Reviews

Varla Eagle One 3.0 – Top Class Range & Ride Quality

The Varla Eagle One 3.0 exists in a pretty crowded space for $2,000 performance scooters. But it’s got the goods: outstanding ride quality, long range, and competitive performance

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Varla Eagle One 3.0 – $1999

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Varla’s best-selling dual motor sports scooter has been upgraded yet again. It’s got a brand new big, bright, colorful display, a motor spec 20% more powerful than the version 2.0, a 25% bigger and much better battery made with LG 21700 cells, really, the best cells you’re going to find in an electric scooter.

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I had the completely wrong idea about this scooter before I reviewed it. I thought it was going to be a cheap, but cheerful sports scooter.

Well, the Eagle One 3.0 isn’t cheap, at $2,000, and it also doesn’t feel cheap, with a bunch of best-in-class components and performance numbers to match. But it is cheerfully fun to ride and feels incredible on the road.

Who Is This Scooter For?

The Varla Eagle One 3.0 exists in a pretty crowded space for $2,000 performance scooters. But it’s also got the goods. The ride quality is outstanding, and the performance is definitely competitive at this price.

What are the factors that would make me choose this over a different scooter? One is if you’re very tall and you like tall handlebars and wide bars. Or if you’re somebody who really likes to ride at night because this definitely has the brightest headlight in its class.

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Varla Eagle One 3.0 Specs

MakeVarla
ModelEagle One 3.0
Weight82.2 lbs
Motor power (continuous)2400W
Motor typeDual motor
Top Speed40.0 mph (Manufacturer spec)
40.3 mph (ESG tested)
Range50.0 mi (Manufacturer spec)
33.9 mi (ESG tested)
Battery capacity1352 Wh
Battery recharge time12 hrs
Max rider weight330 lbs
Brake typeDisc (Hydraulic)
Tire typePneumatic (Tubeless)
Suspension typeHydraulic + Hydraulic
Built-in lightsFront + Rear
Water resistanceIP54
UL CertificationNone
Top: Varla Eagle One 3.0 – Top Class Range & Ride Quality

Our Full Video Review

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Top: Varla Eagle One 3.0 – Top Class Range & Ride Quality

Varla Eagle One 3.0: Performance

Top Speed

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The Eagle One 3.0 beat its own 40 mph spec, coming in with an ESG-certified top speed of 40.3 miles per hour. That’s a little above average when we compare it with all dual motor electric scooters. Compared with the 10 best in class Eagle One 3.0 competitors, this scooter still comes in right near the middle.

More importantly, any electric scooter that can go 40 miles per hour or more really has more speed than you need for any practical purposes. You rarely find yourself riding this fast in real-world conditions.

Acceleration

As we like to stress, acceleration is a more important metric than top speed because you use it at every stop. The Varla Eagle One 3.0 definitely performs when it comes to speed off the starting line.

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With acceleration settings turned all the way up, the Eagle One 3.0 hits 15 miles per hour in 2.5 seconds.

The scooter feels really sporty, and the maximum acceleration is right on target for the price.

Range

The Eagle One 3.0 covered 33.9 miles on the hilly, difficult ESG range test course, with all the settings maxed out. We always test on the same 1.6 mile loop, with 91 feet of elevation from the lowest to highest point.

When we compare this data with our favorite scooters in this price range, the Varla takes third place. It’s got tons of range from a top shelf battery, outstanding ride quality, and a lot of room if you’re a bigger rider for long, comfortable rides.

Top: Varla Eagle One 3.0 – Top Class Range & Ride Quality
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Braking

The Varla Eagle One 3.0 stopped from 15 miles per hour in 10.3 feet. This is about typical if we compare it to some of the best in class scooters at this price range, with the OKAI Panther taking the number one spot.

The brakes are dual Nutt hydraulics and they have huge rotors . Nutt brakes are some of our absolute favorite hydraulic brakes, and Varla’s done some good things with the brakes and one not so good thing.

The good things: they’ve used large diameter rotors that are also very thick, which makes them more heat resistant, bend resistant, and warp resistant. They just feel better than smaller, thinner rotors.

The one weird thing they did is that the front brake is controlled by your left hand, which is the opposite to almost every other scooter.

Hill Climb

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Varla Eagle One 3.0 front tire vs original Eagle One

The Eagle One 3.0 climbed our test hill in 8.8 seconds, about average when we compare it with our favorite scooters at this price point.

The scooter comes with two 1200 Watt nominal motors, so that’s 2400 Watts of nominal power. We tend to pay more attention to peak power numbers.

Varla says this scooter produces 3200W of peak power, but if you do the math, with its 25 amp sine wave controllers, you get something more like 2900W. Whatever its true peak power levels, dual motor scooters like this one climb hills like they aren’t even there. With settings maxed, I hit 22 mph near the top of our steep test hill.

Ride Quality

The tires on this scooter have a pretty aggressive tread pattern, which means they be decent in dirt and feel great on the road. You do hear a bit of tire noise when you’re riding, but absolutely zero motor noise.

A wide tire makes for a stable ride, then the other half of the ride quality is suspension. The Eagle One 3.0 has hydraulic shocks, adjustable for preload but not adjustable for damping. They are set up really well for my weight: the damping works well and feels great.

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The handlebars have a nice amount of upsweep and backsweep. It’s probably my favorite handlebar shape. Super comfy and very tall. These are 41 and a half inches above the deck, so taller riders are going to love these. They’re also very wide, so a great fit for bigger, taller riders.

I love the grips too. They remind me of some of my favorite grips from when I raced BMX, with little perforations and that super-soft rubber feel my favorite BMX grips have. And they clamp at the ends, so they’re not going to roll around on you.

The Varla Eagle One version 3.0 comes with some strange options for the deck. You get a bunch of different grip tapes and you have the option of installing a huge wooden platform. I’ve never seen anything like it, but it does look like it would give you a ton of room for long rides.

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Even on its stock – not especially large – deck, I’m really pretty sure I could ride this scooter no-handed. It’s just super, super stable. It almost feels like there’s a built-in steering damper. I’m not sure how they did it, but it just feels like a nice stable ride. So there you go.

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Top: Varla Eagle One 3.0 – Top Class Range & Ride Quality

Varla Eagle One 3.0: Design, Build & Reliability

The Varla Eagle One 3.0 gets a reliability score of 8.0 out of 10 in our database. That’s pulled up by its tubeless tires, LG battery cells, the parts availability on their website, and a longer than usual warranty. Most major parts are covered for two years and the battery is covered for one year.

The score is pulled downward by the fact that the scooter is not UL listed. Unlike the original Varla Eagle One, it’s got a really beefy kickstand that looks like it’s going to last forever, but it’s got a minimal front fender, so despite its IP54 water resistance rating, I don’t recommend riding it in the rain.

I can recommend riding the Eagle One 3.0 at night, however, with no additional lighting needed. The headlight is a 10 Watt LED, which is 2-3 times as bright as the brightest LED headlights we’ve seen so far. The display is also one of the best and brightest we’ve seen.

Display colors are amazing, and in direct sunlight it couldn’t be more clear. There’s no app for the scooter, but there are a bunch of P-settings to cycle through. And you definitely want to get in there because right out of the box, the scooter does not come set for maximum performance. (We put settings onscreen on our video review.)

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Varla Eagle One 3.0: Is It Worth It? Our Verdict

The Varla Eagle One 3.0 definitely competes with the best electric sports scooters in its price class, and this latest version of the scooter is a major upgrade over the original. It’s a great choice for longer range rides because of its huge, high-quality battery, suspension, and wide tires.

The Eagle One 3.0 is also an excellent option for taller, bigger riders because of its rider weight capacity and taller, wider handlebars, and its BMX-style bars and grips make it especially comfortable over bumps and hills.

On the whole, the Eagle One 3.0 beats out much of its competition when it comes to range, stability, and ride quality, and has a lot going for it in every other category. We can live without an app, but we do wish it had a UL rating and more front fender coverage. Otherwise, this definitely lands on the recommended list.

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Top: Varla Eagle One 3.0 – Top Class Range & Ride Quality

Paul Somerville

Electric Scooter Guide's Editor-in-Chief is a seasoned expert in the electric scooter industry. With a wide-ranging background that includes managing scooter warehouses, selling thousands of motorcycles, and restoring high value (+1M) European sports cars, his expertise is unmatched. Having personally tested over 200 electric scooters, he offers invaluable insights and recommendations to our readers. We are fortunate to have him as part of our team, as his diverse skill set and extensive experience ensure top-notch reviews.

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