
NIU - KQi3 Max
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Reddit Reviews:
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Based on 1 year's data from Jan 28, 2026 How it works
Liked most:
365
74
"after heavy and extreme and I mean extreme use in a very dirty environment, after a year the range suddenly cut down... I felt like I'd gotten my measly 20ish buck worth from them and didn't fault jlab due to the extreme circumstances I used them in daily. ... I work in a hot asa filthy steel mill and the fact they lasted a year was impressive to me."
"My old Breville lasted 10-11 years ... I got the new one 3 years ago with the air fryer option … if it breaks tomorrow I would figure out how to get it again - I seriously love it."
"I've used it in May and January, perfection in every season."
391
21
"I'm on my second one in 7 years"
"I would say that the investment was more than worthwhile."
"saucony peregrines i like alot ... usually can find good prices ... got a pair on amazon for 50 bucks that was the 13s which r their best year haha"
47
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"Max G3 absolutely eats a serious slope and keeps on moving pretty quick for my commuting needs."
"Zips my 230lbs around the hills of Seattle at 20mph."
"I have one and it chugs up hills like a mountain lion and I weigh 170"
13
2
"I'm 225 lbs, I go to work with a loaded backpack, and this thing carries me up the hill at 40mph like nothing."
"Also ignore the 20mph claim. I got mine. Downloaded the app and did a firmware update. Got the 24mph top speed"
"For that, you get 2x 1000w motors ... Speaking of fast, it does 37 mph."
7
0
"the base model gets 65-75 miles and the max 75-85 miles when riding at 18 mph with pmt tires and a 6’ 210lb rider"
"My Nami burn e max has 3800 miles on it with seemingly no battery deterioration or any other issues."
"my longest ride on it has been 34Km at about 20km/h average"
Disliked most:
25
25
"the Doona is sooooo heavy! ... I can barely carry it, I need my husband to do it every time lol."
"No, that thing is a monster. Add a kid, and you have like 40 lbs to carry with one arm twisted."
"Way too heavy. ... Trust me and my 22 pound baby you do not wanna"
8
15
"But that and the evenflow have zero suspension - nearly launched her out hitting an uneven sidewalk one day."
"when I tried a friend's F2 Pro,on somewhat degraded roads, it felt like I was going to damage my spinal cord lol, lack of back suspension really shakes you like a tree."
"No suspension is up to personal preference in my opinion; it’s going to be less maintenance and less things to go wrong, but it can be a rough ride when hitting bumps in the road."
2
5
"this thing is way underpowered. ... I live in a relatively mountainous area so the entire city is hills and this just can’t climb the hills carrying me. ... I underestimated the damn hills in this town, other than that it is a great scooter ... the hills here are bad but usually only up to or around 16-17% grade. Definitely enough that I need a dual motor scooter for sure as far as I can tell. The E2 Pro feels like it’s almost enough but I just need a bit more torque cause I’m a heavier guy"
"if you're in for many larger hills you're going to get disappointed. Not because the scooter aint good, it'lll tackle hills. But it has a 275Wh battery which is about half of the Max G2."
"I mean you’re not gonna find good hill performance at that price point, especially depending on weight. ... If you really wanna go through the headache, you could return it and try and exchange and see if that one will work, but it would be annoying to have to return it twice."
The KQI3 Max is honestly still one of the best in that weight class - most newer stuff has gotten bloated with features nobody asked for. Maybe check out the Segway P65 if you can find one, similar weight but better build quality than the G30 series
Ninebot Gmax1 or niu kqi3pro is your answer. If you can get the G2 or the kqi3max even better. That's all you really ever going to need
Kqi3 max can be found for around $500 usd right now. 20-25 mile real world range 24mph top speed. No suspension though. Also if you have to carry it for much distance its about 45 pound so not super light but manageable
Walmart has it up for 525 right now. It was 499 last week or the week prior. https://www.walmart.com/ip/NIU-KQi3-Max-Electric-Scooter-40-4-Miles-Long-Range-Upgraded-Motor-Power-Max-Speed-20-mph-Portable-Foldable-Commuting/1471099424 Also ignore the 20mph claim. I got mine. Downloaded the app and did a firmware update. Got the 24mph top speed
I can vouch for NIU. I have a Kqi3 Max with almost 2000 miles and no issues
Currently using my Niu KQI3 Max, commuting to work 5 days a week for the last 2 years. About 5-6 miles a day. Unfortunately, I got a new puncture a couple weeks ago that doesn't seem to seal, even with armor-dilloz. My last puncture sealed up perfectly using that for about a year (and is still sealed afaik), but whatever is new with this puncture doesn't seem to want to seal. Might need to take it to a shop to fix.
If you want the sleekest scooter possible with the performance you could look at a NIU KQi3 Max. You can often find them for $600-700 and it goes 24mph, and has an estimated range of 41 miles, but real world you’ll get 22-25 miles in top speed mode. If you ride it at 20mph in sport mode you can get closer to 30 miles. It weighs about 45lbs so its super easy to take in and out of a car, and it doesn’t take up too much space. It’s also a plus that the folding and latching mechanism is top tier so that also makes for an easier carry. If you want something just a tad better for a little bit more you can try the new generation of the same scooter the KQi300x. It’s essensially the same scooter but it has 10.5” tires and a front hydraulic suspension. This will make the ride significantly smoother. Just the tire size being an inch larger than the KQi3 Max will make a noticeable difference. It has the same top speed, and a slightly more powerful motor. It has a SLIGHTLY smaller battery but it will be negligible, you’ll still get 23ish miles in top speed mode. The 300x weighs in about 50ish pounds so it’s still manageable. Also an overlooked feature of the NIU scooters is that they are 48v systems, which means less voltage sag, giving you more performance for more of your battery life. Hope this helps!
That's a loaded question because it depends on your weight, and your needs. But overall the NIU KQi3 Max is probably the best bang for your buck scooter. It goes on sale for $500-$550 all the time and it has a really high top speed of 23mph for the price. It also has a really large battery for that size, giving you 608Wh of charge. I'd personally go for this scooter if you can get it under $600.
The best and cheapest scooter I think you can look at is the NIU KQi3 Max or the NIU KQi300x. These are basically the same scooter but the 300x is the updated version with front suspension, and a little bigger motor. They have a claimed range of 40 miles per charge, and the real world range of that is about 25 miles. If you dialed the speed back to 20mph, you could get around 28 miles. That should be more than enough. I ride for fun only, and I have never considered needing more range than that.
I would agree. The KQi3 Max is a phenomenal scooter, specially on sale prices of $600-$700. Depending on your weight this scooter will bring you up almost any reasonable hill above 10mph. I'm close to 180lbs and anything less than 10-12% slope ill get \~15mph on the low end. It's great out of the box and there is an entire website dedicated to spare parts. The only drawback is that these scooters are harder to work on simply because they were designed to get sent back to a repair shop under warranty and NIU recommends you don't work on the scooter yourself. Granted, I've owned the KQi3 Pro, and the KQi3 Max, and combined I've put over 2,000 miles on them. I've never had any issue with either, nor have I had to replace any parts. For the price, you won't find better quality, power, and speed. Most commuter scooters in this segment go 17mph-20mph, and the max goes up to 24mph. Also not to mention the large battery size, at full speed I can get 23 miles per charge. It's also a 45lb scooter, so its really manageable to load into a sedan, or carry it up a flight of stairs fairly often. I think you should really consider the KQi3 Max again, I honestly don't know why you would have labeled this scooter as "lackluster." Maybe at it's full price of $999 is a little bit less enticing but it's literally never sold for more than $750 since I bought my KQi3 Pro 2ish years ago. It's on sale for $670 right now and it's still a decent buy at this price.
Check out NIU. They usually have bundle deals that give you more off than the sales are already giving you. You could get them a pair of KQi3 Pro’s which are 20mph scooters with a decently battery so they can ride for as long as they want. I see that the other scooters you have are a little faster. You could also look into the KQi3 Max bundle, it’s a 24mph scooter and that’s probably faster than any 15 year old needs to go.
Go for the KQi3 Max. The comments here are eluding to the fact that you should get a worse scooter for some reason. The KQi3 Max is fantastic first scooter because it’s faster than most entry level scooters for adults at 23mph. You’ll have a lot more opportunity to grow into it versus doing what most people do, which is buy a cheaper scooter and then find it too slow or not a big enough battery. The KQi3 Max has well over the amount of range you would ever probably need for a first scooter at 40 miles. You won’t get that at full speed, but at 23mph I get about 25 miles which is more than enough. NIU is just as reliable as Segway these days, I wouldnt worry about reliability issues between the two brands. I noticed someone is talking about unlocking the controller of the G30P and sure you can do that, but that’s how you create problems and break your scooter. Also, most people aren’t going to give enough fucks to do shit like that themselves. I would never modify a scooter to that extent. Just go for the KQi3 Max and you won’t regret the decision, I have over 1500 miles on mine and im just now considering a potential upgrade, but this scooter is still serving me well. Also, avoid hiboy, most of their scooters are complete e-waste.
I've been riding different scooters for the past 2 years and put together this comparison to help with exactly this question: [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1DqSqzwP7hnN54EQje7dNvaqePSVWjJLpp3yc4IuTP30/edit?gid=437090420#gid=437090420](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1DqSqzwP7hnN54EQje7dNvaqePSVWjJLpp3yc4IuTP30/edit?gid=437090420#gid=437090420) Right now I'd say the Segway Ninebot Max G2 is probably the best overall: 40 mile range, super reliable, and those self-healing tires are a game changer. I upgraded from a G30 and the difference is noticeable. For the money, the NIU KQi3 Max at $600-800 is incredible value with 31 miles range and way more comfortable than most. If portability matters, the Unagi Model One Voyager is only 26.5 lbs but pricey at $1000+. Been daily riding the G2 for 6 months now and zero issues, that's what I'd recommend if you want something that just works.
I'm sorry but this is a load of corporate crap. I've communicated with this email for months on end with no result. Additionally one of your service centers is claiming to have lost my scooter because I'm unwilling to pay any extra fees they are tacking on. Example: $300 for tire replacement and shipping, $300 for just shipping tire/scooter without fixing it (because apparently they gave me a discount), 70 dollar tire if I picked the tire and scooter up, which turns out to be 100 dollars because the repair center "needed to make something man." And finally when I told the repair center the tire was in the ballpark of 35 bucks, he suddenly "loses" my scooter. I don't know what kind of parasitic behavior this is from a supposedly designated repair shop from niu, but you can't convince me that it costs over 400 dollars (I had to pay 100 to "house" the scooter) is justifiable. Furthermore, your scummy repair center now pretends to not have the scooter anymore since im unwilling to pay any extra fees. If you want to solve the issue, simple, don't bullshit me behind the scenes and give me a voucher for another scooter and I'll even forget about the accessories I put on the first one.
Thanks for the input! I had a segway g30lp which lasted me about 1500 miles before I sold it because I needed a scooter with more range. Got the niu kqi max and it barely lasted a month or two (im guessing a hundred 2 hundred miles max) before one of the parts broke down. Can't really give more info because currently in dispute with shitty company and service center over parts and repair. The service center basically claimed to have "lost my scooter" because I wasn't willing to cough up anymore extra bullshit costs.
I love love my NIU KQI3 max. It can go up to 32km/h (38 if you unlock it in the app) no suspension, though. my longest ride on it has been 34Km at about 20km/h average. I got it for about 750$ Canadian dollars on sale; it goes on sale frequently. the NIU KQi300X is the upgrade and is pretty much the same but with front suspension.
I have 2050km on my NIU KQI3 Max and i love it. It'd be perfect for you and it often goes on sale.
It might not be the upgrade you're looking for, but the KQI3 max is great, way better than my KQI2 pro.
I would go with the 300X.. I have its older brother, the KQI3 Max and its great.
You'll need something dual motor at the very least. If it's not making near 30mph. It won't be enough to climb hills. I have a kqi3max max speed (23mph). You can tell which hills it can't climb. The most intriguing option is Teewing gt2 imo. 28mph, front suspension 650$ amazon. Rider weight matters alot. I'm 180ish and solid
I've had a kqi 3max for 3 years and thousands of miles, only ever had to tighten bolts and swap out back tire to solid
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