The Best Hill Climbing Electric Scooters Under $2000
Are electric scooters good at climbing hills? Some of them are, and some aren’t, and you can’t always tell by just looking at spec sheets. Some scooters with loads of power on paper fizzle out when they meet gravity, and others that have modest specs can attack steep inclines with surprising gusto.
In this, our first installment of the Best Electric Scooters for Climbing Hills, we survey the best hill climbing electric scooters in four categories: Best Lightweight; Best Under $600; Best Under $1,000; and Best Under $2,000.
These scooters are all tested on the same 10% grade, 200-ft hill, and we’ve put them to the test with two different-sized riders, Paul, who weighs 165 pounds, and Ramier, who weighs 235 pounds. We’ll show you the time it took to climb our test hill with each rider, and the difference in climbing time.
See our full Best Hill Climbers video comparison below.
We ride the best electric scooters, scientifically put them to the test, and share our results with you so you can make informed buying decisions.
So, without further delay, Let’s dive in to the Electric Scooter Guide picks for best hill climbing electric scooters.
Table of Contents
The Best Lightweight Hill Climbers: 165-lb Rider vs 235-lb Rider
Lightest Dual Motor Full Suspension Electric Scooter
Apollo Go | $1199 | 49 lbs
We think the Apollo Go looks and rides like a smaller version of Apollo’s flagship electric scooter, the Apollo Pro. It’s our top choice for the lightest dual motor electric scooter with full suspension.
The Apollo Go carried a 165-lb rider up our test hill in 11 seconds and a 235-lb rider in 14.5s. That’s a difference of only 3.5 seconds.
Top: The Best Hill Climbing Electric Scooters Under $2000
Fastest Ultra-Lightweight Hill Climbing Electric Scooter
UScooters GT Sport | $1099 | 29.6 lbs
The UScooters GT Sport is a single motor electric scooter with solid tires, but it has full suspension and it’s a surprisingly good hill climber for a 26.6 pound electric scooter.
This scooter carried a 165-lb rider up our test hill in 12.7s and a 235-lb rider in 19.3s, a difference of 6.6 seconds.
Top: The Best Hill Climbing Electric Scooters Under $2000
Lightest Dual Motor Hill Climber
Unagi Voyager | $79/mo | 30 lbs
Most people you see riding Unagis didn’t buy them. No, they didn’t steal them either – they subscribed for $79/mo to the lightest dual motor hill climbing electric scooter you can ride.
This scooter carried a 165-lb rider up our test hill in 13.0s and a 235-lb rider in 21.4s, a difference of 8.4 seconds.
Top: The Best Hill Climbing Electric Scooters Under $2000
Powerful Ultra-Lightweight Full Carbon Climber
NIU KQi Air X | $1399 | 25.8 lbs
The KQi Air X is the full carbon version of NIU’s KQi Air, which is already pretty much 95% carbon fiber (and only weighs 26.2 lbs).
This scooter carried a 165-lb rider up our test hill in 13.4s and a 235-lb rider in 21.6s, a difference of 8.2 seconds.
Top: The Best Hill Climbing Electric Scooters Under $2000The Best Hill Climbers Under $600: 165-lb Rider vs 235-lb Rider
Best Intermediate Dual-Motor Commuter
Hover 1 Journey Max | $599
We rode the Hover 1 Journey Max up the steepest hill in San Francisco. It made it, just barely, so its 700 Watts of dual motor power will carry you up any hill you come across: the price is nothing compared to its climbing ability.
This scooter carried a 165-lb rider up our test hill in 11.1s and a 235-lb rider in 14.4s, a difference of only 3.3 seconds.
Top: The Best Hill Climbing Electric Scooters Under $2000
Best Hill Climber for Reliability and Comfort
Okai Neon II | $649
Okai makes scooters for the big rental companies, so they’re experts at making vehicles that are easy to ride. We should mention up front, however, that Ramier, our 235-lb rider, exceeds the 220-lb weight limit of this scooter. It still made it up our test hill, but with a significant lag.
Note: the Okai Neon has been replaced by the Okai Neon II, which is $649, but still belongs in this category because it often goes on sale for under $600 and has supreme ride-ability for the low price.
This scooter carried a 165-lb rider up our test hill in 15.3s and a 235-lb rider in 29.6s, a difference of 14.3 seconds.
Top: The Best Hill Climbing Electric Scooters Under $2000
Least Expensive Hill Climber
Hiboy S2 | $299
The Hiboy S2 is as cheap as you can go and still get a reliable ride that’s actually pretty fast and fun. It’s got flat-proof honeycomb tires and rear suspension for some vibration damping. We had never hill tested this scooter before we made this video with a heavier rider, however.
We can recommend the Hiboy S2 as the most affordable hill climber you can buy, but only with the following caveat:
This scooter carried a 165-lb rider up our test hill in 19.8s but it FAILED to carry a 235-lb rider up our test hill! THIS IS NOT A SCOOTER FOR HEAVY RIDERS (See our updated post here for those recommendations).
Top: The Best Hill Climbing Electric Scooters Under $2000The Best Hill Climbers Under $1000: 165-lb Rider vs 235-lb Rider
Best Hill Climber for Off Road + Hills
GOTRAX GX1 | $999
The GOTRAX GX1, the company’s first dual motor electric scooter, is often on sale for $999. Although it’s currently going for $1,399 on their website, we think it’s well worth it to wait around a bit. We’re likely to see the lower price return, especially during holiday sales.
This scooter carried a 165-lb rider up our test hill in 9.2s and a 235-lb rider in 12.1s, a difference of only 2.9 seconds.
Top: The Best Hill Climbing Electric Scooters Under $2000
Insane Power from a Single Motor Scooter
VMAX VX2 Pro | $899
The VX2 Pro GT is a standout climber for its price and weight, beating out scooters that weight 10 pounds more.
This scooter carried a 165-lb rider up our test hill in 11.4s and a 235-lb rider in 14.7s, a difference of only 3.3 seconds.
Top: The Best Hill Climbing Electric Scooters Under $2000
Favorite for Heavy Riders + Light
EMOVE Touring | $799
The EMOVE Touring is an old favorite for heavy riders. It’s fast, an outstanding hill climber, and has low maintenance requirements. The 2024 version retains its older design, a plus for those who value a compact folding scooter.
This scooter carried a 165-lb rider up our test hill in 11.9s and a 235-lb rider in 20.9s, a difference of 9 seconds.
Top: The Best Hill Climbing Electric Scooters Under $2000The Best Hill Climbers Under $2000: 165-lb Rider vs 235-lb Rider
Fastest Hill Climber Under $2,000
Solar P1 Pro | $1,899
This is not only the fastest hill climber we’ve tested for less $2,000, but it also has the fastest top speed, an ESG-tested top speed of 50 mph on flat ground.
Top: The Best Hill Climbing Electric Scooters Under $2000
Best High-Performance Value
Kaabo Mantis V2 | $1,599
The Mantis V2, Fluid Edition, is designed to give you Kaabo Mantis performance at a minimum price, and it does that beautifully.
This scooter carried a 165-lb rider up our test hill in 7.7s and a 235-lb rider in 9.0s, a difference of 1.3 seconds.
Top: The Best Hill Climbing Electric Scooters Under $2000
Fastest Hill Climber Under $1,299
Solar P1 3.0 | $1,299
The P1 3.0 delivers extreme performance relative to its price, with an ESG-certified top speed of 41.4 mph.
This scooter carried a 165-lb rider up our test hill in 8.0s and a 235-lb rider in 9.7s, a difference of 1.7 seconds.
Top: The Best Hill Climbing Electric Scooters Under $2000Conclusion
Stay tuned for our next installment, the fastest hill climbing electric scooters, coming soon.
We’ll race our fastest electric scooters to the top of our test hill, and reveal at least one surprising contender for fastest hill climber of them all…..
