Commuter scooters that already offer their services

What do you get after a few years of iteration and progress in batteries and a near-perfect track record in building personal electric ride-on devices? I’m not entirely sure but the Segway Ninebot E3 Pro electric scooter is a great step in the right direction.

Featuring an 800W motor with a range of up to 40km and a top speed of 25km/h (32km/h in Sport mode), the Ninebot E3 Series is the perfect sized scooter for daily commutes and weekend cruises around town. It folds up for easy storage and includes enough bells and whistles to satisfy most RGB LED enthusiasts.

Canadians, you can get the Segway E3 Pro Direct from Segway.

I’ve averaged over 10km each of the six times I’ve taken it out so far and each time I’ve come to realize that it’s probably the best mid-sized electric commuter scooter I’ve used to date.

Stay with me as I remember the simpler days of push scooters and why electric ones became so much more fun before I started reviewing properly. Feel free to skip the next section for proper review.

My love story for motorcycles

Long before electric scooters were around, and Lime, Bird, and their ilk rental fleet were still a pipe dream, our family used push scooters to get around locally. When our eldest was no more than a toddler, we bought him a motorcycle and I can distinctly remember asking Mickey if I should get one too.

At the time there weren’t many options but I eventually found an adult-sized thruster (which I still enjoy to this day) and we hung out often. Car trips across the country often involve throwing scooters in the back, and the number of laps we’ve done at nearby parks over the years would make a Nascar racer jealous.

A few years later, Mickey decided she wanted to get in on the action, so we got another one. When our daughter got older, we bought her a small one and when both kids got older, we replaced theirs with an adult-sized one as well.

If you’re in Canada, get the Segway E3 Pro at Best Buy Canada is also available Direct from Segway.

After a few more years, electric scooters became ubiquitous. They are now found in most cities in North America and Europe, and whether you love them or hate them, the fact is that they are there, and they are a great way to get around and much easier on the environment (and cheaper) than taking a taxi or even taking an Uber.

Although it has changed over the years, the Segway Ninebot series has always been considered a durable electric scooter. So, where does the current iteration stand? Let’s take out the Segway Ninebot E3 Pro and see how it fares.

Segway E3 Pro Electric Scooter Review

Receiving the large box that the Segway E3 Pro scooter came in was a surprise. A little larger and heavier than I expected, I wasn’t sure how much assembly I would need to do. Fortunately, when I opened the box, I quickly realized that Segway had put assembly instructions on everything from the box itself telling us how to lift it up to nicely labeling every part that came with it.

To be honest, there wasn’t much to collect. Basically, just a few screws with the included 3-way hex key. When opening the box itself, the scooter is folded and includes a large Velcro strap that holds everything together. Unfortunately, I was so excited about setting it up that I forgot to take some pictures of the unpacking process…

However, it literally consists of pulling the scooter out, loosening the Velcro strap, adjusting the steering and then putting in some screws. That’s it!

Segway E3 Pro Features

As I stood back, I admired the flashing lights when I pressed the power button.

You’ll immediately realize that the Segway E3 Pro includes handlebar-mounted turn lights, a bright brake light, a headlight, and deck-mounted color LEDs as well as a nice central speedometer with battery and mode indicator. There are also a few carefully placed stickers telling you how to operate the scooter if you just want to hop on it and take it for a ride.

The Segway E3 Pro features four riding modes that you can switch between by double pressing the power button. You can do this while traveling or when the scooter is stationary. The beautiful, bright 3-inch display will switch between W, E, D, or S so you always know which mode you’re in.

Like most e-scooters, each mode has its own maximum speed and riding duration. Basically, the faster you move, the faster your battery drains and your maximum distance decreases, so if you’re hoping for a longer distance, or if your battery is draining quickly and you still have a way to go, drop the mode.

Walking mode: Slow maximum speed of 6 km/h (4 mph) designed to match fast walking pace. (Perfect for riding next to a walking friend or spouse.)

Economic situation: Top speed is 15 km/h (10 mph) and rated ride lengths are up to 55 km (35 miles). This is the option if you are driving through the park with a lot of people around or you need to extend your driving distance as it has the longest running times of all.

Default mode: Top speed is 25 km/h (16 mph) and ride lengths are up to 40 km (25 miles). This is the default mode and fits the E3 Pro well for most users who feel comfortable riding a scooter. Great for side streets and just messing around.

Sport mode: Top speed is 32 km/h (20 mph) and ride lengths are up to 25 km (16 miles). This is the fastest mode and is great for those riders who are a little more experienced or crave a little more speed. Note that this may be higher than the legal speed in some jurisdictions.

Most of my trips over 10km have been in Sport mode and I usually have about 60% battery left when I get home, but note that I’m driving in a mountain town. I had over 75% of my 25km/h driving on 10km runs where I was taking things easy and sticking to fairly flat areas so those numbers above didn’t seem out of reach. Of course, these maximum speeds and distances will vary depending on rider weight (maximum 120 kg or 260 lbs), riding style and terrain, so your mileage may vary.

The bonus is that the E3 Pro performs decently even when the power is out, so driving it home if you exceed your range is possible. (I went up and down the street to test it and was surprised at how well it pushed like that.)

Segway E3 Pro on road tests

The 800W max power motor can easily handle inclines up to 18% and on my third trip I hit a local hill with a steep incline in the mid 20s. It took me up to 22km/h on the steeper sections but never slowed down beyond that, so I was overall impressed with the E3 Pro’s power on hills.

Back down the hill, the front drum brakes and rear electric brakes handled braking well, and the 10-inch tubeless tires on the front and rear suspension handled small road bumps like a champ. It made me wish I had an F3 or even a G3 so I could leave those back hills but this E3 Pro model was never intended for that style of driving.

On my way back the other day, I passed some gravel trails and the Ninebot E3 Pro handled it better than I expected. I downshifted and wouldn’t recommend it for rough gravel, but if there are patches of fine gravel you need to cross during your daily commute, the E3 isn’t bad. The suspension kept me in control, but on rough gravel with big bumps again, I wished for the more expensive F3 Pro model or even the G3 Pro Ninebot with the higher suspension.

Power-wise, the Segway is quick to accelerate but you can tell the designers opted for smooth acceleration rather than the raw power offered by some cheaper brands. What this means is that young or inexperienced drivers will not be impressed the first time they ride the E3 Pro. The only time I really wanted to accelerate faster was after stopping at a long red light and impatiently waiting for the car to turn while I jumped back in. I didn’t feel like it was that bad at any other intersections, so overall I’m not really complaining.

In fact, the inclusion of turn lights on the handlebars gave me more confidence in traffic than other electric scooters I’ve used in the past. Signaling my intentions let drivers know what I was doing and you could see the relief in their eyes when I acted like a car and not a crazy drunk man speeding down the sidewalk not caring who I cut in the process.

The Segway E3 Pro handles driving well on rough streets and pavement and has a good balance between weight and power ratio for a scooter in this class. It reminded me of a rental motorcycle in terms of how stiff it felt (not a bad thing) and people I’ve let test it confirmed that it rode similarly to some rentals they’ve used except that the E3 Pro seemed a bit livelier.

Comfort wise, the handles have a nice feel and the deck feels solid without a lot of bounce. When I pushed it a little harder and jumped off some curbs, I never felt like I was in danger or that the Segway couldn’t handle it. Everything feels nice and tight like a new scooter.

The folding mechanism is straightforward if not a little rough. You really need a strong kick with your foot to be able to fold it. Although it may be a little awkward, it also means it won’t accidentally fold over you.

I will say that the way it locks in the folded position could be a little better, as it makes carrying it in the folded position possible, however it never locks and felt like it could open on me if I wasn’t paying attention. However, most people won’t be able to walk with it folded over large distances, and there are modifications you can find online to make it a little better if that’s the position you use often.

Segway E3 Pro application

Like all of the newer Ninebot series, the Segway E3 Pro can be connected to your phone via Bluetooth. While there are many things you can do to control certain settings directly via the brake and power button (and different combinations of presses on them), there is no touchscreen or joystick on the scooter itself.

Everything from starting speed (how fast you need to push for the engine to start) to brake regeneration amounts can be adjusted in the Segway app. You can also change the undercarriage LED lighting patterns for each driving mode as well as set the brake light to solid or flashing. It also allows you to easily switch from Imperial to Metric.

The app also offers a battery and speedometer on a nice dashboard if you want to mount your phone on the handlebars plus it can tell you information about everything from engine temperature to remaining mileage to current firmware. The latter also allows you to update the firmware in case there have been modifications or updates since you purchased it.

I really estimate the distance traveled (last trip) as well as keep an eye on the total distance traveled as well. This would be great information to know for second hand buyers to know how much wear the scooter has actually seen. It can also be a great way to see how efficient your battery is.

The app can also let you lock the Segway scooter and set alerts including a Find Me option. This is great if you’re planning to do some shopping and need to leave your scooter outside for a while. Although there is no dedicated leash lock ring on the scooter itself, the app can tell you if the scooter is moving too far or has suddenly gone out of range.

Final Thoughts on the Segway E3 Pro Scooter

The Segway E3 Pro is a great scooter for daily commuters in the city. It’s also a great scooter for riding around the neighborhood, heading to the park, or walking the sidewalk paths. The 800W motor and top speed of 25 km/h (16 mph) is a great combination on a scooter at this weight and price point and you get a lot of features from a major brand.

My only real issue with the scooter is the fact that it can’t go 40km/h but that’s just wishful thinking at this price. The maximum 32 km/h (20 mph) in Sport mode is a nice bonus for this model and is higher than allowed by many jurisdictions in Canada and the USA. However, I had no problem passing some of the bright green rental e-scooters and certainly beat others right off the bat, so the E3 Pro is no slouch.

Even though this Segway E3 Pro scooter was provided to me, I had no problem recommending it to people. It’s in the sweet spot for the power price and feature list and Segway scooters are the most popular brand of scooters in North America for a reason. The quality is top notch and I suspect I will be putting hundreds of additional kilometers on this thing over the next few years.

If you’re in Canada, get the Segway E3 Pro at Best Buy Canada is also available Direct from Segway.