Navee ST3 Pro Electric Scooter Review: Personal Mobility for the Masses
This well-built e-scooter offers convenience and fun in an easy-to-like package.
Image Caption: Photo Credit: Navee
A few months back, we tested and reviewed the Segway SuperScooter GT3 Pro electric scooter, which we found to be packed with features and incredibly fun to ride. But we also thought it was far too heavy and pricey for most mainstream buyers, making it hard to recommend to anyone but thrills seekers with extra income. But it was clear that our review piqued the interest of readers who were looking for an affordable alternative that offered similar levels of convenience. For them, we present the Navee ST3 Pro, which won’t thrill you with its speed and acceleration, but will deliver good, reliable performance and built quality at a price that is much more approachable.
Photo Credit: Kraig Becker
Personal Mobility Comes of Age
There has been a lot of talk in recent years about the concept of “personal mobility.” This topic covers a broad range of types of transportation, including wheelchairs, e-bikes, and electric scooters. The idea is to give people an alternative way to get around that doesn’t always involve using their cars. E-scooters are a great example of this, because they are lightweight, safe, and easy to operate, while allowing riders to navigate an urban environment to run errands, explore their surroundings, or just for the joy of getting outside. It is part of the reason why we’ve seen so many scooter rental options pop up over the past decade.
The Navee ST3 Pro delivers on the promise of personal mobility using a suite of features designed to add convenience and simplicity to your life. The scooter features a 1,350W electric motor powered by a 597Wh lithium battery. These two components combine to give it a range of about 46 miles on a single charge. They also give it a top speed of up to 25 MPH, along with controlled accelerations and the ability to climb slopes of up to a 28% gradient.
The ST3 Pro also comes with a damping arm suspension and 10” self-sealing tires, both of which help smooth out a ride over bumpy terrain. The scooter has a triple braking system consisting of a front drum brake, rear disc brake, and a rear EABS (electric antilock braking system), which helps maintain control and stopping distances, even when going downhill or gliding over wet or slick surfaces. A bright headlight, rear tail light, turn signals, and ambient side lighting are much appreciated when riding in darker conditions, making riders more visible to drivers and other pedestrians.
Riders can unlock additional features and settings using the Navee app on their smartphone. Once paired, the app allows users to turn the scooter on and off, monitor battery life, activate cruise control, and access a number of other settings. Those include adjusting the lights, adding the ST3 Pro to Apple’s Find My network, or having it lock and unlock based on your proximity. You can even tune the scooter’s energy recovery system, which allows you to return some kinetic energy when braking back to the battery, extending your range in the process. That’s a handy feature to have, but it does reduce how far you can coast and makes braking in general more aggressive and abrupt.
Photo Credit: Kraig Becker
Real World Performance
It’s one thing to list a bunch of specs on the box and quite another to see how they perform in the real world. Variables like speed, gradient, temperature, and the weight of the rider will all impact the scooter’s range and battery life. In other words, riding on steep inclines and higher speeds will drain the battery faster than cruising along on a flat road or riding at a slower speed.
Thankfully, the Navee ST3 Pro delivers good performance during typical use case scenarios. As a heavier rider, I didn’t expect to get the full 46 miles of range that the brand advertised, but was pleasantly surprised to easily get 35 miles of travel out of a single charge. That was riding on both flat and hilly surfaces, usually using the scooter’s Eco mode setting, which tops out at around 12 MPH. Jumping up to Sport mode increased the overall speed to 16 MPH, but battery life took a noticeable hit. It should be noted that igher speeds can be unlocked using the scooter’s configuration menu, but again, they come at the expense of battery life. The e-scooter also comes with a Pedestrian mode for when you’re moving it while on foot.
Adjusting the ST3 Pro’s Energy Recovery System (aka regenerative brakes) can help extend battery life to some degree. Navee says it will return as much as 15% of the kinetic energy from braking back into the power cells. By default, the ERS is set to low, giving riders a minimal amount of energy regeneration. Turning the settings to high definitely feels like it provides better range, but as noted above, it takes some getting use to how this impacts your ride.
Usually when you let off the throttle on an e-scooter, you’ll continue coasting along as it takes a few seconds for it to fully decelerate to a stop. On the highest ERS setting, the coasting time and distance of the ST3 Pro is much shorter, and stopping can feel somewhat abrupt. Once you get used to it, having the ERS on high may be worth it for some riders looking to achieve as much range as possible, but I suspect most will find the medium setting to be the sweet spot in terms of energy returned, coasting distance and natural braking.
Photo Credit: Kraig Becker
Other Features
I’m happy to report that the Navee ST3 Pro’s other features worked flawlessly during testing. That includes the Apple Find Me Tracking, which comes in very handy for keeping tabs on where the scooter is at all times. This is a feature that is appearing on more and more scooters and e-bikes, adding piece of mind for owners and serving as a great theft deterrent. We’ve found that having this feature turned on can impact battery life, however, so there are some trade offs for its use.
The ST 3 Pro’s controls are simple and accessible, too. The handlebars include a pair of comfortable grips, and the brakes are easy to reach and control. A single power button turns the scooter on and off and cycles through the three different ride modes (Eco, Sport, Pedestrian), while a thumb throttle activates the motor and regulates speed. Maintaining the same speed for a few seconds automatically turns on the cruise control, which means you can take your thumb off the throttle altogether. A bright, vibrant screen is easy to read and clutter-free, indicating speed, battery life, ride mode, and more, all at a glance. There’s even a built-in bell to let others know you’re approaching.
One other feature of importance is the scooter’s foldable frame, which reduces the size of the Navee ST3 Pro when storing it in your garage or a even a closet. This also makes it easy to load and unload from a vehicle, allowing owners to easily transport it in a truck bed, RV cargo bay, or the trunk of a car. The unit is quite heavy at 55.8 lbs, which can make it a bit awkward and bulky at times, but it is still much lighter than the Segway SuperScooter mentioned above.
While not a feature exactly, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the build quality of the Navee ST3 Pro. While it isn’t as rugged and durable as Segway’s offering, it is still much sturdier than most other models on the market. In a sense, Navee struck a balance between weight and durability, finding a sweet spot somewhere in the middle. The result is a scooter that should provide many years of convenience and fun at a price point designed to appeal to a wider audience.
Photo Credit: Kraig Becker
A Few Rough Edges
While overall, we are very impressed with what Navee has delivered with the ST3 Pro, there are a few issues worth mentioning. For instance, while the scooter will indeed climb slopes of up to 28% max gradient, it loses much of its speed and power along the way. Longer, steeper hills can feel like a real struggle at times as the e-scooter slows to a crawl. I never ran into any issues with it stopping altogether, but it doest take a notable hit to performance. To the point where it may be faster just to get off and push in some instances.
The ST3 Pro’s acceleration isn’t all that quick either, which is fine most of the time, but can be disconcerting when crossing a busy street, for example. And unlike other e-scooters, when stopped, this model doesn’t engage the motor just by pressing the throttle. Instead, you have to kickstart it to a degree, getting it up to speed before the motor activates. While this is an understandable safety feature, it isn’t always ideal if you’re using it on city streets and want to get back up to speed as quickly as possible.
Charging times are a bit of a disappointment as well. Navee estimates that it takes about ten hours to fully recharge the scooter, and from our testing that seems about accurate. We never let our review unit fully run out of juice, but it still took quite a long time to recharge. Plugging it in overnight was the best way to have a full battery for use the following day; otherwise, you may find yourself waiting a while before setting out on a trip where maximum range may be needed.
Photo Credit: Navee
The E-Scooter for the Rest of Us
Unlike that other electric scooter we reviewed, the Navee ST3 Pro isn’t going to blow you away with its speed and acceleration. That said, most riders are likely to prefer the more controlled and approachable ride that they’ll find here. The ST3 Pro is plenty speedy for most people’s needs, while also offering a smooth, comfortable ride that never seems out of control. This is a scooter that’s built for riders who aren’t necessarily looking for a thrill, but want a reliable personal mobility device that can get them from Point A to Point B without any issues. You’ll get that all of that here, and a whole lot more.
We really like the tech features, comfort, range, and power that this scooter has to offer, especially at this price point. The ST3 Pro has an MSRP of $950 (currently on sale for $855 as of this writing), which is still a hefty investment. But compared to the budget models that you’ll find elsewhere, this scooter delivers a lot more reliability, performance and features. The ST3 Pro is built to last, without being overly heavy or bulky. And thanks to its folding frame, it is easy to transport in an RV, truck, SUV, or car, making it a convenient option to take just about anywhere.
If you’re looking for a personal mobility device that you can use around the campground, running short errands, or just for a leisurely outing, you’ll find a lot to love in the Navee ST3 Pro. It is simple to operate, a lot of fun to use, and built for years of riding. To find out more, visit the Navee website.
Kraig Becker is a writer in the RV, outdoors, and adventure travel space. Over the course of his career he has contributed to such outlets as Popular Mechanics, Outside Online, Business Insider, TripSavvy, Digital Trends, GearJunkie, The Adventure Blog, and countless others. An avid runner and cyclist, he enjoys camping, hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, and just about any other outdoor activity. His travels have taken him to seven continents and on many amazing adventures.
