Segway Ninebot ZING E8 Review

Who is it Best For?

Will the Segway Ninebot ZING E8 Be a Good Fit For You?

The Segway Ninebot ZING E8 is pitched at riders between the ages of 6 and 12.

However, its top speed and features mean that it’s kids between the ages of 9 and 10 that will get the most out of it.

If your child is in the 10 to 12 age range, you’ll probably want to look at the Segway ZING E10 or Hiboy S2 Lite. It’s hard to put an exact number on it, though. You’ll always want to assess your child’s size, scooting ability, and readiness for the road before picking a particular model.

With the E8, though, you’ll be getting a scooter that’s ideal for younger kids. Its safety specs, shock absorption, and handling are all geared towards putting even the most inexperienced and apprehensive of riders at ease – not to mention their parents.

Pros and Cons

Ride Quality

Is the Segway Ninebot ZING E8 Comfortable to Ride?

When it comes to buying your child’s first scooter, you should expect nothing less than a safe, comfortable ride. The Segway Ninebot ZING E8 delivers on both fronts.

Whilst I’d always recommend that your child sticks to smooth, well-paved routes, the scooter’s front shock absorption helps to cushion some of the impacts from terrain underfoot and as a result, it can handle light off-roading across local parks and grassy areas. The wear-resistant rubber tires will lighten the load on maintenance, too.

The low-lying foot deck will also add an extra layer of comfort, giving the scooter a low center of gravity making it easier for your child to steer and control the scooter.

Design

Handlebars

Riding for the first time? Rest easy – the ZING E8’s curved, comfortable handlebars are the perfect tonic to any nervousness your child may feel on their inaugural ride.

The E8’s handlebar grips are made of a colorful rubber material that not only looks great but is grippy too. These not only give the rider more control over the scooter and ensure a firm grip, but are super easy to clean, too – a less exciting feature, but one that parents will be grateful for.

Unlike most adult scooters, there is no LED display, which, in all honesty, is a positive thing. Your child won’t be distracted by it while riding.

Frame

When a scooter is made of the same stuff that NASA has launched into space, you know it’s built to last.

Enter the Segway Ninebot ZING E8’s frame, made of aerospace-grade aluminum alloy.

Before you ask, there are plenty of benefits of this (beyond sounding cool, of course). Lightness, durability, portability – take your pick. This scooter has all three.

Oh, and we can’t talk about the frame without shouting out the ZING E8’s color scheme. Available in both pastel blue and pale pink, the E8’s palette manages to achieve the impossible – appealing to the tastes of young children, while not straying too far into gimmick territory.

Deck

The ZING E8’s deck sits just 3.9-inches off the ground.

Now, normally I wouldn’t be quick to wholeheartedly recommend scooters with low decks. If you’re going quickly, or over less well-maintained terrain, low decks can be bad news, and lead to damages to the scooter’s underside.

However, with the ZING E8 – and kids scooters at large – this isn’t such a problem. The E8’s top speed of 8.6 mph isn’t exactly adrenaline rush territory, after all.

In fact, the deck’s low center of gravity works in favor of the ride comfort and quality, giving your child improved control when it comes to steering and general handling.

Better still, the deck is coated with a layer of anti-slip material. Your child will be sticking to that thing like glue.

Wheels

The ZING E8’s high elastic solid rubber tires – aside from being quite a mouthful – are surprisingly feature-rich, too.

Resilient to both wear and tear and punctures, these tires will give you back the time and energy you might otherwise have spent replacing or repairing them. Plus, they have anti-skid treads that will keep your child safe while the 40mm front shock absorber relieved some of the burden from your kid’s knees and ankles.

Build Quality & Durability

From puncture-proof, wear-resistant tires to aerospace-grade aluminum, it’s clear that Segway has left no stone unturned to ensure that the ZING E8 meets the rigorous quality standards the brand is synonymous with.

Make no mistake this is no cheap, crappy knockoff. Nor is it a scooter where bright colors and flashy superficial touches mask a black hole where the features should be (Air T15, I’m looking at you). When it comes to design and materials the ZING E8 has quality in spades.

Weight & Load

At just 17.6 lbs, the ZING E8 is as light as a feather.

It’s the lightest kids scooter I’ve reviewed, which helps it beat similar models such as the GoTrax GKS (17.8 lbs) and Segway ZING E10 (18.7 lbs) for portability.

More importantly, the E8’s weight means your little one should have no issues controlling this scooter when it’s in motion, or transporting it from place to place when it’s not.

Load-wise, the ZING E8 supports a maximum rider weight of 110 lbs. Considering the scooter’s pitched at riders aged between 6 and 12 years of age, this is a little on the light side.

If your child is growing up fast, though, you may want to consider the aforementioned GoTrax GKS, which supports up to 154 lbs, or the ZING E10 – which, being targeted at kids of up to 14 years old, has a maximum load of 132 lbs.

Folding & Portability

Of course, it’s kids who will get the most out of the ZING E8, but that doesn’t mean that parents won’t find plenty to love. Namely, that’s how easy the E8 is to fold and stow away – whether that’s in the trunk of the car for a long journey, or just out of sight at the back of the utility closet.

The scooter’s one-step folding mechanism means you just have to apply a little force to the hands-free folding pedal, and the E8 will collapse down into a portable, compact, package. It’s so simple that a child could do it – literally.

Assembly

Assembly of the ZING E8 is DIY but of the super simple variety.

You’ll first need to loosen the bolts on the collar clamp with the Allen wrench provided, and then slide the stem into the clamp. Finally, it’s just a matter of using the Allen wrench to retighten the bolts of the collar clamp.

Congratulations – you’re done! Although it’s probably worth checking the brakes and handling are all in order before handing it over to your kid.

Performance & Safety

Speed & Acceleration

The Ninebot ZING E8’s 130W motor will get your kid up to a respectable top speed of 8.6 mph. While this isn’t enough to beat Segway’s scooters for older kids in a foot race – and is nowhere near as fast as the Hiboy S2 Lite – it does trump the GoTrax GKS’ 7.5 mph top speed.

You’ll also be glad to know that there are plenty of ways to control the ZING E8’s speed. Of its three riding modes, one caps the top speed at 6.2 mph, while another disengages the throttle – meaning your kid only goes as fast as they can propel themselves by kicking (but no higher than 8.6 mph). You can toggle the ZING E8’s riding modes with a click, via a small panel of buttons located near the rear fender.

All you need to take away here is that the Ninebot ZING E8 is fast enough to give your youngster a pleasant thrill, but not fast enough to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up in fright.

Range

Like its older brother, the ZING E10, the E8 has a quoted range of 6.2 miles. While this mileage is no match for some competitors (like the Hiboy S2 Lite, for instance, which claims an endurance of up to 10.6 miles) it’s still pretty good for a kid’s scooter.

I should emphasize, though, that the 6.2-mile range is the very furthest the ZING E8 will go on a single charge. The speed and level of acceleration while riding will affect this, so it’s important to keep this in mind when embarking on long journeys.

Still, there’s nothing major to worry about, the ZING E8 functions perfectly well as a regular scooter, even after the battery has died.

Hill Climbing

The Ninebot ZING E8 can tackle hills with an incline of up to a maximum of 7% (4-degrees). Okay, so your kid isn’t going to be climbing Everest with this one, but they’ll be able to take on the neighborhood’s more relaxed slopes.

If a scooter with hill-climbing excellence is near the summit of your kid’s wishlist, the Hiboy S2 Lite – which we’ll look at below – is your best bet. It's more powerful motor allows it to handle inclines of up to an impressive 15% (8-degrees) – although, to be fair, it is aimed at an older demographic than the ZING E8, and is best suited to pre-teens and young teenagers.

Shock Absorption / Suspension

Between a 40mm front shock absorber and high elastic solid rubber tires – which are wear-resistant and puncture-proof – the ZING E8 offers your child not only a smooth ride but a reliable one too.

As previously mentioned, the scooter performs best on flat urban terrain but can handle light off-roading too.

Braking

The ZING E8 is equipped with not one, not two, but three brakes.

The scooter’s handbrake operates the electric brake, while more braking pressure can be applied by stepping on the rear foot-operated fender brake. On top of this, the ZING E8 sports a regenerative braking system, which helps provide a quick, secure stop.

Each brake can be used solo, or in combination with one other; giving your little one plenty of ways to come to a halt safely.

It’s also important to note here that the handbrake shouldn’t be overlooked. From having tested many electric scooters, hand-operated brakes are my preferred option since they are second-nature to most riders that have upgraded to a scooter from a bike – especially when compared to electronic thumb paddle brakes (which can take a while to get used to).

Charge Time

The Segway Ninebot ZING E8 charges within 4 hours. As we’ve seen, a fully-charged ZING E8 will score you a maximum range of up to 6.2 miles – or, in practice, around 40 minutes of ride time.

The amount of charge time needed is pretty standard for kids’ electric scooters so there’s nothing to write home about here.

The scooter’s handy battery indicator lights will let you know when it’s time to recharge.

Features

Cruise Control

While moderate, the ZING E8’s top speed of 8.6 mph might still have you alarmed – particularly if this is your kid’s first experience with an electric scooter.

Feel free to breathe a sigh of relief, though. With three riding modes – ‘Safe’, ‘Cruise’, and ‘Turbo’ – there’s an option for everyone.

The ‘Safe’ mode’s maximum pace of 6.2 mph is ideal for getting learner riders up to speed with their new scooter.

‘Cruise’, meanwhile, is slightly different in its approach. It’ll allow your child to reach the ZING E8’s top speed but won’t require any mastery of the scooter’s thumb throttle. Rather, your child will simply have to kick to start, with that initial pace allowing them to move into a gentle glide. The more power in the kick, the faster the scooter will go – and the more confident your young rider will become.

Next up, ‘Turbo’ mode. As the name suggests, this mode engages the full power of the motor allowing your child to reach 8.6 mph for as long as they’re comfortable with – or as long as the battery lasts.

As previously mentioned, you can toggle the ZING E8’s riding modes with a click, via a small panel of buttons located near the rear fender.

Water Resistance Rating

Like most electric scooters, the ZING E8 is IPX4 water-resistant. More or less the industry standard, an IPX4 rating means the E8 is entirely splash-proof. So the scooter – as well as your kid – should be able to weather the storm of a rainy day’s riding.

That said, the ZING E8 isn’t fully waterproof, and Segway’s website is quick to point out that the scooter isn’t made for riding through puddles.

Battery Management System

As a product of years of testing and tweaking in Segway’s labs, the Smart Battery Management System helps prevent the battery from overheating and guards it against any electrical faults.

Basically, it keeps the battery in good condition. So, even if your young daredevil pushes the scooter to its limits, you can be confident the battery will hold up its end of the bargain to keep the wheels rolling charge after charge.