Reid E4 Electric Scooter Review

Reid E4 Summary

The Reid E4 comes with the typical entry-level 250W motor and a 36 V, 7.5 Ah, 30-cell battery that takes three to four hours to charge fully. It surely isn’t anything too grand, but it gets the job done.

The range a single charge can take you maxes out at 17.4 mi (28 km), with top speeds of 15.5 mph. It performs just as well, and maybe a tad bit worse, but it’s typical of a performance that you’d get from an entry-level scooter.

Performance Overview

The Reid E4 is the little brother of the acclaimed Reid E4 Plus, with both scooters managing to astound and amaze people with their build quality, performance, and many inclusions.

Straight from Reid Motors, this e-scooter offers £100 off of its flagship counterpart. However, it manages to keep its premier feel as well as its amazing features and quality. This entry-level e-scooter makes jaws drop right off the bat as people look at the price point and compare it with the installed braking system, motor, battery, and tyres. Without question, it easily gives Xiaomi a run for their money, outperforming the Xiaomi S1 by a far stretch.

Here’s what makes the Reid E4 electric scooter easily stand out:

Pros

• 15.5 mph maximum speed
• 17.4 mi maximum mileage in a single charge
• 15-degree climbing range
• 8.5” solid tyres
• a high-grade aluminium frame
• IPX4 water rating
• intuitive braking system (a regenerative electronic one on the front and a mechanical disc on the rear)
• integrated lighting system (with the headlights coming in with four high beam LEDs and surround colour)
• a mobile app

This sleek-looking electric scooter from Reid Motors is priced at £499.99 (around $650), capturing the attention of e-scooter enthusiasts and people looking to start getting into riding. It made sure to have itself become a tough competition for the entry-level e-scooters, managing to succeed and overtake even the biggest of names in the e-scooter business.

Although, common complaints and suggestions about the model include:

Cons

• patrons asking for a suspension
• a better motor
• a more powerful battery
• a more responsive braking system.

Top Speed & Acceleration

This electric scooter offers three riding modes, with the speed mode giving the best possible performance for acceleration. Yet, the response the throttle gives whenever you push on it may take a bit of getting used to. This is especially true if you’re more accustomed to using mid-tier scooters with being motors.

At the fastest speed mode, the Reid E4 can go from zero to 15.5 mph in just a few seconds, making it apt for city commutes with an ample amount of traffic. The only caveat here is that the speed mode button is a bit tricky to reach if you have smaller hands, especially that its handlebars are relatively longer than usual. The price you have to pay for better handling is the need to slow down or stop whenever changing speed modes.

As mentioned, the Reid E4 electric scooter offers three different modes, all with their own top speeds.

Here are they:

• The slowest one is the pedestrian mode which takes you as fast as 4.3 mph on busy roads or streets with a ton of people walking around.
• The standard mode, which maxes out at 9.3 mph. This is perfect for casual strolls around the neighbourhood or the city.
• The speed mode, which offers a maximum of 15.5 mph. This mode is sure to satiate speed demons and people that are in quite a rush to get from one place to another.

Keep in mind that the road conditions, rider and gear weight, and weather conditions usually affect the numbers, so results would definitely vary for everyone.

Controls & Display

The cool thing about the Reid E4’s cockpit is that the LED display is integrated onto it, with only the wires surrounding the aluminium frame kind of wrecking the aesthetic. On top of that, its screen offers a great view of the battery level, power mode  — pedestrian, standard, or speed, a speedometer showing speeds in both kph and mph, which is another uncommon feature found on this e-scooter, and a Bluetooth status that shows if you’re connected to the Reid eMobility App.

Its accompanying app is actually quite nifty. Once your phone manages to connect to your e-scooter via Bluetooth, you may opt to use it as an extended speedometer. It also adds several extended functionalities for the scooter, such as startup settings, walk mode, and the addition of a Bluetooth password. Moreover, it offers lighting settings and a “track and share” functionality for every ride you have taken.

Battery Life & Range 

The Reid E4 e-scooter comes with a 36V, 7.5 Ah, 30-cell battery that powers for 17.4 mi of ride mileage in a single charge. It’s a bit less than one would expect from a scooter of this build, but the good thing is that it only takes three to four hours to be fully powered once again.

With the mileage offered, this electric scooter can easily take you to your office or campus on an early morning commute. Just start charging once you arrive and it would be ready for use again by lunchtime. You could then keep the e-scooter in storage or in a locker until it’s time for you to head back home, charging once again.

Before sleeping, you can unplug the scooter as it’s fully charged by then, letting you sleep peacefully without needing to worry about how your ride the next day would push through.

Motor Configuration

The 250W front-drive motor found on this e-scooter model delivers quite an amount of torque, propelling the rider at speeds of up to 15.5 mph and a 15-degree climbing range, which is actually uncommon to scooters of this tier.

This makes up for easier uphill climbs and convenient scooting across open roads or even heavy traffic.  

Construction & Build Quality

The Reid E4 is actually quite a lightweight electric scooter,  weighing only 28.9 lbs for the ton of features built into it. Made from high-grade aluminium with an IPX4 rating on the deck, people of up to 100 kg could enjoy a safe and fun ride on this electric scooter. We already know it’s nothing atypical for entry-level scooters, but it does make up for it in the features. 

Along with the well-built deck and the integrated lights and display, this electric scooter brings out a more extended handlebar for better handling, which easily unscrews as needed whenever you need to store it away. There’s also a sleek vibe that comes with the finish and design, with only the unkempt wires on the dashboard kind of ruining the entire look for some. 

The cool thing about this e-scooter is that upon unboxing, you only need to have the neck be installed through a quick tightening of a set of screws, and you’re good to go. It may require the occasional charging, but that’s not stopping us from being hyped about this electric scooter. On top of that, its neck locks into place whenever you need to carry it around or store it away, making up for more accessible and more convenient portability.

Suspension

There is no suspension system on the Reid E4, which comes as quite a shocker, especially that it’s well kitted with great specs and features. Even its tyres don’t make up for the bumps on the road, being solid and puncture-proof much like a skateboard wheel. 

Ride Quality

The most apparent issue with this e-scooter’s ride quality is how badly it deals with bumps or holes on the road. With no suspension installed and with solid tyres to boot, it is the rider’s initiative to find better roads for the scooter when taking it out.

Nonetheless, it still performs well in terms of speed and acceleration, making your ride smooth and comfortable on well-asphalted roads, even if traffic is quite busy. 

Braking

The rear brake on this e-scooter is your typical run-of-the-mill mechanical disc type, with the front brake heeding for more spotlight and attention. 

Boasting an electronic front brake with energy capture, the Reid E4 electric scooter boosts efficiency on the road with this nifty little upgrade. Basically, the front brake makes use of the kinetic energy fabricated by your current speed. The brake would then take all this energy to put the wheels and the e-scooter to an immediate halt while taking the excess energy to go to the battery as reserve power.

Portability

With its weight clocking in at only 28.9 lbs, the Reid E4 scooter is easy to carry around or take up a few flights of stairs. It also folds in easily with a lock mechanism on its neck that allows you to carry it by the fold. Since its handlebars are longer than a typical e-scooter, the grips can be unscrewed from their positions if they deem to be obtrusive, especially at times when you need to store them and the space for storage only permits the width of the deck. 

Water Resistance

The Reid E4 e-scooter only has an IPX4 water resistance rating, making sure to manage oncoming water hitting the scooter in any direction. This implies that you can occasionally trip over puddles, but you can’t power this electric scooter through heavy rain or over flooded areas. 

Lights

Aside from the reflectors on its wheels, the Reid E4 also offers integrated lights both on the front and the back. What’s special to note here are the headlights, which are made of four high beam LEDs.

Not to mention, they have surround colour LEDs that add a bit of ambience to the e-scooter’s path.

Tyres

The Reid E4 features puncture-proof 8.5” wheels. Much like skateboard wheels, these tyres are puncture-proof and need little to no maintenance. The only problem with it is that it tends to skid from time to time.

Additionally, it gives no allowance for suspension on the e-scooter.

Deck

Its deck is actually pretty large and fitted well with a grippy rubber material. Anyone can comfortably stand on it and ride at speeds of 15.5 mph with no problem.

Plus, it’s even IPX4 rated to make sure it’s not so easily tarnished by puddles or small amounts of water. 

Reliability, Warranty & Customer Support

The build quality on this electric scooter is actually pretty good, as it’s known to withstand quite a lot of wear and tear. If taken care of, it may even last you a few years, which is more than enough time for you to change to a more powerful electric scooter.

With the Reid E4’s sleek aesthetic matched by its IPX4 water rating and high-quality aluminium frame, it’s hard to go wrong with its durability. Furthermore, it can take up to 220 lbs despite only weighing 28.9 lbs, proving that it is an e-scooter that’s quite hard to break.

With regards to their customer service, Reid proves to be open and responsive to customer concerns and complaints. They ensure everyone’s issues are resolved and adequately dealt with. 

Maintenance

Most of the maintenance on the Reid E4 scooter is heavily residing on its battery. By taking care of battery charge cycles, you can easily lengthen its lifespan.

Moreover, its lower water resistance rating requires you to towel it down the minute you are done with your commute, and then keep it in a dry environment in your home or apartment.

Known Issues

There are only two known issues with the Reid E4 so far. One is that its solid tyres tend to skid at times.

Another issue to note is that its extra-long handlebar didn’t have some buttons adjusted accordingly to the extension, making it more challenging to reach.

Is this Electric Scooter value for money and is it worth buying?

The Reid E4 established itself as a premium scooter that outperforms competitors despite proving to be lacking on some factors. Its price may be a bit steep in comparison, but you do get what you pay for.

With great accessories, outstanding features, and quite some power to behold, getting yourself this electric scooter definitely would make you stand out on the road.

Although, it’s apparent that it focused more on aesthetics than performance — going excessive on the integrated lighting and display as well as the over-the-top high beam LED headlight scheme.

Nonetheless, it’s a solid e-scooter if you’re looking for a premier-class ride to take out to the streets.