iScooter i9 Commuter Electric Scooter Review

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We were recently sent the iScooter i9 Commuter Electric Scooter to review. Electric scooters are currently not able to be used on public roads in the UK and can only be used on private land. However, there are electric scooter trials in cities across the country so I thought it would be good to try out an electric scooter for myself ready for when they are approved for road use.

What are electric scooters?

Electric scooters have two wheels, a deck to stand on and handlebars for steering just like manual scooters. But, electric scooters have the addition of a battery, electronics, larger tyres and an electric motor. Electric scooter come in all shapes and sizes to suit all riders and experience levels.

The iScooter i9 is an ideal, entry level scooter that is easy to handle and fun to ride. Here’s our review:

The iScooter i9 Commuter Electric Scooter

The i9 scooter is delivered in one large box. It needs minimal construction – purely a couple of screws tightening before it’s ready to use. It comes with the four screws that need putting in place, an allen wrench, a charger and a basic user manual.

Once set up, the commuting electric scooter is ready to use and we happily tested it out in our garden at home. The iScooter i9 is the entry level scooter in the iScooter range. It’s aimed at anyone over the age of 8 and has a maximum rider weight of 220lb. It’s a great size, feels nice and sturdy and is comfortable to stand on.

The scooter has some charge in it when it first arrives and then takes 3-6 hours for a full charge. Once fully charged the scooter has a range of up to 30km and can go at a top speed of 15.5mph. This doesn’t sound very fast compared to driving a car but it’s a really good, safe speed for cycling or scooting.

The i9 has an on/off switch and can then be started up by either manually coasting the scooter along before pressing the accelerator to start the motor or you can change the settings so that the scooter starts as soon as you press the accelerator. Personally, I much prefer starting off manually before accelerating as it feels like I have much more control but this really is just personal preference.

If you keep the same speed for five seconds the scooter enters cruise control mode, maintaining the speed for you without the need to press the accelerator. However, you can exit cruise control easily by accelerating or braking.

The iScooter electric scooter weighs 12kgs and does feel quite heavy until you are riding on it, at which point it feels pretty weightless! You steer by leaning to either side whilst turning the handlebars slowly and, like with all scooter controls, after a few minutes you don’t even have to think about it. Starting, stopping and steering are all really easy to pick up.

The scooter has both a front and rear brake – with the front back being electric and the rear being mechanical. It also has both front and rear LED lights and brake lights too. These are easy to operate and work well – the lights are surprisingly bright!

The iScooter i9 has three different riding modes – Eco, Drive and Sport. You can change between the modes depending on whether you want to focus on speed or battery life. It’s nice to try the different modes to see which works best for you.

Like all electric vehicles, the maximum distance – and battery life – is affected by things like going up steep hills, having heavier passengers or driving faster which all run down the battery quicker. I really like that the i9 can still be used as a manual scooter even when the battery is flat meaning that if you went on a longer journey than expected, you wouldn’t be stranded if the battery ran down.

The scooter also has a bell on the handlebars – like a traditional bike bell – which is useful although I think a horn might be more appropriate when scooters are allowed on roads.

The scooter can be folded for easy storage and transportation. It’s a two step folding process that just takes seconds and would make commuting with the scooter that much easier. When folded the weight is nicely distributed and it’s really easy to carry.

The iScooter dashboard info display

One thing we loved about the i9 is that it has a handy info display on the handlebars, much like a smaller version of a car dashboard. The LED screen shows your current speed, the battery level, cruise control, which mode is activated, maintenance, temperature, turn signal indicator, trip distance and more.

The info display is super useful when riding the scooter and really ticks every box. It shows everything that you need to know and helps keep you safe at the same time.

The KCQ Scooter App

The iScooter also uses the KCQ Scooter App which is free to download and really easy to use. You can use it to change a few settings on the scooter – things like how the scooter starts and whether distances/speeds are shown in kms or miles.

The app also shows your speedometer, can be used to turn the lights on and off and can even show a map of where you are. This would be handy if you were to mount your phone on the scooter handlebars but I prefer using the scooter without any added distractions.

There’s also the option of buying a seat for the scooter which could help those with mobility issues or anyone that finds it difficult to stand for extended periods.

We really enjoyed using the iScooter i9. It was intuitive to use, simple to pick up and control and I can see it being a really great way to commute in the future.

The iScooter i9 has an RRP of £395.99 but is currently on sale at £245.99. You can find out more and buy over on the iScooter website.