NIU KQi 300X Hill Climb Test - Can it make it to the top?

The NIU KQi 300X sounds good on paper. But does it have what it takes to make it up a mountain?
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🎞️The entire playlist: • NIU KQi 300X Video Series
Apollo GO Review: • Apollo GO Review - The...
Ninebot Max G2 Review: • Segway Ninebot Max G2 ...
KQi 300X Overview and First Ride: • Enough Suspension? NIU...
KQi 300X Range Test: • Going the Distance! NI...
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[@tomsgadgetgarage]

NIU KQI 300X (NIU Direct): shrsl.com/4kjw6 NIU KQi 300X (Best Buy): bestbuy.7tiv.net/9gK7Pe Some of these links are affiliate links, which means I get a percentage if you make a purchase through my link without any extra cost to you.

[@Patriot36]

I know you're not done with the series but even at 3 videos in, you've already surpassed the quality and content of every other video that's been made about the 300X. No disrespect meant toward any of those youtube channels but you've provided the best information available about this scooter and I suspect that will stand. ESG will eventually post a video with everything that we need but it will be abbreviated. Tom's Gadget Garage is the encyclopedia with a knowledge condensed recap at the end, kind of like you did with the Apollo Go and Ninebot Max GT. Brilliant format!

[@tomsgadgetgarage]

Thanks man! I try and cover as many bases as possible. I'd publish the range and hill climb test for every single scooter I review, but there just aren't enough weekends lol. Tons of footage on hard drives. I've got a couple more dedicated videos for this scooter planned and also a more detailed comparison to some of it's competitors. I just wish we had more cloud cover haha. I watched ESGs recent first look at the Roadrunner RX7. Looks like a sick scooter. I'm not sure I would ever want to speed-test something like that, though. Requires an investment in a chainmail suit, haha.

[@Patriot36]

@@tomsgadgetgarage Two, nice, cloudy days this weekend. Too bad we don't have a few more. Even with the clouds, I finished riding about 9:45 and it was time to cool off with a shower, some AC and a tall iced tea.

[@Del-Canada]

I just grabbed this. I'll be selling my Max to help cover the costs. The Max is an amazing ride but I wanted the suspension and the larger wider tyres.

[@tomsgadgetgarage]

Nice! Yah this will be a solid upgrade from the Max. The front suspension is very nice, plus you have lots of flexibility with speed and acceleration settings. It’s definitely a harder scooter to outgrow which is always great for the wallet haha.

[@Del-Canada]

​@@tomsgadgetgarage I'm starting to get the scooter fever. Need to watch my funds. Heh.

[@tomsgadgetgarage]

Ha!

[@lositruggies1581]

For basic park riding how many hrs of ride time 160lbs

[@kymbo72]

I've not ridden an electric scooter before, so maybe a silly question, but do you know why they aren't designed with the deck slightly wider so you can stand with your feet side by side? wouldn't that be much more comfortable? there has to be a reason I am unaware of

[@tomsgadgetgarage]

So you definitely don’t want to stand with your feet side by side. You want one foot behind the other with your toes pointed at the 10/11 o’ clock direction or front foot 12 and back 10/11. Reason being is stability when braking or accelerating hard. When you brake hard, you should have knees bent and lean back to counteract the forward motion of your body. With your feet side by side, it’s more difficult to shift your weight. Side by side also increase the chances of going over the handlebars when braking hard.

[@kymbo72]

@tomsgadgetgarage oh right, well there you go. Interesting, and thanks for your clarification on that, good to know 🙂

[@tomsgadgetgarage]

Anytime! They are definitely fun to cruise around on.

[@rickdeckard9810]

If i paid for a scooter with power I'd use that power and not try to ride up in eco mode. Makes little sense.

[@tomsgadgetgarage]

Hey! I definitely understand. In full-speed mode, most of the sub $1000 scooters I've tested stand no chance of covering the distance for this hill climb test without overheating here in the desert. It's really an endurance hill climb test. I do test higher-power scooters in the top-speed mode, and I have started incorporating a new hill climb test that is short, sweet, and intense at 23% grade. For that, I will test all at 100% power and 100% torque.

[@PRINCE_175]

It’s a blessing to live in such a beautiful place and ride your scooter undisturbed

[@GiovanniHale]

After trying out the Ninebot Max G2, Apollo Go, and Niu KQI 300X, which one would you choose for a quick store run, and which would you prefer tossing in your car's trunk for that last mile of your journey?

[@tomsgadgetgarage]

For quick store runs and last mile type stuff, I choose the Apollo GO. It's got a fun factor that's hard to beat. If I need more range, say around 18-24 miles, I'd go with the KQi 300X. The Max G2 dominates both on suspension comfort, but it doesn't have the acceleration and speed of the other two. Segway is supposedly coming out with some sort of turbo mode at some point, but until they offer that, the G2 feels slow in comparison to the other two. Still a great scooter, but it's got some stiff competition now.

[@GiovanniHale]

​@@tomsgadgetgarage Thanks for sharing that! It seems like you've already got a section of your comparison video covered with your previous comment. I'm inclined to take your advice on this matter. I had paid in advance for the Apollo Go before its release but never received it. It's a bit humorous, but now, I believe they've had ample time to address any initial issues. I've been keeping an eye on and suggesting the 300X to friends searching for an efficient commuter option in the Downtown Chicago area. I've directed a few of them to your video. Thanks for everything you do in helping us make informed choices. Your efforts are truly appreciated.

[@tomsgadgetgarage]

Thank you! Hopefully you’re able to figure out that issue with Apollo on the shipping. You’ve got lots of patience. I’d be here hitting the refresh on the order page every couple hours 🤣. I’m going to play around with the NIU app over the coming days. Looks like the dash has an incline read out. Which is bold because sometimes I feel scooter companies throw all kinds of crazy incline numbers out there. Looks like NIU offers an easy way to actually measure in app. I feel like riding a scooter in downtown Chicago would be a fun experience. Big city downtowns usually have slower speed limits and more stores within reasonable commuting distance. Here in Arizona everything is so spread out and the regular city streets feel like freeways haha.

[@PRINCE_175]

I’ve haven’t had any updates on my 300 X yet ???

[@ValiRossi]

Very impressive. The error was maybe a Hall effect sensor error. Maybe out of range due to over pleasure. :)

[@tomsgadgetgarage]

Haha! I think you're right. Got a little too excited on that mountain lol.

[@PRINCE_175]

I traded my Apollo Go back in for the 300X… Apollo Go horrible distance 😡

[@bluesjuggler8291]

Cool review. When you hit the cracks in the road, we can hear the vibration in your voice. No rear suspension may not be for everyone. But you are right. Keep the knees bent. And the face shield closed. I got stung a few evenings ago. I was going around the neighborhood. And wham! Right on the cheek. That will make you want to let go of the grip. I almost did. The ground was uneven. I would had gone down for sure. So bugs happen. Just like on the windshield. Wear protective gear. Especially eye protection.v Thanks again for the hill climb test.

[@tomsgadgetgarage]

Oh man that sounds awful. Good thing you didn’t let go of the grip. I couldn’t resist it in the video, I had to get whatever it was off as it was getting worse by the second. I made a bike video last year and had a bee land on my leg as I was going to 20+ mph. Took some effort to shake it off haha. Must have been like landing on an aircraft carrier for that bee 🤣. You can definitely feel the bumps in the rear. Front does an excellent job. I should be testing a scooter later in August with a rear suspension and no front suspension. Should make for a great comparison.

[@Del-Canada]

07:43 LOL at buddy trying to pass you. He never made it tho. You got ahead of him. Nice one.

[@Del-Canada]

08:49 LOL He caught up with you again. Trying to get by you.

[@THEAVERAGEGUY1983]

Not bad at all. Definitely a BIG improvement over the Max G2. Im waiting to see if they give us an update to increase the Acceleration/ Torque for inclines. It still seem to not be as strong as other scooters in its category. 😅

[@tomsgadgetgarage]

Yah the KQi 300X is nice in that it can make it up the whole thing with speed capped at 20. But if you want to make it up faster, you can throw it into sport mode for even more solid performance. Given I had 25% battery remaining, I may try it again in the future with all settings set to max. I don’t think the G2 or the GO can do the whole up and down in max settings. But then again, this test really is an extreme case. 99% of riders will not be making that kind of trek on a regular basis lol.

[@Phantom1000]

@@tomsgadgetgaragewould you recommend the new 300x or the max g2 at this point? I am looking to get one mainly for leisure rides in the park with my kid and occasional use it for commute or getting lunches nearby.

[@tomsgadgetgarage]

@@Phantom1000 the only real advantage the G2 has is ride comfort. Since it has dual suspension vs only front suspension, it’s more comfortable. Other than that, the KQi300X has the advantage in speed, acceleration, range, braking. If I were forced to choose between the two today, my money would go to the KQi300X.

[@Phantom1000]

@@tomsgadgetgarage Thanks for your reply! A follow-up question if you don't mind :) As for comfort, how much worse does the KQi300X compare to the Max G2? I might occasionally ride on gravel/dirt bike routes with my kid, would 300X make it unbearable or make you feel less confident while riding it?

[@tomsgadgetgarage]

@@Phantom1000 Anytime! So the Max G2 has a much more comfortable ride when riding on rough roads or rutted dirt roads. On hard packed dirt, the KQi does well. The front suspension is able to absorb a lot of impact as you’re going over lumps and bumps. You do feel it in the back though.

[@Del-Canada]

Which regen setting do you use? Which do you find less intrusive for coasting downhill?

[@tomsgadgetgarage]

Hey! I had it on weak for the ride downhill. For everyday riding though I just turn it off completely. You still get electronic braking when you hit the brakes with regen off.

[@Del-Canada]

​@@tomsgadgetgarage Yea, I do the same. Thanks for the replies!

[@hanyuzh]

Great video. I am thinking about getting a 300x but I am afraid that it will feel slower at acceleration than the Apollo GO or other dual motor scooters. Do you that the 300x will be have a good acceleration especially uphills? (I had two scooters from Apollo before and had bad experience with Apollo, so I am not considering Apollo products)

[@tomsgadgetgarage]

Thank you! So I did do an acceleration test with both. The GO did 0-24 in 9.69s vs the 300X at 11.19s. So 1.5s difference. The 300X is surprisingly quick for a single motor commuter scooter that now sells for less than $1k. So in max acceleration mode with top speed unlocked, it does a good job on decent sized hills.

[@dweejfagoonee]

Appreciate it

[@ronshaw8996]

Are you doing any more video's on this scooter? Like a in town night ride?

[@tomsgadgetgarage]

Hi Ron, I do plan to do a full review and a settings overview. So far I’ve done the unboxing/first ride, hill climb, range test, and a comparison to the Apollo GO and Ninebot Max G2. I may consider a night ride. One thing I struggle with is video quality at night. It’s typically very grainy so I need to play around with these GoPro settings first.

[@nOseGoPro]

haha with 13mph uphill you are still faster than everyone else's scooter in germany even downhill

[@tomsgadgetgarage]

Haha! Yah I went to Poland a couple months ago and took a look at the scooters they sell in shops while there. They all had speed capped at 20-25kmh. I was very sad lol.

[@nOseGoPro]

​@@tomsgadgetgarage from a city perspective im totally fine with these laws, we do not have big roads in the eu and bicycle lanes are intended for bicycles and not high speed scooters so.... im a bit annoyed, i managed to get a US firmware on my german 300X version but its still locked to 20km/h max... wanted to have some fun in our backlands... looks like they locked it directly via the hardware

[@tomsgadgetgarage]

Yah I’ve found countries in Europe to be much more bike and scooter friendly. Here in Arizona, people are always in a rush and heavily distracted. Not a good combo for a dude in the bike lane making a review video haha. Too bad they locked the European version down. I wish they gave users the ability to unlock via the app for use on private property or off the beaten path somewhere.

[@Dan-mu7jj]

Hey Tom, this is Dan with the non running circooter mate, it’s completely non operational. When it went down it was and still is at 57% of battery life remaining, it is less than 3 months old, which is really disheartening. This is a great scooter and we had a good run, just short, but this thing is an awesome scooter, my second, I came from a NIU KQi3 Pro, also a great scooter but I was done with trying to repair flats, and the Circooter Mate offered solid tires and a 45 km/hr top speed or 28 mph in American, lol Yep, from Canada, southern Ontario, when the scooter went down it was quite a warm day in our books, little over 90’ it had been running for about 40 min and we got into some rolling hills, Our area here is mostly flat and boring and hills consist of pedestrian bridges and overpasses, and a couple of man made hills. The scooters functions all work as when I got it, it turns on and if you press the throttle the motor twitches and shows a response but will not offer anything more than that. I have correspondence happening with circooter and they have asked me to change the throttle, which I did, with no luck, and am waiting to hear back from them for a replacement motor, FYI, I’m 53 yrs old and not being overly hard on the scooter, I do try to be fairly easy on my things. I had originally asked them to send a new one out and would return this one in the packaging of the new, but their response was only under a month old would they do that. Ughh !!

[@Dan-mu7jj]

Hi Tom, great video, info top notch, thanks so much, first time to your channel, happy to have found ya, I had an overheating issue with the circooter mate, I’m just about to look through your video history to see if you’ve done this test with it, I haven’t had much luck dealing with circooter and support from them trying to get my scooter back on the trails. It was less than 3 months old when it failed and has been down for nearly 3 weeks. I was runnning mild uphills over a long run, and it was about 90’ the day off. Keep up the great work !! Dan

[@tomsgadgetgarage]

Thank you! I haven't tested any of Circooter's lineup yet. Does it ride and then overheat, or is it completely non-operational now?

[@asmaabouzaid4930]

If you could only choose one for everyday use would u go ninebot max g2 or niu kqi3 300x or apollo go?

[@tomsgadgetgarage]

For me, I would choose the Apollo GO primarily for its speed, lighting, and premium feel. A close second is the KQi 300X. Lots of power, excellent app, smooth ride. The Max G2 is also an excellent scooter for those that prioritize comfort as the most important factor with everyday dependability. The GO is my go to at the moment.

[@asilaydying1984]

I just got a fluid vista because I liked it had higher top speed but I wouldn’t have gotten it had I known it overheats and kicks power back after going up mild hills for a few minutes .

[@tomsgadgetgarage]

Oh man that’s unfortunate. That’s part of the reason why I test scooters on crazy long hill climbs. Figure it’s best to test the limits as most people won’t come near those conditions. Aside from the hill performance, how are you liking the Vista? How are the solid tires?

[@asilaydying1984]

@@tomsgadgetgarage I like the way it rides for being solid tires , throttle is terrible though , it’s very jumpy and not smooth at all . The fact that the scooter over heats so quickly kills it for me . I think if it had a different Throttle and didn’t overheat so easy it would be awesome.

[@tomsgadgetgarage]

Ugh, is Fluid able to help out at all? Sounds like it’s not really usable if it’s continually overheating.

[@asilaydying1984]

@@tomsgadgetgaragethey are going to send a controller to try but I am not sure if that’s the issue or not

[@reveluvin6088]

Great video as always, wish I could buy one but NIU don’t ship to the UK 🇬🇧 😭😭😭

[@tomsgadgetgarage]

Thank you! Ugh, that’s too bad. I bet it has to do with some of the restrictions in the UK. I hope one day governments around the world see the benefit of single person commuting solution and ease some of the restrictions.

[@Maxfromeurope]

Too bad UK isn’t in the EU anymore, niu ships about everywhere to the EU ;)

[@reveluvin6088]

@@Maxfromeurope A price I'm willing to pay to not be ruled by unelected bureaucrats 😂

[@DivorceSourceRadio]

Awesome review!! Thank you Tom.

[@tomsgadgetgarage]

Thank you so much!

[@MohamedAbouzaid-it6gz]

Would you reccomed this for someones first scooter

[@tomsgadgetgarage]

I think it’s appropriate for a first scooter as it will provide plenty of growing room.

[@dweejfagoonee]

First