Don’t get me wrong, I love big and powerful electric scooters. But I don’t really want to carry a 95 lb (43 kg) electric scooter onto the subway or the bus. That’s where lightweight electric scooters come in.
Today we’re going to have a good old-fashioned face-off between some of the most popular lightweight electric scooters under 30 lb (13.6 kg) to see which one could be right for your commute.
For today’s comparison, we’re taking three of the most popular lightweight electric scooters we’ve reviewed, based on the response from our readers and viewers.
Those three scooters are the E-Twow GT from eWheels, the GoTrax Xr Ultra, and the Unagi Model One E500.
All three of the scooters conveniently have the same weight: approximately 26 lb (11.8 kg).
So now it’s time to see how they stack up against each other in the most important areas that commuters care about.
And since seeing is believing (or for those that don’t enjoy reading, yet have made it this far), be sure to check out our short video below where the compare the scooters head to head.
E-Twow vs. GoTrax Xr Ultra vs. Unagi video showdown
How do these lightweight electric scooters compare?
We’ll compare these scooters in the categories of price, power, speed, range, comfort, and convenience.
Let’s do this!
Lightweight scooter price comparison
These three scooters have a wide range of prices.
The cheapest is the GoTrax Xr Ultra at just $399.
Next in line is the Unagi E500 at $990.
Finally, the E-Twow GT is the most expensive at $1,089.
And as you’ll see, those prices correlate fairly well with the rest of the specs, especially the power and speed.
The GoTrax Xr Ultra takes an early lead as cheapest e-scooter
Lightweight scooter power and speed comparison
Power is what separates the easygoing scooters from the brawny hill-climbing scooters.
The GoTrax Xr Ultra is at the bottom of the ranking with a small-ish 300W continuous motor and a top speed of around 15 mph (25 km/h).
Next is the Unagi E500, which sports two 250W continuous motors and a top speed of around 17 mph (27 km/h), though some people have found success unlocking the scooter to reach 20 mph (32 km/h).
The king in terms of speed and power is definitely the E-Twow GT, which sports a 700W continuous motor and a top speed of 25 mph (40 km/h). If power and speed is what you’re after, there’s simply no substitute in the lightweight e-scooter category for the E-Twow GT.
The E-Twow GT is the fastest and most powerful of these three electric scooters
Lightweight scooter range comparison
Interestingly (and perhaps intuitively?) the range doesn’t follow the same order as the speed and power rankings.
The E-Twow GT is still at the top of the pack. Its 500Wh battery offers a range of around 23 miles (37 km).
However, the Unagi E500 and GoTrax Xr Ultra have around half of that battery, rated at 260Wh and 250Wh, respectively.
Despite the Unagi E500 having a slightly larger battery, our testing found it to get slightly less range than the GoTrax Xr Ultra, perhaps because it has twice the motors and thus more power draw. Its slightly higher top speed will also cause it to draw a bit more power as well, compared to the GoTrax.
While we usually achieved a range of just under 10 miles (16 km) of range with the Unagi while riding it fairly hard, we were getting just over 10 miles (16 km) of range with the GoTrax Xr Ultra under the same riding conditions.
The Unagi E500 doesn’t have the best range, but it sure is beautiful!
Lightweight scooter comfort and convenience comparison
In terms of comfort, the E-Twow GT wins hands down. It’s the only scooter on the list with full suspension, and the suspension works nicely on rough terrain like bricks, pavers, and cracked sidewalks. It doesn’t do as much for potholes, but let’s get real: It’s still a scooter with scooter-sized wheels. Scooters have never been great at potholes.
The Unagi isn’t quite as comfortable as the E-Twow GT, but it does have hollow void wheels that can help manage small road imperfections better than solid tires. It beats the E-Twow GT in terms of convenience, though, based on its super-slick folding mechanism. The E-Twow GT is still a fine folder, but the foot mechanism sometimes requires a second try, and I also occasionally find the toe of my shoe catching the charge port dust cover instead of the folding latch on the E-Twow GT.
The GoTrax Xr Ultra comes in last here, as its folding mechanism requires two steps and doesn’t work quite as quickly or smoothly. It also doesn’t have the greatest ride comfort. It’s fine for smooth paths, but bumpy roads will lead to bumpy rides.
Suspension helps the E-Twow GT win the “most comfortable” award among these three scooters
Summary
In the end, here’s the way I see it:
The GoTrax Xr Ultra is a good scooter for riders on a budget who don’t mind compromising a bit on specs like speed and power. If you’ve got big hills, don’t expect big performance, though.
The Unagi E500 is a good scooter for riders that want a more attractive, sleeker, and convenient scooter, but don’t necessarily need the best range or speed. It will climb larger hills than the GoTrax Xr Ultra as well.
The E-Twow GT is a good scooter for riders that want a higher top speed and need more range, or that want better ride comfort that comes with true suspension. This will also be a good hill-climbing option.
At the end of the day, you get what you pay for. The Unagi and E-Twow GT scooters are certainly higher quality than the entry-level GoTrax Xr Ultra, but you also pay for that privilege.
But at least they’re all lightweight enough to lift with ease.
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