Yamaha NEO’S electric scooter review Car News

One battery will really last 18-22 miles, while 37-44 miles is my calculation for two batteries (although it will go into turtle mode at around 20%). Go fast, launch hills or take a passenger, and that figure could drop to 25km / 15 miles – meaning you’ll need the second battery, which costs £980 and is nearly a third of the original cost of the scooter itself.

But Yamaha describes this as a city center bike. It’s especially aimed at younger riders rushing to school or college and back, or part-time work, a few miles here and a few miles back, meaning 18 miles should be enough for most , correct.

It takes eight hours to charge from 0% to 100%, which means overnight for most owners, while a 20-80% charge can be completed in four hours. There is no fast charging option. If you opt for the second battery, you will need a second charger, or charge one battery, swap and recharge the second battery.

What other features does it have?

There’s no ABS on the Neo’s relatively simple braking setup, which features a single 200mm disc up front and a cable-actuated shoe brake at the rear. The front setup is more than enough to stop a 100kg scooter at just 28mph, and thanks to the quality suspension, the forks retain their composure when stopping.

Very basic technology as you would expect, no ABS and no traction control either. There are two drive modes – standard and ECO – but ECO mode only adds a few miles to the battery range.

The Yamaha MyRide app is useful and worth downloading. It is easy to connect to the bike and clearly displays the remaining range. It will also highlight your lean angle and you can plot your route if you want to share it with your friends. The single dash will also highlight if you received a text message.

There’s a small open compartment to take a phone, with a 12V charger, and keyless ignition is standard. If you want a USB charger, this is an optional extra. Yamaha also offers bar and mirror mounts, as well as a large 34-litre top case.