First things first: the looks. You either hate the appearance of the Mercane WideWheel Pro electric scooter or you love it. For some, it looks like the scooter of the future — sleek die-cast Manta Ray-like aluminum body and ultra-wide tires that seem suitable for the racing track.

For others it is a misshapen travesty of design — if you’re in the former camp keep on reading.

The Mercane WideWheel Pro scooter is a serious upgrade over the base Mercane WideWheel (introduced in 2019) and even older 2018 version — both were incredibly popular scooters but troubled with reports of metal fatigue, which led to failing stems and swingarms.

Previous versions of the WideWheel also faced a recall due to a failing brake caliper. However, with the launch of the WideWheel Pro, these concerns have been addressed through enhanced brake systems, aluminum alloy improvements, and design refinement.

The new Mercane WideWheel Pro version sports an LCD display, dual disc brakes, a larger battery pack, and thicker, stronger aluminum alloy parts. If you’ve never ridden one, the ride can best be described as floating on a rocket — and with its looks, the WideWheel Pro is most def the scooter Batman would keep in the trunk of his Batmobile for last-mile crime fighting.

The ultra-wide tires take the crispness that you would experience — from riding on a really nimble scooter like the Boosted Rev — and replace it with floating sensation. You’ll notice road irregularities less and tendency for the scooter to self-stabilize but lose the ability to make quick carving moves. When launched from a standstill under full throttle, the Mercane WideWheel Pro scooter certainly feels like a land rocket that just wants to go straight.

Acceleration is fun and very quick — getting you to 25 mph in 8.4 seconds — but tame enough to not be scary. The unlocked top speed of the Mercane WideWheel Pro scooter, close to 27 mph, is more than you’ll need. The larger 720 watt hour battery pack (634 watt-hours in the base version since 2019) gives 19.3 miles of tested range at its higher top speed.

The  Mercane WideWheel Pro scooter has thrilling acceleration all the way up to its top speed. It accelerates approximately twice as quickly as a typical rental scooter.

The Mercane WideWheel Pro scooter also delivered during our hill climb test and is sufficiently powerful to conquer the steepest of hills. It has no problems on slopes that will stop a typical 250-watt motor scooter or rental scooter.

The WideWheel Pro took 10.8 seconds, at an average speed of 12.5 mph to top out on our standardized hill test (200 ft vertical climb, 10% grade, 165 lb rider).

This is identical performance to the base WideWheel and significantly faster than the Xiaomi Mi M365 (250-watt motor, 12.5 mph average speed).

With the WideWheel Pro unlocked, we were able to obtain max speed of 26.7 mph (165 lb rider, GPS-tracked). This is a touch faster than the 2019 WideWheel electric scooter(base version), which would reach about 25 mph when unlocked.

This widewheel scooter features a 720 watt hour lithium-ion battery pack that gives a slightly increased range compared to its predecessor. The WideWheel Pro charger requires approximately 7 hours to fully charge the battery.

We were able to achieve 19.3 miles of real-world range (conditions: standardized test track with frequent stops/starts, hills, rough roads; scooter unlocked and ridden at the highest speed that was safe; 165 lb rider).

See our performance testing page for results from other scooters and detailed description of how we test.

The WideWheel Pro electric scooter has dual 120-mm mechanical disc and dual electronic brakes. We have always advocated for redundant braking systems for increased safety in the event of failure. We are happy to see the introduction of dual braking systems on this WideWheel electric scooter

During our braking tests, the Mercane WideWheel Pro scooter came to a stop from 15 mph in a mere 12.5 feet. We consider anything under 15 feet to be an excellent result.

Braking performance is a massive improvement over the base WideWheel electric scooter, which had only a single disc brake, and took nearly 16.4 feet to stop.

The WideWheel Pro electric scooter has dual spring suspensions and polyurethane-filled airless tires. On smooth roads, it has excellent ride quality and is an incredibly fun and thrilling scooter to ride.

The ultra-wide 4-inch tires give a sense of floating, an unusual sensation. Making turns on the scooter takes some getting used to and the WideWheel Pro scooteris definitely not nimble. The wide tires provide excellent stability and tracking — you won’t worry about getting a tire caught in cracks or seams in the road that could result in a spill.

However, the dual spring suspension is very stiff. It will dampen some vibrations from the road and take the edge off severe bumps. Yet, on poor roads, the ride can be quite harsh.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that the Mercane WideWheel scooter  is definitely not an off-road scooter. Though some owners might use it as such, we don’t think it has the suspension or frame to properly stand up to the abuse meted out from off-road riding or jumping.

The Mercane WideWheel Pro scooter tips the scale at 54 lbs. Though it is light enough to carry for short distances or up a flight of stairs, it is not an ultra-portable scooter.

The scooter has both a folding stem and folding handlebars that reduce it to a compact 43-inches by 9-inches by 16-inches. It can easily fit into the trunk of a small car when folded.

For comparison, it is identical in length and height but actually slimmer than a typical small scooter like the Xiaomi Mi M365 (42-inches by 17-inches by 19-inches).

The folding stem uses a unique threaded locking mechanism that makes the stem super stable when unfolded. The stem can be locked in the folded position for more comfortable one-handed carrying if you are strong enough to lift its 54 lbs. One downside to this type of folding mechanism is that it is slower than quick folding mechanisms and takes more than a few seconds to take down.

The compact folded size makes the WideWheel electric scooter make it rather convenient for storing at your destination or keeping it out of the way on public transportation.

The handlebars fold via a spring-loaded collar mechanism that is very quick to activate. When locked into place, the handlebars are fairly sturdy but do have a bit of play in them.

The very austere cockpit has been updated for the 2020 Pro version of the WideWheel electric scooter. It has some big new features, including an LCD display, upgraded grips, and an additional brake lever. The thumb throttle is the same part used by the base WideWheel electric scooter.

The back-lit LCD shows speed, mode, odometer, and battery status in both bars and volts. The display housing also includes a power button and mode button for quickly switching between Eco (battery saving, low performance) and Sport (high performance) modes.

The throttle controller body is made of lightweight plastic and feels somewhat cheap. It doesn’t feel nearly as robust or smooth as other quality throttles. Like the WideWheel base version, throttle modulation is quite poor — it is difficult to control the speed of the scooter finely.

The updated grips are now two-toned and have more of an ergonomic shape compared to the previous version. Overall, not bad.

To access the P-settings: hold both buttons and the a brake lever for approximately one second.

• P0: Controls zero-start mode. Press the mode button to toggle on/off.
• P1: This settings will unlock top speed. Press the mode button to toggle between unlocked (-1) and locked (0).
• P2: This setting changes the wheel diameter. It should always be set to -08. You can press the mode button to adjust this settings.
• P4: This setting toggles between KMH and MPH. Press the mode button to toggle between these settings.

Press both buttons (power and mode) to exit the settings menu when you are done.

See our P-settings database for full list of P-settings from every electric scooter available.

The WideWheel Pro electric scooter has a high-mounted front LED light and rear red LED tail light.

Though the front light is relatively bright at close distances, its lack of optics means that the light spreads out quickly with distance. When riding fast on a dark road, it is difficult to see far enough in the front to avoid serious road hazards.

Because of this, we recommend an additional ultra-bright light with good optics to see the road ahead.

See our guide to riding at night for our recommended gear.

The WideWheel Pro electric scooter has 8-inch by 4-inch, ultra-wide tires that are airless and filled with soft polyurethane foam. Compared to other airless (aka “solid” tires), these are quite soft and help to cushion ride somewhat.

The main benefit of the airless tires is not having to worry about getting flats. However, the downside is that they do not have as good of traction as pneumatic (air-filled) tires and perform much worse under wet conditions. Despite having a large contact patch with the ground, the tires are prone to losing traction under heavy acceleration or braking. In wet conditions, they can become quite slippery.

The  WideWheel Pro deck has just 5-inches of usable standing width, making it one of the slimmest scooters on the market. However, the length of it is sufficient and allows a multitude of riding positions.

The WideWheel Pro has higher build quality than previous versions of the scooter. Critical aluminum-alloy components have been strengthened. The Mercane WideWheel Pro electric scooter also has a thicker stem, neck, and fork for greater strength. These changes are welcome as we’ve seen a surprising number of users reporting metal part failures on the 2018 base WideWheel electric scooter — something you definitely don’t want to happen at 25 mph!

Despite the strength improvements, the WideWheel Pro has a max rider weight limit of 220 lbs — this is a little lean for a 54 lb electric scooter.

The Mercane WideWheel Pro has an IP (water resistance) rating of IP54. Practically speaking, this means it can be ridden in light rain, but you definitely don’t want the scooter to get soaked or submerged.

There are some design quality drawbacks that we’ve noted, though they aren’t major. Notably:

• The rear fender isn’t large enough to prevent water from being thrown onto you while riding in the rain. Some have modified the rear fender by adding an extension to solve this problem.
• The folding mechanism has a tendency to loosen up with use and may need to be periodically re-tightened.
• Some of the cables protrude far from the scooter and are prone to get snagged onto things.

The Mercane WideWheel Pro is a uniquely fun electric scooter that we think is best suited as a weekend cruiser. Though it can certainly serve as a daily commuter, its 54 lb weight may make it too cumbersome for everyone.

The added safety features (dual disc brakes, improved structural integrity) and LCD display are welcome improvements on what was already a pretty awesome scooter.

Its punchy dual motors and modest battery provide as much power and range as most will need. The scooter is thrilling, but not scary, and very easy to ride. We think these characteristics are suited for most riders, except adrenaline junkies, who will want more power and off-road capabilities.

If the WideWheel Pro scooter  isn’t appealing, you can also check out our Editor’s pick of best electric scooters.