TurboAnt X7 Review

The Turboant X7 is the latest scooter in a recent trend of scooters that features a removable battery pack. It is a similar but less-expensive version of the Levy, which we recently reviewed.

The scooter is sturdy and has some of the features we really like: three independent braking mechanisms, flat-resistant tubeless pneumatic tires, and a removable battery pack.

The 3.3 pound, 230 Wh battery will give you around 9 miles of real-world range in the fastest sport mode setting

The Turboant X7 packs a single moderately powerful 350-watt electric motor that offers reasonable acceleration, top speed, and hill-climbing ability.

With zero-start enabled, the Turboant has average acceleration, and a touch of noticeable lag before the motor really launches you. The motor is fairly quiet -- even at top speed or under high torque conditions.

On a steep 10% grade hill, the X7 climbed about as well as scooters with 250-watt to 350-watt motors. On steeper hills or if the hill is sustained, you can expect that you might have to help kick the scooter to keep progressing.

The Turboant has a claimed top speed of around 20 mph, and we were able to get very close to this. It gets up to 16 mph very quickly, then acceleration slows down as it creeps toward its top speed.

The X7 has a claimed 16 miles range, but in our experience, it will be closer to 9 miles for a realistic urban commute in Sport mode. In the Eco mode, you will get a longer range.

A cool feature of the X7 is that it is one of a growing number of scooters that have a removable battery. You can carry an additional battery with you for an extra 9 miles of real-world range.

The Turboant X7 has a triple-redundant braking system consisting of an electronic brake, disc brake, and foot brake.

A hand lever controls the electronic and disc brake simultaneously. The lever itself has some slop in it and noticeable brake cable drag when you pull down on it.

The electronic brake has about 1/2 second of lag. Out of the box, we had to tighten up the disc brake, which was loose and rubbing noise.

Overall, the redundancy is appreciated for safety reasons. The braking distance for this scooter is on par with other scooters in its price class.

During our Turboant review, we noted that it has very good ride quality on smooth roads. Thanks to the large pneumatic tires, the Turboant does provide some damping on rough roads, though you will still get some significant road vibrations.

Weighing in at 27 lbs, the Turboant is similar to other 350 watt electric scooters with removable battery packs. Because the stem is rather thick and is weighted due to the battery, the scooter is a little harder to carry than others.

The folded size is 42 inches by 17 inches by 17 inches — about the same as other compact scooters. This should be fairly easy to carry into a building and onto public transit. The main thing you have to pay attention to is the handlebars, which have a tendency to bump into things.

One of the shining features of the Turboant is a very sturdy stem folding mechanism. It is much thicker and stronger than other quick folding mechanisms like it.

When locked into place, there is nearly no play in the handlebars and steering feels really good.

The folding mechanism is a plastic twist collar (for added safety) and a standard metal latch.

To fold, you twist the safety collar then pull down the latch. Because the latch is fairly hefty, you'll have to pull quite hard to loosen it. This is the downside to having such a stiff stem with no wobble.

The neck of the scooter has a hook that engages with the rear fender, locking the scooter in a folded position for easy carrying.

The cockpit has a bright central LED display with simple controls for mode, lights, power, and changing the P-settings.

The rubberized throttle is nice and has power and mode buttons integrated into it. The throttle also integrates a cruise control feature that is enabled by default. This is good for long stretches of road but can catch you off guard (even with its audible beep).

The handlebars, which are one of the few things you have to install, are covered in textured rubber and have average quality. They have a tendency to loosen up while you are riding -- you may have to re-tighten them.

The X7 has the following P-settings that can be adjusted using the display console. There are speed units, cruise control, and kick (zero) start.

• P0: Mph / Kmh
• P1: Cruise Control On / Off
• P2: Kick Start Required On / Off

The X7 has both front and rear built-in LED lights. The taillight flashes when the brake is activated. Though these are sufficient to help you see at night, it is advisable to use a brighter light if you ride in the dark regularly.

For extra safety, we always recommend using additional lights.

We really like the Turboant's 8.5 inch tubeless pneumatic tires.

Tubeless tires have all the benefits of pneumatic tires, but have stronger sidewalls and are more flat resistant. You don't have to worry about pinch flats (where the inner tube becomes pinched internally and punctures). We also have a higher success rate repairing tubeless tires with tire slime.

Learn more: preventing and repairing flats with slime.

The Turboant's deck has 18 inches by 5.8 inches of standing space. The deck has 4 inches of ground clearance. The deck-to-handlebar height is 3.3 inches.

The deck is coated in a texted rubber finish that provides grip for your shoes, even in wet conditions.

The Turboant X7 has an IP rating (water resistance) of IP54. This means it can tolerate being splashed with water, but not being submerged.

The TurboAnt X7 has a max rider weight of 275 lbs, which is a bit higher than the Levy, an identical scooter with a 230 lb weight limit.

The X7 has good build quality, and the stem and folding mechanism are quite solid. Some of the little touches like the handlebars and other plastic pieces are just average. The scooter is quiet, and all mechanical parts are smooth.

The Turboant X7 is an inexpensive electric scooter with a removable battery pack that gives at least 9 miles of real-world range. The battery pack is light enough to carry an extra one in a backpack and can be installed when the scooter runs out of power.

The X7 has a sturdy folding mechanism, redundant brakes, and acceptable performance.

It is currently one of the cheapest electric scooters with a removable battery and a direct competitor to the Levy scooter (typically $100 more).

If you don't need a swappable battery or need something different, look at our alternatives to the TurboAnt. You can also check out our Editor’s pick of best electric scooters.