Overall rating:
By Tim Fullbrook
The Techtron Elite 3500 is a compact, practical, and hassle-free electric scooter – but arguably its most attractive feature is the price at just £339.
I'll admit I was initially cautious, thinking that the price tag suggested this wasn’t a quality scooter, but I was surprised and soon began to realise why this is Techtron’s best-selling scooter.
Good for:
- Commuters
- New scooter riders
- Urban/town rides
Pros
- Cheap
- Simple
- Visible with strong lights
- Durable and low-maintenance
Cons
- Narrower footplate
- Bumpy
Expert verdict
The Techtron Elite 3500 does exactly what it says on the tin – and I really think that’s where this scooter shines. Uncomplicated, easy to operate, and not too clunky to move around which is great for commuters or A-to-B travellers.
It’s great for riders looking to get their hands on a scooter who don’t want to invest their life savings in a new e-ride. You don’t need a key, apps (although there is one if you fancy), or downloads, just turn it on and off you go.
In its simplicity, however, the Elite 3500 doesn’t offer the same quality ride, or out-and-out riding experience as more expensive, larger scooters. Compared to them, this should be a 3-star scooter - but we bumped it up to four stars because it's such a bargain.
If you’re looking for a scooter to get started, look no further. But if you want riding an e-scooter to be a big part of your lifestyle, or you're an experienced rider, this scooter might leave you wanting more - try the Techtron Ultra 5000 at £439 instead.
Specs
Max speed | 25 km/h |
Max distance | 30 km |
Motor power | 350W (Avg) 700W (Peak) |
Speed modes | 3 |
Cruise control | Yes |
Charging time | 5-6 hours |
Battery capacity | 37V 10Ah |
Hill incline | 15% |
Weight | 14.5kg |
Maximum load | 120kg / 19st |
Foldable | Yes |
Water resistance | IPX4 |
Suspension | Rear |
Wheel type | Puncture-proof honeycomb, anti-skid |
Wheel size | 10" / 25.4cm |
Drive type | Front-wheel drive |
Brakes | E-ABS front brake / rear Ddisc brake |
Kickstand | Yes |
Accelerator control | Thumb press |
Brake control | Lever |
Handlebar grips | Rubber |
Front light | LED |
Rear light | LED |
Reflectors | Yes |
Bell | Mechanical |
Mudguards | Yes |
Glow in the dark | Yes |
Folded dimensions | 535 x 1145 mm |
Unfolded dimensions | 1185 x 1145 mm |
Buy the Techtron Elite 3500 from us
Techtron Elite 3500 in detail
Performance
The Techtron Elite 3500 is not the fastest or most performance focused electric scooter I’ve ridden, but you don’t want a white-knuckle ride every time you pop to the shops. Instead it’s a simple and predictable ride with a respectable amount of power delivery when required.
Three power modes with limited speeds (10/15/25 kmh) mean that there’s a mode to suit the abilities and comfort zone of every rider. You could quite easily give this to your Granny and she wouldn’t have any issues (Grandma consent required).
With 18Mi/30km range, the Elite 3500 will easily cover your daily mileage, and for a scooter with such a low price tag I think it matches, if not beats the competition.
Comfort and handling
I found the Techtron Elite 3500 to be a fairly unsurprising scooter when it comes to handling, which is a great thing for a new or convenience rider. It didn’t wow me, but it doesn’t need to.
It has a handy cruise control feature that allows you to rest your thumb from the throttle, and enjoy carving and weaving, in addition to making sure you can have both hands controlling the scooter at all times – it also automatically deactivates as soon as you touch the brake.
The handlebars are of decent width, and are actually wider than your average e-scooter.
However, the rubber grips themselves feel quite thin, which does detract from the riding comfort – I preferred the grippier and more chunky feel of the more expensive Ultra 5000.
The footplate/deck also felt a bit too narrow for my liking, but for someone who just wants to hop on and ride this wouldn’t be a problem.
My biggest gripe with the comfort of the ride was caused by the Honeycomb puncture resistant tyres.
In the long run, yes, they may be almost completely maintenance free, but over different quality asphalt surfaces I found there was a lot of rattle through the handlebars in comparison to other scooters. The only saving grace being they are 10” in size, an absolute must in my opinion. However, I do worry that longer rides could become wearying.
Brakes
The Elite 3500 features an E-ABS front brake and a disc brake at the rear – the rear brake is activated by a bike-style lever on the left side of the handlebars.
I found it has quite a large action, i.e distance to pull/activate, but thanks to the wider handlebars you don’t sacrifice control when you need to grab a bit of stopping power.
Extras
A simple folding mechanism will help you store the Elite 3500 in any home, office, or garage – by hooking onto the rear wheel fender I found it really useful for lifting the scooter.
One additional feature worth talking about on the Techtron Elite 3500 is the water safety rating. At IPX4 the scooter is safe to ride out in the rain, which really makes a difference if you’re considering buying it for daily riding.
Adding to the ability to be able to ride at any time, are the bright LED lights on the handlebars and a rear light, ensuring you are visible to other riders, road users, or pedestrians.
The front light is a little fiddly to activate with only one button on the display to use – it took me a little while to work out the double-press speed to activate it. The reflective strips on wheel uprights are a great little feature that a lot of e-scooter manufacturers could do with picking up on.
The Elite 3500, like many e-scooters, has a compatible app that allows you to manage settings, tinker with speed modes, and view statistics about the scooter’s range. The addition of total mileage and riding time give it that video game feel which does make you want to get out and ride. The app will also display error or warning codes to help diagnose any issues.