Key Specs
Motor:250W | Speed: 15.5 mph |
Battery: 187 Wh | Range: 12 miles |
Capacity: 220 lbs | Weight: 26.5 lbs |
Waterproof: IP54 | Incline: 14° |
Tire Size: 8.5″ | Position: Entry-level |
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Dual braking system for efficient stop power | No suspension for reducing bumps |
Budget price with average performance |
Gotrax GXL V2 Commuting Electric Scooter Overview
If you’re planning to get an entry-level commuter electric scooter, the Gotrax GXL V2 is worthy of consideration. Its budget price and average overall performance earn a great reputation from the beginners or those who don’t want to spend too much on a commuting electric scooter.
Thanks to the Bird/Lime rental scooters, people got used to riding a scooter for short-distance commuting, last-mile transportation, getting around the community, or walking your dogs. But compared to renting scooters for long-term usage, owning a low-priced electric scooter saves more money with your own great maintenance for your own scooter.
The company upgraded the Gotrax GXL V2 in 2020 with the improved console, battery life, and folding mechanism, delivering a better riding experience on this commuting electric scooter.
Power Performance
Motor and Speed
The Gotrax GXL V2 electric scooter packed with a 250W motor, which is commonly used on cheap models. This sized motor is not powerful enough for a fast speed. It’s not surprising that the Gotrax GXL V2 top speed is only 15.5 miles per hour. Not like the powerful e-scooters will be limited to a fast top speed by the manufacturers, the Gotrax didn’t limit the speed with a factory setting for GXL V2. It’s just the less-powerful motor that can’t ensure a quicker speed.
Acceleration
Like other scooters that do not support zero starts, like the Glion Dolly, the Gotrax GXL V2 electric scooter does not allow the riders to accelerate from stillness to the top speed. You should kick off and glide for a few miles to reach the minimum speed for acceleration. This process makes the Gotrax GXL V2 need more time to complete the acceleration, at least 5 seconds.
Climbing Hills
Talking to the ability to go uphills, don’t underestimate the motor. The Gotrax GXL V2 is capable of climbing hills up to 14-degree inclines, making it a good option for riders living in hilly areas.
Testing to ride it on a long and gentle slope, the Gotrax GXL V2 electric scooter performed well to handle this type of hills. Not sure what angle the hill was, but it’s difficult for people to walk up these hills for a long period of time. Don’t expect it will be able to do the same for steeper hills, the motor won’t let you do that.
Gotrax GXL V2 Battery and Range
Positioning as an entry-level commuting electric scooter, the company does not use a massive battery for Gotrax GXL V2, only 187 Wh (36V 5.2Ah). The battery size is the leading factor to influence an E-scooters distance achievement.
Gotrax GXL V2 boasts of maximum 12.5 miles riding distance on a single charge, not as long as those long-range scooters. Furthermore, you can’t reach this range mostly, as your riding conditions may be very different from the manufacturer’s testing environments. Generally speaking, the 10-mile range is the most average case for most people.
Luckily, the tiny battery doesn’t need much time to charge fully from low battery conditions, only 3-4 hours. That means you can charge it at the office for the way back from the office to home if you ride the Gotrax GXL V2 for commutes.
Ride Quality
The Gotrax GXL V2 has two 8.5-inch air-filled tires, performing better than rubber tires in reducing the bumps on the roads. But small tires don’t perform well to deliver comfortable riding as those large-wheeled electric scooters. Even worse, there no suspension, so rough roads, and uneven sidewalks can be quite jarring.
Luckily, the scooter features a dual braking system that includes EABS + Disc Braking. This combination ensures an efficient stop when an emergency happened. The disc brake is controlled by the left hand with the handbrake on the handlebar.
Build Quality
The Gotrax GXL V2 features a simple design, consisting of several parts – Handlebar, stem, deck, and wheels. The scooter looks very cheap, and you’ll find it’s understandable that this scooter is just priced under $300 for sale.
The scooter will be shipped to you with most assembly, without the handlebar connected to the stem. So you still need to assemble them to make it as one whole for riding outside. The console and handlebar part allows you to read and control the scooter.
Display
The console is very small, showing very little necessary information – only speed and battery level. When charged fully, you’ll see four battery bars on the display.
Based on our experience, 4 bars of battery are less accurate than 5 bars, even both are not that accurate to reflect the remaining battery power. If you find that the battery bar suddenly dropping from 3 bars to 2 or even 1, don’t be surprised.
Just keep in mind that there will be very little battery power for you to riding and you’ll need to find some places to recharge it.
Design
The stem is wide because the battery components are located there, reducing the risk of the electric parts being water-damaged on wet roads. This is very different from most scooters with the built-in battery in the deck.
Then you’ll find that the Gotrax GXL V2’s deck is slightly thinner. This might be the reason that the Gotrax GXL V2 electric scooter is much lightweight. But this also reduces the weight ratio of the scooter’s bottom part, making us feel a bit worried that the scooter can’t ensure a good balance when you ride on it.
The deck has a slip-resistant surface, giving your more grip to stand up the scooter and avoiding slipping off the scooter and causing any injury.
Portability
Thanks to the folding design and lightweight body – 26.4 lbs, the Gotrax GXL V2 is a very portable electric scooter.
It’s easy to fold the scooter: pull the stem towards the back wheel. Insert the hook on the stem into the loop on the rear fender buckle. You may hear a click that indicates that you were successful in folding and locking the scooter. Before folding the scooter, make sure that the scooter is powered off and remove the safety pin.
The Gotrax GXL V2 features a compact folding size, allowing you to effortlessly carry it on public transportation or store it under your desktop.
Lights
The Gotrax GXL V2 electric scooter has a bright LED light on the top of the stem, near the handlebar. Lights in this position increase the coverage ahead of your way. It’s necessary to turn the lights on if you need to ride it in dark environments, for example, commuting from the office to home at night. However, it’s not recommended to ride a scooter late at night.
There is a red braking light on the rear wheel near the fender buckle. This is used to remind people following that you’re going to stop or turn the direction.
The LED headlight and braking light consist of the Gotrax GXL V2’s light system, which is less shining than those high-end electric scooters that feature side lights under the deck.
Waterproof
Even we have written a post about waterproof electric scooters, we don’t recommend you to ride a scooter on rainy days or on very wet roads with a flood. Remember, none of the e-scooters is 100% waterproof. After all, it’s an electric vehicle, which might be damaged by the water that can easily penetrate into the scooter’s body, no matter how excellent welding technology the manufacturer has used on it.
The Gotrax GXL V2 electric scooter comes with a very basic water-resistance rating – IP54. It means that the scooter is safe when there are only water splashes around the scooter. Most electric scooters feature this waterproofing rating.
The specific water-resistance performance may vary depends on the rider’s specific conditions and the maintenance. Even the highest waterproofed scooter – Emove Cruise of IPX6, got the complaint that the scooter got damaged on some wet roads.
Weight limit
According to the company’s data, the scooter will support an adult of 220 pounds. But heavy riders around 250 lbs or even heavier than 300 lbs can still ride the scooter for fun. It’s just the scooter’s performance on speed, range, and climbing ability will be affected if a big guy ride on it.
Gotrax GXL V2 Specs
- Motor: 250W brushless hub motor
- Battery: 187 Wh
- Charging time: 3-4 hours
- Distance: 9-12 miles
- Dimensions: 43.3″ x 17.1″ x 14.6″ – unfold; 15″x44″x6″ -folding
- Weight: 26.5 lbs (12 kg)
- Tire Size: 8.5-inch Pneumatic
- Color: Black
- Top Speed: 15.5 mph
- Max Incline: 14°
- Applicable terrains: streets, bike lanes, sidewalks, trails
- IP Rating: IP54 Water-Resistant
- Recommended age: 18 to 60 years old
- Max load: 100kg/ 220 pounds
- Brakes: Dual braking system (Rear: disc brake and Front: drum brake)
Gotrax GXL V2 Electric Scooter Alternatives
If you want a cheap alternative for the Gotrax GXL V2, it’s easy to find one among the low-cost electric scooters list. It’s just you should not put much expectation on this type of scooter for performance in speed, range, and weight limit, and some additional features like a detachable seat.
So we hereby list several scooters in these criterions – same level, faster speed, seat, and range.
Swagtron Swagger 5 – inexpensive option like the Gotrax GXL V2 with a higher weight limit for heavier adults.
Xiaomi M365 – slightly further distance with about $100 more expensive price. It’s another very popular commuting electric vehicle like the Gotrax GXL V2.
Hiboy S2 – providing a detachable seat if you want to sit down on a scooter when scootering. It’s also about $100 more expensive than the Gotrax GXL V2 electric scooter.
Emove Cruiser – riding at a faster speed and going further in distance for weekly commutes. It’s the best budget commuting tool that we like most.
E-scooter | Price | Motor | Speed | Battery | Range | Charging | Weight | Capacity | Tire Size | Waterproof | Incline | Seat |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Swagger 5 City | $300 | 250W | 18 mph | 36V | 11 mi. | 3.5 hours | 27 lb. | 320 lb. | 8.5” | – | – | – |
Xiaomi M365 | $499 | 250W | 15.5 mph | 36V | 18.6 mi. | ~5 hours | 27 lb. | 220 lb. | 8.5″ | IP54 | ~14° | No |
Hiboy S2 | $429 | 350W | 18.6 mph | 36V | 17 mi. | 6 hours | 30 lb. | 255 lb. | 8.5″ | IP54 | 14° | Yes |
Emove Cruiser | $1399 | 600W | 25 mph | 1560 Wh | 62 mi. | 9-12 hours | 52 lb. | 352 lb. | 10” | IPX6 | 20° | Yes |