Xiaomi - Mi Electric Scooter Pro 2

Something to note about escooters is that tire changes are a nightmare especially if you're looking at commuter escooters. My experience with a Xiaomi pro 2 was that I loved it, till I had to change the tires. Even an escooters shop that was supposed to specialise in xiaomis didn't fit the tire properly. That said, I would choose the Xiaomi again if you don't mind a dealing with tire changes. alternatively the ninebot G30 is kind of like a more expensive but slightly better in every way - slightly larger battery, 10in tires, more waterproof. I would go for an ebike if I had more space in the house to store it.

The scoots I listed are very nice when it comes to their weight though. Especially the xiaomi. I think it was only 14kg? But yeah changing the tyres were a lesson in extreme frustration. I currently ride a Vsett 9 - I got it while on sale for I think $1400. It has split rims which makes for much easier tyre replacement. I found that Escooter tires need replacing at around the 1400km mark.

Best old xiaomi Pro 2 - 12.4a good battery. New pro versions about same , bit more power. Esmax good value.

used to be m365 pro / xiaomi pro 2 only 14kg ! a very well regarded scooter , no suspension , - its replacements 20+ kg. The way of things !

Best old xiaomi Pro 2 - 12.4a good battery. New pro versions about same , bit more power. Esmax good value.

If you want something that isn’t random crap, the Xiaomi scooter 5 is currently £349. RWD, front fork suspension, 10” tires. Max battery range is 37 miles but realistically will get 20-22 miles, depending on speed/your weight/terrain. You won’t get anything better brand new at this price. If you *really* can’t go above £300, the Elite version is the basic spec in a similar in build but battery is smaller, probably get 12 miles. Both available directly and 2 year warranty. Niu Kqi 2 Pro and 100p might be on sale on Amazon, so check them out as well. Otherwise, have a look on Ebay for open box/new or used refurbished units from official business sellers. Can usually find some great deals with Segway/Xiaomi (G30, F2 Pro) and all covered with a year’s guarantee from Ebay. All go 25kmh. You don’t want to be going faster on other cheap no name scooters, but you can clear 35kmh with custom firmware on a good unit like the G30, Xiaomi Pro 2 etc.

I would say for that budget you should look into a 2nd hand xiaomi on your local marketplace. Get one with low milage. Maybe a xiaomi mi pro 2. Other brands at this price are badly built and we see all the time topics with broken steering stems from no-name cheap scooters, and that’s dangerous.

If you’re mainly commuting, I think you’re already looking in the right category. Segway (Ninebot) and Xiaomi are consistently the safest options when it comes to dependability and value. They have good build quality, readily available parts, and fewer long-term issues. The Hiboy is good but a little more inconsistent in terms of durability, while the Unagi is attractive but expensive for what you get.

Honestly the Xiaomi Mi Electric Scooter (M365 or Pro 2) hits that sweet spot pretty well. Got mine for around $400 and it handles hills decent enough while still getting like 15-20 miles range. The community support is huge too so tons of reviews and mods if you're into that Just avoid the super cheap knockoffs on Amazon - learned that the hard way with my first one that died after 3 months

The only decent scooters below ~350-400$ are all used. The cheapest „good” new scooter you can get is I think the NIU kqi2 pro for 379$. If you want to look for a used one, depending on budget try Xiaomi m365, m365 pro, pro 2 or the Ninebot MAX G30. Out of these the Ninebot is by far the best (and most powerful), but they all aren’t particularly great on hills, so it all depends on how big your hills are. On the Xiaomis and Ninebot you can also modify the firmware to make them a bit stronger if that’s something you’re willing to get into

Second-generation Xiaomi (an Essential, but it stopped being one two days after getting it out of the box). Put a big battery and 10" tires on it and it's still going strong today, four years and several thousand km down the line. Technically also a Kugoo S1 Plus, which didn't need any repair work at all for... oh, I wanna say two years. But then its battery died, so I'm not sure how much it counts in this context.

You’re definitely not overthinking this at all. I’ve had my xiaomi ninebot for a few months now, and the battery issue still annoys me. The whole up to 44 miles thing is just misleading because who’s riding in eco mode that long? I love the way it rides, responsive and light but yeah, the practical side doesn’t match the price. I’d keep it if upgrades were a real thing, but without them, it feels like we’re stuck with a half finished concept.

I think the Ninebot lineup has this weird curse, honestly everything about the hardware screams potential, but the software holds it back. I’ve got a xiaomi ninebot that sometimes refuses to connect to the app for no reason, crazy right? and it kills the whole experience. You’d think a brand under Segway would have this part figured out. Still, it’s hard to give it up because of that feeling when it’s cruising smoothly man, that’s hard to beat.