E-Twow GT Premium SE V2 test: an enduring city electric scooter

At first glance, you might think that E-Twow electric scooters follow and resemble each other. In fact, the brand’s machines have been using similar lines for several years. The finishes remain neat and the materials used seem rather robust. Despite the many moving parts for advanced folding of the scooter, we do not deplore any play, even in the handles.

The handlebar height can be adjusted to three positions. The first allows it to peak at 85 cm above the deck, while the highest climbs to 99 cm. An amplitude that will satisfy most users under 1.85 m. The scooter has a longer deck than a model like the Booster S+: from 43 cm, it becomes 51 cm long and about fifteen centimeters wide. It therefore offers all the space necessary to accommodate two feet in size 43 and ensure a comfortable driving position. The front and rear mudguards effectively protect against possible water splashes.

E-Twow’s desire to deliver a compact electric scooter pushes the GT Premium to keep a handlebar only 38 cm wide. As a result, the hands are too close to each other for perfect balance. A situation accentuated by the position of the acceleration and magnetic brake triggers, placed on either side of the central housing. Using your thumbs to operate them does not allow you to maintain a perfect grip on the handlebars. This is not very annoying for the accelerator, but more disabling for the brake.

We thought adding a standard brake lever operating a drum placed on the rear wheel would fix the problem. When pressing the accelerator with the thumb, keeping the index and middle finger on the brake lever is very uncomfortable. It would have been better to place the brake trigger on the left. Otherwise, the handles are comfortable and their grippy coating, even when the hands are wet from a light rain.

A small LCD screen is present on the top of the central housing. It displays information such as instantaneous speed, distance travelled, headlights on and battery level. A thermometer is also included, but the values ​​communicated are not very precise. The buttons placed on the front of the case allow you to activate a buzzer, to control the lighting of the headlights, to navigate in the menus, and to turn the scooter on and off. The horn is not easy to activate in an emergency and the sound it produces is not always well identified by users of the public highway as can be that of a conventional mechanical bell.

The LED lights, front and rear, allow you to be seen correctly. The headlight does not, however, offer enough power to, on its own, illuminate the road in the absence of public lighting. A crutch is placed on the left side of the GT Premium in order to park it easily. An IPX4 certification guarantees that it can be driven when the road is wet and light rain falls.

The E-Twow electric scooter is distinguished by its ability to fold easily to occupy only a limited volume. The handles fold down easily by pressing a mechanism at their base. A small lever at the base of the stem is easily activated with the tip of the foot to fold the handlebars down on the deck. The column is then attached to the rear fender by means of a small hook. The folding process is quick and easy, and the unfolding more so. Convenient when you change means of transport several times during a trip.

The GT Premium SE V2 still displays 13.4 kg on the scale. A reasonable weight given the performance of the machine, but which is felt when you have to carry it on several floors. Fortunately, the scooter can be moved in trolley mode, by pulling it behind you, once folded. Practical in the corridors of a station, for example.

The E-Twow GT Premium SE V2 is equipped with Bluetooth. It can be paired with a smartphone to take advantage of certain functions using the E-Twow Connect application, available on iOS and Android. This app provides access to redundant information such as battery level, instantaneous speed or distance travelled. It is also used to activate or not the “Zero start” function, which decides whether the engine asks to be started before starting. This setting is also accessible from the scooter. On the other hand, it is obligatory to go through the application to choose the driving mode which limits the speed of the scooter. An essential feature, especially in areas dense with pedestrians, which you prefer to activate directly on the machine, without having to take your smartphone out of your pocket.

Finally, the only interesting feature of the application is the locking of the scooter. When this function is active, the slightest movement of the GT Premium produces strident alerts and the engine brake prevents it from rolling. We also regret the risky translations in the menus of the app. We were unable to install E-Twow Connect on Pixel 4 and Google Pixel 5, but we got there on a Samsung Galaxy S8.

As mentioned above, the E-Twow GT Premium SE V2 is able to limit its speed to 6, 20 or 25 km/h. Convenient for driving in pedestrian areas where permitted. Especially since the Chinese scooter benefits from excellent maneuverability at low speed.

Capable of driving at 40 km/h on paper, the GT Premium is limited to 25 km/h in France in order to comply with the law in force in France. With its 500 W motor, capable of peaking at 700 W, this scooter reaches its maximum speed in 6 seconds. It’s not the most dazzling on the market, but the machine still has good reactivity at start-up and is capable of quick pick-ups. Very valuable qualities when driving in town.

Holding speed on the flat proves satisfactory, the counter displaying 25 km/h without flinching. A GPS provides a real speed of 24 km/h, but the difference remains acceptable. Performance continues smoothly until the battery level drops below 30%. Below this value, the GT Premium slightly loses liveliness and torque. As a general rule, the scooter is not afraid of hills and manages to climb them at a very good pace.

E-Twow now chooses solid 8-inch soft rubber wheels, both front and rear. Enough to protect the GT Premium from punctures. However, it loses some comfort in the face of machines equipped with inflatable tires. Although correct overall, road holding is also slightly degraded. The motor is placed in the front wheel, which makes it easier to cross the sidewalk in town, but can cause you to lose grip when starting.

The firmness of the solid wheels is all the same well counterbalanced by suspensions at the front and at the rear. The E-Twow GT Premium SE is comfortable and absorbs road irregularities flawlessly, except on cobblestones.

Braking has always been one of the weak points of E-Twow electric scooters. He who for a long time relied solely on the magnetic brake operated by the motor, is here supported by a mechanical drum brake. As we said above, the position of the drum brake lever did not convince us, nor did its effectiveness. It lacks progressiveness and tends to lock the rear wheel very quickly. It is better to avoid using it for emergency braking, otherwise the rubber of the rear tire will be seriously damaged.

The magnetic brake proves to be more efficient in the majority of cases. It turns out to be easier to dose and, above all, much more effective in an emergency. When you are launched at 25 km/h on the flat, it only takes 3 m to come to a complete stop with the magnetic brake. A distance that is doubled using only the drum brake. Anyway, it is better to train at the beginning to find the most suitable position and braking combination.