Boosted Rev Review

The Boosted Rev is all business. This scooter delivers a stem to stern design focused on speedy and efficient transportation. This scooter boasts twin 750-watt motors that produce speeds up to 24 mph and a redundant braking system — electric motor brakes, disk brake, and fender brake — which significantly shortens stopping distances. The Rev beefs up the standing platform, both making it wider and lower for increased stability and comfort. Additionally, the frame provides space for a bike lock to be attached — something missing from the competition's designs. As one might guess, these advancements don't come cheap. They would be right, too. This scooter cost about three times as much as the others in the class.

Performance Comparison

Range

The range metric is an analysis of a scooter's travel radius with a fully charged battery as well as a measure of how long it takes to recharge the battery after it has been fully depleted from the range test. Obviously, the range for a scooter will vary depending on the weight of the rider and the terrain that the rider is traversing. To address these inconsistencies, we run all of our range tests on a flat track and with testers of comparable weight.

As has been said above, the Rev is in a league of its own, and its performance in the range tests is no exception. This chariot offers riders up to 16.5 miles of cruising over 86 mins on a charge. That's a lot. In fact, it's more scootering than most will care to do at a go. On the flip side, this model will absorb a full charge in a mere 3 hours. That's pretty fast, particularly so in light of the prolonged runtime.

It should be noted that our range test is conducted at ~13 mph which is far below the Rev's maximum speed. However, for comparison purposes, we selected 13 mph for range testing as it is a speed that all the scooters in our review can maintain. Unfortunately, when cruising at maximum speed, the Rev's range is significantly shortened.

Power

While the range test tells us a lot about how far and how long we can cruise on a given scooter, it's certainly not the whole story. Unless you're a consummate stop and smell the roses type, most are concerned with how fast they'll be getting from point A to point B; especially when it comes to the daily commute. This is where the power metric comes in as it fills this critical data gap. This metric evaluates the ability of a scooter to climb steep hills as well as its max cruising speed. This series of tests are not only fun to execute, but more to the point, they reveal much about the quality of the product under review.

As the name implies, the Rev can really boogie. With a max speed of 24 mph, you can feel the difference that the model's twin 750-watt motors deliver in acceleration and top speed. We would say that this scooter moves like greased lightning, but alas, this metaphor is outdated as electric motors don't require lubricant.

The top speed and range tests are conducted on flat ground. However, most people know that the world isn't flat. While many scooters can zip along on the flats, few can keep up the pace when making a climb. This is yet another area where the Rev raises the bar on the class. When attempting to describe how this scooter responds to increases in road gradient, the word demolish comes to mind. Yup, that's the right word. The Rev demolishes hill climbs.

Ride

As we've established, the world isn't flat. It should be added that the world isn't paved over with smooth concrete either. As such, scooter enthusiasts are restricted to roads where bumps and cracks will be encountered, sometimes unexpectedly. Scooter features that mitigate surface inconsistencies go a long way in increasing performance, but they also add a measure of safety. To evaluate this somewhat nuanced aspect of scooter dynamics, we established a test loop on some particularly uneven streets with ample bumps and cracks.

Before going into how the Rev fared on the mean streets surrounding our lab, first a note on tires. In the world of electric scooters there are two categories of tires: solid and pneumatic. While pneumatic tires do pose some maintenance concerns, they are far better at gripping the pavement, and they are superior shock absorbers. At 9" in diameter, and with a width that is roughly twice the size of others in the class, the Boosted has some seriously beefy pneumatic tires. However, these tires do not deliver the cushy ride one would expect given their ample proportions. In fact, one tester reported being quite surprised at how rough the ride was in light of the tire size. That said, the ride was nowhere near as rattly as that produced by a solid rubber tire.

Braking

Up to this point we have focused all of our attention on the dynamics of what makes the Boosted Rev a good product while it is in motion — speed, travel radius, ride, et cetera. While these are important features, we think you'll agree that stopping is equally important, though not as fun. As with many of the other metrics, the Boost elevates the standard of braking for electric scooters. Most scooters have two brakes. One brake on the electric motor in the front wheel hub and either a disk brake or a fender brake in the rear. Since the Rev has two electric motors it has one brake for each. As if that isn't enough stopping power, it has both a fender and disk brake as well for good measure.

Speaking of measures, we appraise the stopping distance of the scooters at ~12 mph. Why just 12 mph? Well, before the Boosted Rev came along that was about as fast as these machines could go. For continuity we kept this as our standard. Anyway, we run this braking test in two versions, three times each, and take the average. First, we measure stopping distance using the disk and motor brakes in combination. Next, we bring the powerful fender brake to bare. The startlingly short stopping distances for these two tests are 17.3 feet and 14 feet respectively. Yowzers! That's fast.

Portability

When you finally come to a stop at your destination portability will become the primary feature of concern. Assessing the portability of a scooter is simple enough. We collapse the steering column and carry it around. We then weigh it and take measurements of the scooter in its folded configuration. Additionally, we evaluate the folding mechanism for ease of use and safety.

While the Rev enjoys a stellar appraisal in other metrics, it suffers here for many of the reasons that it is successful elsewhere. First off, this puppy is big. Like, really big. Its handlebars do not collapse and are quite broad at 24"; the frame is 44" long. Moreover, the vast size of this model is equaled by its 47.5 pounds of weight. That's like carrying one of those 6-gallon water cooler jugs! Furthermore, the Rev's folded dimensions are big enough as to pose some problems putting the scooter into the trunk of a car or getting into a crowded elevator. That said, the steering column — which becomes the carrying handle — has a comfortable shape that won't bother those strong enough to hoist the scooter.

As a final point, we did experience some issues with the steering column locking mechanism. The lock is self-engaging and is easy to both couple and release. However, this ease of use creates a problem: the locking mechanism is vulnerable to coming undone. We had to tighten this component — making it harder to operate — to ensure the safety of our testers.

Value

Without a doubt, the Boosted Rev is a high-performance scooter. However, the performance delivered by this model comes at a premium that will make many scoff. One can literally buy the whole family competing scooters for the cost of this one machine. While we are impressed with the advancements that Boosted has made in the electric scooter market, we do not find these achievements to match the cost of this ride. Thus, we do not find this scooter to be a good value.

Conclusion