Turboant X7 Max Electric Scooter Review

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This electric scooter punches far above its $600 price tag to deliver a ride, speed, and feature set found on models double its price.

TurboAnt's new $600 X7 Max is the best electric scooter we’ve gone hands-on with this year. This budget scooter is equipped with advanced features like cruise control, headlights, and a crisp digital LCD speedometer usually reserved for higher-end models. That's in addition to a lightweight body that folds down effortlessly for easy transport, dream-like controls, a peak speed of 20 MPH, and extensive range. But it's the X7 Max's hot-swappable battery that helps it stand out from the crowd. You can remove and replace the battery without any tools, so if the 30-plus mile range isn't enough for you, carrying a spare battery in a backpack or trunk effectively doubles it, eliminating range anxiety while you’re out and about.

We spent a weekend using it at its medium speed setting (dubbed "comfort mode") as a baseline for testing range and rode it from full charge until it died. For calculating "highway" mileage, we rode the scooter at a consistent 10 miles per hour using cruise control along a one-third-mile closed asphalt loop. But we know not every trip is made up of smooth pavement without any obstacles or changes in elevation or terrain. So for real-world "city" range, we took the X7 Max for a spin throughout main streets, side roads, and beach paths across Long Island's north shore. Here, the scooter was challenged with broken sidewalks, varying slopes, as well as stop-and-go braking.

Electric scooters have risen in popularity over the past few years as an environmentally friendly way to commute through cities, campuses, and recreational venues. They’re lightweight, long-lasting, and fun to ride. Long before my love of motorcycles, I was a tween tearing up the streets on my Razer and eventually Currie eZip electric scooters. Turboant's X7 Max recaptures the thrill of weaving through pedestrians with a 350-watt motor that easily pushed my six-foot-two, 270-pound frame around for a distance of 28 consecutive miles and 26.3 city miles before dying. That's on target with the brand's claims that a 165-pound person reaches 32 miles in the medium-speed setting–an impressive feat for a sleek scooter that weighs just 35 pounds.

Assembling the X7 Max is virtually effortless. It arrives at your door mostly pre-assembled in its compact 45.3 by 16.5 by 20.1-inch footprint, which slides into the smallest of sedans or SUVs. I lifted the electric scooter up from the box by its front and a grip around the back fender. After unhooking the stem and locking the scooter into place standing up, I screwed on the brake grip with an included hex wrench and hand-tightened the handles, which can detach to save space. To fold down the scooter, lift a safety pin mechanism up to release the stem, then fold it down. Breaking down and opening up takes just a few seconds once mastered. That's especially helpful if you’re hurrying to catch a train or shuttle.

Unfolding the handlebar stem adds another 30 inches of height to the overall package. Once you extend the kickstand, you can take in the scooter's frame for all of its glory, from the extended deck, which is wider than most for added comfort, to the premium matte black texture, which looks pricier than the $600 asking price. This coating repels dirt but scratches easily. If you have sharp items in your trunk, you’ll inevitably create some blemishes—something that's going to come with the territory with scooters. Hell, I scratched it immediately with a pair of scissors while cutting off some packaging. Scuff marks don't impact its IPX4 rating, a durability scale that indicates how much water and dust exposure a product can resist. While you shouldn't be taking an electric scooter into a downpour, the X7 Max was tough enough to avoid shorting out through heavy drizzles.

At first glance, the X7 Max looks like a standard Lime or Uber scooter—complete with a high-mounted headlight and red accents along the controls and brake line to pop from the otherwise all-black design. While other scooters keep batteries near your feet on the deck, the X7 Max's hot-swappable 10Ah battery is discretely built into the stem. That means you can easily swap it out with an extra battery and effectively double your range between charges, or simply leave your scooter outside while you bring the battery in to charge. Inserting the included key counter-clockwise unlocks the battery housing, which pulls off and then reattaches with a click. At just 5 pounds, carrying an extra battery is an option, but its 18-inch length will stick out of shorter bags.

Preparing for a ride is simple thanks to basic controls that consist of the handlebars, a power and function button, a thumb throttle below them, and a handbrake on the left side. Pressing the power button brings the large LCD display in the center of the handlebars to life, which shows speed and mode, battery level by quarters, and cruise control status. All essential information is visible at a glance.

With the scooter powered on, just one tap of the function button turns on the headlight to produce a wide beam angled downward six feet ahead of the scooter. Double tapping this function button switches between three speed profiles: eco mode up to six miles per hour (signified by a white S), medium speed comfort mode up to 10 mph (signified by a yellow S), and sport mode, which peaks at 21 mph (signified by a red S). The setup keeps all controls accessible at your thumb while you ride. The scooter could benefit from a dedicated speed button instead of being lumped in with the light controls. Otherwise, the layout is easy to navigate without requiring you to hyperextend your fingers, which means you won't have to worry about your hands fatiguing over long rides.

Pushing off and giving the scooter some throttle sets your ride in motion. The X7 Max has some decent pickup for a budget electric scooter, quickly reaching 7 mph from takeoff. Give it about six seconds at full throttle and it smoothly accelerates up to its 20-mph peak. This speed is on the higher end of scooters below $1,000. Some slightly more expensive options top out upwards of 25 mph. Even when I had the option of using the top speed profile, I found myself using the medium setting to avoid pedestrians, dogs, and holes in sidewalks or asphalt.

Steering and braking systems both respond promptly. The scooter's dual-brake system stops without leaning, so you’re less likely to wipe out. Even when jamming on the brakes at 15 mph at a sandy construction site, the scooter didn't low-side, though it did make a noticeable screech. The scooter skidded while braking over wet piles of leaves, so keep an eye out for wet surfaces.

The X7 Max's 5.3 inches of ground clearance helps it climb over twigs, rocks, and even sidewalk gaps. The oversized deck and 10-inch wheels (a step up from the standard 8-inch tires) stabilize your ride over rough surfaces. Weaving your hips directs the scooter body, so you can avoid the most hostile terrain. On bumpy surfaces, you will definitely feel the vibration under your feet, so throw on a comfortable pair of sneakers.

Perhaps what I find most impressive about the ride experience is that it offers powerful range and fairly consistent speeds even while pushing its weight limit. You can comfortably load up on groceries or gear and still see similar performance. Riding up a hill with a steep, 12-degree slope didn't challenge the scooter as much as I had expected: It simply slowed down from 20 mph to 14 mph until the ground leveled out.

While riding experience is paramount, the X7 Max's impressive range steals the show. Comfort mode eked out an average 28 and 26 miles with a rider at max weight capacity. Granted, it will take you over two hours to get somewhere 28 miles away while locked to a speed limit of 10 mph, but the scooter will get you there eventually. If you plan to ride above the medium setting's 10 mph cap, expect that driving the scooter exclusively in sport mode will hamper range. I was able to ride at varying speeds in this mode between 14 and 20 miles per hour for an average distance of 20.4 miles before it gave out.

Leaving the scooter outside or in the trunk of your car while bringing the battery inside to charge saves room in your home and reduces hassles. Fully recharging takes around six hours.

The Turboant X7 Max delivers a reliable long-lasting and speedy ride that can take you the distance from point A to B and then some for an affordable price. I found myself leaving the spare in my trunk while around town, as the onboard battery provided plenty of range for an all-day cruising around town or a venue, but the option to carry an extra battery kept range anxiety pangs away.

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Hunter Fenollol, our resident expert of all things consumer tech, from smart home to VR gaming headsets, has years of knowledge creating product explainers, in-depth reviews, and buying guides to help you get the most from the latest electronics. Throughout college, he covered and reviewed the latest gadget releases for sites like Tom's Guide, Laptop Magazine, and CNN Underscored. If he's not elbow-deep in the latest hardware, you can find Hunter at one of Long Island's many beaches, in Manhattan, or gambling away his paycheck.

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