I test electric scooters for a living — and my No. 1 pick is 60% off at Best Buy

NIU KQi Air with deal tag — (Image credit: Future)

I've tested scores of electric scooters for our best electric scooters buying guide; my garage is so full, there's no place to park my car. If you've been eyeing a new ride to get you around town, Amazon's Prime Day is a good opportunity to get an electric scooter at a lower price before the weather gets too cold.

And, not all of the deals can be found at Amazon. Take for instance, the NIU KQi Air, which is now just $599 at Best Buy. This electric scooter is the top pick in our guide, and now that it's 60% off, there's never been a better time to pick one up.

There's a good reason the NIU KQi Air is just $599; the scooter itself came out in 2023, and it's marked as clearance at Best Buy and is unavailable at Amazon, so I have reason to think that the company is going to come out with a newer model soon.

But that doesn't make this one any less awesome. It has a good top speed of 20 MPH, and a max range of around 31 MPH — your use will vary — but what really put this scooter at the top of my list is its weight. At 26.2 pounds, it's one of the lightest scooters you'll find with this kind of performance.

The KQi Air also has some other really great features; while it lacks suspension, its 9.5-inch tubeless tires delivered a smooth ride. It has a bright headlight and turn signals in the handlebars, so cars can see which way you're going.

It also has several security measures, including NFC cards to unlock the scooter, an alarm if the scooter is moved, and Bluetooth unlocking.

For more details on the scooter, you should check out my full NIU KQi Air review; it was a real treat testing it out, and was one of the few scooters I was sad to return. When it first came out, the NIU KQi Air cost around $1,100 to $1,400, so to be able to get it for just $599 is a real bargain.

And for more discounts, check out our Amazon Prime Day deals live blog right now.

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Michael A. Prospero is the U.S. Editor-in-Chief for Tom’s Guide. He oversees all evergreen content and oversees the Homes, Smart Home, and Fitness/Wearables categories for the site. In his spare time, he also tests out the latest drones, electric scooters, and smart home gadgets, such as video doorbells. Before his tenure at Tom's Guide, he was the Reviews Editor for Laptop Magazine, a reporter at Fast Company, the Times of Trenton, and, many eons back, an intern at George magazine. He received his undergraduate degree from Boston College, where he worked on the campus newspaper The Heights, and then attended the Columbia University school of Journalism. When he’s not testing out the latest running watch, electric scooter, or skiing or training for a marathon, he’s probably using the latest sous vide machine, smoker, or pizza oven, to the delight — or chagrin — of his family.

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