Pure Air Electric Scooter Review

The Pure Air E-Scooter: The Lowdown…

The entry-level market for electric scooters is blowing up, with manufacturers releasing some serious models at pocket-friendly prices.

At the top of the lot is the Pure Air. Seriously, this scooter performs flawlessly and comes in at a budget-busting £400 ($520).

Let’s start by listing the good points.

The Pure Air can hit a top speed of 15.5 mph (manufacturer enforced to comply with the UK legal limit) with a maximum range of 18.6 miles, courtesy of the high-performance 36V battery.

Battery charging takes just 4.5 hours. It’s sleek, with a striking street look. The cabling is neat, and the alloy frame is beautifully built. The scooter handles incredibly comfortably, which means you can cruise with confidence.

When you hit the road, the good bits on the Pure Air electric scooter keep coming.

The 10” pneumatic tyres (with puncture protection fluid) are smooth, and take the knocks out of potholes or rougher terrain. The onboard computer is simple and clear, delivering only the information you need.

You can also choose through various modes, including a medium mode for smooth running and an Eco mode to save your battery.

Then there is the incredible water resistance rating, which shows just why this is such a popular electric scooter for those living in cities where they get a fair bit of rain.

So, are there any downsides we found while writing this Pure Air review?

Well, it’s a little heavier than the Xiaomi 1S and other e scooter brands in this bracket but that fades away as soon as you’re riding. Other than that, we’ve got no complaints.

The Pure Air electric scooter is the one to beat at a pretty unbelievable price. Would we call it the perfect entry-level scooter that beats all rivals? Yes. Read our Pure Air electric scooter review to find out more.

Pure Air Electric Scooter Specifications

Pure Air Summary: 

The Pure Air is an entry-level electric commuter scooter, built from quality components to deliver an experience that is far in excess of the low cost. Starting with the basic specs, you get a top speed of 15.5 mph (the legal limited speed in the UK) with a maximum range of 18.5 mph.

The Pure Air electric scooter’s features are basic but high quality, but again, who wants to be fiddling around with Bluetooth connections when the weather is good, and the roads are clear?

Commuter electric scooters are put through their paces every day, in countries that are not always sunny, which is why we’re encouraged to see that Pure Electric has achieved an IP65 rating for this e-scooter. This means you can ride with confidence in all weather, come rain and shine.

Providing e-scooter puncture protection as standard in the purchase price (not an extra) is a lovely touch. Unlike other manufacturers who prefer sealed units, much of the Pure Air is replaceable – including the battery. If like us, you love to maintain your scooter, then it’s a joy to hear.

In summary, we found during our Pure Air electric scooter review that it’s the best entry-level scooter for sale today. We’d give it five stars. If you want slightly more range and hill climbing ability, then go for the Pure Air Pro.

Performance Overview: 

Most electric scooter commuters want comfort, stability and safety, and that’s where the Pure Air excels.

The scooter has a beautifully built frame with smooth lines and attractive curves that give it a quality finish. Step onboard, and it feels well-made. It’s not a cheap overseas factory model, but something designed and built with care and attention.

The top speed, acceleration and range of the Pure Air are impressive enough.

You’re not going to win any drag races, but you’ll be able to keep up with traffic and stay safe, which is what most urban commuters want and need.

The 36V Pure Air battery is a reliable unit that should provide over 500 recharge cycles.

At 4.5 hours for a full juice-up, you won’t be waiting around for long either. In fact, it’s almost twice as quick to charge compared to other scooters in the same price bracket.

The 250W motor is strong and reliable, and used on other best-selling e-scooters, such as the Xiaomi 1S.

The Pure Air is reliable, robust, solid and stable on the road. It can be ridden in wet weather conditions. Basically, it does everything you want an entry-level e-scooter to do. You’re paying for the performance you need and none of the features you don’t.

It’s a stripped-back, streamlined, workhorse of a scooter, and we love it!

Top Speed & Acceleration

The top speed is 15.5 mph, which is pretty average at this price range but fast enough for new riders. You’ll only get that in the power-sapping Speed mode. In Medium mode, you’ll hit 12.5 mph, and in Eco, just 9.5 mph.

Please note that the Pure Air e-scooter is limited to 15.5 miles per hour, as currently sanctioned by the UK government, for electric transport devices of this type.

It’s not the fastest electric scooter out there, but if you’ve never ridden one before, it’s fast enough! 

Acceleration on the Pure Air is pretty good at getting you up to speed in a few seconds. In Speed-mode, you can hit 15.5 mph in 7 seconds. In eco-mode, it can take a little longer to get there.

 Battery Life & Range

The 36V battery provides a reasonable range of 18.5 mph in Eco mode.

If you want to move faster, expect less distance. You can get over an hour riding on a full charge at Speed mode, but real-world riding conditions and rider weight mean that battery life and range on the Pure Air will vary. Medium mode and Eco mode will deliver a much better range.

The Pure Air is targeted at urban commuters, which means you’ll be recharging often.

The good news is that a full charge should take just 4.5 hours. Plenty of time while you are at work.

Sure, you can get electric scooters with bigger batteries that can achieve longer ranges, but they’re heavier, less manoeuvrable, and more expensive too. A lot of them also don’t have the fantastic level of water protection that the Pure Air does.

At this cost, we don’t have any complaints.

Motor Configuration

The 250W motor is a top-quality unit. It’s so good that it’s the same as the one used in the world’s favourite electric scooter, the Xiaomi 1S.

The top speed is the same, too, at 15.5 mph (but you won’t be hitting this for long, as we’ve explained before). 

The motor is proven to deliver years of reliable service, so you should have no concerns about longevity, dust from dirt trails, or riding in the rain.

Construction & Build Quality

You’d expect a sub-£400 scooter to have some flaws, but we struggled to find them.

It all starts with a solid and well-built aluminium alloy frame. Bolted on to that, you’ll discover a whole range of quality components, all pieced together into one awesome e-scooter.

The scooter fells solid on the road with no nasty noises or scary sounds. Unboxing was a pleasure with the scooter easy to set up and put together.

This is an electric scooter that really feels more than the sum of its parts.

It’s also IP65 rated, which means it’s able to withstand you riding it in the rain. Perfect for UK urban commuters. 

Deck

The deck on the Pure Air is a good size, with ribbed rubber providing ample grip when you’re onboard. There are reflectors on both sides to improve visibility, but they’re not the greatest.

The deck was wide enough for us to find a comfortable position, and we found it very easy to readjust our feet as we went from road to pavement, and back again.

Tyres

The Pure Air comes with large 10” air-filled tyres, which provide a really smooth ride and long-lasting performance.

We hardly noticed the lack of suspension on this e-scooter to be honest. Most entry-level scooters come with solid tyres, which can pick up the lumps and bumps.

You don’t get that problem here, but you will need to keep an eye on pressure and avoid punctures. The good news is that you get puncture-prevention fluid, pre-filled into the tyres, for free.

You can find replacement electric scooter tyres online, and they’re pretty easy to fit if the time comes.

Suspension

The Pure Air does not come with a suspension system. However, this is definitely not an issue, as we found that the large 10″ pneumatic tyres were all that was needed to absorb most the bumps and edges in the road and on the pathways.

The tyres also make up for the lack of suspension, by providing a very stable and comfortable ride. 

Braking

There’s a drum brake and e-brake operated by a single lever that provides some serious stopping power.

We were impressed with how well it performed, with the braking feeling progressive, rather than harsh or with lots of judder. 

When testing for this scooter review, the Pure Air took less than 5 seconds to go from top speed to no speed at all, which is about average. 

You can perfect the braking sensitivity with a manual adjuster in the rear wheel. This enables you to experiment until you find the right brake setting for your riding style and weight. 

Ride Quality

The Pure Air is a smooth and stable ride that gives great confidence. The suspension feels grounded, with the power delivery smooth and steady. It’s designed for riding on the tar, so we treated it lightly, but it did well enough without spitting us off.

The Pure Air makes a highly competent commuter scooter and one that we would recommend to both new and experienced riders. 

At 16.5 kg, the Pure Air electric scooter is 4 kg heavier than the Xiaomi 1S or similar. On the road, it can feel a little heavy as you set off, but it melts away as you pick up speed.

While the Air’s IP65 rating means it’s highly waterproof, the tyres had a tendency to skid and slip in the wet weather. So please, always be extra careful when riding in the rain.

Portability

This is not the lightest e-scooter at a total weight of 16.5 kg, and you can certainly feel it (we did during the Pure Air review). However, after a while, you get used to it. Comparing it to other scooters in the same price range, it’s about 4 kg heavier. But lots of that is down to the superior e-scooter’s build quality.

When it’s folded down, the scooter is 115 cm x 50 cm x 50 cm. That’s compact enough to store under a desk or slide behind a train seat, which is what you want from a commuter scooter such as this.

The Pure Air’s stem is secured with a screw-in bolt. This is well-made, smooth, and should stand up to repeated use. Unlike other scooters with fiddly mechanisms, it’s simple to use and takes just a few seconds to learn. Plus, you won’t need to read an instruction manual to figure it out.

Lights

This scooter has decent front and rear LED lights, so you don’t have to buy your own if you ride frequently at night.

Rider visibility is absolutely vital to rider safety, and the LED lights are complimented with side reflectors on the deck, providing improved 360-degree visibility.

An added bonus is that the front LED light is adjustable, so you can set the light beam to the position that works the best for you to illuminate the way ahead, without blinding oncoming pedestrians, cyclists or drivers.

Controls & Display

The control panel is centrally mounted, which gives the scooter a sleek look which we really like. It’s clear in the daytime and backlit to ensure you can see it quite well at night too. 

Turn the scooter on, and you’ll get the basic info you need, including which of the three speed modes you are in, battery charge, your current speed and whether the lights are on.

You can swap between modes using a small button at the bottom of the screen. When compiling this Pure Air scooter review, we found it’s not easy to press while you’re moving, but given you should always make an adjustment when you’re stationary, we’d be mean to mark it down for that.

The brake is located on the left-hand side, and it comes with a handy bell too. OK, so it’s not the coolest accessory, but it can help warn pedestrians you’re coming up behind them or turning out from a blind pathway.

The push-button throttle on the right-hand side works well too, and is smooth rather than aggressive. Experienced riders or those used to more powerful scooters might find it a little sluggish, if we’re honest, but it was fast enough to keep up with traffic.

Water Resistance

One of the main stand out points of the Pure Air is its IP65 rating, which means that this scooter can withstand a lot of water. Pure has designed the scooter to be water-resistant, making it safe to ride in wet weather without risking damaging the components, battery, brakes, or wheel electronics.

Whether you choose to ride your scooter during a downpour is up to you (we wouldn’t recommend it!). If you’re caught in a shower or splash through a puddle, you can have complete confidence that your scooter will be OK.

Warranty & Customer Support

The Pure Air is a solid scooter from an established brand. Yes, it’s inexpensive for what you get, but that is definitely not a cause for concern. This is one solid and dependable electric scooter.

If you buy direct or through a registered retailer, you’ll still get a year’s parts and labour warranty. This is very impressive in this class of e-scooter.

Maintenance

The Pure Air scores highly here as the majority of its components and products are easily replaceable.

In fact, you can pretty much replace and rebuild the scooter with a standard toolkit. (But we wouldn’t recommend it!)

The puncture-protected e-scooters’ tyres are a nice add-on that reduces the risk of a flat. Pure sells a huge range of replacement parts, including new batteries, if you need them. The Air is accessible, too, meaning you won’t need an in-depth knowledge of e-scooters or a host of specialist tools to make running repairs.

Always remember to wipe the dust and grime off any scooter if it gets a bit dirty. Or in the case of the Pure Air, hose it down and dry it thoroughly. What a pleasure!

Known Issues

Some reviewers complain that they have received their shipped Pure Air, and found that the front tyre is flat. Nothing major, as all you need is to pump it up, and you are good to go.

Other than that, there are currently no known issues, nor did we experience any problems during the Pure Air review. We reckon you can buy this e scooter with confidence!

Is the Pure Air value for money, and is it worth buying?

The bottom line is that this is one of the best (and possibly the absolute best) entry-level commuter scooter for sale.

It’s not the fastest or the lightest e scooter, but the combination of a quality build, tried and tested components, and better than average performance are attractive. When you see the price tag, it’s even more impressive.

At this price point, few scooters can compete, and that includes those from Segway, Ninebot and, of course, Xiaomi.

The only thing that lets this e scooter down slightly is its weight. But we think this is a price worth paying for its strength and durability, but it does make it somewhat less portable than lighter alternatives.

There’s no Bluetooth connectivity, and the display is pretty basic. We can forgive this for the investment made in the rest of this scooter that is sure to last you a very long time.