We have probably found the best electric scooter on the market— the Inmotion S1. If you guys have watched our videos, you may have noticed that our studio is located in a large city with a population of over 10-million permanent residents. There’s always heavy traffic here, and vehicles usually are not the best way to get around. Over the past few weeks, we’ve been searching for the best lightweight transportation for urban travel.
This time, we targeted electric scooters. And it seems that we just found the best electric scooter under $1000 on the market, which is the INMOTION S1.
The manufacturer Inmotion has been working on the development of urban electric transportation like electric unicycles, E-bikes, and e-scooters for years. And their products can already be found on sale in many specialized online and offline stores across many countries. The INMOTION S1 is their latest electric scooter product, which is already available for shipping globally. So we think it’s a good time to review it and tell you exactly why we think it’s likely the best e-scooter we’ve found on the market.
INMOTION S1 Review: Design
Let’s start with its appearance design. Compared to most E-scooters, the INMOTION S1 scooter looks simple and integrated without any unnecessary components. The scooter body basically is dark gray with an Inmotion logo on the footrest painted orange. And there are reflectors on both sides of the front and rear wheels.
The footrest deck is large enough to carry an adult standing on it. The manufacturer’s promotional material claims that it’s good for a max rider weight of 140kg. Well, my weight certainly is not enough to test its maximum load weight, but obviously, it’s no problem to safely carry a six-foot-tall rider or even a much bigger person.
But please note that the height of the handlebars is not adjustable, and it may be a bit high for children.
The INMOTION S1 has pretty good water and dust resistance. Specifically, the body is rated at IP55; the controller is rated at IPX7, and the battery is rated at IP67. But at the same time, you also have to make sure you keep using the dust plug to cover the charging ports.
When the packaging arrives, you will need to assemble it to start the first ride. The whole assembling process is pretty simple, which only took me 30 mins. If you have never assembled an electric scooter like this before, it may take a little longer.
Although the size of the INMOTION S1 is a little large, the good news is that the scooter is foldable, and the weight of 24kg seems to be easy for riders to carry in the trunk of their car.
INMOTION S1 Review: Speed, Braking, & Controls
The speed of the INMOTION S1 is by default limited to 25km/h, but it’s easy to unlock the speed limit up to a max speed of 30 km/h. All you need to do is to pair the smartphone app with the scooter and go into the app, which now is available for both iPhones and Android phones.
We will talk about the app later, so let’s get back to its speed setting.
To be honest, although the INMOTION S1 can achieve 30km/h, we still suggest not turning it on most of the time for safety reasons. But if the riding conditions allow or if you are skilled enough to ensure safety, the maximum speed of 30km/h can save you a lot of time.
But if you’re satisfied with the maximum speed of 25km/h, there are 3 ride modes as options: Eco mode, Standard mode (D), and Sports mode (S). If you turn the speed limit off, an extra sport mode will be also available, which means no limits, and you can have the top speed of 30km/h with the fastest acceleration. The eco-mode is for beginners. Under the eco-mode, you won’t go faster than 12km/h and the acceleration is much slower. But you will have a longer range under the eco-mode.
Compared to these two modes, I rode a lot under the drive mode for commuting. It allows me to achieve a top speed of 20 km/h and a relatively comfortable acceleration. As for pushing assistant mode, it’s easier to let you push the scooter.
The INMOTION S1 is equipped with an excellent brake system, which consists of a front drum and rear electric disc brake. The rear electric brake can kick in automatically without using the brake handlebar if you are going downhill and speed up rapidly, or have exceeded the top speed. The automatic braking feels good most of the time but still requires the rider to get used to it the first few times. But anyway, it’s a good design, ensuring the experience of riding is safe and user-friendly.
Another great thing about the S1 is the control panel with the large LED display on the handlebars. There’s only one button for all the basic controls, such as one click for turning the headlights on or off, double click for switching the riding mode, and long-press for the power switch. Even for beginners, it’s easy to use. And the throttle is also intuitive with thumb-push. During long-distance rides, the controls won’t cause much discomfort.
One of the greatest designs of the scooter is the road-facing LED light strips on both sides of the deck. They turn blue while riding, and the corresponding strip would automatically flash red when sensing that you are turning to the left or right.
INMOTION S1 Review: Inmotion App
Now let’s talk about the Inmotion APP, where you can have full control of the scooter and check out all riding states such as power used and riding route. And you can also share anything interesting with other INMOTION users, or read others’ riding reports in the Moments section.
INMOTION S1 Review: Battery Range
The INMOTION S1 scooter’s claimed range on a full charge is 95km, which probably can be achieved under ideal road conditions and eco-mode. But in my daily riding experience under the drive mode, the actual range was around 70km, which is still a good result for a daily commute and urban travel.
But please note that the actual ranges for riders could vary depending on riders’ weight and the terrain. As for charging, there are dual ports for charging. With dual-port charging, it took me around 3 and a half hours to get the scooter fully charged, and charging time would have doubled if using the single-port charging.
And another important piece of information is that the 500w motor with rear-wheel drive can tackle hill climbs up to 30%. So it won’t be a good idea to try any steeper slopes.
The INMOTION S1 scooter’s best use case scenario is probably for people like us living in urban and suburban areas, those who are tired of parking and traffic jams. The S1 scooter has really decent performance with a great range for urban travel. And moreover, the app that tells you everything about the scooter is definitely a plus. To some extent, it’s almost perfect for medium to long-distance commutes.
If you like this scooter, please check it on the official website: INMOTION
