11,3kg +Battery: 36V 5,2Ah
+Waterproof: IP54
+Suspension: front & Rear

Micro Merlin

-Speed: 25km/h +Autonomy 25km +Max power: 500W -Weight : 10,8kg
+Battery: 7,8Ah 36V +Waterproof: No
-Suspension: front & rear

Speedway Mini 4 Pro :

+Speed: 40km/h +Autonomy: 45km +Max Power: 750W -Weight: 15kg +Battery: 48V 15,6Ah +Max Load: 120 kg -Waterproof: No -Suspension: inflatable tyres

Booster V Confort

+Speed : 30km/h +Autonomy : 40km +Max Power : 600W +Weight: - 10.8 kg +Battery : 36V 10,5 Ah +Max load : 100kg -Waterproof: No

1.3 Occasional user:

If you are using your scooter, mainly to get to your hobbies after work, pop to the shop, cruise around town, then you really have the biggest choice. Our best advice will be:
  • Choose a light weight scooter that is easy to carry
  • Check if the scooter is compact once folded (Is the handle foldable?)
  • Check the Distance/Autonomy you need: short distance vs City tripping and long distances
  • If you need to travel by plane, then click here to read our article: Only small batteries are authorized in airplanes. It is often better to hire a free floating scooter in the city: Lime, Bird,...
  • Don't underestimate your electric scooter and spend a bit more money ! You are going to use it more than you think and become a "Moderate user" sooner than you think.

About Occasional Users, our best suggestions will be:

Ninebot ES2 :

-Speed: 25km/h +Autonomy 20km +Max power: 700W -Weight : 11,3kg +Battery: 36V 5,2Ah
+Waterproof: IP54
+Suspension: front & Rear

E-TWOW Booster+

+Speed: 25km/h +Autonomy: 25km +Max Power: 500W -Weight: 10,8kg +Battery: 33V 6,5Ah +Max Load: 110 kg -Waterproof: No -Suspension: front & rear

eMicro Merlin

-Speed: 25km/h +Autonomy 25km +Max power: 500W -Weight : 10,8kg
+Battery: 7,8Ah 36V +Max Load: 110 kg +Waterproof: No
-Suspension: front & rear

E-TWOW Booster S

+Speed: 30km/h +Autonomy: 35km +Max Power: 600W -Weight: 10,8kg +Battery: 36V 8,5Ah +Max Load: 110 kg -Waterproof: No -Suspension: front & rear

2. Speed & Autonomy

Next comes the following decision : speed & autonomy. You should choose an electronic scooter that is robust enough to complete your daily distance in a comfortable way.

2.1 Speed

An electric scooter can go up to a range of 20-40 km/h for a majority of them and some can reach up to a crazy speed of 80km/h !! About Speed, our best advice will be:
  • 25km/h: You feel steady & safe. If you are a person that thrives on speed, you will quickly get bored.
  • 30km/h: This is a comfortable speed to drive mid and long-distances. It's a good balance of speed and safety.
  • Check your local regulations : Some countries are very strict about the maximum authorised speed (i.e France).
  • Max speed and power are often linked: If your scooter can only go up to 25km/h, things can get tricky. There is a high chance that riding up a hill and/or if you weigh more than 90kg that you will be disappointed and not reach the max speed of your scooter.
  • Check on Youtube if you can unleash the speed of the make you are buying: We know that these makes can be unbridled ( E-TWOW Booster S, Booster V, eMicro Merlin, Ninebot G30). Remember as well that an electric scooter can be unbridled for 2 reasons: respect local law regulations or guarrantee you a decent life length.

2.2 Autonomy

The more distance you have to ride, the better it would be to invest in an electric scooter with a good autonomy. Don't underestimate it, therefore it is essential to consider a good battery capacity. What is the battery capacity? Many people forget that a battery doesn't function like a fuel car's tank. Indeed, if you have 5L petrol left in your car, you can still drive 120km/h till the last drop. This is not the case with an electric scooter. If you have 10% battery left your electric scooter, you will have less power and less speed.
Battery's capacity refers to Ah or Wh on the technical sheet
  • Ah=Ampere*Hour
  • Wh= Watt*Hour and Wh equals Scooter's Voltage*Ah
For example: An E-TWOW BOOSTER V is 36V and 10.5Ah. So the Wh of the E-TWOW Booster V is:

36(V)*10,5(Ah)=378Wh

About Autonomy, our best advice will be:
  • Cheap scooters have cheap batteries, It's a fact : The battery is the most expensive part of your electric scooter.
  • Choose a scooter that has an autonomy equal to 2x your daily distance without recharging: For a comfortable drive, always drive with your battery charged to min. 50%
  • Battery capacity deteriorates with time and total distance travelled: Be aware of that and always aim for a more autonomy than needed.

3. The Weight

When buying an electric scooter you have to take into consideration:
  • Your own weight : <90kg or >90kg
  • Weight of your scooter : <15kg or >15kg
Our best advice will be:
  • 10kg to 15kg weighing scooter is a comfortable weight to carry: if you need to take it on the train or if you live on a floor without an elevator.
  • Make sure you can find a shoulder strap accessory for the model you are choosing: If you need to carry it. Pushing or rolling a folded scooter doesn't always work. i.e: stairs.
  • If you are 90kg or more:
    • pay more attention to the braking system
    • review all the specs at a lower value. Indeed technical characteristics are based on 75-80kg size built.

4. Safety !

Riding electric scooters is fun. Never forget that you drive most of the time between cars and that some electric scooters can drive very fast.

It is always recommended to wear a helmet for your own safety. Even a small crash can cause head trauma and this from 5km/h only. Also remember also that you are insignificant against cars.

Our best advice to drive safely an electric scooter:
  • Stay focused: Left, right, holes, tram rails, anticipate braking distance
  • A helmet is highly recommended: even a fall from 5 km/h can cause a head trauma.
  • Gloves are a must: you will use your hands to protect your head on a bad fall.
  • Be visible: get some additional lights and visible clothes, especially at night time.
    • rear light of your scooter is very low and sometimes can't be seen by car drivers.
    • some scooters have very basic front lights.
  • Have your hand or your foot always ready to brake
  • Always hold handlebars with both hands
  • If you have to make an emergency braking: Just before braking
    • Lower your body to avoid passing over the scooter
    • Stretch both arms, this will help you keep better control/direction while braking
  • Don't underestimate braking system: Especially if you like speed or if you weigh more than 90kg.
  • Check your tyres: slick? under-inflated?
  • Check your electric scooter screws: with time and vibration, screws get loose.
Thanks for reading this article, we hope this will help you make the perfect choice when buying your new electric scooter. Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter, in order to not miss out on our last deals and tips on electric scooters. If you enjoyed reading this article and want more, let us know by commenting below or sharing our page with your friends and other scooter lovers.

The TROTTISHOP.BE team

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