Apollo Air 2022 vs Razor C45 - Premium Pretender Takes On the Nostalgia Tank

Fast Answer for Busy Riders ⚡ (TL;DR)

The Apollo Air 2022 is the better all-round commuter here: more comfortable, more refined, and simply easier to live with day after day. Its suspension, cleaner design, and more mature road manners make it the safer bet if you actually rely on your scooter to get somewhere on time and in one piece.

The Razor C45 fights back with a lower price, a big confidence-inspiring front wheel, and that familiar Razor name, but comfort, braking feel, and long-term polish just don't quite match the Apollo's grown-up package. Choose the C45 only if budget and front-wheel stability are your absolute priorities and your roads are reasonably smooth.

If you want something that feels like a real vehicle rather than a nostalgic science project, the Apollo is the one to beat. Keep reading - the devil, as always, is in the details.

Electric scooters have grown up fast. What used to be flimsy toys that rattled themselves to death on the first pothole have turned into serious commuting machines that people genuinely rely on. The Apollo Air 2022 and the Razor C45 are perfect examples of this new era: both promise "real adult transport" without the price tag (or terror) of the big dual-motor monsters.

On one side, the Apollo Air 2022: pitched as a premium city commuter with comfort and polish as its calling cards. This is the scooter for someone who wants their ride to feel like a small, quiet vehicle, not a folding compromise.

On the other, the Razor C45: a steel-framed bruiser from a household brand, with a huge front wheel, bargain-friendly pricing, and a spec sheet that looks solid at first glance - especially if you remember your old Razor kick scooter with suspicious fondness.

They sit in a similar performance band and target the same kind of rider, but they get there with very different priorities - and a few surprising trade-offs. Let's dig in and see where each one shines, and where the marketing gloss wears a bit thin.

Who Are These For, and Why Compare Them?

Both scooters live in that "serious commuter, but not a mid-life crisis" category: fast enough to keep up with city bike traffic, compact enough to fold under a desk, and priced well under a mid-range e-bike.

The Apollo Air 2022 aims at the rider who wants a smoother, more refined experience: decent speed, real suspension, grippy big tyres, and an overall feel that says "small EV", not "big toy". It sits in the upper part of the commuter price bracket, nudging into "I really hope this is worth it" territory.

The Razor C45 aims at roughly the same use case but leans heavily on brand recognition, a lower price, and that eye-catching oversized front wheel. On paper, speeds are similar, motor outputs are in the same league, and both are single-motor, city-focused machines - so yes, they're natural rivals. You could easily have both in the same shortlist and agonise over which way to jump.

Design & Build Quality

Put them side by side and the design philosophies could hardly be more different.

The Apollo Air 2022 looks like something a design team obsessed over. The frame is a one-piece alloy casting, cables are mostly tucked away, and the finish feels cohesive. The deck is topped with a rubber mat rather than cheap grip tape, and the stem is stout and confidence-inspiring. You get the sense it was designed as a complete product, not welded together from whatever was in the parts bin that week.

The Razor C45, by contrast, wears its steel-tube construction proudly. It feels tough in an "industrial tool" way, but visually it's more utility van than sleek hatchback. The welds are honest rather than beautiful, and you can see most of the hardware. It's not ugly, but it doesn't exactly melt into a modern office lobby either. The big front wheel and smaller, solid rear give it a quirky stance that you'll either find charmingly different or slightly odd.

In the hand, the Apollo's controls and interfaces feel more thought-through. The integrated display, wide bars and neat app pairing give it a more modern, premium vibe. The Razor's cockpit is simpler and functional, with a straightforward display and a single brake lever; nothing wrong with it, but nothing that screams "premium" either.

Both stems feel reasonably solid when locked, but the Air's overbuilt front end and single-piece frame give it an edge in perceived quality. The C45's steel frame does suggest long-term durability, yet some community reports of developing rattles at the rear reinforce what you already suspect when you see that unsuspended solid wheel hanging off the back.

Ride Comfort & Handling

This is where the gap between them stops being theoretical and starts being felt in your knees.

The Apollo Air 2022 brings proper front suspension to the table, paired with large, air-filled tyres. Over cracked city asphalt and typical urban scars, it simply glides. You still feel the road, but it's filtered - the sharp hits are taken out before they reach your joints. After a decent-length commute on patchy surfaces, you step off the Air and you're... fine. Not euphoric, but not silently swearing at cobblestones either.

The Razor C45 takes a different route: a big front pneumatic tyre, no suspension, and a solid rear wheel. The result is oddly split personality. The front end feels planted and surprisingly plush; the big wheel smooths out smaller imperfections nicely and inspires confidence when turning. Then the rear hits the same bump and sends a clear, unedited copy of it straight up your spine. On newly laid tarmac or good bike lanes, it's absolutely acceptable. On older, broken surfaces, the back of the scooter feels more like a reminder that budget had to be cut somewhere.

In terms of handling, the Apollo's wide handlebars and balanced geometry give it a pleasantly stable, almost "bicycle-like" feel. It tracks nicely through bends and feels composed at its top speeds. The C45 also benefits from that giant front wheel - straight-line stability is excellent, and it doesn't get skittish when you nudge past casual-cruise pace. But the harsher rear and slightly narrower deck make you work more to stay relaxed. After a few kilometres of mixed terrain, one scooter leaves you cruising; the other leaves you constantly micro-adjusting and softening your knees to compensate.

Performance

On paper, the two scooters sit on the same rung of the performance ladder. In practice, their power delivery and feel are slightly different flavours of "quick enough for the city, not built for drag races".

The Apollo Air 2022's motor gives a smooth, predictable push. It doesn't yank your arms out of their sockets, but it moves off the line with enough authority to beat bicyclists away from the lights and keep up with the faster flow in the bike lane. Throttle mapping is pleasantly linear: you don't get a dead zone followed by a sudden lunge, just clean, progressive acceleration. This makes low-speed threading through pedestrians much less stressful.

The Razor C45 uses a slightly smaller nominal motor, but driving the rear wheel. Off the mark, it feels reasonably zippy in its higher modes; it's not lazy, and for short sprints or campus hops it does fine. The three riding modes let you tame it down for crowded areas or open it up on clear paths. In full-fat mode, it gets up to its claimed top speed with a bit of enthusiasm - though the last stretch of the speedo always feels more like a gentle creep than a charge.

At speed, the Apollo feels more composed; the combination of better damping at the front and more planted chassis makes holding near-top speed for longer runs less fatiguing. On the Razor, you're conscious of the rear end chattering over imperfections, which subtly encourages you to back off rather than cruise right on the limit.

Hill climbing is mid-pack for both. The Apollo's motor and overall tuning give it a slight edge on typical city inclines - it hangs on to a usable pace respectably well until gradients get truly rude. The Razor manages gentle and medium slopes, but steeper climbs see it bog down earlier, especially with a heavier rider. Neither is a hill monster; both are fine for "normal-city" conditions, with the Apollo feeling a touch more willing when the road tips upward.

Braking is where differences matter. The Apollo's drum plus well-tuned regenerative system provide consistent, predictable stops with minimal maintenance. You don't get that sharp initial bite of a high-end disc, but you do get stability and confidence - and most everyday stops can be handled largely by regen alone. On the Razor C45, the rear disc plus regen combination looks better on a spec sheet, but in real use the braking can feel underwhelming at its top speeds. You need to plan your stops, especially if you're coming down from full Sport mode on a slick surface. It's functional, but not inspiring.

Battery & Range

Range claims in this segment are always optimistic; both manufacturers seem to test with a featherweight rider on a windless, downhill laboratory corridor. Real-world numbers are what matter.

The Apollo Air 2022 carries a noticeably larger battery pack. In day-to-day riding at mixed speeds, you can expect it to comfortably cover typical urban commutes with enough buffer left that you're not limping home in eco mode every evening. Ride it hard in its sportiest mode and tackle a few hills, and you'll still be looking at a realistic distance that most commuters simply don't hit in a single day. There is some drop in power as the battery gets low, but it does so gradually rather than suddenly falling on its face.

The Razor C45's pack is smaller, and you feel that in practice. On flat, gentle routes in lower modes, it can do respectably well for a half-day of running around. Push it in Sport mode and the "battery anxiety" sets in earlier. For shorter, predictable city hops or campus duty, it's fine. For longer urban sprawls where you don't want to think about conserving energy, it starts to feel more limited.

Charging times are broadly similar: both are overnight-or-workday affairs, not quick-turnaround machines. The Razor does have a slight advantage in raw charging speed, but the Apollo's larger pack means you get more usable range per session. If you're the kind of rider who plugs in at home and forgets about it, the Apollo's extra capacity is the more noticeable benefit.

Portability & Practicality

Neither of these scooters is what I'd call "toss-it-over-your-shoulder light". They both live in that slightly awkward weight zone where lifting them is fine, carrying them far is... a fitness plan.

The Apollo Air 2022 is slightly lighter on the scales, but not by a night-and-day margin. Carrying it up a flight or two of stairs is doable, carrying it up five flights is character-building. The folding mechanism is secure and results in a solid stem with almost no wobble, but the latch is low down and stiff when new, so folding isn't a one-finger poetry act. The handlebars don't fold, so the folded package is fairly tall and wide - fine under a big desk or in a hallway, slightly annoying in cramped trains.

The Razor C45 is a touch heavier again, thanks to its steel frame and big front wheel. The folding action is simpler and feels familiar if you've used Razor products before, but the long deck and chunky front tyre mean it eats more floor space once folded. Getting it into a car boot is fine; dragging it through a building or repeatedly up stairwells quickly becomes less fun than advertised. And because the frame is steel, you're reminded of every gram when you pick it up.

For general practicality, the Apollo counters the weight disadvantage with nicer details: a better-feeling deck surface, more stable parking stance, and water resistance that makes light rain less of a stress test. The C45's kickstand works but feels more "just enough", and between the solid rear tyre and steel frame, it's not a scooter you want to bash into curbs repeatedly - the vibrations travel through everything.

Safety

Safety is a three-way dance between stability, braking, and visibility - and the road surface, which, sadly, you don't get to choose.

The Apollo Air 2022 scores quietly but convincingly. Those big pneumatic tyres, combined with front suspension and a solid stem, make sudden evasive manoeuvres feel controlled rather than panicky. The braking system, with its smooth regen and low-maintenance drum, is predictable and balanced. Lighting is adequate for being seen; serious night riders will still want a secondary light, but you're not invisible out of the box.

The Razor C45 goes hard on the "big stable front wheel" angle - and to be fair, that wheel really does improve front-end stability and reduce the chance of getting caught out by small potholes. The UL certification of its electrical system is also reassuring in terms of battery safety. However, the rear of the scooter lets the team down a bit: the solid tyre, lack of suspension, and somewhat modest braking performance at top speed mean emergency stops on rough surfaces are not this scooter's party trick. You can ride it safely, but you have to stay a step ahead of the situation.

Both have acceptable lighting for urban use, though again, if you ride a lot in the dark, consider adding more illumination up front. In wet conditions, the Apollo's more compliant tyres and suspension give it the edge; it simply does a better job of keeping rubber in contact with the ground when things get slippery.

Community Feedback

Price & Value

Here's where things get interesting. The Razor C45 undercuts the Apollo Air 2022 by a healthy margin at typical retail, and even more so when it inevitably appears on sale. Purely in terms of initial outlay, the C45 looks like the clever purchase.

But a scooter's value isn't just the ticket price; it's what it's like to ride and live with every day for a few years. The Apollo Air asks for more money up front, and in return gives a better ride, a bigger battery, a more refined chassis, and stronger perceived quality. If you commute regularly, that combination pays back in reduced fatigue, less faff with maintenance, and simply fewer "ah, not this again" moments.

The Razor C45 can be excellent value if you snag it at a noticeable discount and your expectations are realistic: mostly smooth routes, modest distances, and a focus on brand familiarity rather than best-in-class comfort. At full price, once you factor in the harsher ride and modest braking, it feels more like a decent deal than an outstanding one.

Service & Parts Availability

Both brands have something to offer here, but in different ways.

Apollo has built a reputation as one of the more serious scooter brands, with decent documentation, parts availability, and a fairly active community. In Europe you're likely dealing with resellers or partners, but you're not exactly abandoned in the wilderness. They design their own hardware, which helps with parts consistency and support.

Razor, meanwhile, leans on sheer scale and name recognition. You can find their products in large retailers, and they maintain a relatively robust supply chain for spares, especially in their home markets. In Europe, support exists, but it can feel more "consumer electronics hotline" than enthusiast-focused workshop. If something simple breaks, you'll probably find the part; if something more involved goes wrong, you may end up in DIY-forum territory with both brands, to be fair.

Overall, Apollo feels more enthusiast- and commuter-focused, while Razor feels more mass-market and conservative. Both are far better than anonymous no-name imports, but neither is a local scooter shop that knows you by first name.

Pros & Cons Summary

Parameters Comparison

Final Verdict - Which Should You Choose?

This match-up looks close on a spec sheet, but once you actually ride them, the difference in maturity is clear. The Apollo Air 2022 may not be spectacular in any single headline metric, yet it quietly gets the fundamentals right: comfort, stability, braking consistency, and overall refinement. For someone who genuinely commutes - not just plays around on sunny weekends - that combination matters more than saving a bit of money up front.

The Razor C45 is not without charm. The big front wheel really does calm the steering, the steel frame feels tough, and if you catch it at a good discount it can be a tempting way into electric commuting, especially if your routes are smooth and short. But the harsh rear ride, middling braking feel, and modest real-world range keep it firmly in "budget compromise" territory rather than true commuter benchmark.

If you want a scooter that feels like a tool you can trust, the Apollo Air 2022 is the better bet. If price is your primary deciding factor and you're willing to live with a few rough edges - especially at the back end - then the Razor C45 can still make sense. Just go in with your eyes (and knees) open.

Numbers Freaks Corner

These metrics give a cold, numerical view of efficiency and cost. Price-per-Wh and price-per-km/h show how much you pay for stored energy and headline speed; weight-based metrics reveal how much bulk you carry for each unit of range, power or speed. Wh/km exposes which scooter uses its battery more efficiently in real riding, while power-to-speed and weight-to-power ratios speak to how strongly each motor is working relative to its performance. Charging speed simply tells you how fast you can refill those watt-hours once they're gone.

Author's Category Battle

Overall Winner Declaration

In the Numbers Freaks Corner, the APOLLO Air 2022 scores 6 points against the RAZOR C45's 4. In the Author's Category Battle, the APOLLO Air 2022 gets 34 ✅ versus 4 ✅ for RAZOR C45.

Totals: APOLLO Air 2022 scores 40, RAZOR C45 scores 8.

Based on the scoring, the APOLLO Air 2022 is our overall winner. Between these two, the Apollo Air 2022 simply feels more like a finished adult vehicle than a stretched-out upgrade of an old-school scooter. It's calmer, kinder to your body, and inspires the sort of day-to-day trust you want from something that replaces a bus pass or a bike. The Razor C45 has its charms and can absolutely make sense for the right rider on the right roads, but once you've spent real time on both, the Air's extra refinement is hard to give up. It's the one I'd rather grab on a grey Monday morning - and that says everything.

That's our verdict when we try to stay objective – but hey, riding is mostly about emotions anyway, so pick the one that will make you look forward to your commute every single day.