8 best electric scooters, tried and tested models from trusted brands

The Pure Air3 Pro is built to withstand all kinds of miserable weather, with IP65 water resistance allowing you to plough straight through puddles rather than around them. Chunky 10in wheels and pneumatic tyres make for one of the most comfortable and least jittery rides of any of the scooters we’ve tested.

A fully upgraded version of the basic Pure Air electric scooter, the Pro weighs just half a kilo more and introduces a few improvements over the regular model. The front-wheel drive motor is a lot more powerful and races up inclines as if they weren’t there, while a larger battery and regenerative braking extends the battery life and boosts the maximum range to an impressive 28 miles.

The Pure Air3 Pro is a high-performance e-scooter and an excellent choice for anyone regularly riding across hilly terrain.

If electric scooters are to play a role in the future of alternative urban transport, they’re going to look a lot like the Riley RS3. This is a truly portable electric scooter that folds down to the size of a small suitcase, meaning you can easily store it under your desk, stow it in a cloakroom, or take it on public transport.

Don’t expect Brompton-levels of engineering elegance when it comes to the folding action – it takes a bit of practice and a few video tutorials to get to grips with it – but the benefits of being able to collapse the RS3 down to half its size outweighs the clunkiness.

The unique folding design doesn’t compromise the overall ride quality either. The Riley RS3 uses premium disc brakes and electronic ABS for smooth and consistent braking, especially when riding downhill. The lightweight alloy frame feels reassuringly sturdy too, and the pneumatic tyres provide some comfort on poorly maintained roads.

The lightest electric scooter we’ve tested, the Unagi Model One is a nippy little ride with a stylish magnesium alloy handlebar, integrated display and carbon fibre tubing. At just 12kg, it’s one of the most portable scooters on the market and sports a straightforward, single-click folding action, making it a superb choice for anyone who goes on regular rides and needs to store it in a car boot or luggage space.

To reduce the weight this much, Unagi has had to sacrifice some power output and restrict the battery size. That means it struggles on steeper inclines and has a relatively limited range compared to more heavy-duty scooters in our list. The Unagi model one’s range sits at around 15.5 miles, less than half of the long range Pure Air Pro LR (£549, Purelectric.com).

Those solid rubber tyres are puncture-proof, durable and well-suited to smooth roads, but will rattle your teeth on rough terrain.

The British-designed Riley RS1 is the brand’s entry-level model. Unlike the truly folding Riley RS3 (£699, Currys.co.uk), this version it folds down like a traditional scooter.

What is loses in portability, it gains in comfort and stability: fewer moving parts makes the RS1 a more pleasant ride in general. The molded aluminium chassis feels rugged, while the 10in pneumatic tyres help to soften any bumps on your route. One-thumb acceleration and braking, plus an automatic cruise control which kicks in after a few seconds of constant throttle, makes it one of the easiest scooters to ride.

What sets this scooter apart from most others is its removable battery, which sits in the steering column. The RS1’s range is relatively short – riding at full speed took a huge dent out of the advertised 24km range – so the option to carry a second battery gives you peace of mind should your charge be running low.

If you’ve ever taken a ride on an electric scooter before, chances are it was a Xiaomi. For a long time the most widely mass produced e-scooter on the planet, the Xiaomi M365 (or some variant) was the workhorse of many e-scooter rental apps. This is thanks to the Chinese scooter’s simple, low-cost construction and near-indestructible build quality. The Xiaomi Mi 1S is built around the blueprint of the M365, and redesigned for private ownership.

Gone are the hard-wearing rubber wheels, replaced with air-filled tyres for a more comfortable ride. At 12.5kg, the Xiaomi Mi 1S is easier to carry in one hand than every other scooter we tested – barring only the fractionally more lightweight Unagi Model One above (£899, Leisurelakesbikes.com). While the small motor feels sluggish when approaching its top speed, initial acceleration is delightfully snappy and responsive.

Xiaomi’s more premium electric scooter is powered by a significantly punchier motor than its budget-level counterpart the Xiaomi Mi 1S (£449.99, Amazon.co.uk). Keep in mind that motor power doesn’t change the Xiaomi Mi Pro 2’s top speed – electric scooters sold in Europe are speed-limited to 15.5mph – it does improve performance on hills and with heavier riders.

The Xiaomi Mi Pro 2 is also a good deal larger than the more compact Xiaomi Mi 1S, which makes this scooter less portable but noticeably more stable. Smaller electric scooters can feel wobbly, but here the longer wheelbase allows for more balance and control, even when making tight turns at low speeds. The larger deck creates more room for battery storage too, giving it an impressive range for its weight.

If the design of the Decent One Max looks familiar, that’s because you’ll have seen its post-mounted battery design used by many e-scooter rental services.

This is a robust and high-performance ride built for reliability and comfort, with a hard-working motor that tackles steep inclines with aplomb. It rolls on a pair of cushioned, 10in pneumatic tyres that are well-suited to zooming over bumps and cracks and have car-type valves for ease of repair. The removable battery means you can keep a fully charged spare (sold separately) on hand to use while your depleted battery recharges.

This is a very well-priced electric scooter built to a superb standard.

The Segway Ninebot Max G30E II is a beast of an electric scooter, designed to go as long as possible on a single charge and engineered to withstand even the harshest of riding conditions. This premium model introduces creature comforts such as softer tyres for more comfortable suspension and a bright, full-colour LED display showing speed, ride settings and battery level.

The best-in-class 40-mile range means you can ride it farther than any other scooter in our list, but this comes at the expense of the scooter’s portability when switched off. A low-torque pedestrian mode assists you when walking alongside the scooter, but lugging this 19kg lug up a flight of stairs is like moving a piano.