Apollo Phantom 20 Stellar vs TOURSOR E5B - Budget Beast Takes on the Polished Heavyweight

Fast Answer for Busy Riders ⚡ (TL;DR)

The Apollo Phantom 20 Stellar is the better all-round scooter for most riders: it rides more refined, feels safer at high speed, is better finished, and has vastly stronger support and parts backup. It's the one you actually want to live with day after day, not just brag about in a Facebook group.

The TOURSOR E5B, on the other hand, is for riders who care about nothing but maximum power and battery per euro and are willing to tolerate rougher quality, DIY fixes, and a more "lottery ticket" ownership experience. If your budget is tight and you're handy with tools, it can be tempting.

If you want a serious vehicle, choose the Apollo. If you want the wildest spec sheet at the lowest price and accept the compromises, the TOURSOR is your toy.

Stay with me - the real story is how differently these two heavy hitters feel once you're actually standing on them.

There's something oddly satisfying about comparing these two. On one side you have the TOURSOR E5B: an unapologetic spec-bomb that looks like someone challenged an engineer to cram as much motor and battery as physically possible into a folding frame and then found the cheapest way to ship it.

On the other, the Apollo Phantom 20 Stellar: a polished, app-connected, tech-heavy hyper-scooter that wants to convince you it can be both your daily commuter and your weekend rocket - without looking like it escaped from a warehouse pallet.

The TOURSOR E5B is for the rider who wants to shout, "look how much power I got for this money." The Apollo Phantom 20 Stellar is for the rider who quietly expects the thing not to fall apart at 60 km/h.

Both are brutally fast, both are heavy as sin, and both can replace a small motorbike - but the way they get there is very, very different. Let's dig in.

Who Are These For, and Why Compare Them?

These two live in the same general performance and weight class: dual motors, serious top speed, huge batteries, and weights hovering around the "I hope there's a lift" level. Both can cruise at car-like speeds, both promise ranges that make shared scooters look like toys, and both clearly target riders who are way past the rental scooter stage.

The TOURSOR E5B sits in the "budget hyper-scooter" camp: eye-watering power and a huge battery for a price that usually buys you an upper-midrange commuter elsewhere. It's the entry ticket into the big league without the big-brand price - along with all the usual caveats that implies.

The Apollo Phantom 20 Stellar is in a different economic universe: a premium hyper-scooter from a Western brand, with branded cells, advanced controller, app integration, IP66 rating, and a proper support network. Same general speed category, but a very different philosophy: less "specs per euro", more "please don't kill me at 70 km/h".

So they're natural rivals in the mind of a rider who says, "I want a fast, long-range tank of a scooter. Do I blow the budget on Apollo or gamble on TOURSOR?"

Design & Build Quality

Put them side by side and the difference in design language is immediate. The TOURSOR E5B looks like a farm tool that learned to do 80 km/h: thick welds, big exposed shocks, a hulking stem, and plasticky details that feel more functional than considered. The frame itself is a solid chunk of aluminium; in your hands it feels heavy and reassuringly overbuilt, but the finishing touches - fenders, cable routing, paint and fasteners - give off more "direct-from-factory" than "premium product" vibes.

The Apollo Phantom 20 Stellar, in contrast, feels like someone actually cared what it would be like to live with. The chassis has a cohesive, almost automotive feel: clean cable runs, a beautifully integrated stem display, tidy welds, and surfaces that don't look like they were finished with a file on a Friday afternoon. You notice details like the Quad Lock-ready cockpit and solid kickplate; nothing feels like it was added just because it was cheap in bulk.

Where the E5B's build quality is "thick metal and pray," the Apollo's is "engineered system." The TOURSOR's core hardware (frame, motors, controllers) feels robust enough, but you can tell corners were cut on things like fenders, bolts, and coatings. With the Phantom, even little things - the feel of the folding latch, the brake lever action, the stiffness of the stem - signal a scooter that has gone through more rounds of refinement.

If you're the type who doesn't mind tightening bolts and replacing a few cheap bits, the TOURSOR's raw chassis is fine. If you want something that feels sorted out of the box, the Apollo is clearly ahead.

Ride Comfort & Handling

On a rough city loop, the TOURSOR E5B surprises at first. Those big, knobbly off-road 11-inch tyres and the heavy-duty suspension mean you can barrel over broken tarmac and potholes at speeds that would have a skinny-tyred commuter begging for mercy. It's plush in a "big off-road truck" kind of way: lots of travel, a bit of bounce, and a sense that the scooter isn't particularly interested in what the surface is doing.

But that same "truck" character makes itself known when you start carving. The steering is a bit vague at speed, and without a steering damper you feel every little input and bump in the bars when you push towards the upper end of the speed range. It's manageable if you know what you're doing, but you're always aware you're standing on a tall, heavy platform with aggressive tyres designed as much for dirt as for tarmac.

The Phantom 20 Stellar is a different story. Its hydraulic suspension feels more controlled and better damped. Instead of wallowing through bumps, it absorbs and settles. Over the same broken city surfaces, the Apollo feels composed rather than simply soft: fewer secondary bounces, less chassis pitch, and much more confidence when sweeping through faster bends. The wider hybrid tyres add a welcome "planted" feel in corners.

On a fast downhill section, the difference in steering stability is stark. The Stellar's integrated steering damper keeps the bars calm even when you clip a rough patch at pace. On the E5B, that same hit sends a shimmy through the front that you have to actively ride out. The TOURSOR isn't uncontrollable, but the Apollo lets you relax and concentrate on the traffic, not on suppressing head-shake.

If your riding is mostly straight-line blasts and rough paths, the TOURSOR can feel like a flying sofa. If you care about precise, confidence-inspiring handling at speed, the Apollo is unquestionably the better tool.

Performance

Let's not pretend either of these is slow. Both are fully into the "this really shouldn't be on a cycle lane" category. The TOURSOR E5B's dual motors hit hard; full throttle in dual-motor mode feels like being yanked forward by a tow rope tied to a car. Off the line, especially on loose surfaces, you need to be ready: weight back, knees bent, hands firm. Mid-range pull is strong enough that hills barely register - you just keep accelerating.

The sine-wave controllers tame the worst of the jerkiness you often get with cheaper high-power setups. Once you're rolling, the power delivery is pretty smooth, but that initial surge is still fairly abrupt, especially in the sportier settings. It's thrilling, in a slightly unpolished way, like an old superbike with a sticky throttle cable.

The Apollo Phantom 20 Stellar's power feels more...engineered. In its milder modes, it's civilised enough that you can roll along at walking pace without worrying that a tiny thumb movement will catapult you into a café window. Switch up to the more aggressive profiles and Ludo mode, and the scooter wakes up dramatically, but the thrust still arrives with a controlled, linear surge rather than a kick.

On a short straight, both will rush past legal city speeds before you've finished a deep breath. The TOURSOR feels slightly more "raw" - the chassis and tyres give you more drama as you climb into absurd speeds. The Apollo feels oddly calm doing the same thing; you look down at the display and only then realise how fast you're going because the frame isn't protesting.

Braking tells an equally important story. The TOURSOR's hydraulic discs offer decent bite and plenty of force; they're more than capable of hauling that heavy mass down quickly if you pull hard. But lever feel and modulation sit firmly in "budget but okay" territory, and on longer descents you'll be relying a lot on your mechanical brakes.

The Phantom's 4-piston setup and dedicated regen throttle are in another league. Coming down a long hill, you can modulate speed almost entirely with your left thumb, barely touching the physical levers until you need a real emergency stop. The regen blends into the hydraulics so naturally that it quickly becomes second nature - and it noticeably reduces fatigue in dense urban stop-start riding.

In short: TOURSOR gives you massive power at a price, Apollo gives you massive power that feels like it belongs in a vehicle sold with a warranty.

Battery & Range

On paper, the TOURSOR E5B looks like the king here, with a battery that dwarfs the Apollo's. In real life, the picture is more nuanced. Ride the E5B sensibly - single motor, moderate speeds, flattish terrain - and you can tick off long distances in a single day without worrying. Start using the power it offers, keeping speeds up where the wind really starts to fight you, and that huge pack shrinks faster than the marketing would suggest. It's still generous, but the efficiency isn't stellar, so high-speed fun eats noticeably into your comfort zone.

The Apollo Phantom 20 Stellar runs a smaller pack, but it's made of branded car-grade cells and paired with a more sophisticated controller and regen strategy. In mixed urban riding - some spirited sections, some gentle cruising, regular use of regen - you'll still comfortably get a long, full day's worth of city use out of it. Take it easy in the eco settings, and longer tours are absolutely on the menu.

Psychologically, the TOURSOR's bigger battery gives slightly less range anxiety if you're hammering it far from home - there's simply more capacity to burn through. But when you factor in cell quality, better energy management, and meaningful regen, the Apollo punches above what its raw capacity number implies.

Charging is the usual trade-off: the TOURSOR's huge pack takes a long overnight rest, though dual charging helps if you invest in an extra brick. The Apollo takes a bit less time by virtue of the smaller pack and supports faster charging options, which feels more aligned with daily-use reality.

Portability & Practicality

Let's be honest: neither of these belongs in the "portable scooter" folder. Both are roughly 50 kg, both are long and wide, and both will make you regret life choices if you have to haul them up more than a single flight of stairs on a regular basis.

The TOURSOR E5B folds into a long, low slab. The double-locking stem helps with rigidity when riding, but folding and manoeuvring it is still a wrestle. Carrying it is something you do because you have to, not because "it's actually not that bad". It's fine for rolling into a lift or wrestling into a car boot now and then, but you don't want to be doing last-mile multimodal gymnastics with it.

The Apollo isn't magically lighter, but the folding mechanism, stem latch, and the way it hooks to the deck all feel more thought-through. Lifting it is still a two-handed, "brace your core" job, but the handholds and balance make it slightly less hateful. In a medium-sized car, the Phantom fits more cleanly, where the TOURSOR sometimes feels like you're loading track machinery.

Day-to-day practicality tilts further towards the Apollo. IP66 means you can ride in proper rain without the constant little voice in your head whispering, "the controller might be filling with water right now." The app integration for fine-tuning behaviour, plus better lighting and visibility, makes it easier to treat as a real all-weather vehicle. The TOURSOR can be that too, but it requires more mechanical sympathy - and more willingness to deal with little issues yourself.

Safety

Both scooters sit in a speed bracket where safety is no longer a footnote; it's the whole story. The TOURSOR E5B throws decent hardware at the problem: hydraulic disc brakes, big tyres with lots of rubber on the ground, a fat frame that feels stable in a straight line, and a generous lighting package that at least makes you visible. Ride sensibly, and it feels like a solid, planted tank.

But the missing piece is refinement. At serious speed, the lack of a steering damper, the off-road tyre pattern, and the less precise chassis tuning add small layers of uncertainty. Hit a bump with one hand slightly loose, and you're reminded that this is a very fast scooter sold by a brand that isn't going to hold your hand if things go sideways.

The Apollo Phantom 20 Stellar, by contrast, has a safety stack that actually feels designed for its performance. Steering damper as standard. Serious 4-piston brakes with well-tuned regen. Sensible hybrid tyres. Excellent water protection. Brighter, better-placed lights with decent side visibility. It all stacks up into a scooter that doesn't just go fast, but actively feels like it expects to be ridden fast and has been built to cope.

Both can be safe in experienced hands, with proper safety gear and brain engaged. But if someone asked me which one I'd rather be on when a car pulls out unexpectedly at 50 km/h in the wet? That isn't a difficult choice.

Community Feedback

Price & Value

This is where the TOURSOR E5B roars back. On sheer "specs per euro", it absolutely obliterates the Apollo. You get huge motors, an enormous battery, hydraulic brakes, and full suspension for what many brands charge for a mid-power commuter. If your wallet is the main decision-maker and you're comfortable accepting some roughness and DIY, the value argument is obvious.

The Apollo Phantom 20 Stellar costs roughly three times as much, and it knows it. You're paying heavily for better cells, engineering, waterproofing, brand reputation, and support. It's less about the headline stats and more about the daily experience: fewer surprises, more polish, and a more coherent product. That premium isn't insignificant, and for some riders it simply won't be justified.

Long-term, though, that equation can flip. If you factor in potential hassle, parts sourcing, and the occasional "I guess I'll fix this myself" moment, the TOURSOR's bargain can start to look less shiny. The Apollo isn't a steal, but it behaves like something you keep for years rather than something you constantly need to babysit.

Service & Parts Availability

Here's the uncomfortable bit for the TOURSOR: once you own it, you're largely on your own. Parts are mostly generic high-power scooter components, so you can find replacements if you know what you're doing, but you're dealing with overseas sellers, shipping times, and varying communication quality. Warranty exists in theory, but in practice often means "they send you a part and you figure it out." If you enjoy wrenching, that might not bother you. If you don't, it will.

Apollo, meanwhile, has built much of its identity around being the opposite of that. You get a defined warranty, European-friendly parts support, documentation, and people whose job it is to help you fix things. Not perfect, but recognisably a proper after-sales structure. For a scooter this fast and this heavy, that matters much more than on a cheap commuter; when something critical wears out, you really do want to be able to get the right part in a reasonable timeframe.

Pros & Cons Summary

Parameters Comparison

Final Verdict - Which Should You Choose?

Both of these scooters are brutally fast, properly heavy, and theoretically capable of replacing a small motorbike. But they approach that job from opposite ends of the spectrum.

The TOURSOR E5B is the poster child for "spec sheet first, everything else later." If your budget is hard-capped around the lower end, you weigh a lot or live in a very hilly area, and you're happy wrenching on your own machine, it remains a very strong deal. You absolutely get a lot of power and battery for the money, and if you accept the rough edges and keep on top of maintenance, it will deliver some seriously entertaining rides.

The Apollo Phantom 20 Stellar, however, is the scooter that feels like a finished product rather than a project. It's not perfect and it's certainly not cheap, but it's coherent: the power matches the chassis, the brakes match the speed, the support structure matches the price. It's the scooter I'd put a newer performance rider on without losing sleep, and the one I'd personally rather be riding when something unexpected happens at 50 km/h in the rain.

If you're purely chasing maximum performance per euro and you're willing to live with compromises, the TOURSOR E5B is your wild card. If you want a machine that feels engineered rather than improvised - something you can treat as a long-term vehicle, not a disposable thrill - the Apollo Phantom 20 Stellar is the smarter, if costlier, choice.

Numbers Freaks Corner

These metrics put numbers on different trade-offs. Price per Wh and per km tell you how much you're paying for energy and real-world range. Weight-related metrics show how much scooter you're hauling around for each unit of performance or distance. Efficiency shows which scooter squeezes more kilometres out of each Wh. Power-to-speed and weight-to-power indicate how strongly a scooter accelerates relative to its top speed and mass. Charging speed simply reflects how fast you can refill the battery - handy if you regularly ride the pack close to empty.

Author's Category Battle

Overall Winner Declaration

In the Numbers Freaks Corner, the TOURSOR E5B scores 6 points against the APOLLO Phantom 20 Stellar's 4. In the Author's Category Battle, the TOURSOR E5B gets 12 ✅ versus 27 ✅ for APOLLO Phantom 20 Stellar.

Totals: TOURSOR E5B scores 18, APOLLO Phantom 20 Stellar scores 31.

Based on the scoring, the APOLLO Phantom 20 Stellar is our overall winner. In the end, the Apollo Phantom 20 Stellar simply feels more like a real vehicle than a wild experiment. It may not win any budget awards, but it wins your confidence when the road gets rough and the speeds creep up - and that matters a lot more once the honeymoon phase is over. The TOURSOR E5B will absolutely thrill the right kind of rider, and for the price its brute force is hard to ignore. But if I had to pick one to live with, day in, day out, in the real world rather than on paper, I'd be rolling away on the Apollo keycard every single time.

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.