Lightweight and foldable electric scooters are one of the best ways to get around a city. Here are five of the best folding e-scooter brands out there.
Unagi Scooters (Photo: amazon.co.uk)
When electric scooters first hit the streets en mass a few years ago they tended to be heavy clunky things that you would end up tripping over when walking out of a coffee shop. Technology moves on quickly however and nowadays there are plenty of ultra lightweight electric scooters out there that are perfectly designed to be a commuter’s best friend, folding up easily so they can be carried on public transport or up the stairs to your apartment. With speeds generally around 25mph they are quick enough too to make an alternative to a car in gridlocked modern cities too. There are plenty of options out there, some feature-packed but heftier to carry, while others are featherweight and just created to get from A-to-B, with some managing to get the perfect balance between the two. Here’s a guide to five of the best brands offering folding and lightweight electric scooters for adults:
Unagi Scooters
Straight out the box, the Unagi impresses. Whether it is the Model One Classic or the higher-spec Voyager, this is one really good looking scooter with a futuristic and fluid design that makes it stand out from every other folding e-scooter on the market. Everything is smooth and integrated, especially around the magnesium alloy handlebar, that is so cleverly engineered it required more than thirty prototypes to perfect. All of the intuitive controls —throttle, brake, horn, and LED headlight – are neatly combined in one place with no visible wires. Even the Unagi’s tyres are designed in-house with visible air pockets to make them puncture proof. The 800w Unagi Classic does 12 miles on a charge with a decent top speed of 20mph, but the headline figure is the weight, just 28.5lbs (12.9kg), making it one of the lightest e-scooters out there. The folding mechanism is super simple; the handle bars can be folded down with one click and it’s ready to be transported. The best bit is Unagi has a unique rental plan, meaning that you can your hands on the base model through a monthly subscription of just $59 a month.
UScooters
UScooters (Photo: Facebook.com)
UScooters are specialists in nippy, lightweight and foldable electric scooters. The LA-based company is dedicated to selling foldable electric scooters weighing under 30lbs so the whole range comes in below that figure, although the 20mph and 20 mile range Booster Sport is way below that, tipping the scales at an impressive 24.5lbs (11.1kg). That said, if you can carry a little more weight the Booster V model is faster and has more range (25mph and 24 miles) for just 50 bucks more – all weighing just 24.8lbs (11.2kg). There’s little wonder UScooters have won a bunch of awards for their high quality products. Key to the low weight is keeping things relatively simple, so no super trick suspension, or go anywhere capability, but you still get everything you need like a bright color LCD screen, smooth ride and front and rear lights.
Fluid Freeride
Miami-based Fluid has a dizzying selection of e-scooters for sale, from the bargain bucket CityRider to the Wolf Warrior that will hit a heady 50mph. They all have different specs and weights naturally but the standout lightweight folding scooter is the Mosquito. This e-scooter is ultra portable, weighing just 29 lbs (13kg) and coming with a convenient handle, meaning you can fold it up and take it on public transport with ease. This doesn’t mean the Mosquito is a slow flimsy bit of kit best suited for very short journeys however – it’s also extremely quick. A 500W motor with 700W peak output means zippy acceleration and a top speed of over 25 mph, plus the low weight means it feels extremely nimble in the city. Usefully the front and rear tires are solid, making the Mosquito a durable and reliable commuter, but it also has dual spring-based suspension makes for a smooth ride.
VMAX
Photo: Courtesy of VMAX
VMAX electric scooters have been around for almost ten years and have picked up several awards in that time, as well as many positive customer reviews. The company started out in Switzerland in 2015 and expanded to the USA in 2023, setting up its headquarters in LA. The scooters on offer cover a wide range, beginning with the basic $399 VX5 right up to the powerful, dual-motor R55 Pro. For something fairly lightweight, the best option is the VX5 – usefully also the cheapest model the company offers – which weighs in 34.4 lbs with an 11-mile range battery. This scooter is water resistant, features aluminium construction and comes with an ultra-bright 60 lux light and brake lights on the back.
Turboant
(Photo: Facebook.com)
Turboant stands out not just for having a brilliant name. This US-based company’s base model, the M10 Lite, is not only the lightest escooter models on the streets it is also extremely light on the pocket too. The Pro is never going to be the most powerful commuting steed, but a 16mph top speed and 15 mile range are respectable for something that weighs just 30.86 lb (14 kg) and costs just $299.98. The rest of the package is – understandably for the price – fairly basic, but you do get nice touches such as an integrated cable-free design and even cruise control to reduce hand fatigue.
Hiboy
Hiboy is another brand that has a wide range of escooters spanning every spec, range and speed you could ever need. The company also has a lightweight entry-folding scooter called the S2 which, at just $299.99, will probably pay for itself in saved public transport costs in a few months. It may only be 31.9lbs (14.5kg) but the S2 will hit almost 19mph and has a range of 17 miles. It also has a rear shock absorber, app support, cruise control and even an optional seat for 50 bucks more. You can also upgrade to the S2R with a slightly longer range, or got to the S2 Max although that is a heaftier 41.5 lb (18.8 kg).