Best Electric Scooters Under $1600

Results: Best Under $1600 Scooter Finalists

To crown the best electric scooter under $1600, we began with a field of 22 electric scooters. Using simple criteria, we honed in on a handful of scooters that we acquired and subjected to hands-on review. 

From these scooters, we pulled the most promising four: the Boosted Rev, EMOVE Cruiser, Kaabo Mantis, and the Zero 8X to compete as the Best Electric Scooter Under $1600.

We scored each scooter in terms of performance, ride, portability, and quality. Our results from the finalists are shown below.    

	Boosted Rev	EMOVE Cruiser	Kaabo Mantis	Zero 8X
Our Ratings
Performance	4th	3rd	1st	2nd
Portability	1st	4th	3rd	2nd
Ride	4th	2nd	1st	3rd
Quality	1st	2nd	3rd (tie)	3rd (tie)
Specs.
Retail
Weight	46 lb	55 lb	62 lb	73 lb
Max Wt.	250 lb	352 lb	265 lb	265 lb
Brakes	Regen+ Foot+ Disc	Disc+ Disc	Disc+ Disc	Disc+ Disc
Motor	1500 W	600 W	2000 W	1600 W
Battery	370 Wh	1560 Wh	1050 Wh	936 Wh
IP Rating	IP67	IP67	None	None
Warranty	12 mo	12 mo	6 mo	6 mo

Performance

The Kaabo Mantis smashed the performance tests — it had the highest top speed, tied for best acceleration and braking distance, and placed second for both range and hill climb.

Both the Mantis and Zero 8X (above) feel very fast, with the 8X having more low-end acceleration, whereas the Mantis finds its stride at higher speeds. Both e-scooters log equal 15 mph braking distances, though the Mantis bests the 8X in terms of range.

The Cruiser and Rev — both which have respectable performance — brought up the rear when facing the Mantis and 8X beast scooters.

The Cruiser (above) was king of tested real-world range, which was nearly double that of the others. The Boosted, which has decent acceleration, topped out at a relatively low 24 mph — making it not competitive.

Electric Scooter Guide Performance Tests Results

	Boosted Rev	EMOVE Cruiser	Kaabo Mantis	Zero 8X
Top Speed	24 mph	26.2 mph	37 mph	31 mph
Range	10.3 mi	50.3 mi	29.1 mi	21.3 mi
Hill climb	10 s	12.1 s	9.2 s	9.4 s
0-15 mph	2.7 s	3.4 s	2.5 s	2.1 s
0-20 mph	4.5 s	5.8 s	3.9 s	3.6 s
0-25 mph		11 s	5.2 s	5.5 s
0-30 mph			7.7 s	7.8 s
Braking	17.6 ft	11.4 ft	11.1 ft	11.1 ft

Ride Quality

The Mantis had the best ride quality of the bunch, thanks to its plush suspension, large deck, and pneumatic tires. It has an adjustable front and rear spring suspension that rivals that of the Zero 10X — our all-time favorite. The Mantis does very well even on the roughest of roads — critical for keeping you comfortable and preventing you from getting bounced off the scooter at speed.

The EMOVE Cruiser took second, thanks to its plush suspension, massive deck, and large pneumatic tires. For ride quality — especially on longer rides — standing space is a huge factor. The Cruiser is capable of doing more than 50 miles on a single charge; the suspension is critical for keeping you comfortable during these long rides. It’s soft enough to soak up unpleasant bumps and vibrations, but not so soft that it makes the scooter unstable.

The 8X has a good suspension, but the smaller solid (airless tires) transmit a lot more of the road vibrations to your body.

The Boosted Rev is the only scooter that has no suspension — instead, it relies on pneumatic tires to smooth rough terrain. This helps to save on weight but results in it having the worst quality of the group. While superbly smooth on nice roads, the Boosted performed poorly on rough ones. For these reasons, it trailed behind the others for ride quality.

Portability

The Rev took its first win for having the best portability. Its 46 lb weight — the lightest of the bunch — was the biggest deciding factor. In this group, the Rev has the best portability, but it certainly could use some improvement. The handlebars, which don’t fold, stick out quite far — making the scooter challenging to bring on crowded public transportation.

The other scooters weigh between 55 and 73 lbs, making them very difficult to carry or lift for even short distances.

The EMOVE Cruiser takes second place for portability. Though its weight makes it difficult to lift and carry, it has a quick folding mechanism and folding handlebars.

The Zero 8X (above) and Mantis tie for last place. Though the 73-lb 8X is the heaviest scooter, it’s also the most compact when folded. The 8X’s stem doesn’t lock in the folded configuration, making maneuvering it more difficult. On the other hand, the Mantis is lighter, but significantly larger when folded.

	Boosted Rev	EMOVE Cruiser	Kaabo Mantis	Zero 8X
Weight	46 lb	55 lb	62 lb	73 lb
Folded Length	44 in	48 in	49 in	44 in
Folded Width	24 in	10 in	24 in	14 in
Folded Height	20 in	16 in	19 in	17 in

Build Quality

The Rev is, hands-down, the highest quality scooter of the bunch and likely the highest quality electric scooter period. The design and build quality are incredible. Like the Xiaomi and Segway electric scooter lines, the Rev is mass-produced under tight quality-control conditions; unlike these scooters, the parts and materials are significantly better. The result is a scooter with impeccable fit-and-finish that is the closest to “transportation-quality” that we’ve seen. The Rev also has an IP67 water-resistance rating, meaning that it can tolerate full submersion for brief periods.

The remaining scooters don’t have the incredible fit-and-finish of the Rev but are quality products nonetheless. However, all of them are manufactured hands-on on a smaller scale, with what we surmise is less rigorous quality control. When you pull your scooter out of the box, you may have to make some adjustments. There may be silly mistakes like an accessory wasn’t attached correctly –typically nothing critical; the scooter may have gotten dinged up during shipping due to inadequate packaging.

Th EMOVE Cruiser takes the second spot for quality. Like the Rev, it has an IP67 water resistance rating; it also has the highest weight capacity in this group of scooters — a hefty 352 lbs. All the moving mechanisms on this scooter feel precise, and there is no play in the folding mechanisms.

Neither the Mantis nor the Zero 8X has an official IP rating — though they should tolerate some very light water exposure. Like the others, these scooters have hefty build quality but are a bit rougher around the edges. Both scooters had somewhat creaky suspension and stem out-of-the-box; this can be resolved with a bit of silicone oil. They also have louder motors — especially at lower speeds — which quiet at higher speeds.

Finally, it’s worth mentioning that the Mantis has had a handful of reports of the massive 10 mm stem bolt failing in time. One retailer we spoke to said that there had been roughly 10 cases WorldWide. Many retailers have begun to preemptively install heftier bolts to prevent this from happening in the future.

Boosted Rev

The Boosted Rev is a high-quality and very premium electric scooter — in a quality class all its own. We think the Rev is great for someone who wants a well-designed, quality, and fast scooter but doesn’t need a ridiculous range. The Rev has received a lot of criticism online for its price and range — we think if you try this scooter, you’ll get why its different and what market segment it targets.

Zero 8X

The Zero 8X distinguishes itself from this crowd with its airless, flat-free tires, ridiculously compact folded size, and potent low-end acceleration. We’ve actually heard of people using these as their daily commuter — bringing them on to commuter trains — despite their hefty weight.

Full Methodology For Selecting Best Electric Scooter Under $1600

For this list, we selected the following criteria:

Evaluating the Finalists

We evaluated the finalists in four areas: performance, ride, portability, and quality.

1. Performance. Performance basically describes fast the scooter goes, how far it goes, and how quickly it accelerates and stops. Factors affecting this are brake type, motor power, controller power, and battery capacity. All scooters are tested under the same conditions with a 165 lb rider. We use high-precision Racelogic GPS unit — the same type used for performance car testing. We use this type of unit because cell phone-based performance logging is unreliable for many of these tests. For performance, we consider:
   1. Acceleration time (0 to 15 mph)
   2. Top speed
   3. Range (100% to 0% charge)
   4. Stopping distance from 15 mph
2. Ride. Ride or ride quality basically describes the feeling and stability of the scooter on a variety of terrain. Some scooters have a great ride on smooth roads but are punishing on poor ones. Features that affect ride quality are tire type and size, the geometry of the scooter, and the presence or lack of suspension. To test ride quality, we typically ride the scooter for several weeks and for around 100 miles. We test the scooter on the following types of terrain/conditions:
   1. Roads in good/bad repair
   2. Dirt trails
   3. Riding over grass
   4. Up and downhill
   5. Wet and dry conditions
3. Portability. Portability describes how easy a scooter is to carry, store, and bring onto public transportation. Some things that affect portability are weight, folded dimensions, and folding mechanism. We specifically rate portability, based on:
   1. Weight
   2. Folded dimensions
   3. Folding ease and speed
   4. Carrying ease
4. Quality. Quality encompasses how well the scooter was designed and assembled. We also consider warranty duration and post-purchase support data, if known. Some scooters need a full tune-up as soon as you take them out of the box, while others are ready to ride. To rate quality, we consider the following factors:
   1. Fit and finish
   2. Quality of components
   3. How solid the scooter feels
   4. Noise or rattling parts
   5. Drop test, repeated three times