Acer ES Series 5 Select vs Hiboy S2 Pro - Which "Budget Hero" Actually Deserves Your Commute?

Fast Answer for Busy Riders ⚡ (TL;DR)

The Hiboy S2 Pro wins on raw shove and headline value: it's faster off the line, climbs better, and undercuts the Acer on price while still feeling like a "real" scooter. If you want maximum speed and punch for the least money, and your roads are mostly smooth, the Hiboy is the livelier pick.

The Acer ES Series 5 Select, however, comes across as the more rounded commuter tool: calmer tuning, nicer finishing, better weather protection and range, and a generally more grown-up feel - especially if you ride longer distances. Choose the Hiboy if you're a budget thrill-seeker on good tarmac; choose the Acer if you're a pragmatic commuter who cares more about consistency, comfort and getting home dry and in one piece.

Both scooters have compromises that don't show on the spec sheet - so if you want to avoid buyer's remorse, it's worth diving into the details below.

Electric scooters used to come in two flavours: flimsy toys and terrifying monsters. These two sit in the far more interesting middle ground - "serious" commuters that still pretend they're fun. The Acer ES Series 5 Select is a tech-brand take on urban mobility, clearly designed by people who know laptops better than potholes, while the Hiboy S2 Pro is the internet's favourite budget brawler, promising big power and zero punctures for surprisingly little money.

On paper they chase the same rider: someone who wants to ditch crowded buses, ride a few dozen kilometres at decent speed, fold the scooter at the end and forget about it. In practice, they take quite different approaches. The Acer feels like a sensible office worker in scooter form; the Hiboy is more that slightly sketchy friend who always arrives first, even if something is rattling.

If you're wondering which one deserves your hallway space - and your ankles - keep reading. The differences only really appear once you imagine living with them for a few months.

Who Are These For, and Why Compare Them?

Both models sit firmly in the mid-budget commuter class: not cheap toys, not luxury land torpedoes. They're designed for riders doing daily trips of a few to a couple of dozen kilometres on mostly urban infrastructure - cycle lanes, city streets, the occasional slightly abusive shortcut.

The Hiboy S2 Pro appeals to riders who want maximum performance for minimum money. Think students, first-time buyers and "I just want it to be quick and not explode" commuters who have been reading Amazon reviews at 02:00. Its stronger motor and slightly higher cruising speed make it tempting if you're coming from rental scooters and want "the same but faster".

The Acer ES Series 5 Select targets a slightly more conservative crowd: people who like the idea of buying from a familiar tech brand, want decent comfort and range, and would rather their scooter quietly does its job than star in TikTok acceleration tests. It's that "office-friendly" choice you don't feel silly parking next to a BMW in an underground garage.

Same price neighbourhood, same broad mission, very different personalities - which makes them ideal to compare head-to-head.

Design & Build Quality

Put them side-by-side and the design philosophies are obvious. The Acer looks like it was drawn by an industrial designer who also cares about cable management. Hidden wiring, a clean stem, subtle accents - it wouldn't look out of place parked under a standing desk. The frame feels solid and the tolerances are tidy. Nothing shouts "cheap OEM rebrand" at first touch.

The Hiboy, meanwhile, is more utilitarian. It borrows heavily from the classic Xiaomi layout - tall stem, straight deck, matte finish - then adds sporty red highlights and a beefier stance. The welds are acceptable for the price, and the metal fender support at the back is a nice nod to long-term durability. But you can tell it's built to hit a price point first and impress on finish second.

In the hands, the Acer's controls and grips feel a bit more refined, and the integrated display blends better into the cockpit. The Hiboy's display and plastics are functional but clearly budget - absolutely fine, just not premium. Over rougher roads and time, reports of stem play are more common on the Hiboy; with the Acer, owner complaints tend to focus on software niggles rather than loosening hardware.

If you care what your scooter looks and feels like when it's parked in your hallway, the Acer feels a step more mature. The Hiboy feels like a rugged tool: not ugly, just more "Amazon best-seller" than "design award".

Ride Comfort & Handling

Both scooters try to square the comfort-maintenance circle with a similar recipe: large solid or foam-style tyres plus rear suspension. Reality, as always, is more nuanced.

The Acer's ride is surprisingly civil for a solid-tyre machine. Its rear shock takes a noticeable bite out of sharp hits, and the large wheels help roll over smaller obstacles rather than falling into them. On typical city tarmac and moderate bumps, it feels composed and predictable. Once the surface turns truly bad - cracked slabs, cobbles - you'll still feel it through your knees, but it's less punishing than many solid-tyre rivals.

The Hiboy, with its honeycomb tyres and twin rear springs, feels firmer. On smooth cycle lanes it's perfectly pleasant, even a bit sporty. But once the road gets patchy, the vibrations come through more clearly. The suspension works - especially for isolated impacts like curbs and expansion joints - yet it can't fully mask the inherent harshness of dense rubber. After a longer stint on broken pavement, you'll know exactly how old your joints really are.

Handling-wise, both are stable at their intended speeds. The Acer's calmer motor and slightly heavier build give it a planted, confidence-inspiring feel - it encourages clean, smooth lines rather than playful flicks. The Hiboy feels more eager to change direction and punch out of corners, but also a bit more nervous on rough or wet surfaces, where the solid tyres have less feedback and grip.

If your daily route is mostly decent asphalt with the odd nasty patch, the Acer is the more forgiving partner. If you're on billiard-table smooth lanes and like a firmer, more "connected" feel, the Hiboy will suit you fine - as long as you accept the extra buzz.

Performance

This is where the Hiboy likes to shout and the Acer prefers to clear its throat politely.

The Hiboy's motor hits harder from a standstill and holds its top speed more aggressively. Off the lights, it jumps forward with enough eagerness that you'll leave rental scooters and casual cyclists behind without trying. On moderate hills, it keeps a respectable pace where weaker scooters start to beg for your kicking leg. It feels every bit the "fast one" of the pair.

The Acer's motor is tuned more conservatively. Acceleration is smooth and progressive rather than punchy; you get going briskly enough for city traffic, but it never feels urgent. Top speed is more modest, especially if your region enforces lower limits. On inclines it will climb, but heavier riders will definitely notice the pace dropping earlier than on the Hiboy.

Braking is a closer contest. Both use the familiar combo of rear disc plus electronic front brake. The Hiboy's braking has a stronger "drag" sensation from the motor when set aggressively in the app, which shortens stopping distance but can feel abrupt until you adapt. The Acer offers a more linear, predictable slowing behaviour that feels natural even to beginners, at the slight expense of ultimate bite.

In daily traffic, the Hiboy gives you more headroom - more speed to match fast bike lanes, more grunt on climbs. The Acer feels like it's tuned for riders who don't care about winning traffic-light sprints as long as the scooter never does anything surprising.

Battery & Range

Here, the tables quietly turn.

The Acer packs a noticeably larger battery, and you feel it in how casually you can rack up distance. With mixed riding - some full-throttle stretches, some cruising, stop-and-go traffic - it's realistic to go well beyond a typical workday's there-and-back commute without getting anxious. Ride gently and you can stretch it over several days before reaching for the charger. Range loss as the battery drops is gradual rather than dramatic, so you don't suddenly find yourself crawling home.

The Hiboy's battery is more modest. In the real world, if you stay in its sportier mode and enjoy the stronger motor, you're looking at a one-day commuter with a decent safety margin rather than a multi-day machine. For many riders that's perfectly adequate - plug it in at night or under your desk and forget it - but if your trips sometimes turn into spontaneous detours, you'll need to pay more attention to the remaining bars.

Charging favours the Hiboy: from flat to full takes roughly half the time of a complete Acer refill. In practice though, the Acer's better range and "charge twice a week" pattern offset its overnight charge time for most users. If you're habitually forgetful about plugging things in, the Hiboy's quicker top-up is friendlier; if you like fewer plug-ins overall, the Acer's larger tank is the better plan.

Portability & Practicality

Neither of these is a featherweight, but one will make your stairs slightly less hateful than the other.

The Hiboy is the lighter of the two. Folded, it's fairly compact and easy enough to carry for short stretches - in and out of car boots, onto trains, up a flight or two of stairs. You'll notice the weight, but it's in the "I can manage this" zone for most adults. The latch system is simple and reasonably secure when folded, with the stem hooking onto the rear fender for one-handed carrying.

The Acer is heavier and feels it. Carrying it is doable but not something you'd volunteer to repeat several times a day. If your commute involves long staircases or no lift, it crosses the line from "portable vehicle" into "daily workout tool". The upside is that once unfolded, it feels more substantial underfoot, and the folding mechanism itself is solid and confidence-inspiring.

In terms of living with them day-to-day, both are easy to park under a desk or in a hallway. The Acer's tidier design and hidden cables make it less likely to snag on things, and it simply looks more at home indoors. The Hiboy's strength is its "grab-and-go" nature: you know the tyres will be fine, the latch is straightforward, and you can quickly stow it in smaller car boots and tight corners.

If you're going to be lifting your scooter regularly, the Hiboy is the more sensible choice. If it mostly rolls from house to lift to office and back, the Acer's extra heft is less of a penalty.

Safety

On the braking and lighting front, both scooters tick the essential boxes - dual braking systems, front and rear lighting, decent wheel size. The devil, as always, is in the details.

The Acer's safety story leans on stability and visibility. Its frame geometry and larger wheels combine with the calmer motor to give new riders a reassuring sense of control. The integrated indicators are a genuinely useful bonus in traffic, letting you keep both hands planted while signalling, and the higher water-resistance rating means getting caught in a proper rain shower is more annoyance than hazard for the electronics.

The Hiboy impresses with a surprisingly strong lighting package for its class: high stem-mounted headlight, responsive brake light, and side illumination that does help in low-light traffic. Braking performance is solid, and once you've tuned the electronic brake to your liking in the app, stops feel short and confident.

The weak spot for both is traction on poor or wet surfaces, thanks to their non-pneumatic tyres. The Hiboy suffers more noticeably here: its solid honeycomb rubber simply doesn't bite into damp tarmac as well as a good inflatable tyre would, and painted lines or metal covers can feel skittish at speed. The Acer's tyre compound and geometry feel a tad more forgiving, but you still want to dial the speed back when the weather turns.

If you ride in all seasons and don't always have the luxury of dry lanes, the Acer's better weather sealing and slightly calmer dynamics give it the edge. For dry-climate riders, both are fine - with the usual solid-tyre caveats.

Community Feedback

Price & Value

Looking at price tags alone, the Hiboy walks in with the swagger: it undercuts the Acer while offering a beefier motor and higher top speed. If you judge value purely by how fast it goes for how much you paid, it's an easy win for the S2 Pro.

But value isn't just speed per euro. The Acer brings a larger battery, more range, better weather resistance, and a more polished overall package. Over a couple of years of commuting, fewer charging cycles, less range anxiety and a sturdier-feeling chassis are worth something. Add the trust and support network of a major electronics brand, and its asking price starts to feel more justified than it first appears.

In short: if your budget is tight and you want maximum performance today, the Hiboy is the obvious deal. If you're thinking about how the scooter will feel in year two, not just week two, the Acer's quieter strengths make its slightly higher price easier to defend.

Service & Parts Availability

This is where the brands' origins really show.

Acer, coming from the PC world, has established service centres and logistics in most European countries. That doesn't magically make every repair pleasant, but it does mean warranty claims and spare parts have a clear route. You're dealing with a company that's used to handling millions of devices, not a pop-up shop.

Hiboy leans heavily on online sales and a mass-market model. There are plenty of spare parts floating around, and a huge community ready to walk you through DIY fixes via videos and forums. Official support, however, is a bit of a lottery: some users get quick replacements, others report slow or patchy communication, especially once you leave the major markets.

If you're comfortable wielding basic tools and don't mind a bit of tinkering, Hiboy's ecosystem is fine - even fun for some. If you prefer dropping your scooter off at an authorised centre and getting it back working, Acer is the safer bet in Europe.

Pros & Cons Summary

Parameters Comparison

Final Verdict - Which Should You Choose?

Neither scooter is a disaster, and neither is a miracle. They're both very usable commuters with clear personalities - and clear compromises.

Choose the Hiboy S2 Pro if your priorities are simple: you want more speed and stronger climbs for the least money, and your routes are mostly smooth, dry asphalt. It suits riders who value zip and zero-maintenance tyres more than they worry about vibrations or nuanced handling. If you're a first-time buyer on a strict budget, or upgrading from rentals and just want "faster, stronger, cheap", the Hiboy will make you smile - especially on short to medium commutes.

Choose the Acer ES Series 5 Select if you see your scooter as daily infrastructure rather than a toy. It's the better choice for longer commutes, mixed weather, and riders who care about range, stability, and brand-backed support. It doesn't win drag races, but it does a better job of feeling like a calm, reliable transport tool you can depend on when the weather turns or the journey gets longer than planned.

If I had to live with one of these as my main city commuter, I'd lean towards the Acer: it's the more complete, grown-up package, even if the Hiboy shouts louder about its spec sheet. But if your inner teenager refuses to be ignored - and your streets are kind - the Hiboy's extra punch at a lower price is hard to argue with.

Numbers Freaks Corner

These metrics strip the scooters down to pure maths: how much battery and speed you get for your money and weight, how efficiently they use energy, and how quickly they recharge. Lower values generally mean better "bang for the buck" or better efficiency, while the higher-is-better metrics (power per speed and charging speed) highlight which scooter is more performance-oriented and which spends less time tethered to the wall.

Author's Category Battle

Overall Winner Declaration

In the Numbers Freaks Corner, the ACER ES Series 5 Select scores 5 points against the HIBOY S2 Pro's 5. In the Author's Category Battle, the ACER ES Series 5 Select gets 27 ✅ versus 18 ✅ for HIBOY S2 Pro (with a few ties sprinkled in).

Totals: ACER ES Series 5 Select scores 32, HIBOY S2 Pro scores 23.

Based on the scoring, the ACER ES Series 5 Select is our overall winner. Between these two, the Acer ES Series 5 Select feels more like a partner you can trust every weekday: calmer, sturdier, and better equipped to shrug off long rides and bad weather without drama. The Hiboy S2 Pro fights back with stronger thrills for less money, but lives a bit closer to its limits in comfort, grip and refinement. If your heart wants the Hiboy's punch but your head keeps circling back to the Acer's composure and range, listen to your head - it's the scooter that will quietly keep your life simpler in the long run.

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.