Apollo Air 2022 vs Hiboy S2 Max - Comfort King Meets Range Warrior (But Which One Actually Wins?)

Fast Answer for Busy Riders ⚡ (TL;DR)

The overall better scooter for most riders is the Apollo Air 2022 - mainly because of its superior comfort, calmer manners, and more refined build and support, which matter every single day on a commute.

The Hiboy S2 Max fights back hard on price and range: if your main goal is to cover long, mostly smooth commutes for as little money as possible, the Hiboy is the pragmatic choice and will go noticeably further per charge.

If you care about how the ride feels, how the scooter is screwed together, and how relaxed you are when you step off it, the Apollo is the safer bet; if you care mostly about distance and budget, the Hiboy will tempt you.

Keep reading - the devil, as always, is in the details, and these two trade blows in some very interesting ways.

Electric commuters in this price bracket are no longer toys; they're daily transport with very real consequences when something rattles, fails, or simply annoys you on day 40 of using it. The Apollo Air 2022 and the Hiboy S2 Max sit right in that zone where people stop "trying scooters" and actually rely on them.

I've spent enough kilometres on both to know that they approach the same mission from very different angles. One is clearly built from the saddle of a slightly picky rider; the other is built from a spreadsheet that says "more volts, more range, keep the price down". Both approaches have their charm - and their gotchas.

If you're torn between silky ride quality and maximal range-per-euro, this comparison will help you decide which compromise you want to live with every day.

Who Are These For, and Why Compare Them?

On paper, the Apollo Air 2022 and the Hiboy S2 Max are natural rivals: mid-power commuter scooters with similar top speeds, similar motor ratings, and weights that are just light enough to still be called "portable" with a straight face.

The Apollo targets riders willing to pay a bit extra for polish: proper suspension, a more sophisticated chassis, and a more premium ownership feel. It's the scooter you buy if you've already suffered through something harsher and rattle-prone.

The Hiboy S2 Max takes the opposite route: stretch the battery, bump the voltage, keep the spec sheet impressive and the price aggressively low. It's the scooter for cost-conscious commuters who want "as much range as possible without destroying the bank account".

They share the same broad mission - daily urban commuting on tarmac and light bike-path duty - but they disagree firmly on how nice that commute needs to feel, and how much you should pay for that niceness.

Design & Build Quality

Park them side by side and the design philosophies jump out immediately. The Apollo Air 2022 has that one-piece, sculpted frame that feels more like a small vehicle than an assembly of parts. The stem is chunky, the cable routing is clean, and the rubber deck looks like it belongs in an office lobby as much as on a bike path. It's subtly premium rather than shouty.

The Hiboy S2 Max looks tougher on first glance: matte black, orange accents, and a more industrial, "mass-market commuter" vibe. The frame is solid enough and it doesn't feel flimsy, but you can tell more of the budget went into battery and voltage than into making the chassis feel special. Think well-made appliance rather than small EV.

In the hands, the Apollo's stem and folding joint feel tighter and more confidence-inspiring. The claw-style latch is overbuilt, if anything, which you appreciate the first time you hit a rough patch at full speed. The Hiboy's lever-and-hook system is proven and quick, but it feels more like something you might eventually fiddle with to keep play at bay.

Finish quality tells a similar story. The Apollo's rubber deck, wider bars and integrated display feel carefully considered; few rough edges, literally and figuratively. The Hiboy's cockpit works, but it's more utilitarian: big LED display, simple controls, functional but not exactly aspirational. It's the difference between "nicely designed" and "good enough".

Ride Comfort & Handling

This is where the Apollo Air 2022 walks in, drops its bag on the table, and says: "Right, what are we calling comfort again?" Front dual-fork suspension plus big pneumatic tyres means it simply glides over the broken patches of city reality - expansion joints, tree roots pushing up tarmac, those lovely cobbled shortcuts. After a few kilometres of rough pavements, your knees and wrists still feel like they belong to you.

The Hiboy S2 Max relies almost entirely on its large air-filled tyres. To its credit, they're a big upgrade over the brand's earlier solid-tyre models, and on half-decent asphalt the ride is pleasantly smooth. The trouble starts when "half-decent" becomes "forgotten by the city for ten years". Without real suspension, the Hiboy begins to remind you it was built to a price: sharp edges come through, and longer rough stretches feel more fatiguing.

Handling-wise, the Apollo's wider handlebars and more planted geometry give it a very grown-up feel. It's stable in corners, doesn't twitch when you glance over your shoulder, and remains composed when you need to brake mid-bend. You can ride it "loose" and relaxed and it still behaves. The Hiboy is stable enough at speed and not at all scary, but you feel more of the road's texture through the chassis and have to work a little harder to stay relaxed over messy surfaces.

On a smooth commute, both are fine. After a week of mixed pavements and surprise potholes, though, the Apollo's suspension earns its keep in the form of less body fatigue and more willingness to take the scenic route.

Performance

Both scooters carry a motor in the same nominal class, and neither is pretending to be a drag-strip monster. The differences are in how they deliver that power.

The Apollo Air 2022 has a very "civilised commuter" character. It pulls away smartly from the lights, outpaces rental scooters and most cyclists, and gets to its top cruising speed with a smooth, progressive shove. The throttle mapping is gentle at the start, so low-speed manoeuvres in tight spaces feel controlled rather than jerky. At its upper speed range the chassis stays calm, which does wonders for rider confidence.

The Hiboy S2 Max, with its higher-voltage system, feels a bit more eager off the line. It doesn't explode forward, but there's a slightly more immediate tug when you thumb the throttle, and it maintains its cruising pace respectably even as the battery drains. This makes it feel a touch more spirited in city traffic, especially if you're dodging buses and need to grab gaps quickly.

In hill climbing, they're closer than you might expect. Both will manage typical urban inclines without reducing you to an embarrassing kick-push. The Hiboy's extra voltage helps it hold speed a bit better on longer grades, particularly for lighter riders. Heavier riders will still notice some slowing on steep ramps on both scooters; these are commuters, not mountain goats.

Braking is an area where the Apollo's tuning feels more refined. The drum plus smooth regenerative system give you very predictable deceleration - you can almost ride with just regen in many situations. The Hiboy uses a similar drum-plus-regen combo, but the electronic braking can feel a bit more abrupt out of the box until you get used to modulating it or tweak the settings in the app.

Battery & Range

If comfort is Apollo's home turf, range is where the Hiboy S2 Max comes to play. Its higher-voltage battery, paired with a relatively efficient drivetrain, gives it a real-world range advantage. On typical mixed-city use - full-speed sections, stops, some hills - it simply goes further between charges than the Apollo. For riders with long round trips or a deep fear of the "last two battery bars", that matters.

The Apollo Air 2022 is no slouch. Its pack is properly sized for a commuter, and in normal use it comfortably handles a full workday of riding for most urbanites. But if you regularly stack up longer distances or can't charge at work, you'll hit its limits sooner than on the Hiboy. You can feel the system easing off a little once you're deep into the battery, too - that classic 36 V "I'm getting tired now" sensation as top speed and punch soften near the bottom of the charge.

Both scooters ask for an overnight charge, with the Hiboy finishing a bit quicker given its slightly faster effective charging rate. In practice, you plug either in at night or at the office and stop thinking about it. The difference is that with the Hiboy, you're more likely to skip a night and still make it home the next day without sweating over the last kilometre.

Portability & Practicality

Neither of these is what you'd call a featherweight. We're firmly in "I can carry it if I must, but I'm not thrilled about it" territory.

The Apollo Air 2022 sits just a touch lighter, but its non-folding handlebars make the folded package wider. That's great for stability when riding, slightly less great when trying to squeeze it under a desk or through the narrow luggage gap on a bus. The folding mechanism is secure but lives close to the deck, so you do have to bend down and give it a firm hand - not ideal if you're doing that ten times a day.

The Hiboy S2 Max is a shade heavier, but folds into a narrower, more "classic" scooter package with the stem hooking neatly to the rear. The lever at the base is quicker to operate, and it's a bit more forgiving when you're in a rush to jump on a train. Carrying either one up a couple flights of stairs is fine; hauling them daily to a fourth-floor walk-up is an involuntary fitness programme.

For everyday practicality, both offer usable water resistance: the Apollo shrugs off typical drizzle, the Hiboy is similarly comfortable with splashes and light rain. Neither is a rain-scooter by design; your tyres will lose grip before the electronics give up, which is the right way round.

Safety

On the braking front, both use the same sensible commuter combo: a front drum brake paired with rear regenerative braking. This is the sweet spot for people who don't want to be truing rotors or swapping pads every other month. The Apollo's brake tuning is calmer and more progressive; the Hiboy's regen initially feels more "on/off" until you adjust to it or dial it back via the app.

Lighting is one of the few areas where the Hiboy S2 Max nudges ahead. Its headlight throws a bit more usable light onto the road rather than just making you visible, and the rear light behaviour is nicely tied to braking. With the Apollo, you're quite visible, but if you ride on unlit paths at night you'll very likely add an auxiliary light anyway.

Tyre grip is solid on both thanks to their large pneumatic shoes. The Apollo's suspension helps keep the tyre in better contact when things get rough or you brake hard over uneven ground. The Hiboy relies more on rubber alone to smooth the ride, which works on decent tarmac but begins to show its limitations if your city specialises in patched-up roads and enthusiastic potholes.

In terms of high-speed stability, the Apollo's wider cockpit and more planted frame give it an edge. The Hiboy is stable enough; it doesn't feel sketchy at its top cruising speed. But if you routinely ride flat-out, day after day, the Apollo's "no drama" behaviour inspires more trust.

Community Feedback

Price & Value

Strip away the marketing, and you end up with a simple question: are you paying for experience, or for capacity?

The Hiboy S2 Max offers a longer-range, higher-voltage package at a very aggressive price. On cost-per-kilometre and cost-per-watt-hour, it's tough to argue against. If you're trying to maximise transport per euro and can live with a slightly harsher ride and a more budget-flavoured ownership experience, it's remarkable value.

The Apollo Air 2022 sits significantly higher on the price ladder. For that extra outlay you get better ride quality, a more refined chassis, nicer ergonomics, and a generally more "sorted" feel, plus stronger brand support. Whether that premium is justified depends entirely on how much you value comfort, polish, and after-sales reassurance over sheer range-per-euro.

Service & Parts Availability

This is where brand philosophy bites. Apollo has spent real effort building a more traditional support structure, especially in North America and with growing presence in Europe. Parts, documentation and community guides are relatively easy to come by, and you usually feel like there's a real company on the other end of the email chain.

Hiboy, by contrast, is very much an online, volume-driven brand. There are plenty of S2-series scooters on the roads, which helps with community knowledge and third-party tutorials, but official support experiences are mixed. Some riders report smooth parts replacement; others report slow replies and more back-and-forth than they'd like.

Both use broadly standard components where it matters (tyres, tubes, basic hardware), so you're not locked into exotic parts for most wear items. But if you're the sort of rider who worries about controller boards and display units five years down the line, Apollo inspires slightly more confidence.

Pros & Cons Summary

Parameters Comparison

Final Verdict - Which Should You Choose?

If you strip away the marketing gloss and look at how these scooters behave under your feet, the Apollo Air 2022 comes across as the more complete riding package. The comfort, the composed handling, the calmer braking and the more mature build all add up to a scooter that feels like a tool you'll still enjoy using in a year's time, not just something you bought because the spec sheet looked good.

The Hiboy S2 Max absolutely has its place. If your main priority is long range on decent pavements for as little cash as possible, it's hard to beat: plenty of power for commuting, enough comfort on smooth roads, and a battery that will outlast most people's nerve. You just have to accept that you're buying into a more budget-focused ecosystem, with the compromises in finesse and support that implies.

For riders who value day-to-day riding comfort, stability, and a generally more polished feel - and who are willing to pay extra for it - the Apollo Air 2022 is the better bet. For riders whose top three priorities are "range, price, range", and who can live with a firmer ride and a slightly rougher-around-the-edges ownership experience, the Hiboy S2 Max delivers excellent bang for the buck.

Numbers Freaks Corner

These metrics look purely at mathematical efficiency: how much you pay per unit of energy, speed, or distance; how much weight you're hauling per unit of performance; and how quickly the charger replenishes the battery. Lower is better for cost, weight and energy use; higher is better when we talk about power per unit of speed and charging power. None of this captures ride feel or build quality - it just tells you which scooter wins the numbers game on paper.

Author's Category Battle

Overall Winner Declaration

In the Numbers Freaks Corner, the APOLLO Air 2022 scores 3 points against the HIBOY S2 Max's 7. In the Author's Category Battle, the APOLLO Air 2022 gets 29 ✅ versus 10 ✅ for HIBOY S2 Max.

Totals: APOLLO Air 2022 scores 32, HIBOY S2 Max scores 17.

Based on the scoring, the APOLLO Air 2022 is our overall winner. In day-to-day riding, the Apollo Air 2022 simply feels like the more complete companion: calmer, more comfortable, better put together, and more likely to leave you stepping off relaxed rather than mildly rattled. The Hiboy S2 Max counters with cold, hard range and price, and if that's your whole world it will absolutely do the job - just with a bit less grace along the way. For me, the scooter I'd actually want to ride every morning is the Apollo; the Hiboy is the one I'd recommend to someone who counts every euro and every kilometre and is willing to trade some refinement to get them.

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.