Yadea KS5 Electric Scooter Review: Powerful, Portable, and Fun; It Ticks All the Right Boxes

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The Lowdown

Riding the Yadea KS5 Electric Scooter is an absolute pleasure. It picks up speed quite nicely, offers a smooth ride, and brakes smoothly. It moves at a healthy clip that is more than fast enough for my taste, and it has enough range that I can ride it to work and back without having to recharge it after every use.

Overall
4.5

Pros

  • Well-built
  • Affordable
  • Offers three drive modes
  • Lights and reflectors add to safety
  • Can go more than 18 miles per hour and has a range of up to 25 miles
  • Can be folded for portability when catching public transportation or entering a building

Cons

  • QR code for the app is buried in the user manual
  • Employs one button for all functions when separate controls would have been more intuitive

The Yadea KS5 Electric Scooter is the third scooter I’ve had the opportunity to review, and it’s the first that is more than merely fun to ride. Thanks to its powerful motor, excellent range, and assorted comfort and safety features, this scooter has enough “oomph” for me to use as a daily ride to and from my office a mile away.

Yadea KS5 Electric Scooter

The Yadea KS5 Electric Scooter looks like most electric kick scooters on the market. It has two wheels, a kickstand, handlebars with both the brakes and the accelerator at your fingertips.

Yadea KS5 Electric Scooter

But while it may look like most other scooters, this $639 scooter is ready for anyone with a relatively short commute to ride to the office or public transportation. I mention riding this scooter to public transportation because, as you may have guessed, this scooter is collapsable so that you can take it on the train or bus.

Yadea KS5 Electric Scooter

The locking mechanism sits just above the front wheel. To release it, you’ll need to push down on the brightly colored button and pull on the latch simultaneously.

Yadea KS5 Electric Scooter

Once released, the handlebars easily fold down.

Yadea KS5 Electric Scooter

And when the handlebars are completely down, they automatically lock into place.

Yadea KS5 Electric Scooter

From there, it is simple to pick up the Yadea KS5 Electric Scooter and take it with you. The only challenge you’ll face in this regard is that the scooter weighs in at just over 40 pounds. That means you won’t want to carry it long distances, but you can certainly pick it up when you board a train.

Yadea KS5 Electric Scooter

“Unfolded,” the scooter measures 44.7″ L x 19.1″ W x 47.2″ H, and the deck is a generous 17.9″ L x 6.7″ W.

Yadea KS5 Electric Scooter

To charge the Yadea KS5 Electric Scooter, you’ll need to open the door to the charging port, plug in the included wall charger. A full charge will get you up to 25 miles per charge, and the scooter has a top speed of 18.6 miles per hour. Obviously, speed and terrain will affect the ultimate range per charge.

The cover for the charging port is made from hard plastic and is springloaded. That means you don’t need to remember to secure the cover when you are done charging. And while it might protect the port from rain, Yadea doesn’t recommend riding the scooter in bad weather. I don’t either.

Yadea KS5 Electric ScooterThe battery, which sits below the deck, also features a regenerative system that claims to recapture energy when you brake. My friend Michael recently got the new Tesla Series S. It has similar technology, and I was surprised to see such a thing built into a scooter like this. I haven’t gone far enough on the scooter to see if the system actually works, but I have to give the company credit for including this technology in a sub-$700 scooter.

The Yadea KS5 Electric Scooter arrived almost fully assembled. Getting it ready for your first ride was a simple process. You need first to make sure the cable on the handlebar is connected to the cable inside the stem. From there, you just insert the handlebar set into the folding head tube while keeping the brake facing front and tighten the 6 bolts with the included hex wrench. The whole process took less than five minutes.

Yadea KS5 Electric Scooter

The handlebars are covered in a comfortable, soft rubber. Everything you need to ride and control the scooter is at your fingertips. When you turn the scooter on by pressing the single button, a display lights up just above it. The backlit LED display shows you the speedometer, current status, Bluetooth connection, headlight status, power mode, and battery life.

Yadea mobile app, a helpful companion for your electric scooter. Simply check the manual to update the app, and connect the Yadea App with your KS5 scooter through Bluetooth. Now you can wirelessly lock your scooter, review your riding history, control speed modes, turn on/off the headlight, and update your scooter’s system firmware.

Yes, the Yadea KS5 Electric Scooter has Bluetooth. That lets you connect the scooter to the Yadea app and gives you even more control. Getting the scooter to “speak” to my iPhone was a bit annoying since it relies upon a QR code. And while you might think the correct QR code is the one just beneath the deck, you would be wrong. The correct QR code is in the included user manual. Putting the QR code there seems counterintuitive, and it could be problematic should you lose the user manual or get a new mobile device.

Yadea KS5 Electric Scooter

The left handlebar has one of the two handbrakes (more on that in a moment), the locking mechanism to keep the scooter in the folder position, and…

Yadea KS5 Electric Scooter

…this adorable bell. It makes a fairly loud sound when you pull on it and is just one of the safety features that set the Yadea KS5 Electric Scooter apart from other scooters. It also made me feel like a kid on his first bicycle!

Yadea KS5 Electric Scooter

I also appreciate the fact that there is enough room on the right handlebar for you to attach a smartphone mount.

Yadea KS5 Electric ScooterThe front drum brake, rear disc brake, and electric brake do an excellent job of slowing the scooter down without making you feel as if your momentum might throw you from the Yadea KS5 Electric Scooter. On other scooters, I have felt like the brakes were a bit too sensitive and, when employed with too much force, creates a few moments of instability. That doesn’t happen here.

Yadea KS5 Electric Scooter

Another safety feature is the head and tail lights. The headlight can be controlled using the single control button or via the app. I found it far easier to set it up using the app.

Yadea KS5 Electric Scooter

The rear/brake light is always on and “flashes eye-catching when braking.” In addition, there are four reflectors on the scooter, one in the front, one in the back, and one on each side. They also help make you more visible to others when riding the scooter.

Yadea KS5 Electric Scooter

TheYadea KS5 Electric Scooter’s wheels are 10″ non-pneumatic tires. At 2.4″ wide, they not only provide a comfortable ride but also help keep maintenance down. As Yadea explains:

Innovative Hollow Honeycomb type non-inflatable tires are 10-inches in height and 2.4-inches wide, making sailing over small potholes so easy. No worries about puncturing the tires and no need for periodic inflation. Say goodbye to tire repairs. These solid tires have passed 5,000-kilometer wear resistance tests. No need for additional maintenance and care.

These 10-inch maintenance-free solid tires work in conjunction with front .98″ fork shock absorbers to provide max comfort on bumpy terrain. I intentionally rode the scooter over some terrible roads that need repair and was surprised how nicely it still rode.

Yadea KS5 Electric Scooter

As you can see from this picture of the rear wheel, there are reflectors in various key locations. I really appreciate the amount of thought the company put into making sure the scooter is as safe as possible.

Yadea KS5 Electric ScooterThe motor is “hidden” inside the rear wheel. That helps maintain the scooter’s clean lines.  As you can see, it delivers a decent range and top speeds that are more than enough for a scooter.

Yadea KS5 Electric Scooter

The wide deck is comfortable for both feet. The non-slip surface comes in handy when you are moving quickly or hit a rough patch.

Yadea KS5 Electric Scooter

Finally, the Yadea KS5 Electric Scooter’s dashboard comes to life when you turn the scooter on by pressing the orange button. The same button allows you to turn the front light on and off, choose between kilometers per hour or miles per hour and select from the three different ride modes the scooter offers.

The scooter even has a “cruise control” mode that can kick in when the scooter hits 17 or 18 miles. It is a great feature that means you don’t have to hold the throttle down constantly, but you will need to press the orange button seven times to access that. It is cumbersome at best, and I would have preferred if the company had added a few additional dedicated buttons.

Thankfully, the Yadea app lets you control the same functions and is far easy to navigate. Sadly, as I mentioned earlier, while the app works fine, pairing the app to the scooter requires a QR code that is in the user manual. That is one of the least intuitive things I have seen in a long time, and I wish they had simply put a decal with the QR code somewhere on the scooter. I ended up taking a picture of the code, just in case I get a new phone and misplace the manual.

The dashboard also shows you how much battery life you have left, the speed, and which of the three “modes” is active. The modes include ECO, D, and S.  ECO mode allows you to travel at 3.7 mph. It’s a good choice if you are just casually riding around town. The D mode lets you get up to 13 miles per hour, while the S mode lets the scooter hit its top speed when conditions are right.

When I first rode the Yadea KS5 Electric Scooter, I had it in D mode. It went plenty fast but strained a bit on steep hills. Once I realized I could change to the D mode, things got a lot more fun. The scooter not only moved even faster, but it also maintained speed on hills far better. I suspect I’ll be keeping it in this mode most of the time.

Yadea KS5 Electric Scooter

Here’s a video look…

Riding the Yadea KS5 Electric Scooter is an absolute pleasure. It picks up speed quite nicely, offers a smooth ride, and brakes smoothly. It moves at a healthy clip that is more than fast enough for my taste, and it has enough range that I can ride it to work and back without having to recharge it after every use. I can’t speak to its range per charge yet nor to the regenerative braking, but, for my purposes, that’s not an issue.

The scooter is for going on a fun ride on a sunny day and allows me not to have to pull my car out of the garage every time I need to run into my office a mile away. For that purpose, it is perfect. Perhaps most important is this — the Yadea KS5 Electric Scooter is FUN. And while the upgraded KS5 PRO has a larger motor and increased range, the 350W motor on the KS5 I was sent is plenty powerful enough.

At a current price of $639.99 on Amazon, the Yadea KS5 Electric Scooter is affordable fun that can, under the right conditions, also serve as an inexpensive commuting ride. My summer break is coming to an end next week and, thanks to the Yadea KS5, I’m planning to let my car feel unloved whenever possible.

The Yadea KS5 Electric Scooter retails for $639; it is available from Amazon.

Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample

What I Like: Well-built; Affordable; Offers three drive modes; Lights and reflectors add to safety; Can go more than 18 miles per hour and has a range of up to 25 miles

What Needs Improvement: QR code for the app is buried in the user manual; Employs one button for all functions when separate controls would have been more intuitive

 

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About the Author

Dan Cohen
Having a father who was heavily involved in early laser and fiber-optical research, Dan grew up surrounded by technology and gadgets. Dan’s father brought home one of the very first video games when he was young and Dan remembers seeing a “pre-release” touchtone phone. (When he asked his father what the “#” and “*” buttons were his dad said, “Some day, far in the future, we’ll have some use for them.”) Technology seemed to be in Dan’s blood but at some point he took a different path and ended up in the clergy. His passion for technology and gadgets never left him. Dan is married to Raina Goldberg who is also an avid user of Apple products. They live in New Jersey with their golden doodle Nava.

1 Comment on "Yadea KS5 Electric Scooter Review: Powerful, Portable, and Fun; It Ticks All the Right Boxes"

  1. looks like fun

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