Apollo Phantom 20 Stellar vs InMotion RS - Two Hyper-Scooters Walk Into a Bar... Which One Do You Ride Home?

Fast Answer for Busy Riders ⚡ (TL;DR)

If you want the more extreme, future-proof monster, the InMotion RS takes the overall win - it goes faster, further, and feels more like a small electric motorbike than a scooter. The Apollo Phantom 20 Stellar fights back with nicer polish in some areas, great water resistance, and a slightly more civilised, "everyday fast" character that will suit riders who don't need to brag about triple-digit speed. Choose the RS if you have space to store it, the wrists to tame a twist throttle, and you genuinely plan to exploit its huge battery and pace. Pick the Phantom if you want a hyper-scooter that still feels vaguely like a commuter, with strong safety features and a more approachable ceiling.

If you can spare a few minutes, keep reading - the differences are big enough that picking the wrong one will either waste money or waste your back.

Hyper-scooters used to be weird fringe toys for people who thought traffic laws were a suggestion. These days, they sit in that odd space between "serious transport" and "midlife crisis purchase", and the Apollo Phantom 20 Stellar and InMotion RS are perfect examples. Both scream performance, both carry price tags that will make your accountant raise an eyebrow, and both promise to replace your car for most of your urban life - at least on dry days and brave ones.

The Phantom 20 Stellar is Apollo's idea of a refined beast: big power wrapped in a comparatively elegant chassis, with strong app integration and a focus on usable day-to-day speed rather than outright insanity. It's for riders who want to "go hard" but still park outside a café without scaring everyone.

The InMotion RS, on the other hand, is what happens when an EUC company decides scooters should be allowed to terrify motorbikes. It's brutally fast, ludicrously long-legged, and built like someone started with a small car and cut off the unnecessary bits.

On paper they chase the same buyer; on tarmac, they feel like cousins with very different life choices. Let's dive in.

Who Are These For, and Why Compare Them?

Both the Phantom 20 Stellar and the RS live in the "hyper-scooter" segment: dual motors, massive batteries, long-travel suspension, and price tags north of what many people spend on their first car. They're aimed at experienced riders who already know that rental scooters are toys and want something that can actually keep up with urban traffic - or overtake it rudely.

The key overlap is this: they both promise wild acceleration, serious range, and enough stability to make high-speed runs feel like a thrill, not a coin toss. They're also both too heavy to be honest commuters in the "train plus scooter" sense - these are stand-alone vehicles. That's why they get compared so much: they sit right at that line where you're not sure whether to call it a scooter or a compact electric motorcycle.

So the real question isn't "Which is faster?" - it's "Which pain and which pleasure do you prefer?" Because with scooters at this level, you pay for every perk somewhere else.

Design & Build Quality

In the flesh, these two tell very different stories.

The Apollo Phantom 20 Stellar keeps the classic "grown-up scooter" silhouette, just turned up to eleven. The frame feels solid, the stem is relatively slim for this class, and Apollo's integration work is one of its better calling cards: cables are tidy, the stem-embedded display looks like it actually belongs there, and the overall visual language is more "premium commuter" than Mad Max. It's not fragile by any means, but it doesn't shout in your face either.

The InMotion RS absolutely does shout. The C-shaped suspension arms and the transformer-style adjustable height system give it a proper sci-fi exoskeleton vibe. Materials feel equally serious - thick metal everywhere, chunky welds, and an automotive-style finish that looks surprisingly posh for something that wants to rip your arms off. It has more of a "track toy" presence: park it next to the Phantom and the RS looks like the one that would win in a fight, but also the one you'd be less happy to drag through a nice hotel lobby.

Build quality on both is solid, but in different ways. The Phantom feels more "productised": fewer rough edges, better cable routing, and an interface that looks like someone cared about aesthetics. The RS feels like a platform built around the chassis first, comfort second, prettiness third - rougher around some finishing details, but very confidence-inspiring once you're actually moving.

In the hands, the Apollo's controls feel a bit more cohesive: the dedicated regen thumb throttle, the integrated display, and a stem that doesn't feel overbuilt all contribute to that. On the RS, the huge central screen and twist throttle scream motorcycle more than scooter. Some riders love that; others, especially those used to thumb throttles, take a while to adapt.

Ride Comfort & Handling

Both of these are light-years ahead of stiff commuter scooters, but they tackle comfort differently.

The Phantom 20 Stellar's dual hydraulic suspension is tuned towards the "real-world urban" side. It takes the sting out of rough tarmac, broken bike lanes, and the kind of patchy city repairs that usually make your knees swear at you. You still know when you've hit a nasty pothole, but you don't feel personally insulted by it. The scooter has a nice neutral stance: wide deck, useful kickplate, and handlebars that feel natural for long rides. It's easy to settle into a relaxed cruising rhythm at medium-high speeds.

The RS is more adjustable and more serious. With its multi-stage damping and transforming deck height, you can go from "low-slung track weapon" to "taller, SUV-ish bruiser" with some wrench time. In the soft, higher setting, it deals with bad roads remarkably well, soaking up hits that would make older designs clatter. In a firmer, low setup, it rewards precise riding and feels more like you're piloting a heavy electric bike than standing on a scooter. The downside is that if you don't bother to tune it for your weight and terrain, you're leaving a lot of its potential comfort on the table.

Handling-wise, the Phantom is the easier partner out of the box. The geometry is intuitive, the steering damper calms any hint of wobble, and changing lines at urban speeds feels natural. The RS, when set low, turns more deliberately - you don't flick it so much as lean it, and it rewards a bit more commitment. At high speeds, the RS feels more planted overall; it's heavier, longer, and simply more stable when the numbers on the display get into "you'd better be wearing armour" territory.

If your world is mostly cities with the odd rough section, the Phantom feels like less faff. If you enjoy tinkering and want to tailor the chassis to your style - or you plan to mix high-speed runs with some off-piste silliness - the RS has a deeper comfort/handling toolbox, even if it asks a bit more of you in return.

Performance

Both scooters accelerate like they've got something to prove, but again, it's a difference in flavour.

The Phantom 20 Stellar's dual motors and Apollo's MACH 3 controller deliver a very usable kind of violence. Off the line in its most aggressive mode, it will happily rip your arms straight and push you towards speeds that will have your helmet visor humming. Yet, in gentler modes, it can creep through crowded spaces without that twitchy, "on/off switch" feel you get on cheaper high-power machines. Hill climbs are almost comically easy - you stop thinking about gradients completely until you look back and realise how steep that last bit actually was.

The RS just turns the dial further. The torque comes in harder, the mid-range pull is stronger, and the top-end keeps going to a point where you start questioning your life choices rather than the scooter's capabilities. Launches in its higher modes are more "brace or regret" than playful. It's still reasonably smooth thanks to decent controllers, but when you unleash its top settings, you're clearly operating closer to motorcycle territory than typical scooter behaviour.

At sane commuting speeds - say, traffic flow plus a little safety buffer - they're both absurdly quick. The difference really matters once you push beyond that zone: the Phantom has a spirited ceiling that's fun but still feels like a scooter doing a very good impression of a small motorbike. The RS feels like it's only just waking up where the Apollo starts to run out of swagger.

Braking is excellent on both, with hydraulic systems that actually deserve to be on machines this fast. The Phantom's combination of strong discs and the dedicated regen paddle is particularly nice in stop-and-go traffic; you end up using mechanical brakes less than you'd expect. The RS counters with bigger overall mass and speed, but its stoppers are up to the job - lean back, squeeze progressively, and it hauls down from silly speeds in a reassuringly drama-free way.

Battery & Range

This is where things get very lopsided.

The Phantom 20 Stellar's battery is big enough that normal humans will likely run out of time before they run out of juice on a commute. With enthusiastic mixed riding, you're realistically looking at a solid half-day of urban chaos or a very comfortable there-and-back big-city round trip. Ride gently and you can stretch it to day-tour territory, but you do have to resist the urge to keep flicking into the spicier modes.

The InMotion RS, though, is in another league. Its pack is roughly double the energy of the Apollo's, and it behaves like it. Even with aggressive speeds and heavy use of the power, you're still looking at ranges most people will never fully exploit in a normal day. Settle into calmer modes and it becomes a genuine long-distance machine: multi-city trips, full-day exploring, or commuting from the suburbs without caring in the slightest where the nearest plug is.

Charging reflects this difference. The Phantom is more of a classic "overnight and you're good" machine; fast chargers can trim that, but you're still planning proper charges. The RS, thanks to dual-charging support, can gulp energy surprisingly quickly for its battery size - long lunch, plug it in properly, and you can squeeze another serious stint out of it the same day.

If you're honest with yourself and know you rarely ride beyond moderate distances, the Phantom's battery is enough. If your idea of fun is leaving town in the morning, riding all day, and still having buffer when you get home - or you're a heavy rider who likes high speeds - the RS makes the Apollo feel a bit short-legged.

Portability & Practicality

Let's not pretend: neither of these is "portable" in the normal scooter sense. They're both closer to "portable vehicle" than "carry-on item". But there are shades of misery.

The Apollo Phantom 20 Stellar is already in the "you really don't want to carry this upstairs often" category. Lugging nearly fifty kilos of awkward metal up a flight or two is a fine way to discover muscles you didn't know you had. That said, its folding mechanism is more manageable, and when folded it's just about reasonable to wrestle into the back of a mid-size car. You'll curse a bit, but you won't write a tragic poem about it.

The InMotion RS is heavier again, and you feel every extra kilo the moment you try to move it without motor assistance. The folding is secure but not particularly geared toward transport convenience; this is a scooter you roll, not one you lift, unless you have a gym membership and something to prove. Its sheer bulk also makes it more annoying in tight hallways or small lifts.

In daily life, the Phantom just sneaks ahead on practicality. It's still ridiculous for multi-modal commuting, but if you must manoeuvre it through doorways, store it in a flat garage bay, or occasionally lift it into a car, it hurts slightly less. The RS, meanwhile, makes the most sense if you've got ground-floor access or proper storage and you basically treat it like a light motorcycle: park it, lock it, charge it where it lives.

Safety

Both scooters tick the big safety boxes, but with some nuance.

The Phantom brings an excellent mix of hydraulic discs, highly usable regen, a standard steering damper, and a lighting package that does a good job of making you visible from multiple angles. The chassis feels composed at its top speeds, and the lower overall speed ceiling compared to the RS actually makes it feel a bit more "inside the envelope" for many riders. Water resistance is notably strong, which matters if you live somewhere where rain is a way of life, not a surprise.

The RS leans into safety via stability and waterproofing. Its geometry - especially when lowered - and long wheelbase give it a serious planted feel when you're really pushing. The lighting is better than average, with a headlight that actually shows you the road rather than just scratching the dark. Add the IP-rated body and battery, and it's one of the few hyper-scooters you don't automatically baby at the first sign of drizzle.

One subtle thing: the Phantom's thumb throttle plus regen paddle combo feels very natural for riders stepping up from more normal scooters. The RS's twist throttle is divisive; some find it gives more precise modulation at speed, others complain of wrist fatigue or accidental inputs on bumps. It's not a deal-breaker, but if your right hand is picky, it's something to consider.

Community Feedback

Price & Value

Both scooters sit firmly in the "this is not an impulse buy" category. The Phantom 20 Stellar comes in a bit cheaper, and that does matter: you're saving enough that, for some riders, it could go straight into protective gear or a fast charger.

What you get for that money is a reasonably polished, high-spec hyper-scooter with strong everyday usability and good range, but not class-leading on any one headline figure. It feels fairly priced rather than generous - you're not being robbed, but you're not exactly beating the system either.

The InMotion RS asks for more, but you can see where the money went: a much larger battery system, more outrageous performance, the adjustable geometry, and serious waterproofing. If you actually use that extra range and speed, the price premium starts to look pretty rational. If you don't, it's mostly bragging rights you've just bought.

In pure "bang per Wh and km/h" terms, the RS edges it. In "this is enough scooter for me and I'd rather keep the money" terms, the Phantom becomes more attractive - especially if you're not regularly riding at the sharp end of what the RS can do.

Service & Parts Availability

Apollo has been steadily building out its support infrastructure, with a decent presence in Europe and an improving ecosystem of parts and guides. The Phantom platform has been around in various forms, which helps: lots of shared knowledge, and more third-party familiarity. You still may not find a shop on every street corner happy to work on it, but it's far from exotic in scooter circles now.

InMotion, coming from the EUC world, also has a reasonably mature distribution and service network, though it can be a bit more patchy by region. Their reputation for battery management and electronics is strong, and parts availability for the RS is generally decent through established PEV dealers. App and firmware support are actively developed, even if the software occasionally lags behind the hardware in polish.

Neither brand is perfect, but both are far better bets than anonymous rebranded models when it comes to getting spares and help two or three years down the line. If anything, Apollo might be a touch easier for general scooter mechanics to live with; the RS's more exotic chassis and adjustable system may nudge some shops into "specialist only" territory.

Pros & Cons Summary

Parameters Comparison

Final Verdict - Which Should You Choose?

Ridden back-to-back, the difference in character is obvious. The Apollo Phantom 20 Stellar is the more approachable of the two: still wildly fast by normal standards, but easier to live with, slightly less absurd to manoeuvre, and wrapped in a more polished, user-friendly shell. It's the hyper-scooter for riders who want a powerful daily machine that doesn't constantly dare them to do something stupid.

The InMotion RS is the one you pick when you stop pretending to be sensible. Its performance envelope is far wider - much faster, much further, much more configurable - and it feels like the more serious vehicle once you're pushing into higher speeds and longer rides. The trade-offs are predictable: more weight, more bulk, and a learning curve that includes both the geometry system and the twist throttle.

If your riding is mostly urban, you rarely go beyond brisk traffic pace, and you want something powerful yet vaguely civilised, the Apollo is the safer, saner bet. If you have proper storage, you actively seek out long rides, and you want a scooter that feels closer to an electric motorbike in ambition, the RS simply offers more headroom and, in the long run, more machine for your money.

Numbers Freaks Corner

These metrics put numbers on different efficiency and value angles. Price per Wh and per km/h show how much you pay for energy storage and headline speed. Weight-related figures reveal how much mass you're hauling per unit of performance or range. Wh per km is a straight energy efficiency comparison, while power-to-speed and weight-to-power give a feel for how aggressively each scooter is powered relative to its top speed and bulk. Average charging speed simply reflects how quickly the battery can realistically be refilled.

Author's Category Battle

Overall Winner Declaration

In the Numbers Freaks Corner, the APOLLO Phantom 20 Stellar scores 2 points against the INMOTION RS's 8. In the Author's Category Battle, the APOLLO Phantom 20 Stellar gets 28 ✅ versus 18 ✅ for INMOTION RS (with a few ties sprinkled in).

Totals: APOLLO Phantom 20 Stellar scores 30, INMOTION RS scores 26.

Based on the scoring, the APOLLO Phantom 20 Stellar is our overall winner. Between these two, the InMotion RS ends up feeling like the more complete, if slightly unhinged, package - it simply gives you more headroom, more range, and more sheer drama every time you squeeze the throttle. The Apollo Phantom 20 Stellar is easier to live with and more polished in places, but once you've spent time on both, it's hard to ignore how quickly the RS makes the Apollo feel like the "sensible" option in a class where nobody came here to be sensible. If you want a hyper-scooter that behaves like an everyday tool with a wild side, the Phantom will do the job; if you want something that turns every ride into an event and still feels like it has more to give, the RS is the one that keeps pulling you back.

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.