If you are looking for an affordable electric scooter that could become an eco-friendly alternative for your commuting or small errands, then you want to consider opting for the Swagtron SG-5 Swagger 5 Boost Electric Scooter. It’s extremely affordable, so you need to be prepared to accept some compromises. However, you’ll hardly find a cheaper electric scooter than this.
Let’s find out everything you need to know about the Swagtron SG-5 Swagger 5 Boost Electric Scooter in the following review.
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Table of Contents
Quality and Design of Swagtron SG-5 Swagger 5:
The Swagtron Swagger 5 looks like a common electric scooter. It has thin shapes, black color with some red finish. The first surprise was its solidity: despite being a cheap electric scooter, the frame is highly strong and resistant. It only weighs 26 lbs but it can carry up to 320 lbs!
The fact that it’s so lightweight is a great advantage for commuters that will have no difficulties folding the frame repeatedly during the day, or lift and carry the electric scooter when needed.
The frame also comes with an IPX4 waterproof certification: it doesn’t mean that you can ride the Swagger 5 Boost under the rain, but it’s fully protected against dust and splashes of water for enhanced durability.
Handlebars
The handlebar of the Swagger 5 Boost is straight and it features rubberized handgrips that feel very comfortable. There is a brake lever on the left, an acceleration throttle on the right, and a central display.
The LED display is not very large but it’s well visible. It delivers all the needed information during the ride: battery life, Bluetooth connection, current speed. It doesn’t provide extra data about we think this is a pro rather than a con: you don’t need all that extra data on an electric scooter once you know at what speed you’re riding and how the battery is going.
Brakes
The Swagger 5 Boost features a rear disc brake and you can also use the rear fender as a mechanical brake. It’s a less powerful brake than other models but, see the top speed that this device can reach, this is exactly the most suitable brake. A more powerful one would have been a waste.
Tires
This electric scooter features 8.5’’ honeycomb tires. This is where you need to start accepting compromises. Larger tires (10’’ ones for example) can provide better comfort during the ride, but they would have raised the price. 8.5’’ tires are okay as long as you stay on asphalt or flat terrains.
The advantage is that being solid, they require zero maintenance and they are not subject to puncture.
Lights
For being such a cheap electric scooter, the Swagger 5 Boost is provided with a good set of lights: a white front headlight (mounted on the front of the handlebar) and a red rear brake light.
They are both efficient in signaling your presence on the road to other users, but if you need to ride in poor light conditions, you’ll need an additional light if you want to make sure you know where you’re going.
Assembling
Assembling the Swagtron SG-5 Swagger 5 Boost isn’t different from assembling any other commuting electric scooter: they mainly came pretty much assembled and the Swagger 5 is not an exception.
The only thing you need to do is attach and secure the handlebar to the stem and it requires 5 minutes maximum.
Performance for Swagtron SG-5 Swagger 5:
The main compromises you need to accept with such a cheap electric scooter are related to performance and battery life.
Regarding the performances, compromises aren’t huge. Yes, this is not a superfast electric scooter (18 mph is its maximum speed) but you don’t need anything faster if you’re mainly commuting through the city. It also has 3-speed modes which are a bit superfluous. The slowest one can be useful if you want to save some battery, or if the rider is at their first experience with an electric scooter. But you’ll hardly use the intermediate mode.
The riding feels okay on asphalt or any other flat terrain, but you couldn’t ride on dirty lanes, grass, or similar.
Battery life and charging time
Between performance and battery life, it’s the aspect of the battery life that is the most lacking. Again, this is a choice made to keep the price and weight low. Batteries are responsible for the great part of an electric scooter’s weight, and they are also responsible for its price going up and up. With such a low price, we weren’t expecting anything more than 11 miles travel range.
11 miles aren’t long-distance, so make sure the Swagger 5 is suitable for your needs.
On the other hand, however, a small battery has an advantage: it can be charged faster than a big one. And the Swagger 5 can be fully charged (from empty and with a standard charger) in only 3.5 hours.
Why we like about Swagtron SG-5 Swagger 5 Electric Scooter:
Price
You won’t find an electric scooter cheaper than this.
Good overall quality
Despite the price, the Swagtron SG-5 Swagger 5 Boost is a quality-built electric scooter. It’s not the fastest but it provides enough speed and power to safely ride on city roads.
What we didn't like about Swagtron SG-5 Swagger 5:
Battery life
11 miles mileage is an extremely short distance. And if you have an aggressive riding style, or if you are a bit heavy, the mileage would shorten even more.
3 speed modes
The 3 speed modes are useless. 1, or 2 maximum, would have been enough.
Tires
TIres are okay. We weren’t expecting large tires on such a cheap electric scooter but you need to know that this is, in any case, a compromise you need to accept when you purchase the Swagtron SG-5 Swagger 5 Boost Electric Scooter.
Conclusion
This isn’t the fastest and most durable electric scooter on the market. But if you can accept its compromises the Swagtron SG-5 Swagger 5 Boost Electric Scooter is the cheapest electric scooter on the market.