As college students gear up for the new academic year, electric scooters are emerging as a top choice for campus transportation. Here are the best ones I’ve covered and would recommend for students.
As much of an e-bike evangelist as I am, I can’t deny just how many people have come up to me this summer asking for e-scooter recommendations for campus.
Compact, affordable, and environmentally friendly, electric scooters offer a convenient solution for navigating crowded campuses and nearby urban areas. With the ability to easily zip between classes, dorms, and local shops, students can save time and avoid the hassle of finding parking, which is often a significant challenge (and expense) on campus and in college towns. Additionally, electric scooters are cost-effective, with low maintenance requirements and lower purchasing prices than many e-bikes, making them an appealing option for budget-conscious students.
Electric scooters also align with the increasing emphasis on sustainability among younger generations. As many students and campuses strive to reduce their carbon footprint, those who opt for electric scooters contribute to this effort by choosing a mode of transportation that emits zero tailpipe emissions.
The portability of these scooters adds another layer of convenience. Many models are lightweight and foldable, allowing students to store them in tight dorm spaces or even take them into classrooms. Despite my affinity for electric bicycles, I can’t argue with just how portable electric scooters are by comparison. As a back-to-school vehicle, electric scooters strike the perfect balance between practicality, affordability, and environmental consciousness, making them an ideal choice for college students looking to simplify their daily commute.
For this list, I’m only including electric scooters priced under US $1,500. There are some great high-end, high-performance scooters out there, but we’re talking about college students here, so we’re setting an arbitrary round number limit on spending.
Yadea Artist
I first tested this electric scooter at the Yadea factory and instantly fell in love with it. Despite being fairly lightweight at 41 lb, you still get a full-suspension ride that can handle light trails or rough streets. There are lighter models on this list, but you rarely get full suspension with great features in a package this size.
The scooter has an elegant design, LED lighting, and a 600W peak-rated motor that can climb inclines up to 20% grade.
The one downside (in my opinion) is that the top speed of 15.5 mph is a bit limiting on longer, larger roads. It’s plenty for zipping around campus, but those long straightaways can leave you feeling like you want to go even faster.
It’s available on Amazon for US$599, though there’s a 12% coupon that you can click to bring the price down to $527.
Apollo Go
I tested this scooter earlier this summer and was impressed, as always, with Apollo’s ground-up approach to building electric scooters. The company places a large emphasis on original design, resulting in features you don’t always find elsewhere.
It’s a bit heavier at 49 lb, partly due to the dual motor design, but the scooter still gives riders full suspension for under 50 lb. And perhaps more importantly for many, it has a higher top speed of up to 28 mph. That’s great for longer commutes in the bike lane, though riders need to exercise more responsibility when navigating around other riders and pedestrians at such high speeds.
As an added advantage, the Apollo Go has UL certification, which is quickly becoming an important requirement on some college campuses.
With a solid folding mechanism and great LED lighting, this is definitely one to consider.
JackRabbit OG and OG2
As an e-bike lover, the JackRabbit is my jam! That’s because it feels like it sits halfway between electric bikes and electric scooters.
Referred to as a micro e-bike, it’s technically a seated e-scooter since it has foot pegs instead of pedals. But the rest of the JackRabbit feels more like a bike thanks to the handlebars, 20″ bicycle wheels, and bicycle saddle. Those larger wheels also help it roll over obstacles better.
All of JackRabbit’s models can hit 20 mph, and the swappable batteries that are around the size of power drill batteries each give 10 miles of range. They are small enough to fit in your pocket, allowing riders to swap in a second (or third) battery if more range is needed. The company also came out with a jumbosized battery, if you only want one battery to take you 24 miles on a single charge.
The JackRabbit OG is the original model, and is priced at US $999. The company recently launched an update to the OG, known as the OG2, which has several upgrades including a more rugged design, nicer display, beefier pegs, upgraded tires, and more. The OG2 is slightly more expensive at $1,249, but it feels worth it to me!
Segway Ninebot E2 Pro
At $499, the Segway Ninebot E2 Pro is super affordable yet still packs in some cool features like traction control, turn signals, and built-in Apple FindMy to ensure you can always locate your scooter. It’s also got a fairly neat-looking screen with easy-to-read large format readouts for speed and other key riding parameters.
The E2 Pro isn’t terribly fast, topping out at 15 mph, but at least it still includes a 750W motor for extra power and the ability to climb grades of up to 18%.
The 10-inch tires are also surprisingly large for a budget-priced e-scooter, giving riders more confidence over bumpy and pockmarked roads.
This is one I haven’t tested yet, but I look forward to putting some miles on one soon! At this price, and with Ninebot’s reputation for pumping out tons of great rideables over the years, I have high hopes for it.
VMAX VX5 Pro
Another model that is on my wishlist is the VMAX VX5 Pro. For me, it’s largely a toss up between the smaller and lighter VX5 Pro and the heavier yet more powerful VX2 Extreme. While the latter is higher performance with faster speeds of up to 25 mph, I really like the idea of smaller and more portable scooters. The VX5 Pro fits that bill yet still offers a nice compromise of speed, clocking in at 18 mph.
The VMAX VX5 Pro somehow amazingly starts at just US $449, yet offers turn signals, tubeless tires, UL compliance, and IPX6 waterproofing so you don’t have to worry about it getting wet.
The low-cost scooter even has some serious power, with its 400W motor rated for a peak output of 840W. That’s some get-up-and-go!
I’m looking forward to getting on this scooter myself soon, but in the meantime, I’ve been very impressed with it while covering its launch and have heard good things. And since I have personal experience with the Switzerland-based company, I can vouch for VMAX as a solid brand with good people behind it.
Whatever you get, lock it up!
E-bikes and e-scooters are great way to get around campus, but they’re also prime targets for thieves.
That’s one advantage of e-scooters, in that they are often light enough to easily carry inside to avoid leaving as a juicy target for thieves.
But if you do need to park your ride outside, make sure you use a good lock – or preferably two of them!
There are lots of good locks out there, but a couple that I’ve found especially useful for scooters are the Foldylock Compact and the Mason five-side U-lock. The compact is an easy to carry folding lock that is great for going around weird shaped bike locks, and U-lock is great for grabbing the downtube of a scooter between the headset and the deck to lock onto a pole or bike rack.
But whatever you use, make sure you lock things up!
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