The best e-scooters are expensive. But there are also good models for little money. The leaderboard shows the top 10 street legal electric scooters.
The range of street-legal e-scooters for private use is huge. But our tests have shown that not all are good by any means. This is about your own safety in traffic, you shouldn’t save in the wrong place. Our comparison test shows that you have to pay attention to e-scooter with street approval. If you live in a larger German city and want to check before buying whether e-scooters are even for you, you should read our article Lime, Tier, Bird, Circ, Jump & Voi: E-scooter rental in comparison.
So far we have tested twelve e-scooters individually. From cheap to expensive, everything is included here to show a good cross-section of the market. With the Trekstor EG6078 (test report), however, there is a model that we cannot recommend and therefore has no place in a list of the best.
Despite the eleven tested e-scooters, a few models are still missing for a comprehensive list of the best. We’ll stay tuned to the topic and gradually expand the test series with further models. The results are then included in the comparison test and this leaderboard is always provided with updates. We collect all individual tests and a lot more on our topic page E-Scooter. If you are not yet sure which device class is right for you, we recommend our comparison: E-folding bike or e-scooter? And the winner is …
1st place: The Urban #HMBRG
The Urban #HMBRG (review) is the best we tested E-Scooter. At just under 900 euros, it is quite expensive but offers a lot of premium features that you otherwise only get if you invest even more money. This includes great workmanship and a well-thought-out, high-quality folding mechanism, which offers so much stability that the driver always feels in control in every situation. But also the very good tires, the very good brakes, the very good range, and the good engine are part of it.
A few little things are annoying. So the handlebars should like to be a little higher. The LED display also looks outdated and it always starts at the lowest level. But these are (except for very tall people) basically small things. Urban #HMBRG leads the field of the best e-scooters.
2nd place: Elmoto Kick
The Elmoto Kick (test report) is a very good e-scooter. In terms of its processing, nobody is fooling him. The engine is also strong, the tires very good and the brakes excellent. We think the alarm system is great.
The idea of using Einhell batteries for operation is ingenious for everyone who already uses Einhell devices. But even newbies have two large Einhell batteries at home when they buy the Elmo to Kick, and can save the batteries when buying Einhell devices. Overall, the range of almost 20 kilometers is okay. If you want more, you can buy replacement batteries. We find it less nice that users always have to take the batteries out of the Elmo to Kick for charging.
3rd place: Iconbit IK-1969K
The Iconbit Kick Tracer City IK-1969K (test report) moves up to second place in our top 10 best e-scooters despite, or perhaps because of its low price. Yet it hardly shows any weaknesses. That is why it is our price-performance recommendation. It accelerates and brakes well and has additional rear suspension. This is also necessary because of the solid rubber tires for a gentler ride. The workmanship of the Iconbit IK-1969k is okay, only the folding mechanism catches a bit at the beginning and needs to be lubricated. Its range of 18 kilometers is not great but is okay for the low price.
4th place: Egret Ten V4
The Egret Ten V4 (test report) is a luxury e-scooter. Thanks to the 500-watt motor, it accelerates very strongly, rolls quietly, and thanks to 10-inch pneumatic tires also with low vibration and a great driving experience through the streets. Its battery is huge and the rolling resistance is low. As a result, it gets significantly further than its competitors until the battery has to be connected to the grid again. The braking system with one disc brake per wheel works very well. The folding mechanism is excellent. It makes a valuable and well-thought-out impression. As one of the very few e-scooters, you can also fold the handles here. Only its handlebars could be too low for very tall people. The second catch: It’s expensive, really expensive.
5th place: Metz Moover
The Metz Moover (test report) was one of the first street-legal e-scooters in 2019. Nevertheless, it still looks well thought out down to the last detail. In particular, the high quality of workmanship and the consistent use of high-quality components are easy to see in the Moover. Nobody can fool him when it comes to the driving experience. This is mainly due to the large 12-inch pneumatic tires, which absorb most of the bumps and are fantastic in the curve. The front and rear disc brakes are the best in the test field.
The engine is sufficiently powerful, but it is clearly audible. When folded, it fits in trunk compartments from the golf class. Its battery is small, but thanks to its low rolling resistance, its range is in the upper midfield. We didn’t like the low payload of only 94 kilograms, the lack of splash water certification, and the rather high price.
6th place: Doc Green Explorer ESA 1919
The Doc Green Explorer ESA 1919 (test report) costs around 370 euros. But be careful: the e-scooter is often on offer at ATU, Lidl, and other dealers for around 300 euros. Of course, buyers have to accept compromises in comparison to more expensive models. So he accelerates too slowly, which disqualifies him for heavy people. In combination with the honeycomb tires, there is also no suspension to make the driving experience softer and to relieve the components. The brakes can be really annoying and in the worst case even dangerous as they always apply too abruptly. But it also has the shortest braking distance of all the e-scooters we tested.
Its workmanship, safe driving experience, integration of the light, and folding mechanism are good. Even the range, which is rather moderate at a good 15 km, is absolutely okay in view of the low purchase price.
7th place: Trekstor EG3178
The Trekstor EG3178 (test report) only costs 540 euros and is still really good. Above all, it does not have any major weaknesses, as is usual in this price segment. The engine is sufficiently powerful and the brake combination consisting of a disc brake on the rear wheel and the engine brake on the front wheel does its job satisfactorily. Overall, you feel safe driving the e-scooter. Its 8.5-inch tires are made of hard rubber with a honeycomb pattern. Trekstor installs a suspension to absorb rough shocks. You have to be careful with the folding mechanism. It may be necessary to adjust a set screw first. More details in the individual test.
8th place: Trekstor EG40610
The Trekstor EG4061 (test report) is really good and the only e-scooter in our top 10 with a removable battery. In addition to the possibility of changing the battery, we particularly like the very pleasant and safe driving experience. But the braking system also works reliably and the engine is sufficiently powerful. The look is pleasing thanks to the simple design with the orange-colored elements, the workmanship makes a reasonable impression.
There is room for improvement in some details. So you can’t lock the battery cover. If you leave the Trekstor EG4160 (if possible tied with a handcuff lock), you should take the fortunately quite light battery with you. A replacement battery costs 229 euros. The maximum range is also less than many other e-scooters on our list of the best.
9th place: Mytier
The animal scooters have been rolling through most major German cities as rental scooters since mid-2019. This means that they are designed to be as robust and error-resistant as possible. Tier is now exchanging its entire fleet for models with exchangeable batteries. The old fleet is being overhauled and sold under the name Mytier (test report). Buyers get an almost indestructible electric scooter for 700 euros. Everything about it looks like it has been cast from one piece, even the bell surrounds the handlebars indestructibly. The brakes are great, the engine is not very strong but sufficient. Overall, it is pleasant to drive despite the hard rubber tires, which is also due to the double hydropneumatic suspension on the front wheel.
It does not have a folding mechanism. That makes it a little more robust, but also significantly less flexible. It hardly fits in normal cars. And wearing the Mytier is also a real challenge. It also doesn’t have a single physical button and can only be switched on and off via the app, which is quite annoying. Otherwise, customers get a lot on offer for 700 euros.
The Metier is largely identical to the SXT Max linked here in the price comparison.
10th place: Soflow S06
The best thing about the Slow S06 (review) is its very affordable price. Because together with a 1und1 contract you can get it for just 120 or 240 euros. For example, the 1 & 1 All-Net-Flat LTE M with 10 GByte data volume costs 25 euros per month. If you add 240 euros here, you get the Solfow S06 right away. If you consider the alleged RRP of 799 euros, this is a real bargain. The Slow S06 is not available on the open market.
The Slow S06 is a solid e-scooter. In the test, we particularly like its pleasing appearance and its decent workmanship. The engine is not the most powerful and the folding mechanism does not give the impression that it will last for many years. We are really annoyed by the electronic front brake, which always engages when the driver is not accelerating. Still, he’s good. Because the overall package is consistent on balance, especially when you consider the very low price.
Conclusion
The following currently applies to road-legal e-scooters: Those who invest a lot get a lot on offer. Especially in terms of their mileage and the driving experience, nobody can easily fool The Urban #HMBRG (test report), the Egret Ten V4 (test report), and the Metz Moover (test report). The very good and also quite expensive Elmo to Kick (test report) goes a different way, as it uses Einhell batteries for the drive, which are also used in the manufacturer’s tools. But there are decent alternatives with the Iconbit Kick Tracer City IK-1969K (test report) and the Doc Green Explorer ESA 1919 (test report) for 300 to 400 euros.
The e-scooter market is currently clearly in motion. We recommend keeping an eye on our topic page E-Scooter. There we continue to collect all individual tests, purchase advice, and advice. So far, 2020 has proven to be the year of folding e-bikes. We show in comparison why they are better suited for commuting than e-scooters
