WAWSCOTE W3

Here is something worth knowing before you read any scooter comparison, ours included: Amazon's official best-seller list for electric scooters is almost entirely $100-160 scooters from brands nobody has heard of. Eleven of the top twelve. The only brand name in that group is the Hiboy S2 at #5. This WAWSCOTE sits at #2 — and of that whole budget tier, it is the best rated, at 4.3 from 313 ratings. If you are shopping at this price, this is the bar, so we reviewed it the same way we review a $1,000 Segway.

First, read the title again, because it is selling you four scooters. It says 1200/1000/500 W, 28/24/21/18 mph, 28/21 miles. Those are separate variants under one listing. At $159.99 you get the bottom of every range: 350 W nominal, 18 mph, and 15 to 21 miles. The 1200 W and 28 mph in the headline belong to scooters that cost more. This is the single most common trick in the budget tier, and the listing's own first bullet — not the title — is where the truth is.

What $160 actually buys is reasonable: 8.5-inch pneumatic tires (better than the solid ones on the Hiboy S2 for comfort, worse for punctures), a rear drum brake plus an electronic front, IPX4 water resistance, front and rear lights, and an app. The battery is 36V 7.8Ah — about 281 Wh — which is small, and honestly labelled. Four hours to charge is quick, because there isn't much to charge.

Now the claims we don't believe. The listing says it climbs a 20° slope. Twenty degrees is about a 36 percent grade — steeper than the steepest street in San Francisco — and a 350 W motor does not do that with an adult on board. No test conditions are given. The listing also says the scooter weighs 24 lb, which would make it the lightest thing on this site by nine pounds. We record it because it's the published number, but a high-carbon steel frame with a battery in the deck usually weighs more than that, so weigh it yourself before you plan your stairs around it.

Two details tell you more than the specs. The packing list includes a replacement inner tube — a manufacturer telling you in writing to expect a puncture. And the spec table lists the intended use as "stunts" and "daily commuting". We would pick one.

On the reviews: several five-star ones praise "motor options ranging from 500W to 1200W". Nobody writes that sentence about the one scooter they bought. Read the three- and four-star reviews; those describe the product.