Right, before we go any further (up to 15.5mph, at any rate), let’s start with some law stuff.
Know those e-bikes that are everywhere? Almost running you over left, right and centre, discarded in herds in the middle of the pavement, abandoned in alleys and clogging the local waterways all across the country? Well, they’re legal. By which I mean, they’re legal to ride on the road due to being ‘pedal assisted’.
However, e-scooters are not legal to ride on public thoroughfares (even though everyone does), so, technically, you can be stopped by your friendly local bobby, have your pedal-less e-ride confiscated and receive a fine for your troubles, so there’s that. However, e-scooters are perfectly legal to ride on private land (with permission, of course), so there’s still plenty of e-fun to be had. Finally, I’d like to stress that no United Kingdom traffic laws were transgressed in the making of this article.
Now that we know all that, let’s kick off.
E-scooters, a transportational phenomenon that has quickly become a part of daily short-commute life, have their origins way back in 1918 when Arthur Gibson and Joseph Merkel invented their ‘Autoped’. The e-scooter now comes in myriad models from equally myriad manufacturers, costing anything from a few hundred pounds to over six grand. Limited by law in the UK to a top speed of 15.5mph, most come with a companion app, and all come with some form of electric motor and battery, the size of the latter dictating how far they can carry you.
So, which set of “affordable” e-wheels is the right ride for you? Well, according to me, any of the upcoming options…
Hop aboard, throttle back and feel the wind in your hair as you free wheel into the new electric future.
Best affordable electric scooters at a glance:
- Best for sheer style, smooth ride: Yadea Artist - £599, Amazon
- Best for compact folding and carrying: Riley RS3 - £450, Currys
- Best for hardcore hill tackling: Pure Electric Pure Air3 - £399, Pure Electric
- Best for teenage tearabouts: Segway Ninebot KickScooter C2 B - £209, Segway
- Best for access all areas: Pure Electric Pure Advance - £649, Currys
Yadea Artist
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Best for: Sheer style, smooth ride
For reasons both practical and obvious, all e-scooters look alike. Two wheels, a deck, a steering column and handlebars – everything that’s essential and nothing that isn’t. However, the latest model to roll off Yadea’s considerable production line, the Artist, has a certain style all of its own that helps it stand out from the rest of the e-scooter swarm. It’s slim, slick, sexy and futuristic and yet… there’s also an absolutely undeniable feel of the Sinclair C5 about it (the C5 being the pedal-assisted electric tricycle car created by British inventor Clive Sinclair back in 1985 with the intention of spearheading a revolution in personal transport).
But where the C5 ultimately failed, the Artist’s place on the winners’ e-podium seems assured. Straight out of the box, easy to assemble with just a power connection to be made between the steering column and the handlebars, followed by a handful of screws used to secure the two, the Artist charges to full in 4.5 to 5.5-hours, which then gives it enough juice to cover a maximum range of 18.6-miles, while carrying a load of up to 110kg.
A decidedly comfortable ride, too, the Artist features nicely sized 9-inch anti-skidding tubeless tyres, front and rear dual suspension shock absorbers and a pleasingly padded deck, the combination ensuring the worst of the bumps and vibrations don’t hit your knees and back. Meanwhile a front drum brake and rear electric brake work in tandem to allow for quick but controlled braking, so that you don’t end up being hurled through the air on your way to toothchipper land every time you stop.
Featuring a powerful 600W (peak) motor and three-speed modes, you can cruise at a relaxing 3.7mph, up the ante to 9.3mph if you’re in more of a hurry, or open her up and top-out at 15.5mph, all of which can be accessed and set via Bluetooth on the Yadea smartphone app. Speaking of which, very intuitive to use, you can also lock and unlock the Artist via said app and set some personal preferences.
As the UK is a wildly unpredictable place when it comes to atmospheric conditions, the IPX5-rated Artist shrugs off damp weather, so you can even pootle about in heavy rain, all the while keeping an eye on speed and battery level on the handy handlebar-centred multifunction LED display.
With LED lights front and rear so that you can ‘be safe, be seen’, as the Road Safety slogan goes, and blinking indicators on the handle ends so other road users know where you’re heading next, the Yadea Artist may be the heaviest of the e-scooters I’ve looked at here, and at 18.6kg, yes, it’s got some substance to it, but then it is utterly tricked-out with everything possible to give the safest, smoothest, most stylish e-scooter experience available. And that’s exactly what it does, so get building those biceps… even if ‘leg days’ are now a thing of the past completely.
- Peak power: 600W
- Max speed: 15.5mph
- Max load: 110kg
- Battery: 7.65Ah
- Range: 18.6-miles
- Tyres: 9-inch anti-skidding tubeless
- Unfolded dimensions: 121 x 57.5 x 118cm (H x W x L)
- Folded dimensions: 53 x 57.5 x 118cm (H x W x L)
- Weight: 18.6kg
Buy now £599.00, Amazon
Riley RS3
Best for: Compact folding and carrying
Conventional e-scooters not foldy enough for you? Find a bifold still too cumbersome for the spaces you occupy? Looking to liven up your e-ride life with a bit of three-way action? Well, you saucy minx, have Riley got something for you: RS3.
Yes, giving ‘living the life of Riley’ a whole new spin, the RS3 is not only exceptionally light for an adult e-scoot, at 14kg, it also features a nifty fiddly diddly (technical term) trifold system that allows the RS3 to collapse, origami-ing down to just 47.4 x 27.2 x 64.9cm to be easily carried onto a train, stashed away in the boot of a car, or stored under a café table without attracting the ire of other commuters, leaving no space for other auto accessories, or tripping fellow coffee-loving patrons as they pass and causing them to distribute their overpriced Venti Caramel Frappuccino all over the place.
With a peak power of 350W, the RS3 is – as with all – restricted to a top rate of 15.5mph. But it can comfortably convey riders up to 120kg, and the 5.0Ah battery gives a maximum range of 15 miles. The 8.5-inch puncture-resistant tyres keep you forging forward regardless of any broken glass, nails, or any other stupidly sharp stuff you accidentally e-scoot over.
It features three drive modes of Eco, Comfort and Performance - depending on how hard you want to ride, front eABS brakes and a disk brake and foot brake to the rear to bring you to a steady stop. What’s more, while fully charged in just two hours, the Riley RS3 also has a particularly special skill up its e-sleeve, namely a removable battery, so if you have a charged backup to hand in a backpack, you can double your range.
Offering a comfortable ride, thanks to those nicely squishy pneumatic air tyres, a handlebar-central LED display keeps you in the loop as to speed and power, while the companion app allows for locking/unlocking and ride tracking.
With LED lights front and back and reflectors on the wheel forks to keep you safely in sight, the Riley RS3 is a lot of compact, convenient e-scooter for the money. So, if lightweight fun, flexibility and the ability to go further tick all your e-scooter boxes, you can stop reading now, your chariot awaits.
- Peak power: 350W
- Max speed: 15.5mph
- Max load: 120kg
- Battery: 5.0Ah
- Range: 15-miles
- Tyres: 8.5-inch puncture-resistant
- Unfolded dimensions: 118.1 x 15 x 113.1cm
- Folded dimensions: 47.4 x 27.2 x 64.9cm
- Weight: 14kg
Buy now £450.00, Currys
Pure Electric Pure Air3
Best for: Hardcore hill tackling
Probably the most common brand seen e-scooting along the streets, other than those rental ones, of course, Pure was formed in 2018 to combat the chaos caused by overcrowded roads and the accompanying pollution that overcrowding of cars causes. A British company with a decent range of models on offer, sticking with the more ‘budget’ end, I’ve picked the Pure Electric Pure Air3 as it’s light, loaded with features and, thanks to a combination of a powerful motor and large, puncture-resistant 10-inch tyres with excellent tread, the perfect Pure for those who have to deal with an excess amount of hills. In fact, good to go on hillocks with gradients of up to 14 per cent, the Pure Air3 powers through where others may simply grind to an unceremonious e-halt.
With a huge 550W (peak) motor, limited to a legal 15.5mph, the Air3 comes packing a 7.2Ah battery which makes it good to go for up to 19 miles, while the wide deck and those aforementioned chunky 10-inch make it a regal ride too, taking the uneven streets of 21st century Britain in its comfortable e-stride.
With zippy acceleration, pulling away into traffic is not a problem, while LED indicators on the ends of the handlebars and LED lights front and rear help you see clearly under the cloak of night and also lets other (private) road-users see where you are and where you’re going next.
Fully rain- and puddle-proof, as with most other models, there are three-speed modes; Pedestrian, Normal and High to keep you motoring at a pace suitable to you, while the use of drum brakes makes coming to a stop a far smoother experience. Add to this a unique steering stabilisation system that automatically returns said steering to the central position and the ride becomes almost effortless.
Finally, with an LED display front and centre showing speed and power reserve, plus a Pure app for lock/unlocking, setting cruise control and reviewing speed, range and mileage, the Air3 is the complete performance package.
- Peak power: 550W
- Max speed: 15.5mph
- Max load: 120kg
- Battery: 7.2Ah
- Range: 19-miles
- Tyres: 10-inch tubeless
- Unfolded dimensions: 115cm x 55cm x 113cm (H x W x L)
- Folded dimensions: 46cm x 55cm x 113cm (H x W x L)
- Weight: 15.9kg
Buy now £399.00, Pure Electric
Segway Ninebot KickScooter C2 B
Best for: Teenage tearabouts
One for the kids now, from the people who brought you those self-balancing, lean-directed two-wheeled whatnots way back in 2002, Segway, the Ninebot KickScooter C2 B comes with a recommended age range of 6-12 and is suitable scaled and specced as such. With a maximum load weight of 50kg, the 130W motor (peak) delivers a child-friendly top speed of 10mph, while the 2.5Ah battery gives a range of around 6.5-miles, so you’ll not have to chase your overly exuberant offspring too far when they whizz off into the distance.
A fun little thing designed to suit nippers from around 3ft to 5ft, the KickScooter C2 B keeps it kiddie, so while there are no head- or tail-lights there is adjustable, 256-colour ambient lighting available underneath the deck to let your little one tailor the look to their liking.
Running on 7-inch hollow-out tyres, the C2 B features three speed modes, Standard, Sport and Power Assisting, so your precious little un can pootle along or go full pelt, depending on what you deem they can handle. And if they find they can’t, then a small grip brake lever keeps stopping within reach of tiny hands and drum brakes make the stopping smooth.
Rated IPX4 for light showers and shallow puddles, the kiddie KickScooter is, in essence, a toy but still falls under the same rules as big kid e-scooters, so riding in public places is prohibited, but for gliding around the garden and, perhaps, less occupied areas of the public park (nark-free), it’s probably the most fun a tween can have away from a screen.
- Peak power: 130W
- Max speed: 10mph
- Max load: 50kg
- Battery: 2.5Ah
- Range: 6.5-miles
- Tyres: 7-inch hollow-out
- Unfolded dimensions: 96 x 40 x 91cm (H x W x L)
- Folded dimensions: 50 x 40 x 91cm (H x W x L)
- Weight: 10.4kg
Buy now £209.00, Segway
Pure Electric Pure Advance
Best for: Access all areas
At first glance, you may think that the Pure Advance cast pretty much the same shadow as any other e-scoot. But look again. See it now? Yes, the Pure Advance has taken the idea of the e-scooter and added a twist… or rather removed a twist. For, featuring twin decks on either side of the chassis, the Advance can be ridden facing forward, with your feet firmly planted in comfort as opposed to the torso-turning skateboard style of all others.
So that’s any sore issues with hips and lower back sorted, but the Advance is far more than just an easy rider. With a whopping 710W (peak) motor, accelerating away and hacking up hills is a doddle, and the equally prodigious 9.6Ah battery allows for an epic 24.8-mile range, that’s almost enough to get you from the top of Enfield to the tip of Croydon (as the crow flies)! Although, that does mean you’ll end up stuck in Croydon with a flat battery.
Capable of carrying a maximum load of 120kg at the legal top speed of 15.5mph, the Pure Advance’s 10-inch tubeless tyres add to the smoothness of the ride, absorbing the lump and bumps in the road as you roll relentlessly on, while the centralised steering system keeps turning tight.
Visibility-wise, indicators feature on both the handlebars and the footpads, so there’s no excuse for other (private) road-users not knowing where you’re going, and a bright, 150-lumen LED headlight illuminates the path ahead, keeping you safe from any surprise potholes that lurk in your way.
Handsome too, in an odd way, with a sleek, sweeping body, the Pure Electric Pure Advance is currently down in price from £649 to £599, putting it the exact same price bracket as the Yadea Artist.
An excellent e-scooter with plenty of power and a uniquely comfortable ride, the Pure Advance may normally be scooting above what I would generally term as “affordable” when it comes to e-scooters, but at the current cut price there’s no doubt that this little beauty is well worth the extra outlay.
- Peak power: 710W
- Max speed: 15.5mph
- Max load: 120kg
- Battery capacity: 9.6Ah
- Range: 24.8-miles
- Tyres: 10-inch tubeless
- Unfolded dimensions: 108 x 60 x 104cm (H x W x L)
- Folded dimensions: 54 x 15 x 104cm (H x W x D)
- Weight: 16.2kg
Buy now £649.00, Currys
Verdict
Faced with five exceptional examples of the e-scooter makers’ art it probably really all comes down to cost at the end of the e-day. Focusing on the adult models I’ve looked at, when it comes to power, range and comfort, it’s a toss-up between the Yadea Artist and the Pure Electric Pure Advance… and it’s almost impossible to choose between them.
However, even though the Advance pips the Yadea in terms of power and range (just), when it comes to sheer style, it’s the Artist all day! It’s extremely comfortable to ride, it has plenty of power and it has all the bells and whistles you could feasibly wish for. There’s just something about the design that makes it stand proudly out of the e-scooter crowd and that seals the e-scooter deal for me! See you on the (private) roads…
