A LOOK AT THE BEST ADULT E-SCOOTERS AVAILABLE IN THE UK
Written by Ed Wiles, Scootered Founder
Introduction
As the best electric scooters are designed for adults, the question is essentially "What are best e-scooters in the UK?". It is a question open to interpretation but, when I first wrote this in 2020, the Xiaomi and Ninebot-Segway brands dominated the UK adult e-scooter market. Inokim had been the main competitor to the big two, but I just never really liked the look of them (it's subjective of course). In the three years since the first iteration of this article, Xiaomi has built on the popularity of its much imitated M365 with a new scooter range, adding the Mi 3 more recently. There may be more to come in 2022 but it will be interesting to see if they stick rigidly to their original design. Meanwhile, Ninebot-Segway has ditched its Segway origins and (perhaps consequently) lost much of its market share.
Simultatneously, quite a few competitors have entered the market in the last three years, with many startups - both in the UK and China - pitching me their scooters; but I am rather selective about what scooters I promote and which companies I work with (and Chinese companies have this bizarre habit of using images of young female models for their sales reps without apparently realising that it could have the contrary result to that intended). Anyway, I digress. The question is whether Xiaomi continue to produce the best scooters (for money) or whether any of these new brands have a scooter that is superior for the price.
Of course, I have always concentrated on what I consider the most "affordable" e-scooters, and admit this is a relative term. In 2019, there were some expensive carbon fibre electric scooters, like the Swagtron Swagger, but they performed less well and I never felt confident in stocking them despite good specs on paper. The ultra light-weight ones often looked like a child's scooter too.
The Best of the New Brands
So which are the main new brands competing with Xiaomi? Pure Electric (previously Pure Scooters) were quick to release the Pure Air, but despite some suspiciously good reviews its extra weight was a clear disadvantage. Decent took the rights to the TurboAnt X7 in the UK, and its range offers perfectly respectable scooters with changeable batteries. But the electric scooters that got me most excited - eventually - were the Lamborghini and Ducati scooters (both brands are actually owned by Audi). I say "eventually" because Ducati first entered the market with what was essentially a rebranded Xiaomi, which was a bit of an embarrassment for such a famous brand.
So which is the Best Overall?
But which is the best e-scooter I hear you cry.
The Xiaomis remain competitively priced for what they deliver so, as of June 2022, the Xiaomi Pro 2 remains a best buy. And as much as I love the look of the Lamborghini AL1, I would have to pitch the Ducati Pro II Evo as the other best buy with the caveat that you are paying a little more for this scooter. The reasons for the extra price can be found in the review for Ducati Pro II Evo.
