Buyer’s Guide: Electric Scooter Guide

Helping You Find the Perfect Scooter

Electric scooters are taking off as a way to get around inexpensively and environmentally responsibly. And, they can be a blast to ride. While some city riders, in non-pandemic times, might borrow a scooter from a fleet, such as Lime, many people want their own. But how can you know what’s available and what best suits your needs? That’s where the Electric Scooter Guide (ESG) comes in.

The Electric Scooter Guide provides electric scooter news, industry insights, safety information, in-depth reviews and exhaustive data. It was founded at the beginning of 2019 by Chuck Temple and Justin Klein with the mission to “help people find the perfect scooter.” They also put out regular YouTube videos to complement the substantial and regularly updated online content.

The website’s design is clean and functional. The home page offers four quick links to essential content; I’ll elaborate on them in detail below.

• Best Electric Scooters of 2020
• Beginner’s Guide to Buying an Electric Scooter
• Hand’s-On Electric Scooter Reviews
• A teaser for their ESG LIVE scooter chat live show 

Best Electric Scooters of 2020

This long section is filled with charts, tables and images, and starts with ratings by more than 750 owners.

It’s arranged by price range, after which ESG presents their top 12 picks, from 12 to 1. Each scooter gets a hero shot image, a link to written and video reviews, and pros and cons. These guys give you all the data, not just an impression.

Beginners Guide to Buying an Electric Scooter

A beginner is looking for more guidance, so this section is geared to walking the reader through a step at a time. It covers price, features, components, distributors, maintenance, and shopping tools.

Scooters are broken into three categories: Budget, Commuter, and High Performance. Budget scooters are priced under $300 and are meant for “minimal or light recreational use.” Commuter scooters are intended for daily use, so are more durable than the Budget ones. They offer more features, and the best ones have suspensions and other premium features. The guide subdivides Commuter scooters into three subcategories: Budget ($300-600), Midrange ($600-900), and Premium ($600-1,200).

The Performance scooters ($1,200-1,600) offer faster speeds and longer ranges, which you would expect for a much larger cash outlay. Upgrades include tubeless tires, semi-hydraulic brakes, powerful lights, and turn signals. Extreme Performance scooters ($2,500+) are the highest performing scooters, but tend to be heavy (more than 70 pounds)–and with their fat tires are best for off-roading.  A prime example is the Wolf CT1 Warrior 11, which can zoom up to more than 40 miles per hour—much faster than the bargain units.

Features are discussed at length. After walking through the levels, the guide discusses features, which further helps the reader figure out which scooter will work for them. It starts with price, referring back to the previous section. Next is another crucial number, range—how far it’ll go on a charge. Then, they discuss weight, which can be a factor in how it handles but really matters if you plan to carry the scooter. Top speed is useful to know. Most riders are OK going 15-18 mph on the street, but if you have the aforementioned Wolf Warrior 11, you’ll be flying. Max weight is the limit the scooter will carry. For most scooters, it’s 220 pounds. Motor power makes a difference in your riding experience. It starts at 200 watts and runs to 500 watts or more. The Guide recommends at least 250 watts for commuting. Suspensions, as in cars, makes riding much more comfortable, and the guide advises getting a scooter with one if you plan to commute longer distances or drive over rough terrain. Lighting is crucial if you plan to drive at night, and it varies from scooter to scooter, although there is minimally a white light up front and a red one in back. Brakes, of course, are essential. There are four types, from electric and regenerative (the weakest) to manual foot brakes to drum brakes, and at the top, disc brakes. As in cars, disc brakes stop better, but tend to be on the more expensive scooters. Tires—also essential—are either pneumatic (air-filled) or airless. The latter are solid and much less comfortable, although they require virtually no maintenance. There is something called an IP Rating (ingress protection), which rates how water-resistant the scooter is. This would be important for protecting the parts from damage. IP Ratings go from x0 (no protection) to X7+ (can be fully submerged). If you plan to ride in the rain, you need at least IPx4.   

Distributors are the places you buy the electric scooters. ESG lists three types: Domestic (shops or online), direct from China, or a crowd-funded campaign. They recommend buying domestically. Shipping from China is cheaper, if unreliable, and crowd-funded campaigns are exciting, but more of an investment opportunity (be prepared to lose your money and wait a year or more for a scooter).

Maintenance – It’s important to consider how you’ll fix your scooter if it breaks. You should expect any scooter to require some maintenance. Some companies don’t offer replacement parts, so you may have to learn how to fix it yourself. Preventative maintenance saves a lot of trouble, and the guide offers links to detailed maintenance information.

Hands-On Reviews

As you’ve seen already, the ESG is very detailed. The reviews are arranged by price categories, making it easy to compare products in the category you plan to shop in. There are more choices in the lower price categories, for example, 10 options in the $300-600 range, and unsurprisingly, just three in the $3,000 plus group. Each scooter, regardless of price, gets a thumbnail photo and a one-short-sentence description, with a link to the full review.

Once you click the link, you’ll get multiple photos, tech specs, highlights, and a summary, including a video and other scooters to consider.

Following the intro section is a thorough review, including performance tests, features, warranty/post-purchase support, and conclusions. They may even include comparisons with the previous version or a close competitor.

ESG explains their exhaustive five-step review process. It starts with the initial unboxing and assembly, which identifies possible issues. The assembled scooter is ridden for a week each by two team members to sort out the details. Then, they run performance testing for acceleration, braking distance, range, and hill climbing. Then, they get together as a group and produce written and video reviews. The final piece is long-term testing, which exposes any durability issues.

This section, frankly, looks more thorough than what major automotive buff magazines do—almost more like Consumer Reports. Excellent.

The YouTube Video Show

I tuned in to one of Chuck’s shows on YouTube. Professionally recorded, they feature Chuck’s folksy charm as he talks about the topic of the day.

Scooter Database

There’s even more to this sprawling site. ESG offers a constantly updated database that contains detailed information on every available scooter, based on manufacturers’ data. You can set a filter at the top for Metric (kilos) or Imperial (pounds), beginner or advanced, and “All” or “Curated.” I’m not sure what the difference between All and Curated is, but there is LOTS of content available.

Safety and Gear

Scooters are fun, but can be dangerous if not driven carefully. Even then, it’s best to be equipped with a good helmet and other crucial accessories. Currently, this tab on the home page contains seven valuable articles about keeping safe while you’re riding.

Coupon Codes

There are deals to be had, from discounts to free accessories. All of this is listed in one tab, but is also provided in the individual scooter reviews.

Summary

The Electric Scooter Guide is a compendium of expertly written reviews and carefully maintained content that should make it easy for anyone to figure out which scooter to buy for their needs and budget. Readers will also learn how to take care of their new scooter, and how to protect themselves while riding it. It’s a gateway for connection with fellow enthusiasts. The YouTube channel is fun for enthusiasts to enjoy this growing transportation phenomenon. And with a busy Facebook page and a Facebook Group with more than 5,000 members, the Electric Scooter Guide gives you everything you need for your electric two-wheeled commute or adventure.  

Story by Steve Schaefer; photos from ESG

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