Xiaomi has risen to be one of the most popular Chinese brands, and makes everything from robot vacuum cleaners to phone stabilisers. It also makes the M365, an electric scooter that is clearly the inspiration for the Turboant X7. From the matt black aluminium finish to the red outer brake cable and the way it folds, this is easily mistaken for the M365. However, look more closely and you’ll notice some big differences. For a start, the battery isn’t mounted beneath the board you stand on: it’s in the handlebar tube and is removable so you can charge it or keep it indoors where the temperature might be more battery friendly than a cold garage.
Price & availability
You can buy the X7 direct from Turboant for $449.99 (around £343). It originally cost $499.99, but in order to make the discount seem bigger, the RRP has been recently inflated to $599.99. That’s clearly nonsense: it would never compete with its rivals at that price. You can, however, get $40 off until the end of the year by entering the code TAX7USBLOG at the checkout – an exclusive coupon for Tech Advisor readers. Plus, currently, there’s a Christmas deal which brings the price down to $399.99 – unfortunately the coupon code cannot be used with this offer to reduce the price further.
See the Turboant X7
You can also buy a second battery for the X7 for $209.99 (instead of the usual $299.99) and there’s a bundle where you get the scooter plus a second battery for $579.99 instead of $899.99. Don’t forget, though, that you’ll need to pay import duty and VAT if you’re in the UK or Europe, which brings the total cost to around £430 (around £400 with the $40 off coupon). Note that there are two versions: European and American. The EU version is limited (by law) to 15.5mph, and the US version has a top speed of 20mph. These versions are sent automatically based on the destination address. Usually the Xiaomi M365 sells for £399 but Halfords is – at the time of writing – discounting it to £329, which is a great price.
See the Xiaomi M365 at Halfords
For more alternatives, read our roundup of the best electric scooters.
Features & design
The Turboant has a motor in its front wheel rated at 350W and the 230Wh battery has enough juice for a range of 25km. As with any electric scooter or bike, range will depend upon the temperature, rider weight and how many hills you need to ride up. The folding mechanism is simple to use, and while it’s not nearly as light as a traditional non-electric scooter, at 12.5kg it’s still easy enough to lift it up a flight of steps or onto public transport. Stopping power comes courtesy of a rear disc brake and electromagnetic braking at the front from the motor. For emergencies you can also put your foot on the rear mudguard to slow down.
The X7’s display is a bit better than the Xiaomi’s though, showing your speed and battery level. A ‘hamburger’ menu button on the red throttle does a couple of things. Press it once and it will toggle to the next drive mode, which includes “Beginner”, “Normal” and “Sports”. These are indicated by no icon, a white D icon and a red D icon. Essentially, this is simply the amount of power you get from the motor when you push the throttle. Two short presses turns on the headlight, but the rear flashing red LEDs are enabled permanently, and come on when you pull the brake lever.
There’s a spanner icon which lights up if there’s a fault. Build quality is good overall, but it’s a little too easy to push the quick-release clamp for the handlebar tube home without the tube being completely upright, meaning it isn’t secured at all. So it pays to double-check you’ve done it correctly before riding off.
Wheels are 8.5in and have tubeless tyres that can be pumped up using a standard Schrader valve. A flexible Schrader attachment is included in the box, but unless you happen to have a compatible pump with the correct screw thread, it won’t be any use to you. We found that many standard bike pumps won’t fit the recessed valve on the front wheel, so you will need to use a screw-type fitting as supplied with many car tyre inflators.
It’s worth noting that the handlebars are not quick-release like many scooters, so it takes up a bit more space when folded. And that could be an issue if you plan to take it on public transport. Your fellow commuters won’t be too impressed with the X7’s handlebars sticking into their legs. They screw in, one with a reverse thread, and I found the right-hand one came loose after a while: applying a small amount of thread lock is a good idea if you have it.
Performance
In terms of performance the X7 feels powerful and accelerates strongly in Sports mode, even spinning the front wheel on wooden surfaces.
A big plus is that there’s more clearance underneath than most electric scooters, so it’s less likely to ground out on kerbs and other things. However, it does struggle when climbing hills – you can notice the difference in power between the X7 and a scooter such as the Xiaomi M365 Pro. The specs say the maximum incline is 10 degrees, which equates to about a 19% grade hill. In reality, it only just about manages a 10% hill. On the flat though, it zips along up to its maximum speed.
As the weight is all at the front, it can tip forwards when pushing the X7 up a hill, but that’s the only time it is an issue.
Verdict
The X7 is a decent scooter, but if you’re in the UK, it’s hard to justify the cost and hassle of importing it or dealing with any warranty repairs when you can just nip to Halfords and buy a Xiaomi M365 for considerably less. The M365 lacks the X7’s nice display and relies on a row of LEDs, but it’s a small compromise overall. Jim has been testing and reviewing products for over 20 years. His main beats include VPN services and antivirus. He also covers smart home tech, mesh Wi-Fi and electric bikes.
