Glion DollyXL review

One reason many people pick up one of the best electric scooters is for that last-mile ride from a bus or train station to their home or office. However, many electric scooters are too big or bulky to easily fit on public transportation. 

Despite its larger size, the Glion DollyXL helps you avoid this problem with handlebars that fold up, so you can more easily tuck it into tight spaces. And, a pair of luggage wheels let you roll the scooter around even when it’s folded. 

The Glion DollyXL is an upscaled, longer-range version of the Glion Dolly, the company’s original electric scooter, which came out a few years ago, and which has many of the same features. You’ll want to read the rest of this review to find out if either model is best for your commute, or if you’d be better off with another one of the best electric scooters.

Glion DollyXL review: Price and availability

The Glion DollyXL first went on sale in late 2022; it’s currently available on Glion’s site for $699. 

That’s about $200 more than the original Glion Dolly, which is still for sale on Amazon and elsewhere.

Glion DollyXL review: Design

Like its name suggests, the DollyXL is a supersized version of the Dolly. It has nearly twice the range (28 miles vs. 15 miles), a slightly faster top speed (18 MPH vs. 15 MPH), a more powerful motor (400W vs. 250W), and larger tires (10-inch vs. 8.5-inch). 

Oh, and it weighs a lot more, too: The original Dolly is a relatively light 28 pounds — not much more than the Unagi Model One Voyager — but the DollyXL is a hefty 40 pounds. Don’t skip arm day if you plan on picking it up. 

The DollyXL does have a clever feature to make it easier to transport: Behind the rear wheel is a second, smaller pair of wheels that lets you roll the scooter when it’s folded. A small handle extends out the front of the scooter’s deck so you can tote it like luggage. It’s a good thought, but not always practical. I found that if you’re using the wheels on anything but a smooth surface, or if you try to turn, the scooter starts wobbling uncontrollably.

Despite its larger size (it’s 41 x 19.5 x 8.5 inches when folded), the DollyXL can better fit underneath a train or bus seat than many smaller scooters I’ve used. That’s because the DollyXL’s handlebars collapse against the downtube in its folded state. A small, but smart idea.

Another clever feature: two headlights. The first, mounted just above the front wheel, gives you a good look at the road directly ahead. The second light, which is just below the handlebars, illuminates things higher up, and makes you more visible to oncoming cars.

The DollyXL has a workmanlike design — it’s nowhere near as sleek as the Unagi — but it gets the job done. However, the DollyXL has something the Unagi doesn’t: A water bottle holder.

Glion DollyXL review: Performance

I would have preferred a little more pep when accelerating — the DollyXL gets up to speed more gradually than other scooters — but once at speed, it cruised along nicely. 

I definitely appreciated the DollyXL’s 400W motor, which got me up my standard test hill — a 6 percent grade — at 10 miles per hour. However, when it had to work hard, its motor was a lot noisier than other scooters; it emitted a whine that I didn’t hear with competing models. I also found that when the battery level was lower, the top speed on this hill decreased to around 5 MPH.

Despite its lack of a suspension, the DollyXL’s 10-inch x 1.5-inch air-filled tires delivered a fairly comfortable ride, even over bumpy roads. It’s one advantage it has over more compact scooters such as the Unagi Model One, which has harder rubber tires.

Unfolding the DollyXL takes a few more steps than other electric scooters — you lift up the downtube from the base, extend it up, then fold the handlebars up — but it took no more than 20-30 seconds once I got the hang of it.

Glion DollyXL review: Battery life and range

The DollyXL’s 36V 12.8 Ah battery is rated to deliver up to 28 miles of range under ideal conditions (flat terrain with a 165-pound rider). As with most scooters, you’ll get about half the advertised range.

Realistically, I’d say you could get around 15-18 miles on the DollyXL, but you’d have to nurse it along towards the end. After I rode the scooter for about 12 miles, I found it really struggled to get up hills that were no problem when the battery was fully charged. 

Glion DollyXL review: Bottom Line

When you’re looking for an electric scooter that can take you the extra mile, you have to weigh which means more: portability, power, or range. The Unagi Model One Voyager sacrifices the third in favor of the first two. The Glion DollyXL, on the other hand, gives you both power and range at the expense of portability. The DollyXL mitigates this somewhat with its two travel wheels and handle, but you’re definitely getting a workout if you try and carry it around. 

If you’re looking for a more portable version — albeit with a shorter range — check out the original $499 Glion Dolly, which also has folding handlebars and a second set of wheels. But if you have a longer commute and don’t mind its weight, the Glion Dolly XL is worth a look.