VMAX Scooters – Top Value Performers for Beginners & Up

The number one question we get asked is, “What’s the best first scooter to buy?” The easy answer – the one you used to get on Reddit – is a Segway Ninebot Max or Max G2. That started to change around the time we ran into the Swiss company VMAX.

Literally, from my first ride on a VMAX scooter, I could tell these guys were going to be a big deal. They’re already big in Germany, if you look on YouTube, and they’ve been around since 2015. There are around a million German reviews of VMAX scooters. They’re like the David Hasselhoff of electric scooters.

What’s so special about VMAX? In typical Swiss style, their design is all about comfort, quality, and ease of use. It’s also important to note that VMAX scooters come with all the features we expect to see in 2024, such as variable regenerative brakes, handlebar-end turn signals, tubeless tires (for the most part), and two-year warranties. 

We’ve fully tested five different VMAX scooters against their top Segway competitors in terms of top speed, acceleration, range, hill climb, and braking distance. We show you the most popular VMAX scooters: the VX5 and VX5 Pro, the VX2 Pro and VX2 Extreme, and the VX4. And we find out where VMAX scooters beat Segways and where they don’t. 

We should also mention that the performance numbers for all the VMAX scooters in our video competition refer to the largest battery GT versions. Yet, other than the range numbers, the performance should be more or less the same for the smaller-battery ST and LT versions of VMAX scooters. Watch all the action above, and see a rundown of all four VMAX scooters we’ve tested this year just below.

VMAX VX5 | VX5 Pro – $249–$499

The smallest VMAX is the VX5, and even though it sells for what you’d expect to pay for a kid’s scooter, and teens could certainly ride one, the VX5 is made for adults, with a rider weight limit of 265 pounds.

It’s also got a single, 400 Watt motor with 800 Watts of peak power, and it comes equipped with 8.5-inch tubed tires. (There is a tubeless option for the VX5, and all the other scooters in this lineup come tubeless.)

We love the VX5’s big, easy-to-read display and the fact that VMAX scooters come with an app, BUT that you aren’t forced to use the app. You have complete control over the settings through the buttons on the handlebars.

There are two things I don’t love about the VX5 and those are the grips, which have nice palm support but can twist a little while you ride, and the stem latch, which is okay but just not as good as the latches on the rest of the lineup, including the VX5 Pro.

The VX5 is the most portable scooter VMAX makes. It folds down quickly and is relatively lightweight at 34 to 38 pounds, depending on the battery size you get. It’s also the most budget-friendly. So this is the best choice if you need a high quality commuter scooter that’s easy to carry and easy to afford.

For a few dollars more, you can upgrade to the VX5 Pro (currently sold out). It has basically all the same specs as the VX5 in terms of battery size and power, but adds 9-inch tubeless tires rather than 8.5. You also get turn signals, improved grips that lock to the handlebars, and a nicer stem latch.

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VMAX VX2 Pro – $729–$849

VMAX specs the VX2s as having 500 Watt motors, but they are seriously underselling it. These scooters routinely beat 1000 Watt scooters in head-to-head tests. Naturally, we compare the VX2s to the Segway Ninebot Max G2, starting with performance. The VX2s beat the Ninebot Max G2 and the original Ninebot Max G30 on range and did so while going noticeably faster. 

The VX2s beat the Segways for hill climb too. But while the VX2s win on performance, the Max G2 has better ride quality across a much wider variety of surfaces because it has full suspension, at the cost of being eight pounds heavier. The VX2 and the Max G2 use the same reliable brake layout, with drum brakes up front and regen brakes in the back. But the Ninebot gives it to you all in one brake lever, where VMAX separates out the brakes into regen braking at the right lever and a front drum brake controlled by the left lever. 

Overall, I think the VX2 GT is the best value in the entire VMAX lineup when it comes to performance per dollar. And at eight pounds lighter and three and a half inches shorter in overall length than the Ninebot Max G2, the VX2 Pro GT also gives you the best blend of performance and portability. But if you’re somebody who wants the most performance they can get, the VX2 Extreme could be for you.

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VMAX VX2 Extreme – $929–$1049

The VX2 Extreme has so much performance that I have to give you an actual warning about it. If you put it in beast mode, you have to be absolutely sure you’re standing all the way forward before you apply full throttle from a standstill, or it will pop a wheelie. It actually came out from underneath me a couple times during testing.

The VX2 Extreme costs $200 to $300 more than the VX2 Pro, gives you about 2 miles per hour higher top speed, a noticeably quicker acceleration, and a nicer display with better access to the scooter’s settings. While they seem otherwise identical, the VX2 Extreme also gives you a much wider deck. In either version, the VX2 is an absolute beast of a single motor scooter. It’s really hard to believe they’ve stuffed this much performance into a relatively portable scooter.

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VMAX VX4 – $1039–$1199

The final VMAX scooter that we’re checking out is the VX4, a premium single motor ultra commuter. This power cruiser made such an impression on me when I reviewed it that I said it might be my favorite single motor scooter. 

All the VMAX scooters feel very solid, but what makes the VX4 so special is that it’s got one big motor, full suspension, a huge deck, and a smooth throttle. You have a scooter that will literally get you across town faster than a car, but it doesn’t wear you out the way that riding a dual motor electric scooter does, or the way that riding a smaller scooter without suspension does.

I enjoyed testing it so much that I decided to take it for a complete lap around San Francisco. And then rode another 10 miles after that. Ever since then, I kind of use this idea as a gut check. For example, would I want to do an entire lap of the city on the VX2 Extreme? It’s not my first choice. But with the VX4, I can do it literally twice in a row.

The VX4 costs more than the other scooters because it has a larger battery and full suspension. It’s got a motorcycle style front fork and rubber suspension in the back that gets stiffer the heavier you are. And this scooter has three brakes. It comes with knobby, semi-off-road tires, so the tires, suspension, and super high IP rating mean you can ride it just about anywhere. 

The VX4 has the same user interface as the VX2 Extreme. One of the features I love is you never have to worry about messing up the settings because you can always reset them back to original. This is the level of detail and thoughtfulness of design you’re going to find throughout the VMAX scooters.

The VX4 has the same insane 800 Watts of peak power as the VX2 Extreme, but it delivers it in a more civilized manner, partly because it just weighs 20 pounds more. In our video comparison, you can see us put the VX4 head-to-head against the new Segway Ninebot ZT3 Pro, another powerful, dual suspension single motor electric scooter. 

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Summing Up

All of VMAX’s scooters score over 9/10 on our reliability scale. That’s because they are all UL2272 certified for safe charging and have IPX6 water resistance, the highest we expect to see on a scooter in 2024. They also all have two-year warranties and a detail that’s so often overlooked: You can find tons of spare parts on the VMAX website.

These guys are playing the long game, and I feel like people are starting to notice. For the latest and best prices on VMAX scooters, use our links. Remember: don’t ride like me, and always wear a helmet!