MI ELECTRIC SCOOTER 3

Keen to cut back on petrol costs? Perhaps what you need is a zippy electric ride such as Xiaomi’s Mi Electric Scooter 3.

Battery-powered and (for the most part) maintenance free, a scooter is a great eco-friendly option for shorter commutes. In the box you’ll find everything you need to get up and going: there’s a power adapter, Allen key, extended nozzle adapter, screws, a spare tyre, and a user manual. The whole set-up is self-explanatory and connecting the scooter to the Mi Home app via Bluetooth is a breeze.

The scooter can travel around 30 km on a single charge. If the battery hits empty, it’ll take five and a half hours to fully recharge. There is, however, a sleep mode that automatically activates to save battery life. In the centre of the handlebars is a bright LCD and a single button that you use to turn the light on and off and toggle between the three power modes: ‘pedestrian’, with a max speed of 5 km/h; ‘standard’ (or eco), with a top speed of 20 km/h; and ‘sports’ mode, which unleashes all of the power the scooter can muster … which is really just 25 km/h.

Weighing 13 kg, the scooter is relatively easy to carry around. It feels solidly built and the mechanism that enables the scooter to fold is pretty savvy. Included are excellent safety features such as a bright headlight and tail light, as well as two brakes. While you won’t win any races, this nimble commuter scooter gets a double thumbs-up from us.

RRP R10 999 syntech.co.za; goelectric.co.za