The 9 Best Budget Electric Scooters of 2023

If you think selecting a new phone from the sea of available options is hard, try finding a budget electric scooter. An increasing number of choices on the market means you need to be especially careful at the cheaper end. The world of affordable e scooters can be riddled with more misses than hits.

We’ve ridden and tested dozens of cheap electric scooters over the last few years to find out exactly how fast and how far they go, whether they’re fun to ride, and if they’re going to fall apart right out of the box – and this is our BEST best budget scooters list yet.

We’ve got high-quality scooters from some of your favorite brands that won’t take your whole paycheck but will come with a reliable warranty, some for less than $300. 

Let’s dive into the best budget electric scooters on the market:

Best for Teens + Students

Segway Ninebot E2/E2 Plus

$329

The Segway Ninebot E2 is an ideal entry-level scooter for young teens and high schoolers.
The E2 has a low top speed (13.5 mph max), and other safety features such as dual brakes (front electronic and rear drum), a bright headlight, large tail/brake light, and high-quality reflectors on the front, sides and rear of the scooter. 

The E2 Plus is a better buy for older teens and college students. The Plus has a top speed of 15.5 mph, perfect for zipping across campus or short commutes to a summer job.

Both scooters have wide handlebars and a generously sized deck coated in no-slip rubber grip, and they are lightweight, portable, built to last, and backed by one of the most reliable and well-known brands in the industry. 

Hollow rubber tires make for a maintenance-free ride, if maybe a little bumpier than you get with pneumatic tires. But there’s never any need to worry about checking tire pressure or getting stuck on the road with a flat, the biggest issue we see with e scooter repairs.

Read our full review of the Segway Ninebot E2

Best for a Smooth Ride

GOTRAX G3 Plus

$399

The GOTRAX G3 Plus has a little more power than the Segway Ninebot E2, and a smoother ride as well. Riders will appreciate the acceleration and hill-climbing ability – surpassed at this price only by the Hiboy S2.

The G3 Plus outdoes the competition, however, with 10-inch air-filled tires that cushion the ride considerably. 

The G3 Plus also rises above the rest with a tested top speed of 18.1 mph, visible on a large, colorful display. The scooter does come with a mandatory cruise control function that kicks on after 10 seconds and holds whatever speed you’re in. There is no way to turn this feature off. 

For just under $400, you won’t get an app or zero start function (you have to kick the scooter to start the motor), but you do get a tail/brake light, front regenerative and rear mechanical disc brakes, and a hook on the stem that latches it to the fender and doubles as a convenient bag hook.

Read our full review of the GOTRAX G3 Plus

Best All-Around Value

NIU KQi2 Pro

$419

The KQi2 Pro has a pair of 10-inch tubeless tires that absorb the majority of road vibrations for quite a comfortable ride. Paired with the scooter’s grip tape-covered deck, the 20.5-inch wide handlebars, the comfortable thumb throttle, and the cruise control, riders get the sort of ride feel experienced in the mid-range scooters category. 

NIU’s scooter is one of the best built we’ve encountered at this price point. We especially like taller and wider handlebars and solidly constructed frame that offers a wobble-free ride over most any kind of pavement. 

The scooter maxes out at 16.3 mph, a respectable top speed for the price, and its smooth thumb throttle takes it from 0-15 in 7.6 seconds. We got 15.7 miles from a single charge of the KQi2 Pro’s 365Wh battery, and NIU offers a 2-year warranty on all major parts – the longest we’ve seen on any electric scooter.

Read our full review of the NIU KQi2 Pro

Best Performance + Xiaomi M365 Clone

Hiboy S2

$299

The Xiaomi Mi M365 was once the most popular electric scooter on the planet. It has since been superseded by a slew of other models, and it’s no longer for sale in North America.  

Out of the many Xiaomi clones that emerged on the market, we like the Hiboy S2 best for speed, value, and portability.

The Hiboy S2 is the fastest budget electric scooter you can buy, with a certified 19 mph maximum speed. This is quite a feat, especially given its light weight of 31.9 lbs, the second lightest electric scooter on this list. 

The acceleration is also impressive at 6.2 seconds to 15 mph from a standing start. The hill climb on the Hiboy S2 is one of the best in its price class, reaching the top of our 10% 200 ft grade test in 7.1 seconds. 

Solid, honeycombed tires make for a bumpy ride, but for the price, it’s worth enduring a little turbulence on paved roads. Just don’t hit any potholes or try off-roading and you’ll be fine.

Read our full review of the Hiboy S2

Best for Long Range on a Budget

TurboAnt X7 Max

$449

The Turboant X7 Max went 18 miles on a single charge, but with its swappable 360Wh battery, you can potentially double that number.

The X7 Max hits a top speed of 18.6 mph, relatively fast for its price class, and the ride is comfortable thanks to its 20.5 inch long deck, high clearance, and 10 inch pneumatic tires (with a cheaper option for no-maintenance solid tires).

Taller riders will appreciate handlebars that sit 41 inches above the deck, although they are a bit narrow at 16.5 inches. Although the scooter has a 275 lb rider weight capacity, its 350 watt, front-mounted motor struggles with larger riders on hills.

For those who live in relatively flat terrain, the X7 Max is a great buy, especially with a fairly lightweight spare battery (around $220) on board.

Read our full review of the TurboAnt X7 Max

Best for City Riding + Accessibility

Unagi Voyager

$69/mo

Unagi’s Model One Classic once ruled this category, with its low weight, dual motors, and ultra-sleek looks. Now, there are two: the Model One Voyager fixes a couple of the original’s flaws, giving riders twice the range and more power and efficiency thanks to energy dense, LG-branded 21700 battery cells in a 36 volt (up from 24V) package.

The Voyager also comes with bluetooth connectivity and an app that lets you tune the scooter’s settings, track your ride stats, and remote lock/unlock the scooter. But both versions of the Model One are renowned for their portability, hill climbing, and the fact that they can sneak in where other scooters can’t because of agility and small size.

We don’t love the sometimes rough ride due to Unagi’s choice of vented solid tires, but these are part of the company’s commitment to a maintenance-free ride, with no checking tire pressure, carrying a pump around, or worrying about flats.

Unagi is also the only company to offer their electric scooters by subscription, for a low one-time setup fee and low monthly fee with no contract.

Read our full review of the Unagi Model One Voyager

Best Seated Under $500

GOTRAX Flex

$399

As much as we love standing electric scooters, sometimes it’s nice to ride sitting down, especially when running errands and carrying things.

The Flex is nimble and easy to ride. Relatively light at 47.6 lbs, it folds down to fit neatly in your office or apartment. GOTRAX positions the Flex as a commuter scooter which makes sense given its 14-inch pneumatic tires, padded seat, rear suspension, seat springs, and ultra-smooth twist throttle.

And for your groceries, the Flex has a basket that carries up to 50 lbs.

The top speed is impressive, averaging 16.1 mph. Even with a bigger rider, the Flex still did 15.1 mph, and we should mention that it is rated for up to 264 lbs capacity. As for range, we averaged 13.5 miles on our course.

The drum brakes are super easy for new riders to use but do require a firm squeeze to get maximum braking. Even the kickstand is easy to deploy once you’re parked, in theme with the Flex’s easy breezy design.

Read our full review of the GOTRAX Flex

Best for Heavy Riders + Hills

EMOVE Touring

$799

The EMOVE Touring is not exactly an affordable electric scooter at $799. However, it gets a spot as it is the Best Value Scooter for Heavier Riders. The e-scooter has a rider weight capacity of 308 lbs. That’s higher than any of the scooters on this list and ranks pretty high overall among our tested scooters.

Other features like an ultra-long deck, high ground clearance, tall handlebars, and front and rear suspension adequately meet heavier riders’ requirements.

The Touring has a torquey motor that conquered our 10%, 200 ft hill test in just 12.4 seconds, almost half the time it took the Turboant X7 Max to reach the top. The acceleration from a standing start is also impressive, with a 3.9-second sprint to 15 mph.

You get a big 624Wh LG battery, and the top speed of 21.5 is just more icing on the cake.

Read our full review of the EMOVE Touring

Best Ride Quality Upgrade

Apollo Air 2023

$999

We include the Apollo Air for anyone who might have some more wiggle room in their budget. This scooter manages something most can’t: it’s lightweight, has good range, and has excellent ride quality.

The 38 lbs Air is the perfect intermediate electric scooter, blending performance and ride quality without breaking the bank. The scooter covered 19.5 miles on our challenging range test course while hitting a max speed of 19.9 mph.

The Air has a smooth ride feel from the front suspension, and 10-inch tubeless tires. You also get super wide handlebars, lots of deck space, and cruise control to occasionally let your hands off the thumb throttle. The IP66 rating should also ease anxieties about riding in the rain.

The Air connects with Apollo’s leading app and the 2023 upgrade integrates features from the new Apollo Pro, like handlebar-end turn signals and embedded IoT.

It’s a splurge, for sure, compared to some of the lower-priced scooters on this list, but it’s also a premium scooter that costs hundreds less than others with similar features.

Read our full review of the Apollo Air 2023

What to Look for in the Best Budget Electric Scooters

This should go without saying, but you should get as much for your money as possible. However, at the entry level compromises must be made.

That said, the best budget electric scooters shouldn’t be bare bones. You can expect the majority not to have sophisticated braking and suspension systems, advanced displays, industry-leading lights, etc.

But the best budget electric scooters should be fun, reliable, and safe.

Here’s what to look for at the budget end.

Brand

The electric scooter market is currently flooded with white label products. You want a scooter from a brand with tested reliability and good warranties, a brand that’s been around for while, promising a supply of replacement parts.

No-brand scooters, like many we see on Amazon, can seem like a good bargain due to low prices, until the scooter breaks down and there’s no one to address your problems, sell you parts, or honor a warranty.

Performance

Budget dictates performance, but the electric scooters we recommend really push the needle on performance and value.

Whether that’s excelling on our hill climb test, making round commutes without needing a charge, keeping pace in the bike lane, or even briefly merging with traffic.

Ride Quality

Brands don’t spend as much on making budget electric scooters, which sometimes means a stiff ride on any terrain outside of well-maintained city roads.

If your commute involves bumps, potholes, or rocky trails, prioritize a scooter with pneumatic tires and a suspension system (however basic) over solid tires and no suspension.

Safety

Basic safety is the bare minimum on any vehicle; the same goes for electric scooters, even budget ones. At the least, ensure the scooter has safety features like reliable brakes, lights for dim-lighting situations, a predictable throttle, and a horn or bell to alert other road users.

If it is IP rated, has a keyed start, or an internal locking mechanism, we’ll take those as a bonus.

What You Order Vs. What You Get

In the era of online shopping, this is one we can’t get away from. Unlike cars or clothes, you don’t get to try out a lot of electric scooters before buying them. But that’s where we come in. We know you can’t possibly try every good scooter out there, so we do it for you.

We give our recommendations based on the most stringent hands-on testing in the industry, and we’ve tested more electric scooters than anyone.

We’ve invested time to bring you comprehensive reviews for every scooter worth your time, so you know exactly what you’re getting when you go looking for the best budget electric scooters on the market.