Boosted’s new Rev electric scooter is a beast. With dual motors and massive tires, the Boosted Rev could eat those $300 budget electric scooters for breakfast.
But is it worth the high price tag? Let’s find out…
Boosted Rev electric scooter
Ever since the Boosted Rev was unveiled almost two months ago, people have been trying to figure out where it fits into the larger electric scooter ecosystem.
At $1,599, it’s a seriously expensive scooter. But with 1,500 W of continuous power across two motors, and probably close to twice that much power during peak acceleration and hill-climbing, it’s also more powerful and offers higher performance than almost any other scooter on the market.
Plus the Rev comes from a company known for high-quality production and vehicles designed to last for years.
To really get a sense of what the Boosted Rev electric scooter is packing, let’s check out the specs.
Boosted Rev electric scooter tech specs
- Motor: dual 750 watt continuous brushless DC motors
- Top speed: 24 mph (38 km/h)
- Range: 22 miles (35 km)
- Weight: 46 lb (26 kg)
- Load capacity: 250 lb (113 kg)
- Brakes: motor braking front and rear, foot brake and disc brake in rear
- Tires: 9″x3″ air-filled front and rear
- Climbing angle: up to 25% grade
- Extras: kickstand, headlight and taillight, LED speedometer and battery meter, 3 riding modes, wide foot deck, one-hand folding mechanism, extra-wide handlebars, throttle wheel (like Boosted’s skateboard remote)
Video review
As usual, seeing is believing. So make sure you check out my review video below in addition to all the details in the article.
Build quality
For such a pricey scooter, the Boosted Rev has to compete on quality. And so far it seems like the Rev came to win.
The first thing you notice about the Rev is the phenomenal build quality. This thing is SOLID. There’s no flexing in the stem, there’s no play in the brake, there’s no hesitation in the throttle. The scooter simply feels like it was built to last. With many of Boosted’s original electric skateboards still on the street after more than five years, I can see the same being true for Boosted Rev electric scooters.
The engineers that designed this thing knew what they were doing. As part of my week on the Boosted Rev, I tried pushing it hard over jumps and riding offroad on trails ranging from gravel to forest to singletrack. And it handled it all.
I’m also a big fan of the design. I love the frame bars that wrap around the front of the stem and give you something to put a U-lock through. I love the big rear fender that doubles as a scrub brake. And I even love the throttle wheel, even though I expected it to feel odd at first.
On my very first ride on the Boosted Rev before the official launch in NYC last May, I found that the throttle felt intuitive right off the bat. Sure, it looks odd and might be a bit new to riders who have never tried one of Boosted’s electric skateboards before, but it feels nice on the thumb and allows for intuitive acceleration and braking with a single finger.
The front light is quite bright and the rear light is plenty visible. Plus the rear lights up as a brake light. Surely drivers aren’t trained to notice brake lights on scooters yet, but a suddenly brighter red light at night is hard to miss.
Power
The Boosted Rev electric scooter has gobs of it. I’m not exactly hefty, tipping the scales at about 150 lb (68 kg). I can easily spin the tires when I’m on loose terrains like grass, dirt, or sand. If I shift my weight just a bit backward on the scooter, I can even do front-wheel burnouts on grippy asphalt and concrete. There’s no way you’re doing that on a Bird or Lime electric scooter!
In addition to power, the Rev is extra torquey. It can climb hills like nobody’s business. Again, I’m not exactly a hefty fellow, so I can’t comment on how the scooter will do on a steep hill with a 250 lb (113 kg) rider. But with the amount of stress testing that Boosted put into the scooter before launch, I can see the Rev holding its own.
The other nice thing about powerful motors is that the regenerative braking is incredibly powerful as well. Sure, you get a stomp brake and a disc brake, but all you really need is the regen braking. I never use either of the two mechanical brakes. Boosted’s electric skateboards are known for their strong motor braking and it turns out that the Boosted Rev is no different. This thing can stop on a dime!
Speed
The Boosted Rev easily gets me up to 23 mph (37 km/h). Depending on the terrain I can sometimes hit the claimed 24 mph, but not always. I won’t ding the scooter too much there – that’s pretty standard across the industry. Few scooters reach their true top speed on anything less than 100% full battery and on an indoor track. So if the Boosted is getting within a half-mile per hour of its target then I’m happy with that.
The acceleration is also on point. As long as I can get enough traction on the fat tires, I can launch off the line. Speaking of tires…
Ride comfort
The big tires are there because the Boosted Rev has no suspension. If I had to choose one main gripe about the Rev, this would be it. The lack of suspension means that you’ll feel potholes more than on a full-suspension electric scooter.
To be fair, the 3 inch wide tires were great at absorbing sidewalk cracks and various smaller bumps in the road. But cobblestones were rougher on the Boosted Rev than on full suspension scooters I’ve tried.
I did do some pretty good testing on those tires though, from jumping curbs to riding mountain bike trails. And while you have to use more of your legs as suspension on the biggest bumps, the tires really do help. So when Boosted says the Rev doesn’t need suspension because it has fat tires, I’d say that’s half true. The tires go a long way, but I still would have loved to get some real suspension in there.
Convenience
The thing I love about electric scooters is that they are so much easier to carry with you. On an electric bicycle, I always have to worry about locking the bike up when I get to my destination. And while I can lock the Rev though its tubular frame, it also folds so easily that I rarely do that in practice. Instead, I just fold it up and carry it into the coffee shop or cafe. The scooter isn’t tiny, but I can usually get away with wedging it under my chair or the table. It’s not light at 46 lb (26 kg), but it is manageable for most adults.
The one-handed folding mechanism is also a dream. It simply works so easily and I don’t have to struggle with it to get the scooter folded like I do on some other scooters. In fact, I almost feel like it folds too easily. The first time I folded the Boosted Rev, I found that it was so effortless that I kind of eyed the mechanism suspiciously. I was worried it would just fold on me willy nilly. But try as I might, I couldn’t get it to engage without purposefully activating the folding paddle with my fingers. So it passed my “will this thing fold on me while I’m riding” test. It’s the first scooter I’ve ridden that folds effortlessly and yet still locks away solidly.
The only downside to the folded position is that those wide handlebars still stick out. They aren’t foldable and so they make the folded scooter into a big T shape. That means the Boosted Rev will never be as narrow as some electric scooters with folding handlebars. But it also has more rigid (and presumably safer) handlebars because of the lack of folding. So everything is a tradeoff, I suppose.
My verdict
Gosh, this is really a tough one. Is the Boosted Rev worth it?
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been grinning ear to ear while riding around on the Boosted Rev all week. It’s simply a pleasure to ride and it makes a terrific commuter vehicle.
But $1,599? If it had full suspension then I’d say it’s a no brainer. Yes, buy it.
But without full suspension, I’d give the caveat that it won’t ride as nicely on really rough roads and cobblestone streets. For the majority of riders though, they’ll be perfectly happy with the ride comfort on everyday streets and bike lanes.
At the end of the day, the Boosted Rev is a premium scooter of course. If you’re on a budget then you won’t be considering the Boosted Rev. You’ll be looking at $300 scooters.
But for anyone that doesn’t immediately recoil when you hear the price, then you’ll likely be very happy with the Rev. And considering Boosted offers a 30-day guarantee to try out the scooter and decide if you like it, you can’t really go wrong. The scooter is top quality and a blast to ride. Its price will certainly limit its audience, but those that can swing it will be happy they did.
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