SR Score Methodology: How Street Rides Ranks Electric Scooters

By Street Rides Research Team | July 2026 | 10 min read

The Street Rides Score (SR Score) is a proprietary rating system that ranks electric scooters sold in Canada. It is not a star rating. It is not an opinion. It is a composite score built from five measurable dimensions: utility, value, ownership confidence, buyer sentiment, and Canadian fitness. Every score is transparent. Every weight is published. This page explains exactly how we calculate it, why we chose these weights, and what the numbers mean.

Why We Built This

Most scooter review sites rank by opinion or by a single metric like price. Some use star ratings without explaining how they arrive at them. Others repackage manufacturer specs and call it a review.

We wanted a system that answers the real question Canadian buyers ask: "Which scooter is actually best for me, in Canada, given my budget and my city?"

The SR Score does three things no other rating system does:

1. Estimates real Canadian range. Not the manufacturer's claimed range. The range you will actually get in Canadian weather, on Canadian terrain, at your weight.
2. Penalizes for legal risk. A 2,000W scooter is not legal in most provinces. Our score reflects that.
3. Rewards honesty. Brands that inflate their range claims get penalized. Brands that deliver what they promise score higher.

What Are the Six SR Score Dimensions?

Every SR Score is the weighted sum of six subscores. Each subscore measures a different aspect of the scooter. Here are the dimensions and their weights.

How Each Dimension Is Calculated

Utility (30%)

Utility measures whether the scooter can do the job. It combines six sub-factors:

The Real Range Formula

This is the core of what makes the SR Score different. We do not use the manufacturer's claimed range. We estimate the range a Canadian rider will actually experience.

HonestyFactor is a per-brand multiplier (0.55 to 0.85) calibrated from tested-vs-claimed range studies. Brands that consistently deliver close to their claims score 0.80 or higher. Brands that inflate claims score 0.55 to 0.65. We update these annually.

TempFactor adjusts for Canadian temperature. Lithium-ion batteries lose capacity in cold weather. Our temperature curve:

WeightFactor adjusts for rider weight. Baseline is 75 kg. Each additional 10 kg reduces range by approximately 5%.

TerrainFactor: Flat terrain = 1.00. Mixed hills = 0.85. Steep hills = 0.70.

Value (20%)

Value measures what you get per dollar. It uses three ratios:

P() is the percentile rank within our 76-scooter dataset. A scooter with the highest real-range-per-dollar in our dataset scores 100 on that sub-factor. The median scores 50.

Ownership (20%)

Ownership measures whether you can trust the brand after purchase:

• Parts availability (35%): Can you buy replacement parts in Canada? Established brands with Canadian distribution score higher.
• Warranty support (25%): Does the brand offer responsive warranty service? Brands with Canadian offices or authorized dealers score higher.
• Recall safety (20%): Has this brand or model been subject to safety recalls? We check the CPSC and Health Canada databases.
• Brand truthfulness (20%): How honest are the brand's spec claims? This uses the same HonestyFactor from the range formula. Brands that inflate specs lose points here too.

Buyer Sentiment (15%)

We analyze verified buyer reviews across eight specific aspects:

1. Range honesty ("Does it go as far as they claim?")
2. Hill power ("Can it handle hills?")
3. Comfort ("Is it comfortable for 30+ minute rides?")
4. Braking confidence ("Do the brakes feel safe?")
5. Support and warranty ("Is the company responsive?")
6. Parts availability ("Can I get replacement parts?")
7. Weather use ("How does it handle rain and cold?")
8. Portability ("Is it manageable to carry?")

Each aspect gets a sentiment score using this formula:

Credibility weights longer, more detailed reviews higher. Freshness gives 2x weight to reviews from the last 6 months. The result is a score from 0 to 100 for each aspect.

Canadian Fit (15%)

Canadian Fit penalizes scooters that are poorly suited for Canada:

• LegalPenalty: 0 points if legal in 6+ provinces. 15 points if legal in 3-5 provinces. 30 points if legal in fewer than 3.
• ServicePenalty: 0 if the brand ships from a Canadian warehouse. 10 if from the US. 20 if from overseas only.
• WeatherPenalty: Based on IP water resistance rating. IP55 or higher = 0 penalty. No IP rating = up to 20 points.

The Confidence Adjustment

Not all scooters have complete data. Some are missing weight specs. Some have no verified reviews. Some lack IP ratings. Scoring a scooter with incomplete data is misleading.

We solve this with a Bayesian confidence adjustment:

This formula does two things:

1. Low-confidence scooters regress toward 50 (the average). A scooter with only 25% of its data fields present cannot earn a very high or very low score. It stays near the middle.
2. High-confidence scooters express their full score. A scooter with 100% data completeness gets its raw score with minimal dampening.

Confidence is calculated from data completeness: motor wattage, battery capacity, claimed range, top speed, weight, tire size, IP rating, and load limit. Each field present adds 12.5% confidence.

How Do the SR Score Letter Grades Work?

What the SR Score Does Not Measure

Transparency means acknowledging limits:

• We do not test scooters physically. We do not ride them. Our range and performance estimates are calculated from specs, brand history, and verified buyer reports. Sites that conduct hands-on testing (like Rider Guide and ESG) provide complementary data.
• Aesthetics are not scored. Whether a scooter looks good is subjective. We score function, not form.
• Long-term durability is estimated, not proven. We use brand history and buyer reports as proxies. We cannot predict how a scooter will perform after 2 years of use.
• Prices change. We update prices quarterly, but a flash sale or price increase between updates will not be reflected immediately.

How We Update Scores

• Quarterly: Price checks, new product additions, availability verification
• Annually: HonestyFactor recalibration from new tested-vs-claimed studies
• On event: Safety recalls, brand exits from Canadian market, major firmware updates that change performance

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the SR Score different from star ratings?

Star ratings are opinions. The SR Score is a formula. Every input is measurable. Every weight is published. You can verify our math. You cannot verify a subjective 4.5-star rating.

Why does my favourite scooter have a low score?

The most common reasons: the scooter is not legal in most Canadian provinces (high LegalPenalty), the brand inflates range claims (low HonestyFactor), or the product listing lacks key spec data (low Confidence). Check the subscore breakdown to see which dimension is pulling the score down.

Do you get paid to rank scooters higher?

No. The SR Score algorithm is the same for every product in our catalog. We earn affiliate commissions on purchases, but the ranking formula is not influenced by commission rates. A scooter that pays us more does not score higher.

Can I suggest a change to the methodology?

Yes. Email us at info@streetrides.ca with your suggestion. If the change improves accuracy for Canadian riders, we will incorporate it and credit the suggestion in our changelog.

Why are there no A+ scores in the current dataset?

Two reasons. First, the Bayesian confidence adjustment prevents any scooter with incomplete data from reaching the highest grades. Second, no scooter in our current dataset excels across all six dimensions simultaneously. A scooter that scores well on performance often scores poorly on portability. A scooter with great value often has lower ownership confidence. The A+ grade exists for future products that break this pattern.

Changelog

• July 2026 (v1.0): Initial SR Score methodology published. 76 scooters scored across 5 dimensions. Bayesian confidence adjustment implemented. Provincial legal classification for all 10 provinces.

Last updated: July 2026. Version 1.0.

Related Reading

• Best Electric Scooters for Adults in Canada (2026)
• How to Charge an Electric Scooter

Disclosure: Street Rides earns a commission on qualifying purchases through affiliate links. The SR Score algorithm is not influenced by commission rates.