NIU - Niu KQi Air

Sure..it's honest review..but it does have a Major flaw and you glossed over it.. You can't turn off the security system..any movement sets off alarms..lights..locks the wheel..This is really a major issue.. Has it been addressed by Niu..is there a work around.. This really matters

Just unboxed a Niu KQI air and it’s a beautiful carbon fiber model that weighs just 26 lbs. so far so good it’s a sweet ride for sure 👍🏼

I just bought an Niu KQI air for $599 at Best Buy wish me luck 🍀 when I first saw this carbon fiber model that weighs 26 lbs it was $1499. Arrived today ….

Best Buy had it as a clearance item and that’s why it’s less. On the niu website it’s $900 so I took a chance it’s my first e scooter and I’m an older (don’t ask) first time rider so I better be damn careful. 🤞

I think MSRP right now is USD $1200, but I ordered it for just under a grand during BF sales.

Thank you! Honestly, its exceeding expectations so far! Product description seems to be accurate. I’m able to go 20 mph, and even though cruise control wasn’t a factor in my purchase, it’s been really delightful. At 15mph+ the scooter’s weight basically disappears, so its almost as if you’re riding on nothing, haha. I was unsure about going for a tubeless tire one before, but honestly its greatly improved the comfort of riding. I’d tried the Unagi Voyager before which has solid tires. Tested this one on the same path, and the Unagi was a significantly bumpier ride.

Thank you! Looking forward to zooming it around.

Thanks! Been amazing so far. It’s the NIU kQi Air.

I’ve been liking my kqi air from niu and it comes recommended by some in this sub, thats where I got my inspiration. I got mine for similiar reasons, it is 27 lbs due to carbon fiber and manageable for me to carry in the supermarket while grabbing a few things, though I could lock it outside with a bike lock for a short time. I should note this is a good 10-15 lbs lighter than most similiarly specced scooters, and I can still fairly easily manage it as a someome with less upper body strength. It is not ultracompact though, it is closer to full size, but i guess the idea is you are ridiing it to/from the bus or train it is seems pretty manageable. I can’t speak for long term maint as I am a new user.

that's funny I sold one of my scooters earlier this month, same exact model NIU KQi Air lol I doubt you were the buyer unless you're in Ireland

I’ve logged seat time on most of the 2025 releases—Apollo City, NIU KQi Air, Vsett 10+, etc.—and the pattern is the same as last year: the lighter you go, the more you sacrifice ride comfort after the first five miles. For pure fun I’d still grab the Vsett (suspension wins), but if weight matters the KQi Air is the one you can haul up apartment stairs without regret. Source: [https://thetoyz.com/kids-electric-scooters/](https://thetoyz.com/kids-electric-scooters/)

I had good experience with NIU and Segway scooters, specifically: Segway Ninebot Max G30LP - 10,000km - no problems (at around 9800km the back fender broke, but it got crashed by elevator doors, so does not really count :D ) NIU KQi2 Pro - 2700km - no major problems since 500km+, few initial issues (full journey https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLb3q9WiQZ0LOACttdyEq-Enat4eUqCLnt ) NIU KQi Air - 2000km - no problems with scooter (few issues with NIU app, did not affect riding of scooter) (full details https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zW9nK3h6FKY ) VDM-10 - around 3000km - zoom brakes had to be replaced, DIY fenders added to keep suspension clean; otherwise still going strong;

I've been riding the KQi Air for nearly 2000km and its by far my favourite all round commuter scooter. Have fun with the new scooter.

I ordered a NIU KQi Air on amazon just now and possibly lucked out with pricing. Perhaps my experience will help others shopping around. I have a personal amazon Prime login, but also a separate business login (same Prime account, but a separate login for Business that Amazon allows just to keep personal and business purchases separately). On my personal amazon login, the price for 2024 Air/Grey is $1,399, although Best Buy has it at $1,149 and NIU's official store has it at $1,049. It seems like everyone has a random number generator for price! Anyway, then I get on my amazon business login and it shows $899 for price! And on top of that, it says I can "Save 18% at checkout". I went ahead and ordered it for a final price of $737.18 before California sales tax. It is supposed to be here in 2 days. I hope it all works out. The price seems so random. I haven't really shopped around for this or any scooter before. I was looking for one for my adult son to ride about 1.5 miles to the bus stop and carry it on the bus easily. The review by u/RasmusHax was really helpful in picking this NIU KQi Air. Thank you.

I've kept it. It has been working well, about 250 miles so far. The only service issue I've run in to is the screw that fastens the end cap on the right side of the handlebar loosened in normal use and fell off. I've asked NIU Support to send me a couple of screws. It should be a 10 second fix once I have the right screw. Maybe a little Loctite will help. The scooter is still usable, but the end cap slides off sometimes. For those who value lightweight and portability over everything else, I still think this is the best ride and build quality scooter in the market. If weight is not a big consideration, there are a ton of options at much lower prices.

I don't know if they fixed the issue of false alarm triggers. But, I have made it a non-issue by turning off audible alarm in the app settings. That setting has been there from Day 1 for me. Perhaps that didn't exist in older versions of the app? Anyway, when audible alarm is turned off, the lights blink, but there is no sound.

Here's an option: NIU KQi Air is 26 lbs, folds, and is UL2272. I have had one for a couple of months (less than 200 miles) and like it so far. It is designed and made well. Yes, service is remote. They list a store in NYC, but I don't think it exists. One way to do this is to order on amazon so you can easily return or swap within the next couple of months if there is an issue and take a chance that future hardware service may need sending the scooter in and waiting a few weeks. Perhaps you can go back to your Citibike rental for a short time if that happens. It is a compromise of course, but I think the scooter is a good one for your needs.

I couldn't agree more. I store it in a small apartment and unfortunately the lights flash at all sorts of random times for no good reason. Having the thing lock up and start flashing when trying to put it in the elevator is a PITA but the only alternative is to turn it on which is a weird look when getting into the elevator.

I have this scooter. That's an amazing price. The only thing I don't like about this scooter is the twist throttle, but that's subjective. It's mostly the same as the KQI3 Pro except way lighter and newer tech... and it's cheaper? buy it now! You can always return it if you change your mind.

kqi air is the best lightweight scooter, but it is pricey and it wont fold as compactly as the one in your picture

I have 2 KQI NIU Airs and while they don’t have huge wheels I love how light they are. Taking it up and down the stairs is effortless.

I just got the NIU Air from Best Buy. I would highly recommend going this route based on what you have described as your use case. Should get 15 - 20 miles for an avg sized individual. I really like it. Had a few issues getting it set up but chatgpt walked me through getting my Bluetooth set up. No issues in my first week and am very impressed with how light it is. Don't wait, you can always test it out and return. I don't think you'll find anything as good for 600. I looked but all other options had more compromises (mainly solid tires which I am not a fan of).

It’s been my commuter for the whole past year and I love it too. Although I’ve only done 1000 km on it.

I love my kqi air. A mini NY standard kryptonite lock weighs 4.5 lbs but added to 26.4 for the scooter is very doable. Had it for 3 months or so to replace a steady stream of lime rentals.

Sound like it's time to learn how to replace a tire. Is the overheating happening while you ride it or charge it? My charger would always get warm, but I've never felt my scooter itself get warm. Maybe upgrade to a better charger and see if that resolves the heat issue if it's happening during charging, just be careful to get the right charger tho. I was actually able to upgrade to a fast charger, which helps compensate for the battery range. Double check the specifications tho, and I babysat the charger and watched it charge for the first time just to be sure it was safe. Tbh, I still have no idea what a hall sensor is or does or even what kind of problems a broken hall sensor would cause. You're on your own with that one. My advice is that it's better to beat up your cheap scooter while you're learning than having all these issues on a scooter that costs twice as much. Obviously, don't keep using it if it's unsafe or anything, but riding a janky scooter will help you get a better idea of what you want in your next scooter. I know that if I had to carry the thing up several flights of stairs, I'd be looking at lightweights like Niu Air.

I've got a [NIU KQi Air](https://youtu.be/vdpU3ElzLLM?si=9Bbwjrz3Ijf-EFpv) on order. I've tried some other e-scooters in the past but they were either way too heavy or way too flimsy and unstable with not enough range. This one is the first of its kind and comes in at 11.9 kg/26 lbs while allegedly retaining a solid build with a solid ride feel. Has a real/practical range equivalent to that of an AT wheel eskate with a battery twice the size, or ~800 Wh. And manages to do that at a weight at least 3 kg/6.6 lbs under that of its range equivalent AT wheel e-skate. Tons of nifty stuff like an alarm and a headlight strong enough to light up a small city. Guessing this will become standard pretty soon. If it pans out, I wont be using e-skates as commuters anymore. The compromises just aren't worth it. AT wheels, even though they absolutely suck and dilute road feel, are more less a necessary safety and comfort feature on European roads, which almost comes standard with cobblestone and stuff. And I'm guessing also US roads which are less than pedestrian friendly with poorly maintained bike paths and sidewalks. Plus speed is really limited if you're not in motocross gear, so you're not getting any of the benefits of a higher top speed, if anything you will be riding the e-scooter safely at higher speeds than the e-skate. So as commuters I think e-skates are pretty much doomed in large parts of the world with these new gen ultralight scooters. Ironically though, it makes your boards far more viable to me personally. It doesn't make sense to ride a heavy board with a stiff set-up and AT wheels if I'm using it purely for recreation. At 8 kgs I can throw an Aero X on my back and use the scooter to ride over the cobblestone and other stuff I have to navigate in order to get down to the smooth bike path at the beach. And then I can just enjoy a comfortable cruise without having to worry about saving range to get back home, or how the 80 mm PU wheels will cope with the not so smooth road. So you kind of built the perfect non-commuter board for that purpose. ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯

I’ve had my air for 6mo and love it. Got it because of the portability, and it would be a drag carrying anything much heavier around tight corners or up steps regularly. Speed and distance are as much as I would ever need. It’s got no suspension, so you feel all of the bumps on rough surfaces, but smooth roads are fantastic. I was in a hotel for a month and could Cary it in the door and up the elevator with no problem.

RS6 ultra 2900. What I bought. Upgrading from a Nui Kqi

As a fan of AliExpress since before Amazon sold more than just books, I still wouldn’t buy a rideable from there. You want some level of reliability and good reputation. For your budget, you’ré looking at Niu kqi or Inmotion products. Way less maintenance and better value than any ebike or diy kit. I use all the PEV’s and generally recommend an escooter for most people thinking they want an ebike. If they can get away with the range, escooter is way better value. For $1,000, you get a junky ebike but a pretty good scooter. Feel free to use my coupon code, Funcentric if you decide to go with an Inmotion product.