You can use an e-scooter on
a UK road as long as it is hired
from approved renters such as
Lime, Spin, Voi, Wind and Bird,
which operate in about 30 cities.
Riders can travel on roads, cycle
tracks and bike lanes but not
on pavements or motorways,
and are covered by the rental
company’s insurance. Privately
owned e-scooters can’t be ridden
legally in public places, but many
are — about 750,000 are in
circulation and an increasingly
common sight in cities, with an
accompanying rise in accidents.
The Metropolitan Police recorded
510 casualties involving
e-scooters in the capital in 2021,
more than double the number in
2020 and two fifths of allcasualties in Britain. Nine deaths
were reported in England, Wales
and Scotland last year. A new
transport bill announced in the
Queen’s Speech could help the
law catch up with reality by
legalising e-scooters as long as
riders and machines meet certain
standards. The bill could boost
the fast-growing “micro-mobility”
industry, making Britain the
biggest market in Europe. In US
cities such as LA, all machines
are theoretically restricted to
15.5mph but the capability of
new models is outstripping the
authorities’ ability to keep up.
We’ve chosen four popular
e-scooters that are limited to
15.5mph. It’s not legal to ride
these or others in public areas.XIAOMI MI 1S
Price £369
Range 18.5 miles
Top speed 15.5mph
Lightweight, easy folding and
with lots of battery range, this is
an ideal starter scooter and is
great value for moneySEGWAY NINEBOT
MAX G30 II
Price £729
Range 40 miles
Top speed 15.5mph
Long-range and weather-
resistant, this is perfect for
year-round commuters. Orange
trim provides extra visibilityPURE AIR PRO LR
Price £749
Range 37 miles
Top speed 15.5mph
Sturdy build including a solid
wooden deck is ideal for
punishing conditions, though
at 17.5kg it’s not the lightestUNAGI MODEL ONE E500
Price £899
Range 15.5 miles
Top speed 15.5mph
Great for shorter journeys,
especially if lifting is
involved (it weighs just 12kg).
Super-stylish tooBEST SCOOTERS NICK RUFFORD
relying entirely on one of Monty Python’s
silly walks, with added jazz hands. I was
lucky not to knock myself out on a tree.
Still, it’s ideal for a trip to the local shops,
you might think. Except that a backpack full
of groceries doesn’t help stability, and it’s
difficult to secure when parked. It folds flat,
but it’s a bit too heavy to carry around the
shop with you at 14kg — the weight of a
kitted-out hybrid city bike. This is why the
rental idea works so well. You swipe your
card, hop on, scoot to your next tourist
attraction or whatever, hop off and it’s
immediately someone else’s problem.
But maybe I’m missing the point. I don’t
think anyone is claiming that the e-scooter
is going to change the urban landscape, just
that they’re a bit of a laugh and yet another
obvious application of the recent advances
in battery and motor tech. This is fun, first
and foremost, with usefulness as a bonus.
I also accept that I’m ageing, and that
stability was probably never my strong suit
anyway. If you’re an athletic youth with the
reactions of a bluebottle, or a child with a
child’s rubber skeleton, you’ll probably be
fine. I just think the rest of us should be a
bit wary. I use mine much less than I
thought I would.
My honest advice would be not to buy
an e-scooter, but to rent the public ones
that are proliferating. They’re generally
chunkier and have bigger wheels, which are
more pothole-proof and aid staying upright
through, ahem, gyroscopic precession.
These are attributes that make them
inconvenient to own and lug up the stairs
to your city-centre flat, but better as
scooters. And this whole idea can only be
taken so far before you’re obviously better
off with an electric-assist bicycle.
Ah, the bicycle. Did I ever mention that it
was a brilliant invention? It still is — and
it’s making more sense than ever nI always ride mine waiting,
as a racing driver once
said, to arrive at the
scene of the accident
PAUL STUART FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES MAGAZINE
The Sunday Times Magazine • 45