Segway Kickscooter ZT3 Pro: On and offroad fun

Sure, all of the best electric scooters do well on pavement, but what about when you want to literally travel off the beaten path? That’s where scooters like the Segway ZT3 Pro come in; this model has grippy 11-inch tires, a beefy suspension, and the ability to get up hills as steep as 25%.

It’s as capable on the road, too, with a top speed of 25 miles per hour and a max range of 43 miles — though it was far shorter the way I rode the scooter. And, you also get some nice add-ons like Apple FindMy, which helps protect your investment. So, should you pick up the Segway ZT3 Pro, or go for another road-worthy option?

Segway ZT3 Pro review: Price and availability

The ZT3 Pro went on sale in the fall of 2024; its list price is $1,049, but you can find it on sale for $949.

Segway ZT3 Pro review: Design

From the beefy 11-inch tires to the dual suspension to the massive “X”-shaped light in the front, this is a lot of scooter. It feels like it could eat the Unagi Model One for breakfast, but still be hungry. Weighing in at 65.5 pounds, this is not a scooter you’ll be taking up any stairs.

And with good reason: The ZT3 Pro is designed to be taken pretty much anywhere, on-road or off. It has front and rear disc brakes — though they’re cable-operated, not hydraulic, as with Segway’s higher-end GT series — and its front suspension has six inches of travel. The tubeless air-filled tires are nice and grippy, and the whole machine has a water resistance rating of IPX5, which means you can ride it in the rain and splash through some puddles, but you shouldn’t take it through serious amounts of water.

Aside from its bulk, the ZT3 Pro’s large X-shaped running light in the front is certain to attract attention. There are also some pretty slick red accents along the base of this otherwise all-black scooter.

On the left handlebar is a large circular pad with buttons to turn the scooter on, activate the headlight and turn signals and change the riding mode. The center has a spacious color display, while the right has a thumb throttle and traditional handbrake.

Segway ZT3 Pro review: Performance

The ZT3’s top speed is 24.9 MPH, so it’s not as fast as the Apollo City (32 MPH), but it was fast enough to keep up with some local traffic.

It’s a very torque-y motor, especially on the low end. I found that if I were riding and tapped the accelerator just so, the ZT3 would jolt me forward; it took some getting used to.

The ZT3 handles hills well. The only one it had trouble with was when I tried climbing up a grass-covered hill that had an incline of around 20%, which is close to the scooter’s max of 25%. The ZT3 slowed to around 4 MPH, but I was able to keep up my momentum by turning the scooter slightly to make the ascent a bit less steep.

Thanks to its 6-inch suspension, the ride felt very stable and comfortable the entire time I was rumbling over the grass; potholes were no problem for it, either.

Segway ZT3 Pro review: Battery life

Segway says that the ZT3 has a max range of 43.5 miles — if you’re cruising at a very leisurely 9.3 miles per hour. If, however, you’re zipping along at its max speed of 24.9 MPH, you’ll get about 18.6 miles before you need a recharge.

I rode the scooter fairly aggressively at or near its top speed, and climbed some steep hills along the way for 6.7 miles, and had 44% battery life remaining. If we were to extrapolate that, I’d get about 15.2 miles, which is a little below Segway’s estimate, but fairly accurate, all things considering.

Segway ZT3 Pro review: App and extra features

Like most other scooters, the ZT3 connects to an app via Bluetooth that lets you customize the performance of the scooter, and has some security features, too. For instance, you can set the max speed for each of the ZT3’s riding levels, adjust the level of regenerative braking, and turn on features like traction control and hill parking.

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I also like, though, that there’s a remote locking function — the scooter won’t activate unless you’re in Bluetooth range — and it has Apple FindMy, in case someone makes off with your ride.

Segway ZT3 Pro review: Verdict

When it comes to offroad electric scooters, there are some truly outlandish models with massive tires, dual-fork downtubes, and crazy-powerful 2000W motors. The Segway ZT3 Pro isn’t quite that — look elsewhere for your doomsday prepper needs — but it will provide a lot of fun for someone who wants to do more than just scooting to and from work.

While we haven’t tested it, the GoTrax GX1 ($999 at GoTrax) is around the same price as ZT3 and has a faster top speed of 30 MPH (as well as dual 600W motors), but weighs 76 pounds and has slightly smaller 10-inch tires — and arguably doesn’t look as cool as the Segway.

If you’re not the offroading type, it’s worth checking out the Segway Max G2 or the NIU KQi3 Max, which offer similar on-road performance but a longer range for around the same price or less. But, if you want to have a little more fun, then the ZT3 is worth a look.