8.3/ 10 SCORE Segway E3 Pro Pros
Well-designed electrical scooter for city commuters and college students
Fairly inexpensive
Dual suspension
Easy to fold and fairly mild
Extra options typical of extra premium scooters
Cons
Not sufficient energy for heavier riders
Deck could also be a tad brief and slender
Kickstand is healthier on Segway’s Max scooters
Our resident electrical scooter skilled, Joe Kaminski, sometimes assessments extra highly effective high-end electrical scooters which have lofty high speeds and are capable of journey longer distances. He’s an even bigger and braver man than I — he complains that he wants extra energy to rise up hills and sometimes rides in the midst of visitors in New York City.The extra entry-level Segway E3 Pro, which lists for $700 (although it is at the moment promoting for $500 for Black Friday and Cyber Monday) most likely is not for him, however it’s proper in my wheel home. It’s a wonderful choice for commuters searching for an electrical scooter that is pretty light-weight (40.1 kilos or 18.2 kilograms), folds up simply, has respectable all-around efficiency and has some options present in higher-end fashions that price nearer to $1,000. That’s why I’ve awarded it a CNET Editors’ Choice.Read extra: Best Electric Scooters for 2025I’ve been using Segway Ninebot electrical scooters for some time. I even have purchased some really entry-level fashions within the $300 vary for my youthful teenage children. These solely had high speeds of 13-15 mph as a result of I did not need my children to go too quick.However, the E3 Pro is extra highly effective than these. Equipped with 10-inch tubeless tires, it has an 800-watt motor and a high pace of 20 mph, with a rated vary of as much as 34 miles, although this varies significantly primarily based in your weight, what pace you are touring, how briskly you speed up and the terrain. (That 34-mile vary relies on a mean pace of 9 mph in its Eco mode.) In different phrases, count on lower than that high quantity, however I discovered it ample for my wants as I are likely to experience solely about 10-15 miles throughout most of my jaunts in New York City.
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The Segway E3 Pro in Riverside Park in New York City. David Carnoy/CNETSmooth experience and accelerationI’m 5-feet, 11-inches tall and weigh 166 kilos, so I did not have any points getting up steeper hills. While I used to be OK with utilizing the usual acceleration setting, I favored the Sport setting for a zippier experience. (The Eco mode has slower acceleration and feels underpowered, however it helps protect battery life.)For some of us, the scooter’s deck could also be a tad brief and slender at 19 inches lengthy to the fender and 6 inches large, however it wasn’t an issue for me. I used to be usually impressed with how easy the experience and acceleration have been. (You do not get jerked ahead whenever you push down on the throttle; it is a regular acceleration, particularly whenever you experience at a decrease acceleration stage.) The handlebars’ 40-inch top felt comfy for me, as did their 22-inch width. I did not really feel any rattling or wiggling within the stem as I used to be using. Getting able to do a hill take a look at. David Carnoy/CNETThe E3 Pro has a dual-suspension system (“dual elastomer”) and a trailing swing arm design with a 67mm giant trailing distance, which implies the E3 Pro’s wheel is about barely behind the stem axis. That offers you extra stability and management than your typical entry-level scooter. (It’s additionally geared up with the corporate’s SegRide Stability Enhancement System, based on Segway.) I felt safer using the E3 Pro than my 5-year-old Ninebot Max, which appears slightly dated as compared, although it nonetheless runs nice. The E3 Pro is provided with a entrance drum brake and an digital rear brake. There are higher, extra superior braking methods (disc brakes, for instance) that may assist you to cease extra shortly. It is sweet that you’ve a mechanical brake, although, within the unlikely occasion the digital brake fails. I managed to cease in about 22 toes from a set pace of 15 mph. But if you happen to weigh extra, that distance will improve — or get shorter if you happen to’re lighter. I are likely to keep away from utilizing the brakes and easily ease off the throttle once I need to decelerate. The scooter is provided with the Segway-Ninebot SegRide stability system. David Carnoy/CNETSome helpful extras and Bluetooth app assistThe E3 Pro has just a few additional bells and whistles, together with an precise bell, a 4-watt entrance mild, rear brake mild, flip sign lights and RGB lighting beneath the deck. There’s an Apple Find My characteristic and the Segway Mobility companion app for iOS and Android that I used to replace the scooter’s firmware and the battery’s firmware, in addition to activate traction management, set the beginning pace, customise the RGB lighting and allow the guard mode, which locks the scooter’s dashboard. The RGB lighting beneath the deck could be custom-made within the app. David Carnoy/CNETA fairly simple liftAs I mentioned, folding up the scooter is comparatively simple, although it helps to look at an educational video earlier than doing it for the primary time. You merely use your foot to press down with some drive on the folding swap (it’s important to launch the swap first) and pull the handlebars towards you. You should launch the latch earlier than stepping on it together with your foot. David Carnoy/CNETAt 40.1 kilos, it is pretty mild for an electrical scooter. However, not everyone can elevate 40 kilos simply, and it does require slightly power to hold the E3 Pro round. The drawback is that higher-caliber scooters are likely to weigh much more, so there is a trade-off between efficiency and weight. I’d favor it if it weighed about 10 kilos much less, however few electrical scooters weigh lower than 30 kilos — at the least those price shopping for.If I’ve a small design gripe, it is that the kickstand is not barely longer — or positioned extra towards the entrance of the deck like it’s with earlier Ninebot Max fashions — so the scooter would not lean over as a lot because it does when the kickstand is down. I stored wanting the scooter to take a seat up just a few levels extra.
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The Segway E3 Pro weighs 40.1 kilos and simply folds up for carrying. Screenshot by David Carnoy/CNETIs the Segway E3 Pro price it?Segway makes so many electrical scooter fashions, it may be slightly troublesome to decide on which one to purchase, particularly because it retains fashions round for some time. The step-up Segway F3 scooter has superior suspension and braking methods, in addition to extra energy (a 1,000-watt motor) and an extended vary (as much as 44 miles), however it prices round $250 extra.There’s additionally the 2-year-old Max G2 at round $100 greater than the E3 Pro, which provides a better high pace (22 mph) and longer vary (43 miles) and extra energy (1,000 watts). The Max line additionally has further step-down fashions. Max G2 is barely geared towards extra intermediate or superior riders with longer commutes, whereas the E3 Pro is maybe slightly extra pleasant to novice riders searching for a secure experience with easy acceleration, in addition to some premium options for an inexpensive worth. That mentioned, it is effectively suited towards any informal rider with a brief to medium commute, so it is nice for that last-mile commute to and from a prepare station. For rather less, you’ll be able to step-down to one thing just like the Swiss-engineered VMAX VX5 Pro (round $450), however it would not supply the identical high pace because the Segway E3 Pro nor the vary. And Segway nonetheless sells the E2 Pro for round $400, with the same high pace and vary because the VMAX VX5 Pro. I feel the E3 Pro is the higher selection if you happen to can afford it as a result of it makes you’re feeling such as you’re edging into extra premium territory with out paying the premium worth. Segway E3 Pro key specsWeight: 40.1 kilos (18.2 kg)Max energy: 800WMax vary: Up to 34 miles on a single cost (in Eco mode, averaging 9 mph)Top pace: 20 mph10-inch tubeless tires18% max climbing slopeDual-suspension system (twin elastomer)Brakes: Front drum and rear digital brakesSegRide stability enhancement and traction controlSafety options: 4-watt LED headlight, flip alerts and a rear brake mildBluetooth connectivity with assist for the Segway Mobility app for iOS and AndroidWorks with Apple Find My