Acer ES Series 4 Select vs Hiboy S2 SE - Which Budget Commuter Scooter Actually Deserves Your Money?

Fast Answer for Busy Riders ⚡ (TL;DR)

The Acer ES Series 4 Select is the more complete commuter scooter overall: it rides more comfortably, brakes with more confidence, and feels closer to a "real vehicle" than a disposable gadget. The Hiboy S2 SE fights back hard on price and weight, and makes sense if you're on a tight budget and your trips are short and mostly smooth.

Choose the Acer if you care about safety, comfort, and a calmer, more confidence-inspiring ride. Choose the Hiboy if your priority is spending as little as possible while still getting a capable, reasonably fast city runabout and you're willing to accept more compromises.

Both will get you to work; how you feel when you arrive is a different story. Stick around for the details before you swipe your card.

Electric scooters have finally grown up from toy status, but the real battleground is still the budget-to-mid range commuter class. This is where most people spend their money, and where compromises are the most obvious once you've done a few weeks of daily riding.

On one side we have the Acer ES Series 4 Select, a scooter from a laptop giant trying very hard to look and feel "serious" - with suspension, big tubeless tyres and turn signals to prove it. On the other side sits the Hiboy S2 SE, a stripped-back, aggressively priced workhorse that aims to give you most of the experience for a lot less cash.

If Acer is the sensible office commuter in a blazer, Hiboy is the student on a budget who's already late to class. Both can make sense - for the right rider. Let's unpack where each one shines, and where the corners were... a bit too obviously cut.

Who Are These For, and Why Compare Them?

These two live in the same broad performance neighbourhood: single-motor commuters that top out around the legal limits in Europe, with enough punch to feel lively in city traffic but not enough to terrify your grandmother.

The Acer ES Series 4 Select sits in the upper budget / lower mid-range: you pay noticeably more, but you get suspension, a stronger motor and a more "finished" feeling product. It's aimed at daily commuters who want something they can trust in mixed weather and mixed road quality.

The Hiboy S2 SE is very much in the budget camp: it's cheaper, lighter, a bit simpler, and clearly built to hit a price point without falling apart on day three. Top speed is similar on paper, which is why many riders will naturally compare the two: "why pay more if they both go roughly as fast?" The answer lies everywhere around the speed figure.

Design & Build Quality

Pick up the Acer and the Hiboy back-to-back and the difference in design philosophy is obvious in your hands.

Acer ES Series 4 Select uses an aluminium frame with clean, mostly internal cabling and a stealthy matte finish. It feels like something a big electronics brand signed off after a lot of meetings - in a good way. Tolerances are tight, the folding joint clicks home with reassuring finality, and nothing rattles more than it should on a brand-new scooter. It has that "consumer electronics" polish rather than DIY eBay special vibes.

Hiboy S2 SE goes for a chunkier steel frame. It feels solid enough, slightly more agricultural, like a tool rather than a gadget. The welds and finishes are decent for the money, but when you've ridden nicer scooters, you do notice the extra roughness. Cables are reasonably tidied but still more visible than on the Acer. The wider deck and fenders look purposeful, though the whole scooter gives off more "budget appliance" than "premium commute partner".

Both are absolutely fine structurally at their power levels, but the Acer's overall execution - from stem to deck - feels more sorted, less like a platform that has been iteratively patched over a few generations.

Ride Comfort & Handling

This is where the gap starts to open up in real-world riding.

The Acer brings a proper front fork suspension and large, air-filled tubeless tyres at both ends. On typical European city surfaces - patched asphalt, tram tracks, the odd stretch of cobbles - it takes the edge off the constant chatter. After ten kilometres of mixed bike lanes and back streets, I stepped off the Acer feeling like I'd ridden a grown-up commuter: firm, not plush, but my hands and knees weren't filing complaints.

The Hiboy has no mechanical suspension; it relies entirely on its "mullet" tyre setup: solid honeycomb tyre at the front, air-filled tyre at the rear. Weight sits mostly over that rear wheel, and you feel the benefit - your feet get a decent cushion, and the bigger wheels do roll over holes better than older 8,5-inch designs. But the front end? Hit a sharp lip or a manhole at speed and the jolt goes straight through the handlebars into your wrists. After a similar ten-kilometre loop, my hands on the Hiboy knew exactly how many expansion joints the city engineer had signed off.

Handling wise, both are stable at commuting speeds, but the Acer's extra mass and low-slung battery give it a more planted, predictable feel when you lean into faster corners. The Hiboy is lighter and a bit more flickable in tight city weaving, but you pay for that with slightly more nervous steering on rougher stretches.

Performance

On paper, both hit about the same top speed. On the street, they feel noticeably different.

The Acer runs a rear motor with clearly more continuous grunt. It steps away from lights with enough authority to slip through gaps in traffic without feeling strained, and on gentle uphills it keeps its pace respectably even with a heavier adult on board. The acceleration curve is smooth, with a good balance between responsiveness and stability; you don't get that twitchy, on/off sensation you find on some cheaper controllers.

The Hiboy, with its slightly weaker front motor, offers a friendlier, softer launch. For beginners, that's actually quite nice: kick off, ease on the throttle and it pulls forward in a linear, predictable way. On flat ground it can absolutely keep up with bike-lane flow and feels "fast enough" for short hops. But when you point it at steeper gradients, the limitations show. Lighter riders will still make it up most city bridges; heavier riders will see speeds sag to the point where you're tempted to add some embarrassing kick-assist.

Braking is another story. Acer's combination of a proper front disc and rear electronic braking gives strong, controllable stops with good modulation. On a wet descent, I felt comfortable squeezing hard without fearing a surprise lock-up. The Hiboy's drum plus regen setup is surprisingly decent for the price - and the sealed drum is a win for low maintenance - but it doesn't have the same sharp bite or feedback as Acer's front disc. Stopping power is adequate, not inspiring.

Battery & Range

Ignore the brochure fantasies; in the real world, their ranges sit in two very different leagues.

The Acer's battery is significantly larger. Riding briskly in the top mode, with a mix of flats and a few moderate hills, you can realistically expect to cover commutes in the low-to-mid thirties of kilometres before the scooter starts feeling tired. Ride more gently and flatter routes and you can stretch that. More importantly, you have psychological breathing room: you're not eyeing the battery gauge nervously every time there's a detour or a headwind.

The Hiboy is built around a much smaller pack, and you feel it. Hammer it in the fastest mode with an average adult on board and you're looking at a comfortable radius in the mid-teens of kilometres before you're into reserve territory. For short, predictable commutes it's fine. But if your trip is close to the claimed range, you will live with mild range anxiety unless you charge at both ends.

Both take roughly a working day's worth of office time or a full night's sleep to recharge. Given the Acer's larger battery, its charging feels reasonably efficient; the Hiboy's charge time is simply "fine for what it is", not exceptional.

Portability & Practicality

Neither of these is a featherweight you throw over your shoulder like a messenger bag, but there is a useful difference.

The Hiboy S2 SE is notably lighter. Carrying it up a few steps to a flat or into a train is doable without cursing your life choices, and the folded package is compact enough to tuck under a desk or behind a door without completely dominating the space. The folding mechanism is quick and idiot-proof: flip, drop, latch. If you're doing a lot of multi-modal hopping - bus, train, scooter, repeat - that matters.

The Acer is heavier by a couple of kilos, and you feel every gram the second you commit to a full flight of stairs. You can carry it, but you won't do so for fun. On the flip side, that weight, combined with the deck-mounted battery, gives it a more stable, serious feel on the road. Folded size is perfectly acceptable for office life - it will live under a desk or in a corner just fine - but if you're in a tiny walk-up flat, you'll mentally negotiate with yourself before hauling it daily.

In day-to-day use, the Acer's extra app functionality and turn signals add a little layer of sophistication to the commute. The Hiboy counters with "it just works, and you didn't pay much for it". Both have Bluetooth apps; both are occasionally temperamental about connecting, as is tradition.

Safety

From a safety standpoint, these scooters are not playing the same game.

The Acer ES Series 4 Select gets several things very right: strong, confidence-inspiring braking up front, big tubeless pneumatic tyres for grip and impact absorption, and crucially, integrated turn signals plus bright front and rear lights. Being able to signal without taking a hand off the bar in city traffic is not a gimmick - it's a real upgrade in how cars read your intentions. The larger wheels and front suspension help the scooter stay composed when the road surface gets messy, which directly translates into fewer panic moments.

The Hiboy S2 SE does better than most cheap scooters, with a bright headlight, sidelights and a reactive brake tail light. The braking combo of regen plus rear drum is safe enough and very low-maintenance - no exposed rotor to bend or contaminate. The bigger wheels are a welcome step up from the old tiny-wheel era. But the front solid tyre's harsher feedback makes it slightly more prone to unsettling jolts if you hit something nasty while turning, and the lack of turn indicators means you're back to old-fashioned hand gestures.

Weather protection also favours the Acer: its higher water resistance rating offers a bit more confidence when you're inevitably caught in a shower. The Hiboy will survive splashes and light drizzle, but you're more conscious that you're flirting with the limits of what the electronics really want to tolerate.

Community Feedback

Price & Value

This is where the Hiboy makes its loudest argument, and to be fair, it's a pretty convincing one if you only look at the invoice.

The Hiboy S2 SE costs significantly less than the Acer - we're talking a gap big enough to matter to students, first-time buyers and anyone just testing the scooter waters. For that money, you still get a proper adult-speed scooter, with app features, lighting that doesn't feel like an afterthought, and build quality that's serviceable rather than scary. If your rides are short, flat and predictable, the value proposition is hard to ignore.

The Acer ES Series 4 Select charges a noticeable premium. What you get for that extra outlay is a bigger battery, stronger motor, better tyres, actual suspension, and safety features (like indicators and a better IP rating) that belong on a commuter rather than a toy. It's not a bargain; it's more like "fair pricing" for a semi-polished package backed by a major brand.

Over a couple of years of daily use, the Acer's extra comfort and capability start to justify the higher price tag. But if your budget is non-negotiable, the Hiboy wins on raw euros-per-scooter alone.

Service & Parts Availability

Support is where a lot of cheap scooters quietly fall apart - often literally.

Acer, being a global electronics brand, has established service networks, documentation and warranty procedures. You're not hunting for a WhatsApp number in another time zone; you're usually dealing with proper RMA processes, at least in larger European markets. That doesn't mean paradise - scooter parts and laptop parts are not the same universe - but overall, it feels like a grown-up ownership experience.

Hiboy actually does better than many budget brands. They've built a name in the entry segment, and parts like tyres, fenders and controllers are findable. Their support reputation is "surprisingly okay for the price": not premium-brand pampering, but you're not screaming into the void either. Still, compared directly with Acer, you're more dependent on e-commerce channels and your own willingness to wrench.

Pros & Cons Summary

Parameters Comparison

Final Verdict - Which Should You Choose?

When you strip away the marketing and just look at daily life on these scooters, the Acer ES Series 4 Select comes out as the more rounded, grown-up choice. It rides better, stops better, deals with bad roads and bad weather with more grace, and gives you the sort of safety features you only truly appreciate when a car does something stupid in front of you.

The Hiboy S2 SE absolutely has its place. If your budget is tight, your commute is short, flat and mostly smooth, and you just want reliable A-to-B transport without draining your bank account, it's a logical, defensible pick. Think of it as a decent starter scooter or a secondary runabout you won't cry over if it gets knocked about.

But if you're planning to use a scooter as your primary daily transport - in real cities with real potholes, real rain and real idiots behind steering wheels - the Acer earns its extra cost. It may not be thrilling, but it quietly does more of the important things right, more of the time.

Numbers Freaks Corner

These metrics strip things down to raw maths: how much battery you get for your money, how efficiently each scooter turns energy into distance, how heavy they are relative to their performance, and how quickly they refill their batteries. They don't account for comfort, safety features or brand support, but they help explain why the Hiboy looks like better value at checkout, while the Acer quietly wins on efficiency, usable range and charging performance.

Author's Category Battle

Overall Winner Declaration

In the Numbers Freaks Corner, the ACER ES Series 4 Select scores 6 points against the HIBOY S2 SE's 4. In the Author's Category Battle, the ACER ES Series 4 Select gets 34 ✅ versus 9 ✅ for HIBOY S2 SE (with a few ties sprinkled in).

Totals: ACER ES Series 4 Select scores 40, HIBOY S2 SE scores 13.

Based on the scoring, the ACER ES Series 4 Select is our overall winner. After many kilometres on both, the Acer ES Series 4 Select simply feels like the more "sorted" scooter - the one you trust on bad days, in bad weather, on bad roads. It may not be spectacular, but it gets the fundamentals right enough that you stop thinking about the scooter and just get on with your life. The Hiboy S2 SE is an honest, affordable little workhorse, and for short, simple trips it delivers exactly what it promises. But if you can stretch the budget, the Acer turns every commute into less of a compromise and more of a genuinely pleasant ride.

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.