I’ve ridden a lot of e-scooters over the last decade, some brands have come and gone but Segway just keeps on keeping on. What’s fascinating about a product you’d think is rather simple and hard to improve on is that in fact that does keep happening which is why I wanted to put the Segway Ninebot E3 Pro to the test.

You’ll find this for $1,199 in Australia which is in my view the sweet spot for pricing given the cheaper models won’t have the range or features and the more expensive models really focus on a specific feature or use case like off road capability or outright performance.

Now to be clear, in NSW where I’m testing this, it’s still illegal to ride these on public roads and footpaths, but those rules are changing – slowly, so I see this as a look into the future of mobility. The idea of jumping on the scooter to head up to the shops or to somewhere local means a whole lot less short drives in the car.

Here’s what I’ve noticed about the Segway Ninebot E3 Pro.

Design and Portability

Like all good electric scooters the E3 Pro will fold down to be carried or put in the car. It’s not a small unit though, so even folded down – in the back of a mid-sized SUV we needed to put down part of the middle-row seats to fit it in.

But I love the folding mechanism. Flip out a little foot rest and basically push down and the E3 Pro collapses at the base of the handlebar.

It weighs a solid 17.9 kg which they say is “lightweight” but lets be honest, you’d not lugging that too far are you. On a commute its enough to make it possible to carry it onto the train or bus perhaps which is totally fine.

I was a bit flummoxed by this folded down state though, because with the front wheel pivoted up, the front end of the scooter now rests on the underbody and I feel like that’s going to wear in time, but it does seem quite strong under there so my concern is less about damage per se, and more about just the idea of scratching up the base of the unit.

All around though the design is very sleek, great material use all over gives it a really premium look and feel – I get the sense of value from this one at $1,199.

The ride

I’ve ridden a few recently that scared the life out of me they accelerated so fast and had such immense braking.

Loved the ride on the Segway Ninebot E3 Pro though. A smooth start paired with excellent braking is the right combo. But the speed early in the range isn’t overwhelming, and once you learn to trust in the lightest of braking you realise you’re safe at any time.

Leaning into turns with confidence, and just the right amount of damping gives a smooth ride but don’t expect not to feel the bumps around the place.

Interestingly this also has an indicator button you can slide left or right with the thumb to turn on your very bright blinkers on the end of each side of the handlebar which is a nice touch.

Additionally, while I didn’t notice it, the E3 Pro also features a Traction Control System.

You’ll get 55km of range in Eco mode (12km/h) or 40km of range if set to sport mode (25km/h)

Tech in the Segway Ninebot E3 Pro

There’s plenty of light on this thing, the headlight, indicators and brake light aside, there’s also an LED light show underneath you can enable and customise.

But at it’s core, the Segway Mobility app is a great window into your scooter so you can see battery levels, range and metrics of your rides.

Perhaps the niftiest thing is the Apple Find My compatibility. Strangely this – while a big part of the sell for the E3 Pro – is not enabled out of the box. You need to turn it on within the app first.

Once enabled you should give your Scooter the Scooter icon and then you’ll always know where it is.

The clear and simple 3 inch display on the middle of the bars is bright and really easy to read, showing basic things like speed and battery status at a glance.

A great choice for your next Scooter

I’ve loved riding this, I wish I could ride it more (you listening Mr Premier?), and on many days that permission would take my car off the road – isn’t that a good thing?

The Segway Ninebot E3 Pro is probably the most refined mid-range scooter on the market, great materials, design and build quality, paired with a smooth and enjoyable ride plus the best tech – it’s a winner.