The RS5 and RS5+ electric scooters are new releases by RoadRunner. They are sporty scooters that excel in ride quality and sheer performance without breaking the bank. But it's the removable batteries that really stand out.
RoadRunner RS5+ -$2290
Portrait of Mitchel Anderson, Rider Guide's Editorial Lead
Mitchell Anderson
March 19, 2023

Mitchell has been fascinated by electric scooters since 2019. He began sharing his enthusiasm on his YouTube channel, “RK9 Rides,” in 2020. He joined Rider Guide in 2023, and between the two channels, he spends seven days a week riding, testing, and writing about electric scooters. He has tested dozens of models from dozens of brands and is always on the lookout for the newest and greatest scooters. His current favorite models are the Nami Klima and the NIU KQi3 Max.

Roadrunner RS5+ Portrait in front of Led Lights
Roadrunner RS5+ rear tire closeup
Mithcel Anderson Riding Roadrunner RS5+
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Roadrunner RS5+ Summary

There's a new player in town–RoadRunner. We've recently spent time testing out their all-new, high-performance flagship electric scooter, the RS5+. The RS5+ is a 52-volt system with dual 1200-watt hub motors for 2400 watts of nominal power. It is a 42 mph beast, packed with lots of the latest and greatest technology and features available to modern scooters. The retail price of $2290 puts it in a premium price tier and sets a lot of expectations for it upfront. 

Do the RoadRunner scooters live up to expectations? Stick around to find out.
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PROS
Quick and Easy Removal Of The Battery | Easy Charging And Range Extension
Comfortable Ride Thanks To The Large Riding Platform; Footrest; Hydraulic Suspension; and Pneumatic Tires
Top-Notch After-Sales Support And Warranty Options
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CONS
Outdated Plastic Thumb Throttle
"Last-Gen" Buttons And Switches
Extra Batteries Are Pricey

Technical Specifications

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Tested Top Speed:
41.6 mph
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Water Resistance:
IP54
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Max Rider Weight:
330 lb
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Weight:
91.1 lb
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Tested Range:
25.3 mi
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Acceleration:
2.5 s
**Based on our independent performance tests which may differ from manufacturer’s claims.
The RoadRunner RS5+ is available in United States from Roadrunner Scooters.
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RoadRunner RS5+ Alternatives & Competitors

Kaabo  Mantis King GT
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Mantis King GT
The Kaabo Mantis King GT's adjustable hydraulic suspension, more aggressive offroad tires, and 17lb lighter tested weight give it an edge when it comes to riding offroad. But the Kaabo is a little more expensive, lacks the tubeless tires and the removable battery of the RS5+, and has a much lower rider weight limit at 265 lbs. 
See Full Review
Apollo Phantom V3
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Phantom V3
The Apollo Phantom V3 is the only scooter in the group with a dedicated regen brake, and despite having one of the longer, more comfortable decks, it is the shortest overall and easiest to fit into your car's trunk. But the RS5 has the edge in terms of pure performance numbers, and did we mention it has a removable battery?
See Full Review
Before diving into the RS5, it's only prudent that we dig into the company behind this exciting scooter: RoadRunner. Starting as the exclusive US distributor for Nanrobot in 2021, Roadrunner decided to transition to designing and selling their own electric scooters last year with a focus on cutting-edge scooter tech. 

Having had their toes in the water, they learned a lot about what riders wanted and their pain points. Naturally, they saw an opening to do something new and extraordinary. As a seasoned distributor, RoadRunner particularly excels in the aftersale department with great customer service, amazing warranty terms, expert repair services, and a huge selection of replacement parts for all their scooters. They are based in the US, in Denver, to be exact. And, if you are in the area and want to try one out before buying, they will allow you to demo their models.

This year, RoadRunner released the RS5 and RS5+ electric scooters that are basically one and the same, save for one feature: the battery. Ours is the 52 v 28 ah version, which is the RS5+. However, for $300 less, you can get yourself the RS5, which comes with a smaller 23.4 ah battery. Besides being bigger in terms of capacity, the 28 ah battery also has LG cells, while the 23.4 ah version features generic Chinese cells. That said, when purchasing a spare, you can get either, as they are both calibrated to run the two models.
The RS5+'s larger brand-name battery gives it an edge in performance and longevity; that might be one reason to spend the extra money. However, everything else remains constant, and you get a quick, high-speed, strong hill climbing, comfortable scooter. They will both get you from point A to B reliably and come with smooth sinewave controllers that just elevate the riding experience. And, as mentioned, you get one of the strongest brands for after-sale support, so you can get the most off your investment.

Now, let's see exactly how the scooter rides and fairs against the competition.

Our Take:Crazy Range Potential on a Mid-Weight Sporty Ride.

See the Roadrunner RS5

Is it Good for Bigger, Heavier Riders?

Our performance numbers and ride experience report are verbatim from a 220 lbs, 6'1"(185 cm) rider. So, it's safe to say this is good for the big dawgs. Yes, it is rated for a 330 lbs max rider weight capacity, but that's not always an indicator of how well the scooter will perform with bigger riders. Here's how else the RoadRunner supports bigger and heavier riders.
The RS5+ electric scooter is big in design, with tall and wide handlebars and a large deck. These are incredible for the ride ergonomics, preventing awkward stances and excessive slouching. The scooter also has comfortable tubeless tires and front and rear hydraulic spring shocks that deliver a smooth ride, especially under weight. And the best part is that the scooter's performance stayed true to spec, whether it was Paul or Mitchell on the steering–with a very slight decrease in performance from the shift in rider weight.
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RoadRunner RS5+ Electric Scooter Review

Acceleration

Sinewave controllers are like that secret spice your grandma uses to bring all her dishes to perfection. It could be your worst meal, but when grandma makes it, there's just something. Now, imagine sinewave controllers on a good scooter. Well, you don't have to think far because the RoadRunner RS5+ is that scooter.

Even better is that the intensity of the acceleration is easily adjustable via the P-settings. And you already know that we dial ours all the way up the instant we unbox the scooter. Acceleration on this 2400 w scooter is strong, even in lower settings, thanks to the smooth controllers. So if you have some experience riding, and want a bit of thrill, then the RS5+ is for you.

Paul (165 lbs) and Mitchell (220 lbs) both took the RS5+ for a quick acceleration test. From a standing start to 15 mph, it took Mitchell 2.5 seconds, while it was faster for Paul on account of his lighter weight, reaching the 15 mph mark in just 2.0 seconds. This puts the RS5+ in the ranks of scooters like the original Dualtron Thunder and the Kaabo Mantis Pro, which both shoot to 15 mph in 2.0 seconds.

Top Speed

The spec sheet on this one was all over the place, but we have the actual test numbers for you. If you go by the website, the RoadRunner goes as fast as 45 mph. However, if you go through your manual (and we strongly suggest that you do…cover to cover), it claims a max speed of 42 mph. When we took the RS5+ on our speed test, the speedo indicated a 46 mph peak speed. But what's the actual number?

Well, we always rely on a two-directional speed run to eliminate the effect of tailwind, and we use pro-grade testing equipment to ensure that our numbers are accurate to the decimal. The speed test is done with P-settings maxed out and on full throttle. That said, we got a decent 41.6 mph, which is right on trend with other scooters in its class. 

The RS5+'s max speed fell just slightly short of the beastly Segway GT2's 41.8 mph but, at the same time, beating the competitor Apollo Phantom V3's 40.7 mph top speed. Other competitor scooters did better, with the Mantis King GT clocking 45.1 mph and the Vsett 10+ peaking at 43.3 mph.

Hill Climb

The RS5 is a 52-volt system with dual 1200-watt hub motors for 2400 watts of nominal power. There's a clear advantage to this when scaling hills. We take all our scooters on a 200 ft, 10% hill. This time, we had Mitchell on the wheel. He cleared the hill in 9.5 seconds, sustaining an average speed of 14.2 miles. 

Keep in mind, as you compare this data to other scooters' on the database, that Mitchell weighs about 50 lbs more than Paul, who has conducted nearly all other hill tests.
Meaning a lighter rider will get better times on hills. However, this shift does give us a better performance evaluation–letting you know whether or not the scooter stays true to spec under more strenuous conditions.

Range

This is not your average voyager. If you have the resources, it has the hallmarks of a grand tourer. 

The RoadRunner RS5+ comes with a 52-volt, 28-amp hour battery. The 1456 wh battery gave us a decent 25.3 miles on the ESG official range test course, which is a respectable number and in line with comparable scooters. However, there's a twist.

Should you need more than the 25.3 miles (ridden in extreme performance mode), then you can buy a spare battery to swap out once you're out of juice. The 28-amp battery weighs a manageable 17.8 lbs, meaning that carrying an extra battery around in a backpack shouldn't be too cumbersome. 

It takes less than 30 seconds, if you're fast with your fingers, to swap out the battery. And, with just one spare, you're potentially looking at a little over 50 miles of range. This puts you right between the original NAMI BURN E's 53.3 miles and the NAMI BURN E-2's 49.1 miles.

Braking

Braking is on par with most of the new scooters we've tested in the last year. The RoadRunner RS5+ electric scooter leverages a hydraulic braking system (which we'll get into later) and regen braking to stop the scooter. From a speed of 15 mph, the scooter came to a stop in 10.0 ft.

We tested our RS5+ scooter in the lowest setting for regen braking so increasing the regen amount in the p-settings gives you more braking power, bringing the scooter to a quicker stop. It's a preference thing, and Mitchell tells us that he prefers the feel of lighter regen braking with the disc brakes doing most of the heavy lifting for smoother, more controlled stops.

Ride Quality

Besides the removable battery and the range potential associated, you're probably getting the RoadRunner RS5+ because you've been on the hunt for a dual motor sports scooter. And you're right for landing on this one. It is as much fun as a dual motor scooter should be, and the sporty performance is right there at your fingertips. What's more, it's designed to bring you as much fun off-road as on-street roads.
The first culprit for the scooter's awesome ride is the dual front and rear hydraulic suspension setup. The hydraulic spring suspension offers adequate travel for almost all street riding and should be able to handle your average dirt road. It has damping and a much less bouncy, chunky feel than a lot of the other spring suspensions on the market, which we like a lot. We were able to ride consistently fast without being slowed down by potholes or speed bumps on our track.
The second suspect for the smooth ride is the all-terrain 10 inch tubeless tires that come on this scooter. They are great, offering the benefits of pneumatic tires while avoiding pinch flats that tubed tires get. The tread is great for any surface, and the rounded profile makes cornering smooth with good surface contact throughout the whole turn.

We especially like that the P-settings are adjustable from the display since it helps us fully customize the ride experience. They are easy to access by triple-clicking the power button. During testing, Mitchell kept all p-settings on their default other than the acceleration strength, which he turned all the way up to the maximum of 5. Though he says, there wasn't much of a difference in acceleration power between the default of 2 and 5.
As for the ride feel, taller riders will have a ton of fun on this one. The handlebars sit 41.3 inches above the deck, which is above average height. The frustration for most taller riders (5 ft 9 (175.26 cm) and above) is when the handlebars are too low, and they have to lean forward or bend down a bit to ride.
The riding platform is quite roomy, with plenty of space for large feet and offering a number of different comfortable riding positions. The rear tail of the platform is nice and flat, making it a natural place to rest your rear foot, even for extended rides. The rubberized deck mat then offers plenty of grip, and you feel solid and planted on the scooter no matter your speed.

Finally, you can always engage cruise control to enjoy the ride without fatigue from throttling.
Learn More About the Roadrunner RS5

RoadRunner RS5+ Features

Portability

Being a large, heavy, and dual motor, this 91 lbsscooter isn't particularly portable. It won't be an easy lift if you're trying to carry it any significant distance, especially up some flights of stairs. However, the scooter does fold to help with storage, and we quite like the folding mechanism.
The RS5 has a twist-style stem lock, one of our favorite styles of lock, plus a safety pin to prevent any kind of accidental folding. Twist locks offer a great balance of stability and low folding time, giving you a rock-solid stem with zero play while making it less laborious to fold and unfold the scooter.
We also like the design of the deck latch for locking down the stem when folded. The hook slots into a hole in the tail and locks under the deck, keeping the whole mechanism out of the way of the riding platform. This also means the handlebars aren't going to flop around when trying to load the folded scooter into a car. You'd be surprised how many high-end scooters don't have deck latches like this.

Cockpit

The cockpit is nice but not anything overwhelming–leave that to the Segway GT2. The 650mm wide handlebars are plenty wide for good control and stability, even at the highest speeds. And the handlebar grips felt comfortable even on longer rides of over an hour. 
One of the main standout features of the cockpit is the large center-mounted LCD screen, prominently displaying the current speed in the center. The riding mode, battery voltage, battery level, and odometer are displayed smaller but are easily readable at a glance. You also get a number of icons to show the status of the headlights, turn signals, and current motor mode.

The screen also has a dual pivot mount, allowing you to adjust the screen to your preferred angle and height. It is an LCD screen, so it isn't as bright and crisp as an LED screen would be, but we found it plenty readable even in direct sunlight, which is a win for us. What we hope goes away completely is e-scooters with the tiny circle displays built into the throttles–that could very well be the bane of our existence.

Lights

The RoadRunner scooter comes with an average lighting package. If you ride in the dark frequently, we definitely recommend an aftermarket headlight to mount on your handlebars. What you get with your RS5+ is a low-mounted dual headlight that offers just enough light to get you home in the dark in a pinch.
The RS5+ also has button lights embedded in the front deck to complement the light on the dual headlight. In addition, along the deck sides, you have arrow-shaped red lights that also blink to indicate direction.
Then there's the tail/ brake light mounted on the rear kickplate. Overall, while the lighting package isn't the most remarkable, there's no missing the RS5+ electric scooter.

Tires

The stock tires on the RoadRunner RS5+ are 10 inch by 3.1 inch hybrid, tubeless pneumatic tires. They feature a thick tread pattern that's great for grip.
You will also notice the rounded profile that significantly increases your contact patch with the ground, especially when cornering. 

Deck

The RoadRunner RS5+ electric scooter gives you 19 inch by 8.1 inch of usable deck space. The deck surface features a textured rubber with the RoadRunner logo running across the middle. The deck adds to the scooter's aesthetic appeal with a continued play of its black and blue theme, with the white logo and red under signage leaving it unmistakable for any other scooter.
The deck is unusually raised from the ground with a 6 inch clearance. However, that's good if you plan on going offroad or hopping off curbs since it reduces your chances of scrapping the underbelly. In addition, the flat nature of the kickplate adds to the usable deck space, provides a foot pivot for your hard stops, and props your foot for any stunts you might want to pull.

Build Quality

The RoadRunner RS5+ is a distinct-looking electric scooter. We got ours with the blue accents, which looks good. I mean, if we got with the Vsett's Bumblebee (black and yellow) color scheme, then this is definitely something that will catch on. And while we do appreciate the delicate curves on models like the Yinke i5 and Taur scooters, it is still nice to get scooters like the RoadRunner RS5+ with a modern, futuristic, sharp-angled design, especially for riders that want something a little 'rough.' That said, the rogue aesthetic is not as loud as the Dualtron beasts; the overall package is more smooth and sleek and can keep a low profile–even more if you go for the gray RS5 model.
The RoadRunner RS5+ will definitely turn heads. But looking at the scooter's build in finer detail reveals extreme attention to detail by RoadRunner that gives the rider an overall great ownership experience. For instance, the RS5+ has a unique ignition point. The central location of the key cylinder over the stem of the scooter is something we have never seen before. It is quite ideal for keeping the key out of the way and not cluttering up the handlebars. The rubber seal that pops in and out of place is also a great touch.
Still at the top end, but this time on a bit of a negative. One place where we feel like the cockpit falls short is in the outdated button and throttle style.
The dedicated single/dual motor button, the headlight switch, turn signal switch, horn button, and throttle are all the older, plastic-style components. This design of thumb throttle is not at all an office favorite, having a bit of a flimsy feel to it. However, everything worked without issue, and it didn't ruin our experience with the scooter. But, we prefer that manufacturers stay consistently good, even with the smaller bits of hardware.
That aside, let's circle back to more reasons why the RoadRunner RS5+ is a great scooter at this price. The scooter has hydraulic disc brakes of the NUTT variety. We believe NUTT hydraulic brakes do better than the regular Zoom hydraulics we see on most regular scooters. But, even so, we'll take hydraulic brakes of whatever nature over everything else since hydraulic brakes tend to be more reliable and require less day-to-day tweaking and maintenance. On the RS5+ electric scooter, we were particularly impressed with how easy it was to operate the hydraulic lever. They only require a single finger to operate to full effect, leaving most of your fingers on the handlebars when braking.

Then there's the big one–the removable battery. We've seen them on both ends of the scooter scale; on affordable and midrange scooters like the Turboant X7 and its flankers and the Anyhill UM2, then we have premium scooters like The Dualtron Storm Limited. However, a removable battery on light heavyweights has been remarkably absent till now. The conveniences of a removable battery speak for themselves. If you can afford it and carry the weight, you can almost triple your range on the RS5 and the RS5+. 

A little more on the removable battery. A lot of thought went into the placement and installation mechanism of the battery. Usually, getting into the guts of the average electric scooter and to its battery is typically a time-consuming and annoying process. To our surprise, this was nowhere near the case for the RS5+. Instead, it was tireless and straightforward.
The battery is encased under the footboard and secured by a 3-digit combination lock. Input the code, then open the hinged deck lid to reveal the battery, which is easy to prop out by the handle once you've disconnected from the scooter's power supply cable. Installing it is just as easy, but in reverse.
The kickstand is beefy and solid. We always like to see a kickstand that can handle the weight of the scooter and not fall off after a couple of rides. You also get a pair of large, strong fenders that do an excellent job keeping road spray from your feet. Besides that, you get an IP54 water protection rating that keeps the scooter safe from sudden downpours–but you need to seek shelter fast as water damage is not typically protected under warranty.

Safety

The rock-solid stem gives you an edge in control and handling. The handlebars are wide and comfortable enough for steering on long distances without subjecting you to too much fatigue. And the scooter has an excellent braking mechanism that allows you to stop on a dime.

If you happen to get caught in the dark, the lights will help you safely navigate the roads, but consider an aftermarket light to increase your visibility. There's a bell to warn unwary pedestrians and an IP54 rating should you get caught in the rain. The RS5+ also has a keyed ignition that makes it hard for anyone to just ride off with the scooter.

Warranty

RoadRunner has been a Nanrobot distributor since 2021, and two things we've learned in that time is their proven reliability in providing parts for repair and their attentive and helpful customer service. With their own models, they've extended the same courtesy to the RS5 and RS5+ owners. And they have one of the most exciting warranty packages available. You get a one-year standard warranty on your scooter. BUT…they also give you the allowance to purchase additional years of protection, all the way to 4 years. For a scooter in the $2000 range, it just makes sense to safeguard your investment as best as you can.

RoadRunner RS5+: Review Conclusion

The RS5+ is a scooter that delivers the performance and ride feel you would expect from a $2000 scooter with one of the most unique features available on light heavy-weight scooter in its removable battery. No more carrying a 90-pound scooter up and down the stairs to charge it, and no more worrying about range when you can carry a whole other scooter's worth of range in your backpack! This scooter is a serious contender and deserves consideration if you want something in this price range! Check out the Roadrunner RS5 and RS5+ in the link below and snag yourself an RG exclusive discount code(ESG100OFF) for $100 off!
Get Your Roadrunner RS5 Scooter Today!
Technical Specs Comparison
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Model
RoadRunner RS5+
Kaabo Mantis King GT
Vsett 10+
Apollo Phantom V3
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Top Speed**
41.6 mph
45.1 mph
43.3 mph
40.7 mph
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Range**
25.3 mi
36.6 mi
33.6 mi
28.4 mi
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Weight**
91.1 lb
74.0 lb
79.6 lb
75.8 lb
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Price
$2290
$2495
$2290
$2199
**Based on our independent performance tests which may differ from manufacturer’s claims.

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