Cheap Electric Scooters for Adults - Things to Consider before Buying

• Read Time: 13 min

Cheap. The word in itself has a lot of connotations, doesn't it? In fact, it is probably used more in a negative context these days than as an indicator of good value for money. You are "cheap", or "that is so cheap". So in the world of consumption, it also has a meaning.

Cheap can sometimes basically mean crap, but it can also mean....good value for money. So what does the word really mean in the world of e-scooters? What constitutes a "cheap electric scooter"? Is it price only? Price vs performance? Or price vs longevity or a combination of them all? It is not easy to answer that question as you could get ten different answers asking ten different people.Cheap can sometimes basically mean crap, but it can also mean....good value for money. So what does the word really mean in the world of e-scooters? What constitutes a "cheap electric scooter"? Is it price only? Price vs performance? Or price vs longevity or a combination of them all? It is not easy to answer that question as you could get ten different answers asking ten different people.

Cheap Electric Scooters for Adults

So let's agree that the word cheap in this context does not necessarily mean shite. It can, but not always....as by default.

You might have tried a share ride or a friends e-scooter and are now thinking of maybe getting one yourself. But, you are not sure whether you will be completely sold on the idea and if a commuting scooter will work for you. So you might have browsed amazon and done some research on what we might call:

Entry level scooters, such as
- Xiaomi MI,
- Cityrider
- Glion Dolly
- Gotrax Gxl
- Segway Ninebot
- Razor E300
to name but a few..

Well you are not alone. After all, it is not uncommon to be a bit on the conservative side when buying your first car for instance. You don't go out and buy the top range of whatever your preferred choice is as your first car do you? But similar to when buying a car, a small increase in budget can be the difference between getting a lemon or hitting the jackpot. It might be worth investing a few bucks more as it will actually be more frugal and "cheaper" in the long run.

Hopefully we can give some tips on that and show how how much to spend on an electric scooter and make the best choice for your specific needs.

Cheap Electric Scooters for Adults

You might have noticed while researching https://fluidfreeride.com/collections/electric-scooters, that if you have a checklist of things it should have, such as:
Lithium Battery
Long Range Battery
Good Top Speed
Shock Absorbers
Pneumatic Tires
LED Lights
Disc Brakes
Smart Display

and it should be foldable and so on.....the price is in the higher regions for an electric scooter.

And you start shortening your checklist. And that's why you are now looking at the "cheaper" options. But there might be a way around forking out all the cash in one go. If you, for instance, have your eyes set on the brilliant WideWheel you can get one on finance. It might well be worth it in the long run at a relatively low monthly cost.

Cheap Electric Scooters for Adults

A common issue upon researching various adult scooters online, is the lack of complete information on the manufacturers website. Every scooter also sounds like the strongest, best quality, with high torque motor you can get your hands on. Well, what are they supposed to say? After all, they want to sell their products. Fortunately, there are a lot of youtube reviews (which also differ in quality between heaven & hell) that more accurately will give you the real expected battery life, if braking is as good as advertised, will it reach the acclaimed max speed, range (maybe the most important one) and charging time. Some of the reviews are after a year or so of usage, and that is brilliant as the real world wear & tear will be evident.

When it comes to range, obviously most electric scooter manufacturers make sure to produce a number that was achieved under the best possible circumstances. Same as with car manufacturers. Not one person on earth exists, that can get the same mileage from a car as claimed by the manufacturer. Since they test them in tailwind conditions, special frictionless tires, on a specially prepared smooth surface and with as low a weight as is possible. Well...it doesn't look like that for the average user around the streets of San Fransisco does it?

But some actually do deliver on promised long range, at least when the electric kick scooter is new.

The first thing to be aware of is the type of battery chosen, especially for a cheap electric scooter. In order to keep the price down, some manufacturers go with lead-acid batteries instead of lithium-ion batteries. Be aware that these batteries need more maintenance, are more susceptible to lose power quicker when temperatures drop and it gets colder, and....they have a shorter life cycle. You will need to replace them after a certain amount of charges. The cost of that needs to be factored in when you calculate your e-scooter budget. Lithium batteries last longer and are not as effected in these areas. Hence the difference in price.

Another complex part that requires good engineering is shock absorbers, which you will want to have if you are looking for a properly smooth ride. Pneumatic tires will help to some extent but you will have to stay on smooth surfaces, and any off road excursion will be a bitch. It is quite safe to say that, you can not expect a low end priced electric scooter to be able to withstand rough riding, or that exceeding it's rider weight limit won't cause eventual problems as well as poorer performance. It will. Top speed will suffer, range will suffer and it will start to feel a bit wonky here & there.

Cheap Electric Scooters for Adults

Maximum speed for adult electric scooters is climbing. I am not sure what I think of that actually. Impressed in one way, and scared to death in another. How fast does a person really need to go on what is basically a skateboard with a handlebar on an electric motor? To me, the biggest attraction of the electric scooter is not the high speed, it is as a commuter scooter mostly in urban areas, with speeds, kept inline with the rest of the traffic and rather using the scooters size to its advantage. I could choose an electric bike, but it does not serve the same purpose as an electric scooter and is not nearly as portable (and usually much more expensive).

Most "cheap" electric scooters are in the 250-300 watt range and top speed is a reasonable 15-20 mph ( 24-32 kph). Weight capacity is also limited. Stepping up to a 500-watt option will make a significant difference. If you live in a hillier area, where you have to ride some inclines, you will want to go for a 500 watter. Sure top speed will increase but the extra power and high torque will come in handy. And remember, weight is of utmost importance. If you are a big boy or gal, especially on an electric scooter, a dual motor option is probably what you should go for when looking for the best electric scooter for you.

Here is a video showing how much difference the rider weight can have on cheaper electric scooters that have the 250-300 watt motors - and why you might want to consider going for 500-1000w, especially as an adult male.

I think it's safe to say that cheap adult electric scooters are quite safe. Sure, there have been some reports of the cheaper scooters used by rideshare companies braking down and also braking while people were riding on them the last couple of years. But these faults have quickly been addressed by each manufacturer and regular updates make sure to improve the package and provide a high quality. If you ride in a safe normal way, and don't exceed the manufacturers recommendations most will hold up pretty good. A lot of them have led headlights and flashing taillights when braking as well as disc brakes. You will have plenty to choose from as far as safety level is concerned.

Here are some tips on how to stay safe on electric scooters: - Wear protection gear! - Do regular maintenance checks - nothing should be loose or wobbly. - Use electric scooters for the purpose they were built for, don't take your city scooter off roading. - Don't exceed the capacity of your scooter - like riding multiple people at once

Off road scooters are probably the safest ones which is also reflected in the pricetag. But they are built for the most dangerous type of riding and need to be strong and offer safety features such as anti-lock braking. They are extremely well built and draws on a lot of experience from off road motorcycles as far as frame, shock absorbers, and braking systems go.

Where and how you ride your e-scooter will be of utmost importance to keep it safe. If you choose a cheap commuter scooter that clearly was designed for smooth rides on paved surfaces, maybe without any suspension system, or pneumatic tires, and take it off-road and thrash it around, things will start to come loose and you are inviting metal fatigue on a ecosmart metro electric scooter that was not designed for anything but just that. Stay within the manufacturers recommendation and use your head then you probably will be fine.