We try to test electric scooters for two to three months, sometimes even longer. Not all of them are winners. That’s what you’ll find below — e-scooters that we generally like but not as many as our picks above. They all have one thing (or more) holding them back from taking the top spot above.
Apollo Air Pro for $699: Apollo Air Pro costs $799 but always sells for $699, so make sure you don’t pay more than that. For a while, I split my time between the Air Pro and the Segway F30 — I ended up gravitating toward the latter. Sure, the Apollo goes a bit faster than the Segway, but both last about 10 miles on a single charge. The Segway just feels more refined and believable overall. I say that in part because my time with the Apollo was cut short when the front tire went flat. The company sent me a replacement inner tube, but the screws were so tightly bolted to the wheel that the task was nearly impossible. I ended up taking it to a store.
Levy Plus for $749: My fellow WIRED reviewer, Adrienne So, tested a prototype of the Levy Plus in 2020 and liked the replaceable battery and reliable disc brakes but the whole thing was “horribly slow in hilly terrain”. It accelerates up to 18 mph and is rated as 5 to 10 percent inclined, so it’s best for flat roads. It’s one of the lighter e-scooters out there, weighing just 30 pounds.
Unagi Model One for $990: Unagi gives you only two ways to own your e-scooter: You can buy it now for $990, or subscribe to it for $49 per month. Its specs have been updated a bit since we last reviewed it, but good news — the company recently launched the Model Eleven on Indiegogo, is expected to ship this June. We’ll be testing it around that time, so we recommend keeping the Model One.
EcoReco L5+ for $849: This is the first electric car I have tried. It’s a bit older, but it’s still a solid upgrade. The suspension allows for a smooth ride, the tall body means easy access to the handlebars, and the wide legroom allows me to put two 13-foot cars side by side. You can fold it, but at 38 pounds, it’s not as portable as our top two picks. It can run a little over 22 mph and lasts me about 16 miles on a single charge. My biggest concern is that EcoReco doesn’t seem to be active on its social channels for the past year (and hasn’t responded to my emails).
Yadea KS5 Pro for $800: I liked it at first Yadea KS5 Pro. It has a top speed of 22 mph thanks to a 500 watt motor. It weighs 46 pounds, which is heavy but not close to other models like the Apollo Ghost. Unfortunately, the company’s coverage claims are completely inaccurate. This lasts for me about 10 or 12 miles on a single charge, no 37. App experience also very clumsy — the firmware refuses to update — and from time to time I’ve run into issues where the engine sometimes starts when stopped at a traffic light. Sorry.
