Now that electric scooters are just about everywhere, it’s a lot harder for companies to distinguish their models from the competition. The NIU KQi 100P stands out mainly for its price. At $349, it’s one of the cheapest electric scooters out there that I would actually recommend. It’s being sold exclusively through Kohl’s and Walmart, who are probably subsidizing the cost of the NIU KQi 100P to get more people into their stores.
But while this electric scooter is cheap, it doesn’t feel like it. While the NIU KQi 100P has pretty modest specs when it comes to range and speed, it’s solidly built and would make for a great starter scooter. I rode the NIU KQi 100P for a few weeks to see how it performed against the best electric scooters. Read on for all that it can do.
NIU KQi 100P review: Price and availability
The KQi 100P is on sale at NIU.com, and will soon be available at Kohl’s and Walmart for $349.
A similar model, the KQi 100F will launch in October and be more widely available at Best Buy, Amazon, Target, and other retailers. It will cost $449, but will have handlebars that fold down, as well as turn signals.
What I liked about the NIU KQi 100P
It’s cheap
For $349, it’s hard to beat the NIU KQi 100P’s price, especially if you’re looking for a basic starter scooter for your teen. By comparison, the Hiboy S2, which is also one of our favorite budget scooters, costs $399 as of this writing. A comparably specced model from Segway, the F2, costs $549 on Amazon.
It has a nice design
For a cheap electric scooter, the NQi 100P doesn’t look cheap. The bottom frame of the scooter curves gracefully up from the deck to where it connects to the downtube, and the scooter’s wires are all housed within the frame itself. There’s a headlight in the center of the handlebars, and a taillight on the rear fender. The deck and handlebars are covered with a gray rubber that’s just grippy enough.
I liked its unfussy folding and locking mechanism, too. You pull up and out on a tab to release the downtube, which snaps smartly and securely into place on the rear fender. To make the 100P road-ready, you pull back on a spring-loaded tab on the fender to release it.
The cheapest part of the scooter was its basic LED display, which shows you your speed and battery life. It gets the job done, but it’s nothing special.
It's easy to ride and has a good set of features
The KQi 100P is outfitted with 9.5-inch air-filled tires and front suspension, which made for a very comfortable ride. I ran the scooter over lots of bumps, but it never felt jarring.
Front and rear lights are incredibly common even on the cheapest scooters, but it’s good to see them on the 100P just the same. Compared to other NIU scooters I’ve tested, the 100P’s headlight is pretty weak, but it’s bright enough that you can adequately see the road in front of you.
NIU’s smartphone app lets you customize a few aspects of the scooter, such as the strength of its regenerative braking system. You can also lock and unlock the scooter from the app, and activate its alarm, should anyone try and make off with it. There’s no Apple Find My, as you’ll find on pricier scooters such as the NIU KQi Air and Segway Kickscooter Max G2.
What I didn’t like about the NIU KQi 100P
It’s not the best on hills
Like all budget scooters, you have to make some compromises with the KQI 100P, and most often it comes down to the motor and battery. The 100P’s 300W motor was able to scoot me around on level terrain just fine — its top speed of 17 MPH is a bit slow for my tastes — but it had trouble getting me up my usual test hill, which has a 6% grade. (The Hiboy S2 performed about the same.)
Most electric scooters worth their salt will be able to maintain a speed of around 6 MPH or better, but the 100P slowed to 4 MPH, slow enough that I considered getting off and walking.
The range could be better
As I’ve found, the advertised ranges on electric scooters tend to be very generous, especially when it’s used by someone like me, who’s a bit taller and heavier than average. And, if you’re riding your scooter up hills, its range will decrease even further. So, while NIU says the KQi 100P has an 18-mile range, you can expect closer to 10 miles on a good day. Expect to charge the scooter every other day.
NIU KQi 100P review: Verdict
In many respects, the NIU KQi 100P is identical to the HiBoy S2; they both have a similar top speed, range, power, and tires, and both scooters can also be configured and locked via a smartphone app. The Hiboy is about 10 pounds lighter than the NIU, but the NIU has larger tires, a more comfortable ride, and is $50 to $150 cheaper, depending on when you buy it.
At this price, the NIU KQi 100P is ideal for someone who’s looking for an inexpensive but comfortable ride, and doesn’t plan to make too many demands on the scooter. And, at $350, it’s hard to beat the NIU KQi 100P's price.
