The Cruiser (above) was king of tested real-world range, which was nearly double that of the others. The Boosted, which has decent acceleration, topped out at a relatively low 24 mph — making it not competitive.

The Mantis had the best ride quality of the bunch, thanks to its plush suspension, large deck, and pneumatic tires. It has an adjustable front and rear spring suspension that rivals that of the Zero 10X — our all-time favorite. The Mantis does very well even on the roughest of roads — critical for keeping you comfortable and preventing you from getting bounced off the scooter at speed.

The EMOVE Cruiser took second, thanks to its plush suspension, massive deck, and large pneumatic tires. For ride quality — especially on longer rides — standing space is a huge factor. The Cruiser is capable of doing more than 50 miles on a single charge; the suspension is critical for keeping you comfortable during these long rides. It’s soft enough to soak up unpleasant bumps and vibrations, but not so soft that it makes the scooter unstable.

The 8X has a good suspension, but the smaller solid (airless tires) transmit a lot more of the road vibrations to your body.

The Boosted Rev is the only scooter that has no suspension — instead, it relies on pneumatic tires to smooth rough terrain. This helps to save on weight but results in it having the worst quality of the group. While superbly smooth on nice roads, the Boosted performed poorly on rough ones. For these reasons, it trailed behind the others for ride quality.

The Rev took its first win for having the best portability. Its 46 lb weight — the lightest of the bunch — was the biggest deciding factor. In this group, the Rev has the best portability, but it certainly could use some improvement. The handlebars, which don’t fold, stick out quite far — making the scooter challenging to bring on crowded public transportation.

The other scooters weigh between 55 and 73 lbs, making them very difficult to carry or lift for even short distances.

The EMOVE Cruiser takes second place for portability. Though its weight makes it difficult to lift and carry, it has a quick folding mechanism and folding handlebars.

The Zero 8X (above) and Mantis tie for last place. Though the 73-lb 8X is the heaviest scooter, it’s also the most compact when folded. The 8X’s stem doesn’t lock in the folded configuration, making maneuvering it more difficult. On the other hand, the Mantis is lighter, but significantly larger when folded.

The Rev is, hands-down, the highest quality scooter of the bunch and likely the highest quality electric scooter period. The design and build quality are incredible. Like the Xiaomi and Segway electric scooter lines, the Rev is mass-produced under tight quality-control conditions; unlike these scooters, the parts and materials are significantly better. The result is a scooter with impeccable fit-and-finish that is the closest to “transportation-quality” that we’ve seen. The Rev also has an IP67 water-resistance rating, meaning that it can tolerate full submersion for brief periods.

The remaining scooters don’t have the incredible fit-and-finish of the Rev but are quality products nonetheless. However, all of them are manufactured hands-on on a smaller scale, with what we surmise is less rigorous quality control. When you pull your scooter out of the box, you may have to make some adjustments. There may be silly mistakes like an accessory wasn’t attached correctly –typically nothing critical; the scooter may have gotten dinged up during shipping due to inadequate packaging.

Th EMOVE Cruiser takes the second spot for quality. Like the Rev, it has an IP67 water resistance rating; it also has the highest weight capacity in this group of scooters — a hefty 352 lbs. All the moving mechanisms on this scooter feel precise, and there is no play in the folding mechanisms.

Neither the Mantis nor the Zero 8X has an official IP rating — though they should tolerate some very light water exposure. Like the others, these scooters have hefty build quality but are a bit rougher around the edges. Both scooters had somewhat creaky suspension and stem out-of-the-box; this can be resolved with a bit of silicone oil. They also have louder motors — especially at lower speeds — which quiet at higher speeds.

Finally, it’s worth mentioning that the Mantis has had a handful of reports of the massive 10 mm stem bolt failing in time. One retailer we spoke to said that there had been roughly 10 cases WorldWide. Many retailers have begun to preemptively install heftier bolts to prevent this from happening in the future.

The Kaabo Mantis is essentially the best entry-level beast scooter. It has great acceleration and top speed. The large pneumatic tires and incredible suspension keep you pinned to the street at speed. It has a massive battery and more than enough range. For these reasons, it is an excellent value and therefore shares the crown with the Cruiser as the Best Electric Scooter Under $1600.