Razor EcoSmart Cargo review: A clever 2-seater e-scooter, but with some problems
Razor is no latecomer to the micromobility world, having produced awesome scooters for over two decades now. Following on the heels of reviewing the brand’s fun-loving and nostalgic Razor Icon electric scooter, I’ve now gotten a chance to try my hand (and rear end) at a two-person seated electric scooter known as the Razor EcoSmart Cargo.
When I first covered the news of EcoSmart’s launch late last year, I was definitely excited.
A seated electric scooter that could carry two adults, zoom around at up to 20 mph (32 km/h), and do double duty as a utility scooter for cargo? All for just $1,099?! Sign me up! (And no, I’m not ignoring the fact that it’s kind of a scooter rip-off of homage to the RadRunner.)
Having fully tested the scooter now, though, I see that there are some serious downsides to this setup. The quirky little EV has some great selling points still, but I’m not sure this is the utility platform I’d choose for myself.
See what I mean in my video review below, then keep reading for complete specs and all of my thoughts on the EcoSmart Cargo.
Razor EcoSmart Cargo video review
Razor EcoSmart Cargo tech specs
- Motor: 1,000W chain-driving mid-motor
- Battery voltage: 48V
- Top speed: 20 mph (32 km/h)
- Range: Up to 16.6 miles (27 km)
- Weight: 76.5 lb (34.7 kg)
- Load capacity: 300 lb (136 kg)
- Brakes: Rear disc brake
- Wheels: 16″x3.0″ tires on spoked rims
- Extras: Front and rear LED lights, LED display with 5-speed settings, center kickstand, folding footpegs in rear, adjustable height seat, rear bench is replaceable with basket, underseat storage section, UL-listed battery
First, what did I like?
There are some really cool things about the Razor EcoSmart Cargo.
First of all, it’s a zippy little scooter. Despite the small size, you can easily cruise around at 20 mph (32 km/h) on this petite runabout. And since it’s got a long bench seat with rear footpegs, you can bring along a friend for the ride. The rear includes clear skirts that protect the pillion rider’s ankles or pant legs from coming in contact with the rear wheel.
Under that rear seat is a small storage compartment that is large enough to fit the charger and some tools, or perhaps your wallet and keys. And if you don’t want to bring a friend along for a ride, you can remove the rear seat and instead install the included cargo basket.
There’s a wide center kickstand to keep the Razor EcoSmart Cargo scooter nice and stable when it’s parked. There’s a pretty bamboo inlay found in the scooter’s deck. The fenders are standard equipment. There’s even a headlight and tail/light brake light. For barely over $1K, they give you a lot of stuff.
And it’s convenient too! The low seat height makes it perfect for shorter riders, and the ability to put your feet flat on the ground at stops makes it more confidence-inspiring for new riders.
Taller riders can raise the height of the seat, though it won’t be in line with the rear bench anymore. Or you can just scoot back on the bench to give yourself more legroom if you leave the front seat in the lowest position.
So there are some nice little features that get built into this rather unassuming e-scooter. And considering the price of just $1,099, that’s a pretty cool setup.
OK, so what are the problems?
Well, there are a few.
Let’s start with the Razor EcoSmart Cargo’s central motor. Despite proving to be a powerful and torquey setup with 1,000W of power, it sounds like a chain saw coming down the road. This is the loudest electric scooter motor I think I’ve ever heard. Check out my video above to hear what I mean.
The motor also doesn’t freewheel, which means that you can push the scooter forward just fine while walking next to it (due to the freewheel in the rear wheel), but you can’t push it backward without serious resistance from having to turn the motor while pushing the scooter in reverse.
That’s not a common occurrence, but each time I would want to maneuver the scooter while parking or any other time I just needed to push it backward a few feet, I found that you really have to put your back into it since you’re turning the motor and the wheels. You can push the scooter forward with one finger if you wanted to. But going backward requires a firm two-handed grip to pull it.
Next, let’s talk stopping power. While the scooter has good pickup from a peppy motor, the braking is very weak. I’ve ridden other e-bikes and scooters with just rear-wheel brakes, and they can stop just fine. So it’s not only that there’s a single brake. Instead, the brake just seems insufficient. Between the heavy weight of the scooter (75 pounds!) and the weak brake, I found that I would really have to plan ahead for my stops to make sure I didn’t overshoot a stop sign or red light. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t lock up the rear wheel. I’d pull the brake lever as hard as I possibly could and just kind of drag to a slow stop.
To be fair, after about a week or so, the brakes slightly improved as the discs started bedding in better. But they never got to a point that didn’t worry me. And having reviewed literally hundreds of two-wheelers with disc brakes, I can say without a doubt that these simply don’t cut it.
The steering also doesn’t turn as far as I would have liked, lock to lock. I’m not sure if that is supposed to be a safety feature (I’m guessing so), but it means that when moving the Razor EcoSmart Cargo around at low speed, you might have to do a couple more back-and-forth movements since you can’t turn the bars as far as you will want to. And since rolling backward is difficult (as described above), it makes the issue even more frustrating.
So then, what’s the verdict?
Look, I’m in an interesting position. As perhaps the most prolific reviewer of e-bikes and e-scooters on the internet, I’m a rare breed of being a professional rider of weird little EVs. I ride basically every day, sometimes all day. And so, while there were some faults with the Razor EcoSmart Cargo, I could ride it just fine and get by.
But this isn’t a scooter I’d put my mom on if that puts things into perspective. The weak brakes are a safety concern for me. The other issues, like motor noise and annoying maneuverability, are quality-of-life issues. They aren’t deal breakers, but they definitely go in the “con” column.
In its current state, I could ride this scooter, but I wouldn’t recommend it to most people, which is unfortunate because it’s such an awesome little platform with so much potential. Two small changes could totally fix this: a rear hub motor and a higher-quality disc brake. That’s it. Those two parts would solve most of the downsides I see here. And they’re both in Razor’s wheelhouse, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see an EcoSmart Cargo Version 2 at some point. In fact, I’d love to because I’m all in on seated electric scooters like these. It’s just that this one has a few issues that are hard for me to look past.
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Believe it or not, you can lease an EV for under $200 a month. New deals on models like the 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 and Kia EV6 are hard to pass up this month.
Electric vehicles have been all over the news lately, with the Trump administration threatening to end federal incentives and introducing new tariffs that are expected to lead to higher prices.
On the positive side, new EV models are arriving, giving buyers more options and driving prices down. Many automakers reported record US electric car sales in the first three months of 2024.
GM remained the number two seller of EVs behind Tesla after sales doubled in Q1 2025. With the new Equinox, Blazer, and Silverado EVs rolling out, Chevy is now the fastest-growing EV brand in the US. Ford’s Mustang Mach-E is off to its best sales start since launching, with over 11,600 models sold in the first quarter.
With the 2025 models rolling out and about 15 new EVs arriving this year, many automakers are introducing steep discounts to move vehicles off the lot.
EVs for lease for under $200 a month in April
Although the decade-old Nissan LEAF remains one of the most affordable this April at just $149 per month, there are a few EVs under $200 right now that are worth taking a look at.
The new 2025 Hyundai IONIQ might be the best EV deal this month, with leases as low as $199. Hyundai is currently promoting a 24-month lease deal with $3,999 due at signing.
Hyundai upgraded the electric SUV with a bigger battery for more range (now up to 318 miles), a sleek new look inside and out, and it now comes with an NACS port so you can charge it at Tesla Superchargers.
The offer is for the IONIQ 5 SE RWD Standard Range, which has a driving range of up to 245 miles. For just $229 a month, you can snag the SE RWD model, which has a range of up to 318 miles and a more powerful (225 horsepower) electric motor. It’s also a 24-month lease with $3,999 due at signing.
To sweeten the deal, Hyundai is offering a free ChargePoint Home Flex Level 2 EV charger with the purchase or lease of any 2024 or 2025 IONIQ 5. If you already have one, you can opt for a $400 public charging credit.
After slashing lease prices this month, the 2025 Nissan Ariya is actually cheaper than the LEAF in some regions. In Southern California, the 2025 Nissan Ariya Evolve AWD is listed at just $129 per month. The AWD model has a range of up to 272 miles.
The deal is for 36 months, with $4,409 due at signing. In April, Nissan cut Ariya lease prices to around $239 in most other parts of the country.
Kia has a few EVs available to lease for under $200 a month in April. The 2025 Kia Niro EV Wind is listed at just $129 for 24 months, with $3,999 due at signing. Kia’s crossover SUV has EPA-estimated range of 253 miles.
The 2024 EV6 may be worth considering at just $179 for 24 months ($3,999 due at signing). In California, the EV6 Light Long Range RWD is only slightly more than the Niro Wind.
In most other parts of the country, you can still find the EV6 for under $200 a month. The Light Long Range RWD trim offers up to 310 miles of EPA-estimated range.
| Lease Price | Term (months) |
Amount Due at Signing | Driving Range | |
| 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 SE RWD Standard Range | $199 | 24 | $3,999 | 245 miles |
| 2024 Kia EV6 Light Long Rang RWD | $179 | 24 | $3,999 | 310 miles |
| 2024 Kia Niro EV Wind | $129 | 24 | $3,999 | 253 miles |
| 2025 Nissan Ariya Evolve AWD | $129 | 36 | $4,409 | 272 miles |
| 2025 Nissan LEAF S FWD | $149 | 36 | $2,629 | 149 miles |
| 2024 Fiat 500 INSPI(RED) | $199 | 24 | $2,999 | 149 miles |
And don’t forget the 2024 Fiat 500e, which is now listed at just $199 for 24 months with $2,999 due at signing. The electric hatchback offers a range of up to 149 miles.
If you are looking to spend a little more, check out our list of EVs you can lease for under $300 a month.
Ready to snag the savings while they are still here? At under $200 a month, some of these EV lease deals are hard to pass up right now. Check out our links below to find deals in your area.
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![The US’s first solar panels over canals pilot is now online [video]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/04/Project-Nexus-solar-canal.jpg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
Project Nexus, the first solar panel canopies over irrigation canals in the US, is now online in California, and there are plans to expand the project to other areas.
Project Nexus is a $20 million pilot in central California’s Turlock Irrigation District launched in October 2022. The project team is exploring solar over canal design, deployment, and co-benefits using canal infrastructure and the electrical grid.
India already has solar panels over canals, but Project Nexus is the first of its kind in the US.
The Turlock Irrigation District was the first irrigation district formed in California in 1887. It provides irrigation water to 4,700 growers who farm around 150,000 acres in the San Joaquin Valley.
Project Nexus will explore whether the solar panels reduce water evaporation as a result of midday shade and wind mitigation, create improvements to water quality through reduced vegetative growth, reduce canal maintenance as a result of reduced vegetative growth, and, of course, generate renewable electricity.
The California Department of Water Resources, utility company Turlock Irrigation District, Marin County, California-based water and energy project developer Solar AquaGrid, and The University of California, Merced, are partnering on the pilot. Project Nexus originated from a 2021 research project led by UC Merced alumna and project scientist Brandi McKuin.
Solar panels were installed at two sites over both wide- and narrow-span sections of Turlock Irrigation District canals in Stanislaus County, in various orientations. The sections range from 20 feet wide to 100 feet wide. University of California, Merced has positioned research equipment at both sites to collect baseline data so the researchers can decide where solar will work and where it won’t.
In February 2023, Project Nexus announced it would also deploy long-term iron flow battery storage in the form of two ESS 75kW turnkey “Energy Warehouse” batteries.
You can learn more about Project Nexus here:
Read more: In a US first, California will pilot solar-panel canopies over canals
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