Kingsong KS-N12 Pro vs Apollo Explore 2.0 - Which "Middleweight Hero" Actually Deserves Your Money?

Fast Answer for Busy Riders ⚡ (TL;DR)

The Apollo Explore 2.0 edges out as the more rounded everyday scooter, mainly thanks to its refined ride quality, great weather protection, low-maintenance setup and strong software ecosystem, all at a noticeably lower price.

The Kingsong KS-N12 Pro fights back with more punch at higher speeds, a bigger battery and slightly higher real-world range, making it better suited to longer, faster suburban commutes where you can stretch its legs.

Choose the Apollo if you want a comfy, low-fuss workhorse that shrugs off rain and potholes; pick the Kingsong if you care more about outright performance, battery size and don't mind a bit more heft and fiddle.

Both will beat rental toys by a mile, but the devil is in the details-so let's dig into those details before you drop a few hundred euros on the wrong one.

Stick around; the story gets much more interesting once you look beyond the brochure numbers.

Electric scooters in the "serious commuter" class all claim to be that perfect sweet spot: fast enough to be fun, comfortable enough for real distances, and still just about portable. The Kingsong KS-N12 Pro and Apollo Explore 2.0 both plant their flags squarely in that territory and shout: "I'm your daily vehicle, not a toy."

I've put real kilometres on both, over battered city streets, wet cycle paths and a few hills that look much steeper when your battery is at 20 %. They're cut from a similar cloth-single rear motor, proper suspension, real brakes, real lighting-but the way they go about the job is very different.

The Kingsong is for the rider who wants more voltage, more battery and the feeling that you could commute across half the city without really trying. The Apollo is for the rider who's tired of tightening bolts and patching tubes and just wants something that works, feels good and doesn't complain about rain.

If that already sounds like a tough call, good. Let's break it down properly.

Who Are These For, and Why Compare Them?

Both scooters live in that "grown-up commuter" bracket: not cheap entry-level toys, not insane dual-motor rockets that weigh as much as a moped. They target riders who actually replace car, bus or train trips with a scooter-and who notice things like stem wobble, brake fade and whether a headlight actually lets you see the road.

The Kingsong KS-N12 Pro leans performance-commuter. Higher voltage system, stronger peak output, and a battery that clearly aims at riders doing longer daily routes or simply wanting to ride fast without constant range anxiety. It feels like a brand taking its unicycle experience and trying to build a "proper vehicle" scooter.

The Apollo Explore 2.0 is more of a comfort-commuter. The headline is less "look how big the numbers are" and more "look how nice this is to live with": triple-spring suspension, tubeless self-healing tyres, strong water resistance and a heavily integrated app. It's pitched at people who ride every day and want as little drama as possible.

Same price neighbourhood, similar weight, similar headline speed: if you're shopping in this class, you will almost certainly bump into both. And that's exactly why this comparison matters.

Design & Build Quality

In the flesh, these two scooters feel like they come from very different schools of design.

The Kingsong KS-N12 Pro looks like someone crossed an electric unicycle with a street scooter. Angular lines, a fairly chunky deck and that very "EUC-brand" obsession with lighting. The frame is aluminium, reasonably tidy cable routing, and a stem that feels solidly locked in place. There's a sense of "tool first, toy second"; functional but with a bit of RGB flair thrown in so it doesn't look like a council rental.

The Apollo Explore 2.0, by contrast, feels more like a complete industrial product. The tubular steel frame that wraps around the deck gives it a rigid, monocoque vibe and doubles as a carry/lock point. Most of the cables have disappeared inside the frame, the colour accents are restrained, and nothing really screams "afterthought". It's the kind of scooter you can park outside a glass office block without feeling like you brought your teenager's gadget.

In the hands, the Apollo's hardware-folding latch, grips, display, switchgear-does feel that bit more cohesive and premium. The Kingsong isn't cheap or flimsy, but you sense that more of the budget went into powertrain and battery than into obsessing over every surface and joint.

If you're picky about finish, the Apollo wins this round. If you care more about robust simplicity and don't lose sleep over slightly more utilitarian touches, the Kingsong is acceptable-but won't wow you on the design bench.

Ride Comfort & Handling

Both scooters promise "suspension and air tyres" but they deliver very different personalities once you're rolling.

The Kingsong's dual spring setup and large pneumatic tyres give a legitimately cushy ride. Over your average European city mix of cracked tarmac, tram tracks and surprise manhole covers, it stays composed. After several kilometres of broken pavement, my knees still felt reasonably fresh, and the wide deck lets you shift stance to deal with bigger hits. Handling is stable and planted; at higher speeds it tracks straight without feeling twitchy.

The Apollo Explore 2.0, though, is on another level in terms of plushness. That triple-spring layout-two at the rear, one up front-soaks up sharp edges with more finesse. On cobbles and tiled pavements where the Kingsong occasionally reminds you you're on a scooter, the Apollo just glides. Combined with the self-healing tubeless tyres, you end up paying more attention to traffic and less to dodging every small crack in the road.

In tight corners, the Apollo also feels a touch more eager to lean and change direction, likely due to the frame geometry and slightly lower top-end focus. The Kingsong prefers long, sweeping turns and straight-line stability; it's fine in tight stuff, but you sense that its happy place is charging along a cycle lane rather than carving tiny back-alley slaloms.

For all-day comfort and relaxed handling, especially on rough city surfaces, the Apollo has the upper hand. The Kingsong is comfortable enough for serious commuting, but it doesn't quite reach the same "floating sofa on wheels" impression.

Performance

Both scooters are single-motor machines, but they sit at opposite ends of what "single motor" can mean.

The Kingsong KS-N12 Pro, with its higher-voltage system and strong peak output, feels meaningfully more aggressive once you get moving. Off the line it's brisk, but the real story is mid-range pull: from city speeds up towards its upper limit, it keeps pushing without the breathless feeling you get on milder commuters. On long, open stretches it feels like it wants to run, and the rear-wheel drive digs in nicely when you pin the throttle.

That stronger push shows up on hills too. On steep urban ramps where a typical rental scooter slows to an embarrassed crawl, the Kingsong just digs in and keeps a decent pace. Heavy riders in hilly towns will appreciate this; you don't end up doing the awkward "kick assist" routine just to keep moving.

The Apollo Explore 2.0 takes a different tack. On paper its nominal motor rating looks modest, but the Mach controller and torque-focused tuning make it feel livelier than you'd expect. From zero to urban limit speeds it leaps ahead eagerly, enough to clear intersections and mix with traffic comfortably. Past that, it settles into its governor without much extra headroom-very deliberate, very "this is a commuter, not a street racer".

Up hills, the Apollo performs better than its spec might suggest and will handle most city gradients without drama, especially with Ludo mode engaged. But side-by-side with the Kingsong on a long, punishing climb, the extra voltage and battery of the Kingsong do start to show. The Explore hangs on; the Kingsong feels like it still has cards in its pocket.

If you care primarily about strong, sustained power and higher-speed confidence, the Kingsong is the more muscular machine. If your life happens mostly below the top of the speedometer and you value smooth, predictable shove over bragging rights, the Apollo feels more than adequate.

Battery & Range

This is where the Kingsong clearly comes to the table with bigger hardware.

The KS-N12 Pro packs a notably larger battery with a higher system voltage. In the real world, riding at a healthy clip with a normal-sized adult, you can reasonably expect a comfortable multi-dozen-kilometre range without nursing the throttle. Push it hard and you still get a commute plus detour out of it; ride more gently and it turns into a small-city tourer. More importantly, it holds power well deeper into the pack-there's less of that sad, sluggish end-of-charge feeling.

The Apollo Explore 2.0, with its smaller pack, still offers very usable range, but you do notice the difference if your daily distances creep up. Normal mixed riding lands you somewhere in the mid-thirties of kilometres before you start thinking about a socket. For a typical there-and-back city commute with a little margin, that's fine. For sprawling suburbs or riders who like to point at a map and just go, it feels more constrained.

Both take most of a night to go from empty to full with the standard chargers. Apollo's support for faster charging with an optional unit is handy if you're the kind of person who forgets to plug in until midnight. Kingsong plays it more traditional here: big pack, conventional charge time, plan ahead.

If your days regularly involve long distances or you simply hate thinking about range, the Kingsong wins decisively. If your commute is more modest and you prefer to save money and weight, the Apollo's pack is adequate-but not generous.

Portability & Practicality

Neither of these scooters is what you'd call "light". If you want something you can routinely carry up three flights of stairs, you're in the wrong weight class.

The Kingsong KS-N12 Pro tips the scales heavier than the Apollo. You really feel that when lifting it into a car boot or hauling it over a doorstep. The folding mechanism itself is straightforward and reasonably secure, and once folded it has a fairly typical footprint for this category-long, low, and just about manageable in a lift or corridor. But as a package, it's very much a "roll, don't carry" machine.

The Apollo Explore 2.0 is slightly lighter, though still firmly in "two-handed grunt" territory. Its big compromise is non-folding handlebars: great for rigidity while riding, slightly more annoying when you're trying to fit it into a tight car boot or a crowded hallway. On the other hand, the integrated frame handles give you somewhere sensible to grab, and the overall shape is surprisingly easy to manhandle given the mass.

On day-to-day practicality, the Apollo claws back points with its IP66 water resistance and tougher, tubeless tyres. You don't need to treat puddles like lava, and you're far less likely to be late to work because of a pinch flat. The Kingsong's more conventional pneumatic setup is fine, but you do have to be a bit more mindful of road debris and deep puddles.

If your "portability" means occasional lifting and a lot of rolling on real streets, the Apollo is slightly easier to live with, especially in wet climates. If you rarely have to carry it and don't mind the extra kilos in exchange for a bigger battery, the Kingsong is acceptable-just don't pretend it's a last-mile toy.

Safety

Both scooters take safety more seriously than most budget machines, but they prioritise different things.

The Kingsong KS-N12 Pro uses a hybrid braking setup: drum at the front, disc at the rear, plus electronic assistance. The front drum is basically maintenance-free and weather-resistant, the rear disc adds extra bite for panic stops, and the electronic anti-lock effect helps keep things composed on slick paint and wet stone. Lever feel is... fine. Not bad, not inspiring, but effective. At higher speeds, with those larger tyres and a reasonably long wheelbase, the scooter feels planted and resists speed wobble better than you'd expect from its category.

The lighting package on the Kingsong is genuinely good: a proper front light, rear brake light and those loud RGB side strips and indicators. Cars do notice you-sometimes for fashion reasons, but visibility is visibility.

The Apollo Explore 2.0 makes visibility almost its main selling point. The high-mounted stem light sits closer to driver eye level, the deck and rear lighting create a bright signature, and the indicators are actually usable rather than token. Night riding on the Apollo feels less like sneaking along in the shadows and more like announcing, "Yes, I am here, kindly don't drive through me."

Braking on the Apollo is where opinions split. Dual drum brakes plus a separate regen throttle sounds underwhelming until you live with it. In practice, most slowing is done with the regenerative lever-smooth, predictable, and it preserves the mechanical drums for true emergency use. Stopping power is fully adequate for the scooter's governed speeds, and because everything is sealed, wet-weather performance remains consistent with almost no maintenance.

Add in that IP66 rating and tubeless tyres with self-healing gel and you get a scooter that's very forgiving when conditions are bad. You can't ride like a maniac on puddles, but you also don't need to tiptoe home whenever the forecast gets dramatic.

For high-speed stability and outright stopping from the upper end of the speedometer, the Kingsong has the edge simply because it goes faster and is built for that. For everyday urban safety-including being seen and not having your brakes or tyres slowly eaten by weather-the Apollo is the more confidence-inspiring partner.

Community Feedback

Price & Value

Put simply, the Apollo Explore 2.0 undercuts the Kingsong KS-N12 Pro by a noticeable margin.

For that lower price, the Apollo gives you a well-sorted chassis, very good suspension, one of the best stock lighting setups in the class, premium waterproofing and a low-maintenance brake/tyre combo that will save you both time and money over ownership. What you don't get is a huge battery or a high-voltage system. If you judge value by "how many watts and watt-hours can I get per euro", the Apollo doesn't win the spec-sheet war, but it does win on cost of ownership and how civilised the daily experience is.

The Kingsong asks you to pay more for a bigger pack, a stronger powertrain and a higher ceiling on performance. In pure hardware terms, that's fair. But once you add the extra weight and the more ordinary weather protection and tyres, it starts to feel like you're trading away ease of ownership for range and speed that not every rider will actually use.

If you ride long and fast, the Kingsong's price can be justified. If your life is 10-15 km bursts in mixed weather, the Apollo delivers more day-to-day value per euro, even if it's not the range champion.

Service & Parts Availability

Both brands are established, but they approach support differently.

Kingsong has a long pedigree in electric unicycles and a network of EU-focused resellers who stock boards, shells and batteries. That ecosystem spills over somewhat to the scooter line, though the KS-N12 Pro is not as widely distributed as their unicycles. Parts exist, but you're more often going via specialist dealers and enthusiast shops than mainstream repair chains.

Apollo, being a Western-facing scooter brand from day one, has invested heavily in service infrastructure, documentation and app-driven diagnostics. In Europe, you'll find distributors and service partners who actually list Apollo-specific parts, and the company's responsiveness to warranty issues has been improving generation by generation. Consumables like tyres and drums are standard enough that any decent shop can help, and the online community has plenty of DIY guides.

Realistically, if you want plug-and-play service and clear processes, Apollo currently has the more accessible support story. Kingsong's hardware is competent, but you may need to be a bit more self-reliant or willing to deal with niche dealers when things eventually wear out.

Pros & Cons Summary

Parameters Comparison

Final Verdict - Which Should You Choose?

If you strip away the marketing, what you're really choosing between here is "more battery and punch" versus "more refinement and lower running stress".

The Kingsong KS-N12 Pro makes sense if your rides are longer, your roads faster and your hills steeper. It has the stronger top-end performance, the more substantial pack and the feeling that you could commute across a big city without constantly eyeing the battery gauge. You pay for that in higher price, more weight and slightly more old-school day-to-day fuss, but if you genuinely use the extra performance, it's a defensible trade-off.

The Apollo Explore 2.0, meanwhile, feels like the scooter designed by someone who actually rides to work every day in mixed weather. It's kinder to your joints, less demanding in maintenance, better lit, and more tolerant of rain and road garbage. Its range is enough for typical commutes, its performance is perfectly adequate for sane city riding, and the price is far easier to swallow. The only real sore point is that for its weight, it doesn't give you monster-scooter numbers-and frankly, that's probably why it feels so civilised.

So: if you're the long-legged suburban rider who values range and speed above comfort luxuries, take the Kingsong. If you're a daily urban commuter who wants a durable, low-drama, good-value scooter that you don't have to baby, the Apollo Explore 2.0 is the smarter, more rounded choice.

Numbers Freaks Corner

These metrics quantify different aspects of efficiency and value: cost relative to battery and speed, how much weight you haul per unit of energy or performance, how efficiently each scooter turns battery into distance, and how fast they refill. None of this captures ride feel or build quality, but it does expose which one uses your euros, watts and kilos more effectively on paper.

Author's Category Battle

Overall Winner Declaration

In the Numbers Freaks Corner, the KINGSONG KS-N12 Pro scores 4 points against the APOLLO Explore 20's 6. In the Author's Category Battle, the KINGSONG KS-N12 Pro gets 18 ✅ versus 30 ✅ for APOLLO Explore 20 (with a few ties sprinkled in).

Totals: KINGSONG KS-N12 Pro scores 22, APOLLO Explore 20 scores 36.

Based on the scoring, the APOLLO Explore 20 is our overall winner. In the end, the Apollo Explore 2.0 feels like the scooter that will quietly look after you day in, day out-smoothing out the road, shrugging off bad weather and asking very little in return. The Kingsong KS-N12 Pro has its charms, especially if you crave extra range and a bit more speed, but it never quite escapes the sense that you're paying and lifting for numbers you might not fully use. For most real-world riders, the Apollo simply delivers a more complete, grown-up commuting experience-you step on, ride, arrive, and forget about it until the next day, which is exactly how a good scooter should behave.

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.