Speedway Mini 4 Pro vs ZERO 9 - Two "Goldilocks" Scooters Enter a Bar...

Fast Answer for Busy Riders ⚡ (TL;DR)

The ZERO 9 is the more complete scooter for most riders: it rides softer, feels more planted, and is simply kinder to your knees and nerves on real city streets, even if it costs quite a bit more. The SPEEDWAY Mini 4 Pro fights back with stronger specs on paper and a dramatically lower price, but also a harsher ride and an older, more utilitarian feel.

Pick the ZERO 9 if you value comfort, suspension performance and overall refinement more than saving a few hundred Euro. Choose the SPEEDWAY Mini 4 Pro if you want maximum speed, range and brand pedigree per Euro and can live with some compromises in comfort and polish.

If you're still reading, you're probably the sort of rider who cares about the details - and this comparison is where those details really start to matter. Let's dive in.

Electric scooters have grown up. We're long past the flimsy toy stage, and firmly in the "this can replace my bus pass and maybe my second car" era. In that world, the SPEEDWAY Mini 4 Pro and ZERO 9 sit right in the middle of the action: both promise serious performance in packages you can still realistically drag up a staircase without phoning a friend.

Both come from respected "enthusiast" stables rather than anonymous Amazon brands. The Mini 4 Pro is Minimotors' compact missile: classic Korean performance DNA squeezed into something that (just about) fits under a desk. The ZERO 9, on the other hand, is the poster child of the modern mid-range commuter - biased towards comfort and polish, but still fast enough to make rental scooters look like they're riding backwards.

If I had to sum them up in a sentence: the SPEEDWAY Mini 4 Pro is for riders who want maximum punch and range for minimum money, and don't mind feeling the road; the ZERO 9 is for riders who'd rather arrive with working knees and a bit more dignity, even if their wallet feels lighter. If that already triggers some decision anxiety, keep reading - it gets interesting.

Who Are These For, and Why Compare Them?

On paper, these two shouldn't be direct enemies: the Mini 4 Pro is priced down in "posh commuter" territory, while the ZERO 9 lives in the "serious, but not insane" mid-range. In practice, though, they end up on the same shortlist again and again.

Both sit in that sweet spot where:

• Speeds are well above typical shared-scooter limits.
• Range is enough for genuine daily commuting without babying the throttle.
• Weight is still something a reasonably fit adult can carry up a few flights.

The key philosophical split:

• SPEEDWAY Mini 4 Pro - performance and value first, comfort and modern feel later. Very much a "tool that happens to be fun".
• ZERO 9 - comfort, confidence and everyday usability first, raw value second. It wants to be your daily partner, not your weekend drag racer.

Same use case - urban commuting with a taste for speed - but two very different approaches to getting there.

Design & Build Quality

Putting them side by side, you can see two generations of design thinking.

The Mini 4 Pro looks like it escaped from a warehouse rather than a design studio: square lines, exposed fasteners, and an overall vibe of "industrial functionalism". The aluminium frame feels solid in the hands, and the stem, once locked, inspires more confidence than many flimsy budget folders. But it also looks its age - the display, cockpit and general styling have that "early high-performance scooter" flavour. Functional, yes. Exciting to look at? Less so.

The ZERO 9 adds a bit more theatre. The matte black with red accents, the under-deck and stem lighting, the slightly more sculpted deck - it all feels more modern and intentional. It's still very much a machine, bolts and all, but you can tell some thought went into visual appeal as well as function.

In the hand, the ZERO 9 feels a tad more substantial. Not dramatically heavier, but denser, with chunkier swingarms and beefier suspension hardware. The folding mechanism is easier to operate out of the box, though it's also more prone to developing that infamous stem play if you don't show it regular love. The Mini 4 Pro's latch is the opposite: brutal when new, but rock solid once you've persuaded it into place.

Neither scooter is a paragon of modern integration - both still use bolt-on components, generic throttles and visible cabling. But between the two, the ZERO 9 feels closer to what most 2020s riders expect from an "almost premium" commuter, while the SPEEDWAY feels like a well-aged workhorse that never really worried about looks in the first place.

Ride Comfort & Handling

This is where the two diverge most dramatically, and where many people's decisions are made within the first kilometre.

The Mini 4 Pro runs a mixed tyre setup: air up front, solid rubber at the rear. Suspension is present at both ends, but the rear has a tough job compensating for that unforgiving tyre. On smooth tarmac at medium speed, it's actually quite pleasant - firm but controlled, with a sporty, "plugged into the road" feel. The moment the surface deteriorates, though, the romance fades. After a few kilometres of rough tiles or cobbles, your feet and knees will remind you exactly where that solid wheel is.

Handling-wise, it's nimble and a bit twitchy. The narrow 8-inch tyres and relatively short wheelbase make it happy to snake through tight gaps, but also mean you need to stay alert at higher speeds and keep a close eye on potholes - hit one square-on and you'll feel it. It rewards active, engaged riding, but it won't flatter sloppy input.

The ZERO 9 is from another comfort planet. Air-filled tyres at both ends and a much more sophisticated rear suspension setup give it a distinctly "grown-up" ride. It doesn't float like a heavy dualtron-class cruiser, but for its size, it's impressively plush. Those ugly municipal cobbles that make the Mini 4 Pro start to feel like penance? The ZERO 9 turns them into a mild annoyance rather than a daily punishment.

In corners, the ZERO 9 feels more planted and forgiving. The extra wheel diameter helps it track more calmly over imperfections, and the suspension lets it keep traction where the Mini 4 starts to chatter. You still need to respect small wheels and high speeds, but you're less on edge. If you regularly do more than ten kilometres in one go, your joints will very clearly prefer the ZERO.

Performance

Both scooters are properly quick for single-motor commuters. This isn't Xiaomi-with-a-fancy-badge territory.

The Mini 4 Pro has that classic Minimotors punch. From a standstill, it surges forward with real enthusiasm, and on dry tarmac it's very easy to leave rental scooters and many cheaper "500 W" models completely behind. The motor sits in that sweet spot where it's fun and a bit unruly at full power, without being so wild that it becomes unusable in traffic. Hill starts are its party trick: even with a heavier rider, it stubbornly charges up gradients that make lesser scooters wheeze.

Top speed on the open versions is well above the usual legal cap, and on a good road it feels every bit as fast as the numbers suggest. On small tyres, that can be equal parts thrilling and slightly horrifying, depending on your risk tolerance. The braking system - rear drum with regenerative assistance - does its job, but braking hard from higher speeds still takes a bit more planning and lever force than I'd like.

The ZERO 9 doesn't slap you in the face quite as hard off the line, but it's not far behind. The motor is a touch stronger on paper, yet the scooter's extra weight and slightly gentler power delivery make it feel more controlled rather than more violent. It's still plenty quick off lights; it just doesn't try so hard to yank your arms off in the first two metres.

At speed, the ZERO 9 feels more composed. Unlocked, it'll nudge a similar top-end to the Speedway, but the slightly larger tyres and better suspension make that speed feel less sketchy. The dual braking system - disc up front, drum at the rear - gives noticeably more confidence when you really need to haul things down. Hard stops feel shorter and more progressive, and you're less likely to feel that "I hope this stops in time" twinge you sometimes get on single-drum setups.

On climbs, the difference is subtle. The Mini 4 Pro punches a bit harder at lower speeds; the ZERO 9 feels like it maintains its composure more gracefully as the slope drags on. In both cases, city hills are handled without drama for average-weight riders - these are not "kick and pray" scooters.

Battery & Range

Range is one of the few areas where the SPEEDWAY Mini 4 Pro objectively outguns the ZERO 9, at least on spec sheets - and in practice, you feel it.

The Mini 4 Pro packs a visibly larger battery, and on the road that translates into another noticeable chunk of usable distance. Riding with a realistic mix of full-throttle blasts and calmer stretches, it can cover a working week of typical urban commuting without needing daily charging, assuming your daily loop isn't extreme. Push it hard in hilly terrain and you'll still get what most people would consider "plenty" for a single day.

Voltage sag is there, but it maintains its lively character until you're deep into the lower end of the pack. You'll feel it calming down near the end of a long ride, but you're not suddenly dumped into a walking-speed limp mode unless you've really abused it.

The ZERO 9 runs a smaller battery and behaves exactly like that: decent, but less generous. For typical city use - say a medium-length commute plus a few errands - it's absolutely fine, but you're more likely to think about charging it every day or every other day if you're enthusiastic with the throttle. Push high speeds all the time and the gauge drops at a visibly quicker rate than on the Speedway.

That said, it's not a nervous scooter. Treat it as a solid 30-ish kilometre real-world machine and it'll generally deliver without surprises. Charging times for both are in the same "overnight or office-day" ballpark, so there's no winner there; the Speedway simply lets you stretch that time between plug-ins a bit further.

Portability & Practicality

Both scooters sit just at the edge of what I'd call "commuter portable": you won't want to carry them far, but you can, and that's the main point.

The Mini 4 Pro is the lighter of the two, and that few kilos of difference is noticeable when you're wrestling it onto a train or up a steep staircase. The telescopic stem and folding handlebars let it pack down into a surprisingly small footprint - easy to slide under a desk or tuck into a car boot without playing Tetris. Once you've mastered the stubborn latch, folding and unfolding becomes a quick, practised move.

The ZERO 9 folds almost as small in length and height, but carries a little more bulk and mass. The handlebars also fold, so width isn't an issue, but you feel the extra weight every time you deadlift it. For most able-bodied riders it's still manageable; it just lives on the wrong side of "grab-and-go light". Walking with it more than a short distance is not fun on either; they're both designed to be rolled most of the time, not carried like a suitcase.

Day-to-day practicality is a trade-off: the Mini 4 Pro is easier to manhandle and slightly less of a hassle in cramped flats or lifts, while the ZERO 9 pays you back with fewer complaints from your joints during the ride itself. If your commute involves regular stairs, the Speedway's weight savings start to matter. If it's mostly lift-ride-lift, the ZERO's extra weight won't bother you nearly as much as its superior comfort will please you.

Safety

Safety on small, fast scooters is about more than just brakes, but let's start there.

The Mini 4 Pro uses a rear drum with regenerative braking. For a rear-only system, it's decent: predictable, sealed from the elements, and with the regen doing some of the work you don't wear it out quickly. The electronic ABS-style pulsing helps keep things stable when you panic-grab the lever. But you can't cheat physics: all the serious deceleration still happens on a small contact patch at the back, and from higher speeds you need more road to stop than you do on the ZERO 9.

Lighting is... acceptable, but conservative. Deck-mounted lamps make the scooter visible and light up the ground immediately in front of you, but they're too low to give really useful range vision on dark lanes or to catch the eye of SUV drivers at longer distances. Most owners I know end up with a proper handlebar-mounted front light as soon as they ride at night more than once.

The ZERO 9 takes a more serious stance on braking. A proper disc at the front, drum at the rear - this is a noticeably stronger setup. Modulation is good, and the front disc adds a lot of confidence when you squeeze hard from speed. This is one of those "once you've had it, you don't want to go back" differences if you ride fast in traffic.

Lighting is far more noticeable, thanks to the additional deck, stem and side illumination. You're not just a moving point of light - you become a glowing object. That sideways visibility at junctions is genuinely useful. Again, the actual road illumination still isn't perfect for pitch-dark back roads, but in city lighting environments it's a big step up.

Tyres matter too: the Mini 4 Pro's solid rear might save you from flats, but it's less forgiving in emergency manoeuvres and on damp patches. The ZERO 9's twin air-filled setup gives better grip and more nuanced feedback, particularly when braking or cornering in less-than-perfect conditions.

Community Feedback

Price & Value

This is where things get awkward for the ZERO 9. On a pure price tag comparison, the SPEEDWAY Mini 4 Pro looks like it turned up at the wrong party.

The Mini 4 Pro is priced more like an upper-mid-entry scooter, yet it offers performance and range that used to sit much higher up the food chain. If you look strictly at euros per kilometre of range or per unit of speed, it embarrasses a lot of current "premium commuter" models. That's what happens when a once-pricier scooter ages in the market but keeps its core capability.

The ZERO 9 costs roughly double, depending on market and deals. You're undeniably paying a comfort and refinement tax. The question is whether that tax makes sense for you. If your roads are decent, your commute shortish and your budget tight, the Speedway's value proposition is hard to ignore. You sacrifice some modernity and comfort, but you keep a lot of money in your pocket.

On the other hand, if you commute daily over less-than-perfect surfaces and plan to keep the scooter for years, the ZERO 9's pricing starts to look more rational. Spread over thousands of kilometres, paying more for a scooter that's easier on your body and brain can be a smart decision, even if the raw spec sheet bang-for-buck leans clearly towards the Speedway.

Service & Parts Availability

Both brands are well established, and neither leaves you in the cold if something breaks - provided you're in a reasonably scooter-aware market.

Minimotors / SPEEDWAY has a long history and a global footprint. The Mini 4 Pro has been around for years, meaning there's a thriving second-hand and spare parts ecosystem. Controllers, throttles, tyres, latch hardware - it's all out there. Many local shops know their way around Minimotors products, which is invaluable when something more complex fails.

ZERO is also widely distributed, especially in Europe and parts of Asia. The ZERO 9 shares many components with its siblings, which helps with parts interchangeability. Brakes, tubes, controllers - nothing is exotic or impossible to source. Where things vary more is customer service quality, as that largely depends on your specific reseller. The brand itself has a decent rep, but the experience can differ from country to country.

In both cases, you're not dealing with a one-season no-name brand. You'll find tutorials, communities and shops that know the platforms. The ZERO 9 is a tad more "current" in most distributors' catalogues, while the Mini 4 Pro benefits from sheer age: it's old enough that every imaginable fix has already been documented by someone.

Pros & Cons Summary

Parameters Comparison

Final Verdict - Which Should You Choose?

Viewed in isolation, both scooters are easy to like. Ridden back-to-back, the trade-offs become very clear - and the choice depends heavily on what bothers you more: spending extra money, or living with daily compromises.

If you judge purely by euros versus specs, the SPEEDWAY Mini 4 Pro is the obvious "logical" winner. It gives you more battery, very similar speed, strong power and lower weight for dramatically less cash. For riders on smoother roads, with moderate daily distances and a limited budget, it is extremely hard to argue against. You live with a harsher rear end, old-school looks and less impressive braking, but you also keep a lot of money in your pocket.

But riding is not a spreadsheet exercise. In the real world, with imperfect tarmac and repeated daily journeys, the ZERO 9 simply feels like the more sorted scooter. It rides better, stops more confidently, deals with bad surfaces with much less drama, and leaves you noticeably less tired after longer commutes. If your scooter is a genuine car or bus replacement and not just an occasional toy, that comfort and calmness are worth a lot.

So my verdict is this: the ZERO 9 is the better overall scooter for most urban commuters who can afford it; the Mini 4 Pro is the better deal and the more rational choice if your streets are kind, your rides are shorter, or your budget is tight. Decide whether your daily reality values comfort and composure more than price-to-spec heroics - and pick accordingly.

Numbers Freaks Corner

These metrics are pure maths: they tell you how efficiently each scooter converts money, mass, power and energy into speed and range. The Mini 4 Pro dominates on cost-related efficiency and battery size versus weight, while the ZERO 9 shows its strengths in energy usage per kilometre, power relative to speed, and how much scooter mass you carry per unit of motor power. They don't reflect comfort, build quality nuance or riding pleasure - just the cold, numerical trade-offs.

Author's Category Battle

Overall Winner Declaration

In the Numbers Freaks Corner, the SPEEDWAY Mini 4 Pro scores 7 points against the ZERO 9's 3. In the Author's Category Battle, the SPEEDWAY Mini 4 Pro gets 21 ✅ versus 24 ✅ for ZERO 9 (with a few ties sprinkled in).

Totals: SPEEDWAY Mini 4 Pro scores 28, ZERO 9 scores 27.

Based on the scoring, the SPEEDWAY Mini 4 Pro is our overall winner. For me, the ZERO 9 edges this duel because it feels like the scooter you actually want to ride every single day, not just the one that looks great on a spreadsheet. Its calmer, more composed nature and friendlier suspension make city miles feel less like a test of endurance and more like a small daily pleasure. The SPEEDWAY Mini 4 Pro, though, remains hugely tempting: it's raw, fast, and absurdly capable for the money, as long as you accept its quirks and firmer character. If you're willing to trade some comfort and polish for sheer value and punch, it still has a very strong case to make.

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.