With the throttle, brake, horn, and LED headlight, and command center integrated into the top bar, the elegance of the Unagi Model One is without question. No surprise, then, that more than thirty prototypes were required before the final handlebar design came together. Frame It folds up fast, it’s aesthetic, and everything about it is made to be zero-maintenance. Those looking for a scooter that requires little upkeep, looks good, and performs well will find what they’re looking for right here. Performance and ride quality Speed & Acceleration

Ready to take on the Tesla of electric scooters? Unagi, the brand behind this year’s it scooter, is the brainchild of former Beats Music CEO David Hyman—and you can completely see the unmistakable dedication to both aesthetics and performance Hyman has previously brought to the table. The Unagi Model One arrives assembled for the most part, although its handlebar needs to be attached using four supplied screws and an Allen key. The main thing to remember before doing this is to attach the cable inside the steerer tube to that inside the handlebar. Thanks to the connectors, this is as simple as attaching two pieces of Lego. The manufacturer claims that the scooter has a braking distance of 13 feet (396 cm) on a dry road. However, real-world tests show that the dual electronic brakes have a braking distance of 800 cm – quite suitable for electronic brakes. Additionally, when combined with the rear foot brake, the braking distance reduces to 510 cm. While the Unagi Model One is a decent quality, simplistic scooter, it is fairly expensive for what you get. As such, we recommend you look at other models in our review before settling on the Model One. What Other Electric Scooters You Consider? The benefit of airless tyres is that they’re completely puncture-proof. However, you do sacrifice a good degree of comfort over pneumatic tyres. While the Model One electric scooter rides superbly on flat, smooth tarmac, when you’re on paving slabs or any surface that’s less than perfectly smooth, you can feel all the lumps and bumps through your hands and feet.

Want to meet other Unagi aficionados such as yourself? Join our Unagi Scooter Club! The Unagi Scooter Club is a community Facebook hub you can use to connect with other riders and access helpful resources! The thumb throttle is positioned perfectly below your right thumb and has a rubberized action pad. It provides just the right amount of resistance — a bit on the stronger side — and also feels solid and well-constructed. Like most electric scooters, the Model One arrives 90% assembled. All you need to do is unfold it and fit the handlebars. Similarly, the power button also has two different functions. Apart from turning the scooter on and off, it activates dual-motor mode when it’s double-pressed, giving you a total of six different riding options to choose from in total. That’s certainly a nice improvement. However, I’d rather be charging every night and have smoother rides on my daily commutes than charge less frequently and get a headache every time I’m riding my e-scooter. Unagi Model One Voyager: Price & availability

The team at Unagi claims that the Model One can reach 15.5 miles on a single charge but optimizing for this range relies on a few variables: a lightweight rider, riding in ‘eco’ mode, and a flat road with favorable weather conditions. Hyman’s sense of style and music connections helped make the Model One a favorite for celebrities. But his mission has always been to keep things practical and approachable, and that’s easy to see in the Unagi Voyager, which only improves on the Model One Classic’s lightweight and portable design. Unagi’s model is centred around design, artistry, and engineering. As highly evidenced by the Model One line, Unagi offers advanced features and style. The quality build of this scooter is all the selling point it needs, and all models in the Model One line are crafted using heavy-duty aluminium alloy and the same Japanese carbon fibre used by Elon Musk on SpaceX spacecraft- (the Tesla of electric Scooters?) These high-quality materials contribute to a sturdy frame and overall lightweight element critical for portability. The model we tested is the Unagi Model One E450 Dual Motor. This name signifies its total power, since it has 225W motors in both wheels. There’s also a single-motor 250W model, aptly named the Unagi Model One E250, but this isn’t currently available.It’s ready to run right out of the box, and you might be pleased to know that there’s no cumbersome signup/activation procedure. A streamlined, efficient, assembly process – what else would you expect from a scooter that resembles an iPhone. In a world where lots of scooters have gotten faster, more complicated, and heavier, Unagi has held the line–keeping its focus on ease-of-use, peace of mind, and short-distance rides, and that means keeping things premium, simple, and lightweight. Mode one is suitable for beginner riders, or eco riding to maximize battery performance, with a top speed of 9 mph. Here, there is a gentle acceleration curve that enables you to feel in control.

You don’t need to worry about seeing your environment or being seen while you’re zipping around in the Model One. It’s got a flush-mounted LED front headlight, as well as a rear blinking LED, that are both quite bright and easy to use. Horn Because, in the current climate, e scooters offer a practical solution for navigating urban environments while mitigating the financial burden of high fuel costs. And we aren't talking about the rental electric scooters you see lying discarded across the sidewalk. We mean owning your own electric scooter for commuting. That new battery powers the dual 500W peak-rated motors up to 20 mph (32 km/h), and for between 12 to 25 miles (20 to 40 km) of range, depending on how fast and hard you ride. The front handlebars of the Unagi Model One e-scooter fold down cleanly over the blade—making this electric scooter easy to carry. It weighs 26.5 lb (12 kilograms). Command centerIt looks like an iPhone but displays the same information found on cheaper scooters that have LED displays – albeit they have a far less futuristic design. LED Lights I would skip riding this on hilly roads, however. Unagi hasn’t listed its hill grade rating, but it struggled to stay above 7mph on a 15-degree hill during my testing. On the plus side, Unagi slaps on a bigger battery, one with fast-charging capabilities. So you’re getting up to 25 miles of ride time and only need about two hours of charging to get to 80%.

Above these thumb controls are tiny yellow buttons—hit the one on the left and your ears will be treated to what's arguably the most useless horn. It's just … not the kind of blaring sound you want. No one jolts when they hear it (believe me, I've tried it on pedestrians and cars in the bike lane and no one bats an eye). It sounds like the ordinary beeps and boops of a scooter and not a “GET OUT OF THE WAY" alarm. It's easily drowned out by the bustle of the city. However, you won’t want to submerge the Model One; it’s not an amphibious vehicle. For your dry-land commute and street-bound exploration, though, the Model One will be able to work, rain, or shine. Intelligent Battery Management System Braking may not be high on your desirable specs list, but experience has tough us that it is a critical aspect of scooter design. The Model One garnered good scores in our braking evaluation by going from 12 mph to a complete stop in just 15 feet — just under the average for the class. This is a pretty impressive result, considering the scooter is only equipped with an electric brake and a fender brake. That said, testers noted that the brake feels a bit harder to use and that it took a bit longer to feel comfortable on steep hills. Should You Buy the Unagi Model One?As you might expect, the trade-off is that dual-motor mode drains the battery much faster. To achieve the best combination of speed, comfort and battery life I found that using the scooter in Intermediate and with only one motor activated was the best option. Switching to dual-motor mode is easily done when you notice a hill ahead but, otherwise, I found it best to preserve the battery’s already-limited range.