ANYHILL UM-2 Review – We Discovered a GREAT New Scooter

ANYHILL UM-2

$899

This is the ANYHILL UM-2, a brand new flagship scooter and company that’s ready to go toe-to-toe with the Ninebot Max and has an unusual feature set that’s worth checking out, especially if you’re a larger rider.

Technical Specifications

Tested top speed: 17.9 mph*
Tested range: 17.0 mi*
Weight: 45 lb*
Max rider weight: 300 lb
Water resistance: IP54

Highlights

Ultra-Light Removable Battery
Best-in-Class Braking
High Rider Weight Limit
Ultra-Stable (Confidence-Inspiring Ride)
A Few Pounds Heavier Than Comparable Scooters
Display Could be Brighter
Stem Shape Not Ideal for Carrying
Check price and availability for the ANYHILL UM-2 in your country.

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Summary

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Our Take: The ANYHILL UM-2

Usually, when a new brand launches, they’ll stick pretty close to the status quo. So it’s fun to see a new company step up and completely go their own direction with five unusual build features in one scooter. Let’s check out the new stuff. 

Best Alternatives and Competitors

Segway Ninebot Max G30LP vs ANYHILL UM-2

Proven reliability, but lower maximum rider weight and missing a number of features that we love on the ANYHILL UM-2

Apollo Air Pro vs ANYHILL UM-2

Smoother ride due to front suspension, but slower hill climber.

NIU KQi2 Pro vs ANYHILL UM-2

More affordable and a great high-mounted headlight, but the KQi2 Pro also has less strength/heft to it.

EMOVE Touring vs ANYHILL UM-2

Higher top speed, and smoother ride, but much longer stopping distance.

Comparison scooters section  

Model Top Speed** Range** Weight** Price
EMOVE Touring 21.5 mph 18.7 mi 40 lb $899
ANYHILL UM-2 17.9 mph 17.0 mi 45 lb $899
Segway Ninebot Max 18.4 mph 21.6 mi 43 lb $899
Apollo Air Pro 18.8 mph 17.7 mi 37 lb $799

ANYHILL UM-2 Review

Performance Summary

Acceleration (0 to 15 mph)5.9 seconds
Top speed17.9 mph
Braking distance (15 to 0 mph)10.7 feet
Range17.0 miles
Hill climb18.2 seconds

Acceleration

Acceleration is very smooth but also slightly faster than every one of its peers, arriving at 15 miles per hour in just 5.9 seconds.

Hill Climb

Being named ANYHILL, it was good to see that the hill climb performance was on point – with 7.5 mph up our 10% grade test hill, a fairly average value.

Top Speed

Anyhill-Um-2-Top-Speed-Jump

The UM-2’s ESG certified top speed is 17.9 miles per hour :about the same as the Ninebot Max.

Range

On our range test, the UM-2 covered exactly 17 miles in Sport mode, which is also typical. 

However, when the scooter finally shut down, I didn’t do the typical long push back to the office because I brought a spare battery.

At only 5 pounds, it was barely noticeable in my backpack. So it wouldn’t be hard at all to carry two, which would stretch the actual, rideable range in Sport Mode to over 50 miles.

Braking

The unique braking system of the UM-2 lets anyone stop like an expert and beats absolutely every scooter in its class, including the former champion Ninebot Max. It even tied the  Dualtron Storm, a scooter that costs four times more. Best of all, the UM-2 delivers maximum braking power without worrying about going over the handlebars. 

Anyhill-Cockpit-Shot-Showing-Both-Braking-Options

Ride Quality

Part of what makes the UM-2 so fun to ride is that it’s a very confidence-inspiring scooter. This comes from little things like the grippy rubber deck and soft, spiral-patterned grips. And bigger things, like 10-inch tubeless air-filled tires to soak up the bumps. But the biggest factor is the overall stability. Riding the UM-2, you can feel free to take a long look over your shoulder or take a hand off the bars to scratch your nose without worrying about going into a wobble. 

If you’re a new rider, stability makes it easy to learn.

If you’re an experienced rider, stability gives you the freedom to do dumb stuff like this,

or pull a U-Turn while holding the scooter at full throttle. 

Anyhill UM-2 Features

Removable Battery

It weighs just 5 pounds, thanks to high-performance LG 21700 battery cells, a first for a sub $1,000 scooter. It swaps out super fast and comes with an ultra-high IPX6 water resistance rating. 

It also has a charge port right on the pack, so you can charge the battery at your desk.  

Dual Brakes

The left handlebar has a regen brake lever that gives you strong, skid-proof braking at the rear wheel, and the right-side lever controls the front drum brake. They’re completely independent, so I used 100% regen for normal riding and both brakes when I needed to make a hard stop.

Anyhill-Regen-Lever

Kickstand

We’ve tested about 100 scooters, but this is the first one with a center stand. I wasn’t sure I’d like it. But it works just like a kickstand, except better. It also comes in handy when you air up tires.

Anyhill-UM-2-Kickstand

Fold Mechanism

I love the look and the solid feel of the unusual folding mechanism. Though, like many scooters, you need to nudge the stem forward as you pull the latch to make it easy to release. 

Max Rider Weight

The fifth unusual feature is the maximum rider weight. It’s almost unheard of at this price point to find a scooter rated for . Ramier our resident big dawg gave it the big dawg approval. Stating this was the first scooter in this class where the performance didn’t let off because of his weight.

There’s also an app that lets you lock the scooter, control the headlight, and give detailed stats about the scooter itself. 

Build Quality

Overall, build quality is excellent, and you can see examples everywhere, right down to the way the scooter covers the stem fasteners.

The color dashboard is also original and looks cool, though we wish it were a little brighter. It gives you three riding modes; cruise control, and a headlight indicator.

There’s also an app that lets you lock the scooter, control the headlight and gives detailed stats about the scooter itself. 

The UM-2 has the lightest removable battery we’ve ever seen. 

It doesn’t have a zero-start function, so you’ll always need to kick to get it going. ANYHILL probably omitted zero-start to prevent new riders from getting caught off guard.

The scooter comes with a pretty standard IP54 water resistance rating, and the fender protection is good, but gets even better if you install the included license plate holder. The rear fender has the look of a stomp-brake, but it’s not, it’s just a really strong fender.

Portability

At 45 lbs, with non-folding handlebars, portability is good. The stem is easy to fold and looks great; however, the shape of the stem with the flat back hurts the ergonomics for carrying. The UM-2 is also about 5 pounds heavier than its peers, but you can make it 5 pounds lighter by popping out the battery.

Safety

The UM-2’s ultra-stable ride and awesome brakes earn it an A for safety. If it had lights mounted up high for nighttime visibility, we would’ve given it an A+

Blow-By-Anyhill-UM-2-Fast-Rider

Anyhill UM-2: Review Conclusions

Check price and availability for the ANYHILL UM-2 in your country.

Our content is independent, but buying through our links may earn us a commission.

In a world full of copycat scooters, finding so many original features in the ANYHILL UM-2 was a welcome surprise. While we wish it were 5 pounds lighter, we love that the UM-2 backs up its good looks with solid performance and outstanding ride quality. If you’re in the market for a commuter like the Ninebot Max, you should definitely add the ANYHILL UM-2 to your list.

Anyhill UM-2: Technical Specifications

MakeANYHILL
ModelUM-2
Weight44 lb
Folded dimensions47 by 18 by 15 in
Motor power, continuous450 W
Top speed19 mph
Range26 mi
Battery capacity360 Wh
Battery recharge time5 hrs
Max rider weight300 lb
Brake typeDrum + Regenerative
Tire type10.0 in Pneumatic (Tubeless) + Pneumatic (Tubeless)
Built-in lightsFront + Rear
Water resistanceIP54

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About the Author

Paul Somerville - head shot

Paul

With a background in applied physics, Paul is ESG’s Hardware Program Manager and a former motorcycle roadracing champion and manager of scooter repair workhouses for Lime and Skip; Paul has spent more of his life riding (and working) on two wheels than four.

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