Maxshot V1 Review
Our Verdict
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Maxshot V1 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  Best Budget Pick |  Best Overall | Best Range and Value |  | |
| Price | $150 List Check Price at Amazon | $1,050 List Check Amazon (on sale!) | $700 List Check Price at Amazon | $569 List Check Price at Amazon | $400 List Check Amazon (on sale!) |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | This budget scooter is a favorite due to its impressive top speed, range, and portability | This offers unmatched speed, power, and ride comfort | Superior power, braking, and comfort for long commutes, | A powerful scooter with excellent range and a smooth ride | Good but not great, and you'll be happy you considered other models first |
| Rating Categories | Maxshot V1 | Segway Ninebot MAX G3 | Segway Ninebot MAX G2 | Gotrax G4 | Maxshot V1SPRO |
| Range (30%) | |||||
| Speed and Hills (30%) | |||||
| Ride Comfort (20%) | |||||
| Portability (20%) | |||||
| Specifications | Maxshot V1 | Segway Ninebot MAX G3 | Segway Ninebot MAX G2 | Gotrax G4 | Maxshot V1SPRO |
| Measured Effective Range | 18.2 miles | 25.0 miles | 34.4 miles | 22 miles | 15.3 miles |
| Measured Maximum Speed | 17.5 mph | 28.2 mph | 21.4 mph | 19.8 mph | 18.7 mph |
| Measured Weight | 27.5 lb | 53 lb | 54.0 lb | 37.8 lb | 36.2 lb |
| Motor Size | 350W | 850W | 450W | 350W | 350W |
| Peak Power | 500W | 2000W | 1000W | 500W | 500W |
| Tire Size | 8.5" | 12" | 10" | 10" | 10" |
| Tire Type | Solid (honeycomb) | Pneumatic tubeless and self sealing | Pneumatic tubeless and self sealing | Pneumatic | Solid (honeycomb) |
| Max Load | 264 lb | 286 lb | 265 lb | 220 lb | 265 lb |
| Battery Size | 375Wh | 800Wh | 551Wh | 374Wh | 378Wh |
| Brake Type | Drum braking and eABS regenerative anti-lock braking | Rear disk and front electronic | Front drum brake with a rear electronic brake | Rear disc brake and E-ABS braking system | Front electronic brake and rear drum brake |
| Measured Charge Time | 4.2 hours | 4.4 hours | 5 hours | 5.8 hours | 5.7 hours |
| App | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
Our Analysis and Test Results
Tested and Rated
For this test, Chris McNamara, GearLab's founder and editor-in-chief, did the testing.
I have tested a lot of scooters, and I'm amazed at how much value this scooter delivered. I still use an E-bike for most commutes and round-trip journeys. This scooter is perfect for one-way trips when you get a ride from a friend or an Uber back to your starting point.
Range
The V1 goes further than most other scooters in its price range. Some scooters go further, but they are generally much more expensive and have much larger batteries. Also, remember this isn't the most comfortable scooter for long distances. So, the 18-mile range is adequate for most people's trips. After 18 miles, our legs and hands felt exhausted.
Why does it go further? Mainly because it has a bigger battery. Most other scooters in this price range have a 275Wh battery or smaller, and the Maxshot has a 375Wh battery. Scooters with bigger ranges and batteries are often twice as heavy, creating a real trade-off between speed, range, and portability.
The app not only gives you important controls, but it also shows the exact battery percentage, which offers much more precision than the scooter's five-bar display.
Speed and Hills
Like range, the max speed of 17.5 MPH may not impress compared to the most expensive scooters, but it is much faster than scooters in its price range. Most scooters for $300 or less have a top speed of 12.5-15MPH. The difference between 15 miles an hour and 17.5 miles an hour may not seem like much, but in our experience, it was meaningful. 15 miles an hour is on the edge of feeling slow, whereas 17.5 miles an hour feels about as fast as you would want with this scooter's tire size and handling of bumpy terrain and cracks.
Hill performance was ok. With a 350-watt motor, this scooter will not climb very steep hills without you helping with a kick. Many other scooters in this price range have 250-watt motors and perform even worse. If you want to climb steeper Hills, you need a much larger motor. And even 900-1000-watt motors can only climb so steep a hill so fast.
Ride Comfort
This is the metric where the Mac shot struggles a bit. With 8.5-inch hard tires and no suspension, you feel every bump and crack.
On smooth pavement, this scooter performs just fine. But on bumpy terrain. It starts to take a toll on the body. Most importantly, you feel it when you hit an unexpected crack or bump. That is why the scooter is better for shorter rides at lower speeds. For longer rides, you want suspension and bigger pneumatic tires. The upside of solid tires is that you can't get a flat, and they require less maintenance to keep tire pressure.
Portability
This is where this scooter shines. It is one of the lighter scooters in our test and opens and stows exceptionally fast.
Braking
Nothing particularly remarkable about the braking; it is adequate and comparable to similar scooters.
Should You Buy the Maxshot V1?
If you want great value in a scooter and are okay with less-than-ideal handling on rough terrain, this is it. The only reason to spend more money is if you want one that goes faster and handles better over longer distances.
—Chris McNamara
