NIU KQi 300X electric scooter review – a rocket on 2 wheels

REVIEW – In an attempt to have fun with my kids, I’ve tried out a few electric bikes and a few electric skateboards. So obviously, the next thing to try is an electric scooter. But I’m a big guy at 6’6″ and heavier than I’m going to share here. This means I couldn’t just review any electric scooter. I had to wait for one to come along, beefy enough to support someone of my size. Then NIU reached out with the KQi 300X electric scooter. It met the base requirements I needed and had several additional features I found interesting as well. Could I pass up the opportunity to review it? Well, obviously not, otherwise there wouldn’t be an article here. How did it work out? TL;DR It worked out well for the most part. Intrigued? I hope so. Read on to see what happened.

⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $1299.99 (currently $749.99)
Where to buy: NIU and Amazon

What is it?

The NIU KQi 300X is an electric scooter with pneumatic tires, dual tube hydraulic suspension, disc and regenerative braking, that can reach up to 20 mph with a range of around 37 miles.

What’s included?

• KQi 300X electric scooter
• Battery charger
• Tool kit
• User guides

Tech specs

Design and features

The NIU KQi 300X is chock-full of features similar to what I’ve experienced with nicer electric bikes. Let’s start with some of the safety features first. This scooter has a bright halo-style headlight, turn signals, and brake lights. Trust me, you can’t miss this thing at night. Controls for the blinkers on on the right handlebar and are controlled with a press of a button.

Next are the brakes. The KQi300X has both front and rear disc brakes with controls on the handlebar and a regenerative braking system that automatically starts slowing the scooter when you let off the throttle. Since it’s regenerative, some charge is generated and returned to the battery.  The throttle is your typical twist to operate.

To absorb the bumps, the scooter has tubeless pneumatic tires and dual hydraulic shock absorbers on the front end. The two work well to smooth out your ride, even if your riding conditions aren’t ideal. The tires are also wider and self-healing, so you have less to worry about should you take it off-road. The deck is also pretty wide at 6.5″, meaning even my big feet can find a good purchase.

The battery is not removable, so the KQi300X has to be plugged in to charge. Thankfully, the charging port is in an easily accessible location. This hasn’t been the case on some other electric vehicles I’ve reviewed.

NIU says the KQi300x has 5 modes of operation, but you have to use the app to connect to the scooter to access some of them. You can use the scooter without the app with 2 modes: E-save and Sport. The other modes are Dynamic, Pedestrian, and Cruise control.

If you do decide to use the NIU Smart App, there are a ton of options and settings you can adjust. With a Bluetooth connection, you can track battery life, total distance traveled, GPS location, and customize the acceleration.

Assembly, Installation, Setup

The only assembly needed is attaching the handlebars with the included hardware. It’s only a few screws, but they have treated them with thread locker so they won’t be backing out on you. To use the app, you’ll need to connect via Bluetooth and bind your specific scooter to it. If you prefer not to use the app, you can power it on using the large button on the OLED display control screen by a long press of the single button. You can also switch between E-Save mode and Sport with a press of that same button.

Performance

The NIU KQi300x is fast and fun. To get started, push off and get it to at least 2 mph, then the throttle will activate the scooter, and you can take off. In E-Save mode, the acceleration is quite manageable, but the scooter only gets up to a max speed of 9 mph. Switching it to Sport mode, it takes off like a bullet. Every time I’ve started in Sport mode and hit the throttle, the KQi300x would pop a wheelie, scaring the bejesus out of me. Since I’m rather tall, I would’ve appreciated a longer deck. It’s plenty wide enough, but I found myself wanting to spread my feet wider. Oh, and when NIU says the KQi300x can reach up to 20 mph, they’re serious. Even being a large guy, I was able to get up to 20 mph. It’s exhilarating and scary at the same time.

Now let’s talk about some of the issues I had. The unit I received had to have been used. When I received the review unit, all the Styrofoam packaging was broken and dirty.

The included box of hardware had been opened, and the included screws were just loose in the box. The plastic baggie they were supposed to be in had been cut. The grip tape on the deck was dirty, meaning you could see footprints on it. Also, the grip tape had pulled up in one spot, although I was able to stick it back down. There were also several scratches on the body of the scooter.

Finally, the downward portion of the fender, which is screwed on separately, was broken off. These concerns were passed on to NIU, but I never heard a response. Otherwise, the scooter operated fine. I did notice, though, that even after trying to customize the acceleration, anything other than E-Save would jolt forward.

Final thoughts

I’ve discovered through the NIU website that they do sell refurbished units for those who may want to save a little money. I’m assuming I got one of those as a review unit, but I have to hope other refurbished units would be in better shape for those who buy one. Even though I didn’t have a good first impression, that quickly fell away when I rode the NIU KQi300x. It’s a lot of fun to ride, even in my neighborhood that doesn’t have the best street surfaces. It’s pebbly, bumpy, and cracked. The ride is smooth and as fast as I could ever want to go. If you’re in the market for a scooter, this is a good ‘un. It’s well built. The app gives you lots of different options. And, in my honest opinion, it’s a reasonable price for what you get. Check out NIU. The KQi 300x is a ripper!

What I like about NIU KQi 300X scooter

• Safety features
• Well-built
• The app seems to be well-made
• The price

What needs to be improved?

• I would’ve preferred to receive a new unit or a least one that wasn’t dirty with a broken fender
• Finer control over the acceleration

Price: $1299.99 (currently $749.99)
Where to buy: NIU and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by NIU. NIU did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.

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