The best electric scooters to buy

Instead of sharing an electric scooter with anyone and everyone, snag your own.

Apps like Bird and Lime let you rent a two-wheeled battery-powered scooter, but you have to pay to unlock the device, and pay again by the minute. For those who don't like sharing, you can pay upfront for your very own e-scooter. Available to you and only you, and stored, charged, and maintained, in your home.

Welcome to unlimited riding, where the only limit is your battery level. Here are some scooter options to get scooting on your own terms. If you're unsure where to even start, e-scooter shopping site Ridepanda lets you plug in planned uses (for commutes, long flat rides, family trips) and important features like range or speed, and spits out many possible matches across a wide range of quality levels and prices.

But to narrow your search even further, this is our brief, all-purpose list of (mostly pretty affordable) winners.

Razor

Cost: $499

Ride time: 40 minutes

For when you want a tougher e-scooter. Credit: Razor

The Jeep RX 200 with Razor is a collab with the rugged car company and the longtime scooter brand. The e-scooter has a Jeep Wrangler aesthetic and comes in Army green with a 200-watt motor to power up to 12 mph rides. The wide base and tough wheels are supposed to make this scooter sturdier while off-roading. Do so at your own risk. It's not an actual Jeep.

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Unagi

Cost: $39/month or $990

Ride time: 15 miles or about 1 hour

The Model One scooter is a lightweight, sleek, and fast scooter option, but it comes with a high price tag. The subscription payments might make it more palatable. With up to 20 mph speeds (most scooters max out around 15 mph) it's a commuting whiz, and it also folds up so you can carry it (only 26 pounds!) up flights of stairs. As of earlier this year there's a new color to choose from: moss green.

Gotrax

Cost: $369

Ride time: 15 miles or about 1 hour

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The Apex is another good commuting option with more stability and longer battery life than other Gotrax models. It also features rear-wheel drive. That extra heft means it's, well, heavier, but it can still reach up to 15.5 mph. It comes in black or red, though as of this writing red is currently sold out.

Segway-Ninebot

Cost: $549

Ride time: 18.6 miles (over an hour)

The OG EKickscooter e-scooter is still a solid option if you're looking for something simple and dependable. It might not have all the frills and elaborate screens and sleek finishes, but it can still make it to over 15 mph and up slight hills. It folds up easily when you're done riding. Ninebot also has bigger e-scooters available if you want a bigger base, wheels, and battery.

Bird

Cost: $599

Ride time: 13.5 miles (just under an hour)

Ride instead of rent. Credit: Bird

The Bird Flex is an e-scooter that you can't rent. Although scooter-share company Bird manufactures the two-wheeler, it's only available for purchase. It has a wide base for a more stable ride and shock absorbers at the wheels, but it's heavy: 48.5 pounds. Despite the bulk, it does fold up, so you can (theoretically) carry it.

Apollo

Cost: $999

Ride time: 28 miles (more than an hour at max speed)

Even though I swore off owning an e-scooter after a few weeks with the Apollo City scooter during the first COVID winter, if I were to cave and buy one instead of using apps, this would be a solid option. With bright lights for night riding, foldable handles, and a super long-lasting battery, it's efficient and comfortable. It's also speedy, reaching up to 25 mph.

It can go for miles. Credit: Sasha Lekach / Mashable