I think the evolving world of personal transportation has changed buying trends massively and not always for the best.
The authorities have allowed various forms of unlicenced (and often illegal) electric vehicles to propel young kids, teenagers and adults to the local park, school, town, city, work… or death.
I live in a village about 10 miles from Nottingham and see dozens of illegal stand-up eScooters pass my office window every day, with often helmetless kids as young as 8 or 9 riding them on the road and pavement. Then there are the very quick electric crossers without a number plate and with a rider only wearing a ‘protective’ balaclava. It should be mandatory for any rider of an electric vehicle to wear a helmet and for the police to not turn a blind eye to it, or to the use of these machines. We’ve seen youngsters being killed on them recently, as well as innocent pedestrians. It’s only going to get worse.
Moped sales plummet
The trend for forcing people to buy ‘anything as long as it’s electric’ may well be helping to improve air quality in our towns and cities, but it’s also negatively affecting the moped class. Last month, for instance, moped sales in the UK were down 29% on the previous year with just 435 sold across the country. The sales of road-legal electric scooters and motorcycles was also down by 30.2% with just 396 sold.
Sadly, there are no official statistics for the sales figures for illegal eEcooters and bikes.
Ride it on a car licence
Anyway, that brings us on to this road legal Niu MQi + Sport. It’s an electric moped from a well-respected brand. You can ride this legally on a full car licence if you passed your test before February 2001, or on a moped licence with CBT if you’re 16 or over.
It’s a cool-looking ped with a decent enough spec and a price tag of £2599, which isn’t over the top for a recognised brand. If you compare that to a petrol-powered four-stroke Piaggio Zip at £2250 you’ll be paying £349 more for the electric Niu. You’ll soon be able to save a few quid on your fuel bill though so you need to look at more than just the purchase price if you’re unsure whether to go electric or fossil fuel for your new scooter. Incidentally, the Piaggio One electric scooter starts at £2700, it’s jumped up from £2011 when we tested one back in 2021.
Sharp
We had the Niu MQi + Sport for a couple of weeks recently. It’s a very geometric-looking scooter with sharp lines. The design is clean and uncluttered. A modern design for the modern age. It’s quite an easy scooter to spot as well with its distinctive legshield mounted headlight, complete with 360º neon running light halo. The headlight has been designed for maximum vision using silicon-on-silicon LED technology to provide brighter lights whilst using less energy. There are also a couple of side marker lights built into the plastics to the side of the seat. The integrated rear lights/indicators wrap around the bodywork so the scooter is well visible.
Quality components
Niu have used a 1400-watt Bosch electric motor and a Panasonic 18650 lithium battery to power the scooter. Both are names you can trust, which is an important consideration when buying an electric vehicle. You get a three-year warranty on the battery, which is always well worth having. It has a range of up to 40 miles on a charge and the charger lives beneath the seat so you can refuel when you reach your destination. The scooter also has regenerative braking which puts some power back into the battery whenever you brake. Incidentally, the front and rear brakes are discs and are also combined (rather than ABS).
Security
There’s a dedicated Niu app for the scooter which can provide tracking information, as well as diagnostics and other useful data. You can also update the scooter’s software remotely which saves a trip to a dealer.
The scooter has a decent LCD dashboard with connectivity to both your phone and the local satellites to give up-to-the-minute positioning. The clocks also show the remaining battery power, your choice of riding mode and the time. The speedo readout is also large and clear. Finally, there’s an alarm which is operated by the remote key fob.
Range
The Niu MQi + Sport is easy enough to ride. Simply turn it on, pull one of the brakes in and press and hold the starter button and it’s ready for action. The scooter starts in Mode 1 (E-Save) which is the slowest of the three and unless you’re happy to feel vulnerable you’ll quickly change it into the faster Dynamic or Sport mode. Acceleration is much quicker and you’ll feel safer in these modes. Remember though that this is a restricted moped so it’s not exactly fast but you’ll see 35 or so on the clock (downhill) and it gets there quicker than a four-stroke equivalent. My local area is quite hilly, which zaps speed a bit. On some longer hills I’d be down to 19 or 20mph (see video above), those inclines also help to reduce range so expect closer to 30-40 miles rather than the 40-50 Niu quote.
Sadly, car charge points are no use to electric scooters
Battery charger
The battery and charger live under the seat, so that takes up the usual storage space, although you can leave the charger at home if you like and it’ll give you room to throw a set of waterproofs in there. For extra space, many commuters will fit a top box. The scooter also has an open compartment up front and the flat floorboards allow you to hang a bag which is useful.
There’s not too much you can say about an electric moped really but the Niu rides well enough (although low-speed throttle control is a little snatchy – as it is with many electric scooters). The twin rear shocks help to soak up the bumps and the combined braking system works very well. The scooter also has an audible indicator bleeper to remind you to turn them off (well worth having).
The brains of the scooter use the latest generation Niu Cloud ECU version 3.0 telematics controller, it analyses and monitors the scooter to provide remote diagnostics. It also allows you to keep an eye on where it is using the app and GPS.
125cc options?
If you’re a parent reading this and you want to get little Johnny or Judith a cheap-to-run, legal form of transport then the Niu MQi + Sport is a decent choice. Similarly, if you’re looking for something small, light and good-looking for yourself and need to get a CBT to ride one I’d opt for the faster, 125cc equivalent MQi GT or NQI GTS instead. You’ll appreciate the extra power and 45-50mph top speed of the higher-power scooter.
£500 discount offer!
There’s currently between £400 and £500 off the Niu range so speak to your local dealer or reserve your favourite scooter online now. Be sure to let them know that Scooterlab sent you…
Words, photos and video: Iggy
Niu MQi + Sport specs
Motor: 1,400-watt Bosch hub motor
Battery: Panasonic 18650 Lithium-ion (three-year warranty)
Battery capacity: 48v/42Ah
Range: 40-50 miles
Charge time: 9 hours
Seat height: 750mm
Weight (inc. battery): 72kg
Wheels: 90/90-10″
