All electric scooter tires are made of rubber, but some are solid and others are air-filled. The air inside  pneumatic (air-filled) tires  means they conform to the road and provide great traction, but the interior cavity makes them susceptible to flats when punctured.  Solid tires conform much less to the road resulting in poorer traction, but their robust, heavy build means they’re flat-proof. If a scooter has  mixed tires, it has an air-filled front tire and solid rear tire.

Because they provide better performance and long-term repairability, you’ll find air-filled tires on commuter scooters, luxury commuter scooters, and expert scooters ranging in diameter from 10” to 15” with a width between 2” to 4”. In general, as tire size increases, so does stability.

The tread and  contact patch(surface area that hits the ground) affect how much traction you can get.  Off-road tireshave taller tread with a wider contact patch for more stable riding on unstable terrain.  Street tires generally have a lower tread and rounded profile for nimble, sharper turns on smoother roads.

Pneumatic (air-filled) tires come in two main styles: inner tube and tubeless. In  tubed tires (inner tube), the air is sealed inside tubing with an exterior tire,while tubeless tireshave only an exterior tire and seal directly to the rim.Tubeless tires can include  tire sealant to prevent punctures from causing air to leak. These are also known asself-sealing tires, run-flat tires or no-flat tires.

Suspension, along with the tires, helps you maintain grip with the road. Soft suspension will help absorb bumps and dampen rebound more than stiff suspension, but your movements easily impact the scooter’s balance and handling because it’s more flexible. With stiff suspension, the scooter keeps a better contact patch resulting in better handling, and you’ll feel the road’s imperfections more when you hit them if you’re not also responding with your body.

Electric scooter motors are housed in the wheels. Most single motor scooters have the motor in the rear wheel. Dual motor scooters have motors in both wheels, usually with the same power per motor. Measured in watts (W), e-scooter motors range in power from 500W to 5750W, with bigger motors equating to faster speeds.

The throttle is the accelerator or how you control the scooter’s speed. All e-scooter throttles are on the right handlebar. Most electric scooters have a trigger throttle, which is part of the LCD display, and you operate it with your index finger. There are a few styles of thumb throttle, and you apply pressure vertically or laterally with your thumb to operate. The twist throttle can take up the entire right handgrip or part of it, and you have to grip it with your hand (not just one digit) to operate. For scooters with thumb and twist throttles, the LCD display is connected but a separate device.

Thumb throttles are found on most entry-level scooters because they’re easy to operate and the hand position feels natural, but they don’t allow you to keep as good a grip on the handlebar and brake lever. You’ll also find them on some newer dual motor scooters. One downside to thumb throttles is they can have a deadzone (or area where there’s no response from the throttle) that you have to push past to hit acceleration.

Twist throttles are less common on stand-up electric scooters, but are easy to operate. Your hand’s posture is generally comfortable, but to maintain speed you have to rotate and hold it there, which can put your wrist in a weird position and makes it impossible to cover the brakes while throttling. It also tends to have a deadzone, but isn’t as common on faster scooters so doesn’t present as much of an issue.

Most electric scooters come with a pre-installed LCD display, often coupled with the throttle. Most are backlit, allowing you to see easily in dimly lit or dark environments. They usually have a few buttons to power on and control performance settings (P-settings), and other button consoles for lights, horn, and power modes. On the rear of EY3 and some other LCD displays there’s a USB port for updating firmware. Some expert electric scooters, like the Dualtron Thunder Tronic, trade built-in displays for high-tech capabilities that you control and view on your smartphone.

No matter what best electric scooter lists you’ve read, don’t be fooled. No electric scooter on the market is waterproof.  However, many carry water or ingress protection ratings known as IP ratings, which provide standards for how well sealed a product is from water damage. An IP rating is not a claim that something is weatherproof, but that it can withstand a certain amount of exposure to water.

For example, IPX4 means it can handle occasional light splashes while IPX6 means it can withstand sustained streams of water. Electronics rated as IPX8 can be submerged in a good depth of water for up to 30 minutes – but no e-scooter is rated that high.

Ratings are assigned by independent certification organizations who run the product through rigorous testing. Manufacturers are not required to obtain IP ratings to sell the product, and some skip it to get to market faster. That does not mean their products are poorly made, just that the manufacturer has not taken the additional time and expense to have it rated.

Stay connected with members of the community by joining VORO Forum.

Find a huge community in the electric scooter groups on Facebook. Here are some popular groups:

• EMOVE Owners Group
• VoroMotors Owners Group
• Kaabo Wolf King and King GT Owners Group 
• Electric Scooter Guide Group
• got scooter? Group

Not only can you get advice on common repairs, you can connect with other riders from around the world and share highlights of your scooter journey.

We also frequently post new content, including electric scooter tutorials and comparison videos, on our social media and blog. Here are our channels:

Our electric scooters are built to last, and our servicing center and expansive parts warehouse are here to support you long-term. From researching to ordering to shipping to receiving and riding your scooter, we’re here to walk you through all the steps.

When you place your order you can safeguard your scooter in transit with Route product protection (additional fee). Find more about our general shipping policies here.

Most of our electric scooters come with a standard 1-year limited warranty, while all Dualtron electric scooters have an extended warranty of 1-year warranty plus 1-year product protection from Extend. We partner with Extend to provide an additional 1-3 years of warranty protection for your scooter.

If, for some reason, you’re unsatisfied with your purchase, we have a reasonable returns and exchanges policy (with some restrictions).

If you’ve discovered an unrequited love for electric scooters, we don’t blame you! They’re awesome, so awesome they can even help earn you free stuff or deposit money in your bank. All customers that purchase with us earn VORO coins that can be redeemed in our shop.

Want to earn commission instead of coins? Become a VORO Partner and you’ll earn 5% for every electric scooter referral made with your affiliate links.

Thanks for sticking with us to the bottom! We hope you gained some valuable scooter knowledge.

Don’t forget to bookmark this page as your ultimate beginner’s guide to electric scooters.

If you haven’t figured out which model you want yet, shop scooters by categories or compare scooters.