Verdict: Kugoo Kirin G3
Our editorial rating is based on product testing.
- attractive design and a sturdy build
- a comfortable ride even on slightly rougher terrain
- decent performance with a top speed of almost 50 km/h
- large and easy-to-read display
- shorter foot platform
- real range only around 35 km with an 85 kg rider
- no stable smartphone app
We tested a design-wise very attractive e-scooter, the Kugoo Kirin G3. It offers 1200 W power, TPU suspension, and an 18 Ah battery built on a 52 V system. However, this model received a lot of criticism due to a faulty production batch with poor performance. These issues are said to have been fixed already.
The look and specs are very enticing—so let’s take a closer look at what this scooter is like in real life. In our review, we’ll cover build quality, control feel, range, and your overall riding impression.
Where to buy Kugoo Kirin G3?
The reputable and well-liked online store Geekbuying has put the Kirin G3 electric scooter up for sale. It’s also available in a nearby Polish warehouse with express delivery, without having to pay extra VAT or customs duties upon delivery. Of course, there’s also our discount coupon, which brings the final price down even further.
KuKirin G3
TIPExpress delivery from the Czech warehouse with no customs duties and VAT.
This product will be delivered to you express from the local Czech warehouse. Delivery from Czechia usually takes 7-10 days and is handled by courier. On delivery, you don’t pay any additional fees—no customs duty and no VAT.
TIPExpress delivery from a European warehouse without customs duty and VAT.
This product will be delivered to you express from a local warehouse in Europe. Delivery from EU warehouses usually takes 2–10 days and is handled by a courier. When delivered, you don’t pay any extra fees—no customs duty or VAT.
TIPExpress delivery from the French warehouse with no customs duties or VAT.
This product will be delivered express from the local Spanish warehouse. Shipping from Spain usually takes 7-10 days and is handled by a courier. On delivery, you don’t pay any extra fees—no customs duty or VAT.
Technical specifications
Model Kugoo Kirin G3 Dimensions when folded 120 x 55 x 66 cm Dimensions when unfolded 120 x 129 x 66 cm Weight 25 kg Power motor 1200 W Maximum speed 50 km/h Lights height 18 cm Maximum weight 100 kg Battery 52 V 18 Ah Charging 8 – 10 hours Range 60 km Tires 10" air Maximum climb 30° Water resistance IPX4 certification
Packaging contents & quality
The Kugoo Kirin G3 scooter was delivered to us by a DPD courier in a large box with dimensions 120 x 29 x 59.5 cm and a weight of approximately 31 kg. We praise the manufacturer for the double packaging, which essentially means the scooter was packed in two boxes—so it’s more protected against damage during shipping.
Also included are a few shaped foam reinforcements that prevent the scooter from moving unintentionally inside the box. The box holds the scooter in the folded state, with the handlebars and the rear fender disassembled.
In the package, besides the scooter, you’ll find the charging cable with an adapter, the screws needed for assembly, and a pair of keys for tightening the screws.
Build quality and design
The Kugoo Kirin G3 e-scooter has an all-metal body and looks very robust, which should ensure high durability. We’ll look at each individual component in more detail in separate chapters, but for now, let’s go over at least the basic features.
A new model from the Kugoo brand immediately catches the eye with its attractive design and the combination of black and orange. From a design perspective, this model really stands out—on the streets it clearly draws the attention of passers-by, especially other scooter riders.
The front and rear wheel mounts are in a vivid orange TPU plastic, which also offers interesting TPU suspension with an attractive design and a solid build. The rear fender also impresses—you can brace one foot on it while riding. The handlebars are comfortably wide, and the middle section is dominated by a large display. You’ll also appreciate the light height of 18 cm.
We didn’t miss the issues either
Even our orders sometimes aren’t without problems related to filing a complaint about the goods. We received the Kugoo Kirin G3 scooter at the end of February, but reviewing this unit would have been very negative.
After all, the Kugoo brand put a faulty batch on sale that came with several problems. Even a Facebook group was created called Kugoo Kirin G3 Nightmare, where unfortunate owners complain about the same issues we noticed as well.
The first issue was weak performance that didn’t resemble an e-scooter with a 1200 W motor at all. The display did show a speed around 50 km/h, but in reality, based on GPS, it was more like 35 km/h. Another problem was the throttle controller in the form of a rotating lever, but it worked more like an on/off switch. So the e-scooter either went at full power or not at all. No throttle regulation was possible.
Many owners of this new model also complain about a low-quality control unit, the so-called controller, which blows after just a few kilometers. We didn’t have this problem.
After agreement with the seller, we sent the e-scooter back to Poland, from where it arrived. The seller promised to send us a second unit for testing as soon as they resolved these issues. They kept their word, and that’s how we received a repaired model in which the mentioned problems were fixed.
Of course, with the new e-scooter we had a smaller accident right during the first test. Somewhere while riding, we lost one of the screws that held the front disc brake caliper in place, and when we braked sharply in an emergency, the bracket for the caliper broke. The screw was probably loose from the start, because no other screw showed any play. The seller sent us a new brake.
Folding the e-scooter and riding modes
As we already mentioned in the introduction, the Kugoo Kirin G3 e-scooter comes in the box in a folded state. We’ll get it into the unfolded position by simply lifting the handlebar and securing it in the joint. Here, the manufacturer chose an interesting but impractical locking system. The joint where the handlebar bends is secured by screwing in a fairly long threaded rod with a reflective front light. Screwing it in takes quite a while, so it’s impractical for us.
Before the first ride, we still had to mount the rear fender, which is secured with a pair of screws, and also the handlebars, for which we needed 5 screws – 2 on the sides and one in front. It’s nothing difficult, and plus all the screws and keys are included in the package.
The e-scooter offers 3 riding modes with maximum speeds of 25, 35, and 50 km/h. Switching between modes is done using one of the touch buttons on the display — specifically the middle one. The modes are numbered from 1 to 3.
Ride comfort
What most readers probably want to know is how the e-scooter rides, what kind of performance it has, and what overall impression it makes. We have to admit that thanks to the wide air tires, the ride is very comfortable and pleasant. Specifically, it’s tire size 10 x 2.75 – 6.5.
Right from the start, the e-scooter looks big and robust, which is also reflected in the fairly high position of the handlebars that can’t be adjusted for height. However, that gives them higher rigidity and stability. The handlebars are 123.5 cm above the ground and have a generous width of 66 cm. The grips are made of soft rubber with an anti-slip surface, so they feel comfortable to hold as well.
A small downside could be the shorter space for your feet, which is slightly unusual in that the platform smoothly continues onto the bulky rear fender, which is also meant for bracing one of your legs. If you’ve seen the presentation video of this e-scooter, you definitely know what we’re talking about. If not, you can watch the video here as well. We, however, didn’t try this riding style.
We do have to admit that without using the rear fender as a footrest, both feet didn’t fit on the platform comfortably side by side. Only if we put both feet very close together next to each other, since the platform is wide enough. But at higher speeds, this position isn’t very good. We had to get used to having one foot raised on the fender for a bit longer. Still, it’s really a matter of personal preference.
Power and maximum speed
The Kugoo Kirin G3 electric e-scooter has a 1200 W motor mounted at the back, which should provide better acceleration and more interesting riding characteristics. However, acceleration from zero is weaker than we expected, but the e-scooter eventually picks up speed nicely. The manufacturer states a maximum speed of 50 km/h. We verified the speed using a smartphone with a downloaded speedometer app that uses GPS.
At lower speeds, the difference between the scooter’s display speed and the real speed measured by GPS was about 3 km/h. At higher speeds, the difference increased to roughly 6 – 7 km/h. The highest speed we managed to reach was 46 km/h on a longer straight with a rider weighing 80 kg.
The e-scooter has enough power even for steeper climbs. Subjectively, we felt the power was sufficient on hills. The manufacturer states a maximum climbing grade of 30°, so we tried measuring the slope of the hill using a smartphone app, but we were surprised that even hills that look genuinely steep only had a grade of about 12°. The steepest hill we found in the city had a slope of 15°.
A hill with that kind of gradient really tested the scooter, but without any run-up it still climbed it at about 15 km/h. That’s why we’re worried that a 30-degree climb would be beyond its capability, and that the manufacturer’s figure is exaggerated.
Display, suspension, and brakes
A large display in the middle of the handlebars is their dominant feature and grabs your attention at first glance. The current speed is shown in the center, but you’ll also find other interesting information here, such as the engine temperature, its voltage, and the battery voltage as well. There’s also an indication of the distance covered and the currently active mode. It’s a shame that the battery status is displayed only graphically as ten segments of the battery symbol, but the current voltage is still helpful—it also lets you gauge the battery level.
The display also has a set of three touch buttons. They’re used to control the lights, switch riding modes, and toggle between speed units (km/h or mph).
As for the suspension, it’s located both at the front and at the rear. This is the so-called TPU suspension (plastic), which works quite well and is fairly soft. The ride was comfortable, and wide tires also help with that.
With easier terrain like gravel paths or forest paths, the e-scooter handles it easily. On rougher terrain with lots of stones, it starts to feel much more jarring—the shocks are transferred noticeably into your hands and your whole body.
Mechanical, i.e., cable-actuated disc brakes are on both the front and rear, along with 140 mm rotors. Their braking performance is sufficient, and in both cases—whether you use the front or the rear brake—the electronic motor brake also engages.
After riding on rough terrain, we recommend checking all the screws, especially the ones tightened right after unboxing. These are the screws that hold the handlebars and the fender. They tend to loosen quite noticeably. One solution for worry-free riding is also to lock the screws in place with thread-locking adhesive.
Range & charging
The manufacturer specifies a maximum range of 60 km. As we all know, the range quoted by manufacturers is in most cases unattainable in real everyday conditions, and it’s often just a little over half of the advertised paper figure. The battery is based on 52 V and has 18 Ah.
Of course, we measured the range using the Runkeeper app on our smartphone and compared the recorded value with the one shown on the e-scooter display. We rode through the streets of Košice and the suburban areas, and on a single charge we covered almost 34 km according to GPS. During a short photo break, the app paused the activity, so the activity is split into two parts, with approximately 1 km missing.
The scooter’s display showed a distance of 39 km and the remaining battery capacity was around 10 %, since of the ten segments in the graphical display, only one was left. Based on the battery voltage, it should be a bit more. So the range isn’t anything mind-blowing, and at this price range we would have been more pleased with a battery with higher capacity. Charging takes about 10 – 11 hours.
Lighting and a smartphone app
This design e-scooter also comes with an unusual lighting setup. The front, white lights are located on both sides of the front part of the deck. Their low placement ensures you won’t blind people who are coming toward you.
The rear, red light is integrated into the fender, and it blinks when you press the brake. There’s also side lighting on the foot platform—the orange strips along the sides light up with white light.
The Kugoo Kirin G3 also has Bluetooth, but the official stable app is still in development. The manufacturer has so far only made a beta version of the Android app available, which you can download for example from this link. We tested it on several smartphones, but on all of them, after connecting the scooter, the app kept returning to the scooter search screen.
For this reason, we couldn’t test it. It should still display the current speed, battery capacity in percentages, the speedometer status, and offer start settings without kick-off, scooter lock, and cruise control.
Kugoo Kirin G3: Final assessment
The Kugoo Kirin G3 is a very attractive e-scooter design-wise, especially for a younger generation. It stands out with a bold orange color, where the TPU suspension arms are showcased in particular, along with a solid, bulky overall build.
A 1200 W motor located at the rear will take care of the maximum speed of 50 km/h, which is definitely not bad. We managed to reach a top speed of 46 km/h with a rider weighing 85 kg. You’ll appreciate the high and wide handlebars with good grips, a pair of disc brakes, as well as a clear and large display.
However, with maximum power, the real range is around 35 km, which isn’t that much. We would’ve liked a battery with a higher capacity and a working smartphone app that’s still in development. We also weren’t happy about the initial issues related to a faulty batch—they’ve been fixed, but they still present a certain risk.
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