Best Electric Scooters Under $900

Results: Best Under $900 Scooter Finalists

To crown the best electric scooters under $900, we began with a field of 40 e-scooters. We applied simple criteria to eliminate scooters that can’t hang and were left with ten scooters, which we subjected to hands-on testing and review. Based on our results, we selected the top three scooters: EMOVE Touring, Segway Ninegbot Max, TurboWheel Swift, to compete as finalists in the Best Under $900 category.

	Touring	Ninebot Max	Swift
Our Ratings
Performance	1st	3rd	2nd
Portability	1st	3rd	2nd
Ride	1st	Tie	Tie
Quality	Tie	1st	Tie
Specifications
Retail	$899	$799	$799
Weight	39 lb	42 lb	40 lb
Max Wt.	330 lb	220 lb	220 lb
Brakes	Regen + Drum	Regen + Drum	Regen + Drum(2)
Motor	500 W	350 W	500 W
Battery	756 Wh	551 Wh	614 Wh
IP Rating	None	IP54	None
Warranty	6 mo	12 mo	12 mo

Performance

The EMOVE Touring had the best overall performance — winning or placing second in every category.

The Touring had the fastest acceleration (to both 15 mph and 20 mph) and best hill climb time. It tied with the Swift for having the highest top speed of 24 mph.

The Ninebot Max was the slowest scooter of the bunch but made up for it with its 28.1 miles of real-world range.

Finally, the Swift (above) had the shortest braking distance from 15 mph — thanks to its dual drum brakes. The other scooters have redundant braking systems, but braking is only coming from a single wheel.

The Swift also did well in most other performance categories but did not win.

Electric Scooter Guide Performance Tests Results

	Touring	Ninebot Max	Swift
Top Speed	24 mph	19 mph	16.7 mph
Range	22.1 mi	28.1 mi	14.6 mi
Hill climb	13.2 s	16 s	20.8 s
0-15 mph	4.5 s	5.4 s	6.6 s
0-20 mph	7.2 s	–	9.1 s
Braking	16.6 ft	17.2 ft	13.8 ft

Ride Quality

The EMOVE Touring has the best overall ride due to its spacious deck and a quality front and rear suspension.

The Touring’s large deck gives 21.8-inches by 7.2-inches of standing space. This makes it comfortable for even riders with larger feet and permits a wide variety of riding positions. Additionally, there are no obstructions at the rear of the deck, allowing you to hang a foot off for even more room.

Despite having only a single pneumatic tire in front (with an airless tire in rear), the Touring has the best ride on all terrains. This is due to its excellent front and rear suspensions. The suspension is able

The Max (above) and the Swift tie for second, in terms of ride. Though the Max lacks a suspension, it has larger 10-inch tubeless pneumatic tires that cushion its ride. Larger tires are also better for rolling over obstacles and require less force to do so. Pneumatic tires also provide better traction in all road conditions, including rain, compared to airless tires. However, because the Max lacks a suspension, ride quality will suffer on poor roads.

Like the Touring, the Swift has a front and rear suspension, but the Touring’s is better.

Portability

The EMOVE Touring is the most portable scooter of the bunch.

	Touring	Ninebot Max	Swift
Weight	39 lb	42 lb	40 lb
Folded Length	37 in	46 in	36 in
Folded Width	7 in	18 in	7 in
Folded Height	10 in	21 in	14 in

Despite having the most spacious (and comfortable) deck, it folds down to the most compact size (or at least very close to that of the Swift). The Touring, coming in at 39 lbs, is also the lightest scooter.

The Ninebot Max (above) is the least portable scooter and heaviest scooter of the group (weight is 42 lbs). It also has the largest folded dimensions, due to lack of folding handlebars and a stem that is not telescoping.

Build Quality

The Ninebot Max is the clear winner in terms of quality, though it just edges out the competition.

Each scooter has notable quality features that distinguish it from the others.

The Max is the only scooter with an official IP (water-resistance) rating of IP54. It can be ridden in wet conditions without worry. The Max also has the most seamless design and best fit-and-finish. It manufactured on a massive scale and has better overall quality control, compared to others which are more hand-built on a smaller scale. Finally, the Max, along with the Swift, have a one-year warrant — the longest of the bunch.

The quality of the Swift (above) and Touring is close, with each having unique advantages. Both have similar fit-and-finish and quality that is more reflective of their smaller scale manufacture. Out of the box, expect to make minor adjustments to both.

The Touring stands out with its highest rider weight capacity of 330 lbs — significantly greater than the 220 lbs of the Max and Swift. The Touring has a respectable 6-month warranty but lags behind that of the Swift.

Full Methodology For Selecting Best Electric Scooter Under $900

We considered approximately forty electric scooters — all costing between $600 and $900. Next, we excluded any scooter that wasn’t available for purchase as of 2020. We applied simple criteria to narrow the choices down to just ten scooters handful of scooters that we subjected to full, in-depth, hands-on testing, and comparison.

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