In 2019, motorized kick scooters received official road approval for the first time in Germany. We have summarized the criteria they must meet and a lot more information. For those who live in larger German cities, don’t need an e-scooter regularly, or want to first check if an e-scooter is the preferred means of transportation, they can do so through sharing services.
Folding bicycles are also a good electric alternative for the last mile.
Test Candidates
Currently, this comparison test includes eleven different e-scooters, each of which we have evaluated in individual test reports. More will be added over time to keep the comparison test up to date. Here is the Best List E-Scooter.
Build Quality & Design
When it comes to build quality, the Mytier (test report) sets a high standard. No wonder, as the refurbished Tier was originally designed to reliably transport strangers through the urban jungle as a shared vehicle. Everything about the Mytier feels seamless.
The IO Hawk Sparrow Legal (test report) is the worst-built e-scooter in the comparison test. It was the first e-scooter that could be legally purchased in Germany, and you can tell. It appears to be poorly thought out in many places and could have used more attention to detail.
The steering column of the Trekstor EG3178, Soflow S06, Trekstor EG6078, and IO Hawk Sparrow Legal wobbles, even with the screws tightly fastened. Only The Urban #HMBRG, Egret Ten V4, Metz Moover, and Mytier have a solid fit, which provides a secure feeling while driving.
Mytier: The e-scooter from Tier in the test
Folding Mechanism
All except Mytier can be folded. This makes sense because the folding mechanism is impractical for daily shared use as it could break. The Egret Ten V4 (test report) offers the best folding mechanism by far. Not only is the lock between the deck and the handlebars secure and still operable with the foot, but the handle grips can also be folded, which significantly reduces the folded size. The Metz Moover (test report) and The Urban #HMBRG (test report) also have high-quality folding mechanisms.
The Trekstor EG3178 (test report) generally has a decent folding mechanism. However, in our test, a small plastic hook broke because one of the adjusting screws was not set correctly. If you know about this issue in advance, you can avoid it with a simple Phillips screwdriver.
The IO Hawk Sparrow Legal can also be folded. However, the handlebar does not lock onto the rear fender since there is a rubber coating for the fender brake. This is particularly inconvenient because the handlebar is used as a grip to carry the folded e-scooter. At least IO Hawk is aware of this issue and includes a somewhat impractical carrying strap.
Egret Ten V4
Lights
One might think that lights are a minor detail. However, that is not necessarily the case. In urban environments where e-scooters are primarily used, the actual brightness of the lights is not crucial. The main concern is that many e-scooters do not connect both legally required lights to the electrical circuit. This means that they have to be manually turned on and off. This is not a big deal, but it can be annoying. Even the relatively expensive The Urban #HMBRG and Egret Ten V4 have a front light attached only with a rail and can be removed with one hand.
The IO Hawk Sparrow Legal requires the rider to manually install and operate both lights. This is particularly peculiar considering that IO Hawk integrated LEDs above the handlebar for the non-road-legal Sparrow. However, this recess is empty in the legal version.
You have to be careful with the attachable lights. For example, during our test, we lost the taillight of the Trekstor EG6078 (test report) while driving. It was not properly locked in and simply fell out of its socket. In the test field, only the Metz Moover (test report), Mytier (test report), and Soflow S06 (test report) had lights that could be turned on and off with the e-scooter.
Trekstor EG6078
Power On
Most e-scooters have a small push button near the display that needs to be pressed for a few seconds to turn on and off. This is very practical. However, the Metz Moover takes a different approach. Its power button is located at the bottom of the handlebars. This means you always have to bend down before you start rolling. That’s annoying. Even more annoying is turning on the Mytier. The scooter does not have a single button and can only be turned on and off via an app. If your smartphone battery is dead, tough luck, the Mytier won’t start.
Trekstor EG3178
Throttle
Almost all e-scooters use a thumb lever on the right handlebar for continuous acceleration. The Metz Moover’s lever is relatively tight, which can be uncomfortable during longer rides. On the other hand, the levers on The Urban #HMBRG and the Egret Ten V4 are positioned above the grips, near the display. Pushing them down with your index finger or thumb applies the least amount of pressure.
Acceleration
When it comes to acceleration, the Egret Ten V4 leaves everyone else in the dust. It is the only one in the test with a motor rated at 500 watts. Interestingly, the Metz Moover accelerates nearly as well despite having a 250-watt motor. This shows that factors other than just the wattage, such as overall rolling resistance, play a role. We were surprised by the snappy acceleration of the very affordable Iconbit IK-1969K (test report). Even though the rest of the test field accelerates slightly worse, it didn’t bother us much. After all, they are all limited to 20 km/h (+/- 10 percent) anyway. It only becomes a problem when the motor struggles to reach 20 km/h on a straight road. That was the case with the Trekstor EG6078. The Explorer / Doc Green ESA 1919 and the Soflow S06 also lack power. Some scooters, such as The Urban #HMBRG, Egret Ten V4, and the IO Hawk Sparrow Legal, come with different speed settings, up to a maximum of 20 km/h. This is unnecessary since most riders will predominantly use the 20 km/h limit and even find it too slow. However, what’s particularly inconvenient about these scooters is that they start in the lowest mode, limited to 7 km/h, every time they are turned on. The rider has to press a button each time to switch to the highest mode. The Metz Moover solves this problem more cleverly. It can also be limited, but it remembers the setting and restores it on the next startup.
Soflow S06
Display
We have criticized the IO Hawk Sparrow Legal (test report) quite a bit, as it ranks last in many categories. However, its display is a highlight. It is large, beautifully integrated, and easy to read. In addition to the battery level indicator, it also shows the speed and distance traveled. The display of the Trekstor EG6078 is also nice. We’re somewhat puzzled by the display of the Mytier. It is nicely integrated into the handlebars and remains readable even in direct sunlight. However, there is no way to display anything other than speed and battery level. Therefore, owners never know how many kilometers their e-scooter has actually traveled, not even through the app. This may be intentional since the Mytier is refurbished Tier scooters with many miles on them. The displays of The Urban #HMBRG and Egret Ten V4 rank last in this comparison. Although they show all the important data and are backlit like all the other displays for night riding, they look completely outdated with their protruding egg shape and do not fit in with the overall design language of the e-scooters.
Tires
When riding, you can immediately notice whether an e-scooter has air-filled tires or solid rubber or honeycomb tires. While air-filled tires absorb most smaller bumps, solid rubber tires transfer all shocks directly to the e-scooter. That is why most electric scooters without air-filled tires have suspension systems. The Trekstor EG3178 and EG6078 add a spring between the deck and the rear wheel, and the Mytier has a front suspension. Despite these measures, e-scooters with solid rubber tires still provide a rougher ride compared to those with air-filled tires. The advantage of solid rubber tires is that they are puncture-proof and do not require inflation. Another important factor is the size of the wheels. 8-inch air-filled tires, as on the IO Hawk Sparrow Legal, have a harder ride compared to the 10-inch air-filled tires of the Egret Ten V4, which are just surpassed by the 12-inch air-filled tires of the Metz Moover.
IO Hawk Sparrow Legal
Body Height
For an e-scooter to be suitable for taller individuals, it needs to have a sufficiently high handlebar, a long deck, and possibly a high maximum load capacity. The shortest decks are on the Metz Moover, measuring 40 centimeters, and the Trekstor EG6078, measuring 41 centimeters. However, this is hardly a problem for the Metz Moover because its handlebar protrudes almost perpendicular to the ground, while the handlebar of the EG6078 leans noticeably towards the rider, limiting their space. The Trekstor EG6078 also has a relatively short handlebar. It only extends 92 centimeters above the deck. The handlebars of the Egret Ten V4 and The Urban #HMBRG are also not very high, measuring 95 centimeters. Individuals over 185 centimeters in height may experience issues with these three e-scooters. Although the Metz Moover gives the impression of being well-made, its maximum load capacity is only 94 kilograms, which is likely too low for many riders. The other e-scooters in our test can carry riders weighing up to 100 or 120 kilograms. The Trekstor EG6078 is an exception with a maximum load capacity of an impressive 150 kilograms.
Brakes
The brakes of an e-scooter should be one of the most important factors when making a purchase. After all, being able to stop in a dangerous situation is of utmost importance. In addition to the type of brake, the tires also play a role. Solid rubber tires brake significantly worse, especially when wet, compared to air-filled tires. Road-legal e-scooters in Germany are required to have two independently functioning brakes. Typically, there are four variations of brake combinations that are used:
- Disc brakes on the front and rear wheels are a reliable solution. They have proven themselves on bicycles and work great on e-scooters as well. The Urban #HMBRG, Metz Moover, Egret Ten V4, and Mytier (test report) use this system and come to a quick and reliable stop.
- The Trekstor EG3178 (test report) has good brakes too. It combines a rear disc brake with a front motor brake, both of which can be operated independently.
- The Soflow S06 also has a mechanical rear brake and an electric front brake. However, you can only actively brake with the rear brake. The motor brake kicks in whenever you’re not applying gas, which is quite confusing.
- The IO Hawk Sparrow Legal has a rear disc brake. In the legal version, a half-baked fender brake, which works rather poorly, was also installed at the rear.
- The Trekstor EG6078 is a peculiar case. It has a front motor brake and a rear fender brake. The front motor brake only has two modes: on or off, so it doesn’t allow for controlled braking. However, you don’t have to worry about the front brake locking and the front wheel slipping to the side. Its performance is simply not sufficient. The rear fender brake is also quite poor, especially in wet conditions.
Metz Moover: The e-scooter in pictures
Battery
The largest battery is in the Egret Ten V4 with 557 Wh, followed by the Mytier with 461 Wh. The battery of The Urban #HMBRG also performs exceptionally well with 371 Wh. All the others in the test field offer between 216 and 281 Wh. However, battery capacity cannot be directly translated into maximum range. Even with identical routes, weather conditions, and load weights, other factors such as rolling resistance also play a role. This explains why the Egret Ten V4, with its monster battery, has the longest range by far, and the Mytier comes in second place, but the Metz Moover, despite having the smallest battery of all the e-scooters tested, ranks third in terms of range.
The battery of the Trekstor EG40610 (test report) provides the least support, but it can be swapped, just like the Trekstor EG6078 (test report). This works great and requires just a few simple steps. E-scooters with swappable batteries are an exception in the German e-scooter market and thus a reason to consider them. This option makes them more versatile than the competition in many situations.
Price
If we only consider the purchase price, the Explorer / Doc Green ESA 1919 (test report) at 340 euros (often on sale for 300 euros) and the Iconbit IK-1969K at 370 euros are the cheapest, while the Metz Moover at 1300 euros and the Egret Ten V4 at 1150 euros are the most expensive. However, there is also the Soflow S06, which cannot be purchased in stores but is offered as a bonus with a 1&1 contract. So if you need a new smartphone or DSL tariff and also want an e-scooter, you should check out 1&1. As a bonus, the e-scooter is quite attractive. You can find more information in the test report of the Soflow S06.
Conclusion
There is no single perfect e-scooter. Even the very good Egret Ten V4 (test report) and Metz Moover (test report) each have one major drawback: their high price. However, in recent months, there have been significant developments in this regard. Therefore, we recommend taking a look at the Iconbit IK-1969K. It currently costs around 370 euros and has hardly any glaring weaknesses. It has decent build quality, accelerates and brakes well, and provides a secure feeling for the rider. Only the Explorer / Doc Green ESA 1919 is cheaper, sometimes available for only 300 euros at Lidl and Co. In terms of price-performance ratio, the Mytier (test report) also offers a lot. However, the Mytier has disadvantages that disqualify it for some people. For example, it does not have a folding mechanism, so it hardly fits into any car and is heavy to carry. If you want an e-scooter with a swappable battery, you should opt for the Trekstor EG40610 (test report) rather than the Trekstor EG6078 (test report), which is superior to the competition from the same brand in almost every aspect. We strongly advise against the IO Hawk Sparrow Legal (test report). Overall, it seems very lackluster and has poor braking. For the money, buyers can get more with all the other models tested here. We have identified a clear winner in our E-Scooter Top List. We have collected all individual tests for the e-scooters on our electric scooter topic page. Or maybe something completely different? Then our comparison: E-Folding Bike or E-Scooter? And the winner is… might be helpful.
