The NIU KQi 100P – A Budget Bombshell With Suspension

When it comes to budget scooters under $350, the options for quality and reliability are limited. But if you stick with the big brands, you’ll be rewarded with scooters like the NIU KQi 100P, part of a new generation of scooters from the company.

NIU KQi 100P – $349

Be warned, anytime you’re shopping for a cheap electric scooter, you’re fishing in the danger zone. Because many of them just aren’t made for adults. They’re made for kids, or they feel like garbage to ride.

When you’re looking for scooters under $350, your best strategy is stick with the major brands and look for the longest warranties. When you do that, you’ll find that certain brands and scooters rise to the top. Like the NIU KQi 100P.

It’s one of NIU’s least expensive scooters in their new lineup, which includes scooters like the KQi 300P and KQi 300X. In fact, this is their least expensive scooter if you want suspension. It comes with 9.5 inch air-filled tires, a two-year warranty, and it’s one of the easiest electric scooters to ride.

We test its true top speed, see how far you can ride from 100% to empty in sport mode, see if it’s any fun, and test one of the biggest danger zones for cheap scooters: climbing hills.

Who Is This Scooter For?

Sure, it’s no frills, but it has all the features and performance you could expect for the price, and it’s got a two year warranty and comes from a company well-known for making great electric scooters, e-mopeds, ebikes, and e-motos.

If you want a reliable electric scooter with suspension great warranty coverage for less than $400, the NIU KQi 100P is for you.

NIU KQi 100P Specs

Full Video Review

NIU KQi 100P: Performance

Top Speed

I hit a top speed of 17.6 miles per hour on the NIU KQi 100P, just a smidgen over NIU’s spec, which is a very good sign. This is an efficient little scooter, and it beats two of its siblings for top speed, the KQi1 Pro and KQi2 Pro.

Acceleration

The NIU KQi 100P also beats its siblings when it comes to acceleration, with a time of 6.4 seconds to 15 mph, over the KQi1 Pro’s 7.9s and the KQi2 Pro’s 7.6s.

One thing that might give the KQi 100P a little bit of an edge is the rake angle of its stem.

The KQi 100P has one of the most leaned-back scooters we’ve ever seen. Your typical rake angle on an electric scooter is like 11, 12 degrees. 17 degrees means that this will feel super stable out on the road.

Range

Here’s where the low cost of the NIU KQi 100P really makes itself evident. I covered 11 miles on the KQI 100P. That’s 0.7 less than I rode on the KQI One Pro. But it makes sense. I was going one mile per hour faster and had a lot more power on tap.

In fact, I was expecting like 10 miles of range from this scooter, so I got one more than I expected. Real world range is not amazing, I have to say. The battery has 235 Watt hours, which is less than half the size of the Segway Ninebot Max G2. If you need more range, the KQi2 Pro goes a lot farther for not much more money, but it also doesn’t have suspension.

Braking

The KQi 100P uses a single brake lever on the left hand side, but it controls regenerative braking at the rear wheel and a drum brake at the front. It’s very easy to use and easy to control, and you can’t really get it wrong. There’s no way this is going to put you over the bars.

NIU is really good at making regen brakes, and this scooter has a variable regenerative brake. The harder you pull the lever, the more braking you get. Most regenerative brakes don’t work that way.

You’ve got a small drum brake up front for low maintenance mechanical stopping power. You might have to adjust a little to get the most out of the front brake, but that’s pretty much true of all mechanical braking systems.

Hill Climb

The KQi 100 P was much faster up the hill than the old KQi1 Pro. It made it up our challenging test hill in 22.2 seconds, versus 30.3 for the KQi1 Pro.

This was my biggest concern. What made me reluctant to recommend the KQi1 Pro was that you weren’t going to be able to climb every hill that you came across. You just don’t have that worry with the KQi 100P.

Ride Quality

NIU has gone tubeless with their scooters so far, so we were a little surprised to see 9.5-inch tubed tires on the KQi 100P, but they feel really nice. These tires really complement the suspension, which is pretty beefy and has some decent travel.

The deck, while a little plasticky, is nice and long, and I already mentioned the serious rake angle this thing has – 17 degrees. The handlebars can crowd the deck a little bit, but on the whole it’s easy to take a nice wide stance on this scooter and feel very much in control while cornering.

NIU KQi 100P: Design, Build & Reliability

Like all of NIU’s electric scooters, the KQi 100P rates very highly on our Reliability Index, with a score of 8.7, a number that averages 11 factors such as warranty length, tire type, UL certification, and battery manufacturer.

Here’s what I like about the KQi 100P – it’s not missing anything, and you won’t feel like you’re missing out when riding it. Although NIU recommends this scooter for riders 14 and up, this is clearly an electric scooter made for adults, and will suit larger adults with its upper weight limit of 265 pounds.

With most inexpensive scooters, you like it at first, then find one glaring flaw that keeps reminding you that you bought a cheap electric scooter. It’s can be frustrating. But I don’t get that from the KQi 100P.

NIU KQi 100P: Is It Worth It? Our Verdict

I’m not crazy about the battery size or the tubed tires on the NIU KQi 100P. Range anxiety and the risk of flats are two things that can make riding a budget scooter less than fun. But if you want more than this, you’ll need to spend a little more.

For the money, the KQi 100P is a great option. It’s really fun to ride, it’s very portable (and if you want folding handlebars, you can get the KQi 100F) and fits nicely in the corner of an apartment.

The KQi 100P – the cheapest electric scooter I’ve ever ridden with front suspension and air-filled tires – also has some of the best reliability for an electric scooter under $400. It may not be the sexiest feature, but knowing that the company you buy from stands behind their product should definitely be something you want.