Pros
- Well-designed electric scooter for urban commuters and students
- Fairly affordable
- Dual suspension
- Easy to fold and reasonably light
- Extra features typical of more premium scooters
Cons
- Not enough power for heavier riders
- Deck may be a tad short and narrow
- Kickstand is better on Segway’s Max scooters
Our resident electric scooter expert, Joe Kaminski, typically tests more powerful high-end electric scooters that have lofty top speeds and are able to travel longer distances. He’s a bigger and braver guy than I — he complains that he needs more power to get up hills and often rides in the middle of traffic in New York City.
The more entry-level Segway E3 Pro, which lists for $700 (though it’s currently selling for $500 for Black Friday and Cyber Monday) probably isn’t for him, but it’s right in my wheel house. It’s an excellent option for commuters looking for an electric scooter that’s fairly lightweight (40.1 pounds or 18.2 kilograms), folds up easily, has decent all-around performance and has some features found in higher-end models that cost closer to $1,000. That’s why I’ve awarded it a CNET Editors’ Choice.
Read more: Best Electric Scooters for 2025
I’ve been riding Segway Ninebot electric scooters for a while. I also have bought some truly entry-level models in the $300 range for my younger teenage kids. These only had top speeds of 13-15 mph because I didn’t want my kids to go too fast.
However, the E3 Pro is more powerful than those. Equipped with 10-inch tubeless tires, it has an 800-watt motor and a top speed of 20 mph, with a rated range of up to 34 miles, though this varies considerably based on your weight, what speed you’re traveling, how fast you accelerate and the terrain. (That 34-mile range is based on an average speed of 9 mph in its Eco mode.) In other words, expect less than that top number, but I found it ample for my needs as I tend to ride only about 10-15 miles during most of my jaunts in New York City.
Enlarge Image
The Segway E3 Pro in Riverside Park in New York City.
Smooth ride and acceleration
I’m 5-feet, 11-inches tall and weigh 166 pounds, so I didn’t have any issues getting up steeper hills. While I was OK with using the standard acceleration setting, I favored the Sport setting for a zippier ride. (The Eco mode has slower acceleration and feels underpowered, but it helps preserve battery life.)
For some folks, the scooter’s deck may be a tad short and narrow at 19 inches long to the fender and 6 inches wide, but it wasn’t a problem for me. I was generally impressed with how smooth the ride and acceleration were. (You don’t get jerked forward when you push down on the throttle; it’s a steady acceleration, especially when you ride at a lower acceleration level.) The handlebars’ 40-inch height felt comfortable for me, as did their 22-inch width. I didn’t feel any rattling or wiggling in the stem as I was riding.
Getting ready to do a hill test.
The E3 Pro has a dual-suspension system (“dual elastomer”) and a trailing swing arm design with a 67mm large trailing distance, which means the E3 Pro’s wheel is set slightly behind the stem axis. That gives you more stability and control than your typical entry-level scooter. (It’s also equipped with the company’s SegRide Stability Enhancement System, according to Segway.) I felt safer riding the E3 Pro than my 5-year-old Ninebot Max, which seems a little dated in comparison, though it still runs fine.
The E3 Pro is equipped with a front drum brake and an electronic rear brake. There are better, more advanced braking systems (disc brakes, for example) that will allow you to stop more quickly. It is nice that you have a mechanical brake, though, in the unlikely event the electronic brake fails. I managed to stop in about 22 feet from a set speed of 15 mph. But if you weigh more, that distance will increase — or get shorter if you’re lighter. I tend to avoid using the brakes and simply ease off the throttle when I want to slow down.
The scooter is equipped with the Segway-Ninebot SegRide stability system.
Some useful extras and Bluetooth app support
The E3 Pro has a few extra bells and whistles, including an actual bell, a 4-watt front light, rear brake light, turn signal lights and RGB lighting underneath the deck. There’s an Apple Find My feature and the Segway Mobility companion app for iOS and Android that I used to update the scooter’s firmware and the battery’s firmware, as well as activate traction control, set the start speed, customize the RGB lighting and enable the guard mode, which locks the scooter’s dashboard.
The RGB lighting underneath the deck can be customized in the app.
A pretty easy lift
As I said, folding up the scooter is relatively easy, though it helps to watch an instructional video before doing it for the first time. You simply use your foot to press down with some force on the folding switch (you have to release the switch first) and pull the handlebars toward you.
You have to release the latch before stepping on it with your foot.
At 40.1 pounds, it’s fairly light for an electric scooter. However, not everybody can lift 40 pounds easily, and it does require a little strength to carry the E3 Pro around. The problem is that higher-caliber scooters tend to weigh even more, so there’s a trade-off between performance and weight. I’d prefer it if it weighed about 10 pounds less, but few electric scooters weigh less than 30 pounds — at least the ones worth buying.
If I have a small design gripe, it’s that the kickstand isn’t slightly longer — or placed more toward the front of the deck like it is with earlier Ninebot Max models — so the scooter doesn’t lean over as much as it does when the kickstand is down. I kept wanting the scooter to sit up a few degrees more.
Enlarge Image
The Segway E3 Pro weighs 40.1 pounds and easily folds up for carrying.
Is the Segway E3 Pro worth it?
Segway makes so many electric scooter models, it can be a little difficult to choose which one to buy, especially since it keeps models around for a while. The step-up Segway F3 scooter has superior suspension and braking systems, as well as more power (a 1,000-watt motor) and a longer range (up to 44 miles), but it costs around $250 more.
There’s also the 2-year-old Max G2 at around $100 more than the E3 Pro, which offers a higher top speed (22 mph) and longer range (43 miles) and more power (1,000 watts). The Max line also has additional step-down models. Max G2 is slightly geared toward more intermediate or advanced riders with longer commutes, while the E3 Pro is perhaps a little more friendly to novice riders looking for a stable ride with smooth acceleration, as well as some premium features for a reasonable price. That said, it’s well suited toward any casual rider with a short to medium commute, so it’s great for that last-mile commute to and from a train station.
For a little less, you can step-down to something like the Swiss-engineered VMAX VX5 Pro (around $450), but it doesn’t offer the same top speed as the Segway E3 Pro nor the range. And Segway still sells the E2 Pro for around $400, with a similar top speed and range as the VMAX VX5 Pro. I think the E3 Pro is the better choice if you can afford it because it makes you feel like you’re edging into more premium territory without paying the premium price.
Segway E3 Pro key specs
- Weight: 40.1 pounds (18.2 kg)
- Max power: 800W
- Max range: Up to 34 miles on a single charge (in Eco mode, averaging 9 mph)
- Top speed: 20 mph
- 10-inch tubeless tires
- 18% max climbing slope
- Dual-suspension system (dual elastomer)
- Brakes: Front drum and rear electronic brakes
- SegRide stability enhancement and traction control
- Safety features: 4-watt LED headlight, turn signals and a rear brake light
- Bluetooth connectivity with support for the Segway Mobility app for iOS and Android
- Works with Apple Find My
