Xiaomi 1S vs Hiboy S2 - Which "Budget Hero" Scooter Actually Deserves Your Commute?

Fast Answer for Busy Riders ⚡ (TL;DR)

The overall better choice for most European commuters is the Xiaomi 1S, mainly because it feels more refined, safer on mixed surfaces, and has a far stronger ecosystem of parts, guides and long-term user experience behind it. It trades a bit of headline speed and on-paper value for a calmer, more predictable ride that simply works day after day.

The Hiboy S2 suits riders on a tight budget who hate the idea of ever changing a tyre, ride mostly on smooth, dry tarmac, and want a bit more punch and speed for shorter urban hops. It's the "cheap and cheerful" option - fun, but with compromises you should go in knowing about.

If you care about long-term reliability, safety in the wet, and easy access to spares, lean Xiaomi. If you just want the fastest scooter you can get for very little money and your roads are billiard-table smooth, the Hiboy will scratch that itch.

Now, let's dig into how they really compare once you leave the spec sheet and hit actual roads.

Walk through any European city and you'll see both of these scooters - or at least their silhouettes - everywhere. The Xiaomi 1S is the sensible, iconic commuter you've seen a thousand times under office workers and students. The Hiboy S2 is the aggressively priced upstart that promises more speed and features for less cash, and throws puncture-proof tyres into the bargain.

I've spent plenty of kilometres on both, from glass-smooth riverside paths to those lovely "historic" cobblestones that feel like riding across a Lego set. On paper they often look similar; in practice, their personalities couldn't be more different.

If you're choosing your first scooter - or looking for a cheap but serious daily tool - this comparison will tell you not only which one is "better", but which one is better for you. Spoiler: the winner isn't just about who goes faster.

Who Are These For, and Why Compare Them?

Both scooters live in that hotly contested "entry-level but not toy" segment: prices in the few-hundred-euro range, single motors, modest batteries, and a focus on city commuting rather than off-road adventure.

Xiaomi 1S aims squarely at mainstream urban riders who want something light, proven and boringly dependable. Think train-to-office, campus-to-dorm, popping to the supermarket - nothing dramatic, just daily life made easier.

Hiboy S2 chases the same rider, but with a louder pitch: more speed, solid tyres so you "never get a flat", rear suspension, brighter lights, and a distinctly lower price tag. It's the budget-conscious commuter's temptation: "same thing, but cheaper and faster".

They compete because, if you tell the internet you've got around a few hundred euros and want a first scooter, these two names will appear in the replies within about five seconds.

Design & Build Quality

Visually, the two are cousins. Both borrow heavily from the classic Xiaomi silhouette: straight stem, narrow deck, sweeping rear fender. But they don't feel the same in the hands.

The Xiaomi 1S leans into minimalist, almost appliance-like design. Matte finish, clean welds, neat cable routing, and that familiar understated Xiaomi red accenting. The aluminium frame feels light but not flimsy, and the folding joint - a notorious weak point on many cheap clones - feels tighter and more confidence-inspiring than most budget competitors I've ridden. You get the sense this design has been iterated to death... because it has.

The Hiboy S2 looks similar at first glance, but when you start poking around, it feels a bit more "cost-optimised". The frame is still aluminium, the stem solid, but small details give away the price bracket: sharper edges on cast parts, slightly cheaper-feeling plastics around the dashboard, a folding latch that can be stubborn when new. It's not bad, just more utilitarian and less polished.

Where design philosophy really diverges is the tyres and rear end. Xiaomi sticks to air-filled tyres and no visible suspension, hiding the battery in the deck with clean lines. Hiboy goes for solid honeycomb tyres and a pair of exposed rear springs that scream "Look, suspension!". It looks a bit more gadgety, slightly less grown-up.

In terms of pure build quality, the Xiaomi feels like a mature consumer product. The Hiboy feels like a decent budget scooter that's trying very hard - and mostly succeeding - to look more expensive than it is.

Ride Comfort & Handling

This is where differences stop being theoretical and start being felt in your knees.

The Xiaomi 1S has no suspension, so all the comfort work is done by its air-filled tyres and your legs. On smooth tarmac, it glides; it's quiet, composed and nimble. The steering is light, predictable, and the whole scooter feels eager to change direction - brilliant for weaving through city traffic or dance-around-the-pedestrian moments.

Take it onto broken pavements or cobblestones and you quickly remember there are no springs under you. The front chatters, the deck sends constant buzz up your legs, and after a few kilometres on really bad surfaces you'll be actively hunting for smoother lines. It's manageable, but you won't mistake it for a comfort cruiser.

The Hiboy S2 tries a different recipe: solid honeycomb tyres plus rear suspension. In reality, comfort is a bit of a mixed bag. Those solid tyres transmit high-frequency vibration very eagerly, while the rear springs do help with bigger hits - curbs, potholes, expansion joints. So a sudden bump is less likely to feel like you've slammed a brick; the endless texture of rough asphalt, however, comes through the bars and deck like a continuous low-level massage you didn't ask for.

On very smooth roads, the S2 rides nicely, and the extra weight in the rear actually gives it a slightly planted feel in a straight line. But on anything rough, the Xiaomi's air tyres, despite the lack of suspension, actually feel kinder overall. The Hiboy's setup is the classic budget move: "we fixed punctures and added springs" but paid for it in constant vibration.

Handling-wise, I still prefer the Xiaomi for tight urban work. It feels lighter under your feet and more intuitive in fast manoeuvres. The Hiboy is stable, but the solid tyres give it a slightly harsher, more nervous character over imperfect surfaces, especially at its higher top speed.

Performance

If you only compare catalogues, the Hiboy S2 wins performance by a clear margin. Its motor is stronger on paper and it pushes a noticeable chunk faster at the top end. Out on the street, that means it pulls away a bit harder from traffic lights and will happily sit above the speed of rental scooters cruising the bike lane. If you like the feeling of "keeping up with the fast cyclists" rather than just rolling with the pack, the Hiboy gives you that extra shove.

Climbing modest hills, the S2 again has the edge. It holds speed slightly better on inclines and feels less breathless under heavier riders, as long as we're talking sane city gradients, not Alpine experiments.

The Xiaomi 1S, by contrast, feels gentler. Acceleration is smooth, progressive and distinctly more relaxed. You'll reach its capped top speed quickly enough on the flat, but it doesn't feel eager to break any records. On modest inclines or with heavier riders, its motor starts to show its limits; you'll feel it as a soft but definite slowing rather than a confident push.

But here's the nuance: for many riders, Xiaomi's calmer character is actually a plus. Newcomers especially will appreciate that lack of sudden surge. It's easy to modulate the throttle, easy to ride at half speed in tight spaces, and it never really tries to run away from you.

Braking on both is reassuring, though slightly different in flavour. The Xiaomi's combination of rear disc and front electronic brake feels very predictable, with that mild regenerative "engine braking" as soon as you touch the lever. The Hiboy adds an electronic thumb brake plus the rear disc, with quite assertive stopping power when both kick in together. On the S2, full-panic stops can feel a touch abrupt until you learn to feather things; on the Xiaomi, the system is more progressive but a bit less dramatic. In an emergency, I'd be happy on either, but the Hiboy demands slightly more finesse to avoid over-slowing the rear wheel on sketchy surfaces.

Battery & Range

Both scooters make optimistic marketing claims for range. Both, unsurprisingly, fall short once you ride them the way real humans do: full speed most of the time, stops, starts, a bit of wind, occasional hills, maybe a backpack.

The Xiaomi 1S carries a modest battery but uses it fairly efficiently. In the real world, with an average-weight rider zipping around mostly in its fastest mode, you're typically looking at what I'd call "comfortable there-and-back" for city commutes in the mid-teens of kilometres. Nurse it a bit - lower mode, gentler acceleration - and you stretch that meaningfully, but it's never going to be a long-distance cruiser. The good news is that the energy use is quite predictable: once you've done a few loops of your usual route, it becomes easy to gauge how much buffer you have left.

The Hiboy S2 technically has a slightly bigger battery, but it also pushes higher speeds and drags solid tyres over the ground - both of which cost you in consumption. In practice, the real-world range ends up quite similar to the Xiaomi's, sometimes even slightly less if you live in Sport mode all the time. On shorter, brisk commutes it's fine; stretch into the high-teens and you start doing mental maths halfway home.

Charging is a small point in Hiboy's favour: its battery refills a bit quicker from empty. If you're the sort of person who actually runs a scooter down to near-zero and then needs it full again by lunchtime, that might matter. For most people plugging in overnight, Xiaomi's slower charge is a non-issue.

Neither scooter is designed for all-day touring. Think of them as urban hop machines; in that context, both are adequate, but neither is generous.

Portability & Practicality

This is one of the most important sections for real-world use - and one of the key reasons the Xiaomi sticks around as a recommendation, despite newer, flashier options.

The Xiaomi 1S is genuinely light. Fold it, grab the stem hook, and carrying it up a flight of stairs isn't a heroic act. I've slung it onto train racks, into tiny car boots and under café tables without feeling like I'm moving furniture. The folding mechanism is fast and satisfying once you get the muscle memory; it's one of the few I still trust one-handed when I'm juggling a bag or a coffee.

The Hiboy S2 is a noticeable step heavier. Still "portable", yes, but in the same way a big suitcase with wheels is technically portable. You can carry it up a floor, but you'll think twice about doing that multiple times a day. The folding system is similar in concept to Xiaomi's but feels stiffer and rougher, especially when new. It folds into a slightly bulkier package; you can still tuck it on public transport easily enough, but if you're a smaller rider, you'll definitely feel the weight difference sooner.

Practical add-ons: both have apps for locking the motor and tweaking regen braking and cruise control. Both have deck surfaces that are grippy enough in the wet. Xiaomi's advantage is ecosystem: bag hooks, stem clamps, mudguard supports, extended fenders, phone mounts - if you can imagine it, someone has 3D-printed or manufactured it specifically for the 1S/M365 frame. With the Hiboy, your options are more generic and often less neatly integrated.

If your commute is multi-modal - stairs, trains, office corridors - the Xiaomi's extra lightness and neater fold matter a lot more than you might expect from the numbers alone.

Safety

Safety is where on-paper performance and real-world conditions collide, and it's exactly where the tyre choices of these two machines come home to roost.

The Xiaomi 1S runs on air-filled tyres. That means grip. On dry asphalt, painted lines, wet cobbles, manhole covers - you feel the rubber actually deforming and holding onto the surface. You still need to respect physics, but you have that extra margin of traction, especially when braking or turning on less-than-ideal surfaces. Pair that with a very predictable brake feel and a chassis that doesn't surprise you, and the 1S earns your trust over time.

Lighting on the Xiaomi is functional rather than spectacular. The front light is bright enough for urban riding, and the rear light with brake-flash plus reflectors does a solid job of making you visible. I still add a separate flashing rear clip light for night traffic, but I do that on scooters twice this price as well.

The Hiboy S2 argues its safety case differently. Its lighting package is objectively better: bright headlight, responsive rear light, and those deck/sidelights that give you a nice "glowing outline" at night. Side visibility is genuinely strong - you look like a moving object, not a stealth scooter-shaped shadow. Braking power is also stout; the combined electronic and mechanical braking brings you to a halt quickly when needed.

The problem is traction. Solid tyres, particularly in the wet, simply don't grip like air-filled ones. On dry, clean tarmac it's fine. The moment you involve rain, painted crossings, or polished city stone, you need to ride with noticeably more caution. The rear suspension doesn't change the friction between rubber and road. If you're a light, attentive rider on predictable routes, you can manage it; if you occasionally get caught in showers or ride in messy winter conditions, those tyres are the weak link you can't upgrade away.

In short: Hiboy sees more, stops hard, but slides earlier. Xiaomi sees "enough", stops very well, and hangs on better when surfaces get sketchy.

Community Feedback

Price & Value

On sticker price alone, Hiboy S2 is the obvious bargain: noticeably cheaper, a bit faster, a little more battery, suspension, lights everywhere - the spec sheet ticks a lot of boxes for not much money. If your budget is tight and you want maximum "wow, this feels quick" per euro, it does deliver.

The Xiaomi 1S asks you to pay more for, frankly, less dramatic numbers. What it gives back is polish, brand stability, and a huge, time-tested community. When something breaks, you don't ask if you can fix it, you just search how. Resale value is better. Safety margin on ugly road surfaces is higher. And you're betting on a company with a major European footprint rather than a pure online budget brand.

Short-term, raw value? That's Hiboy's game. Long-term, total cost of ownership and day-to-day confidence? Xiaomi quietly makes a stronger case.

Service & Parts Availability

This category is brutally one-sided.

Xiaomi 1S parts are everywhere. Tyres, tubes, brake discs, levers, controllers, stems, mudguards - you can buy genuine or aftermarket parts from multiple European retailers, or from a friendly corner repair shop that's already done dozens of them. There are endless YouTube tutorials, step-by-step guides, and full tear-down videos. Even if Xiaomi vanished tomorrow, the aftermarket momentum would keep these things running for years.

Hiboy S2 has decent manufacturer support by budget-brand standards. Their direct support is often praised, and they'll send out fenders or throttles under warranty. But the ecosystem isn't in the same league. You're far more dependent on Hiboy as a company for specific parts, and fewer general scooter shops stock S2 spares by default. Out of warranty, you're more in "DIY on a budget" territory, with generic parts and creativity.

If you're planning to keep a scooter several years and ride it a lot, this difference matters more than the extra few euros you save upfront.

Pros & Cons Summary

Parameters Comparison

Final Verdict - Which Should You Choose?

If I had to pick one of these to live with every day in a typical European city, it would be the Xiaomi 1S. It's not exciting, the power won't impress your speed-obsessed friends, and the lack of suspension is very obvious on bad roads - but it feels sorted. It's the scooter that just quietly does its job, day after day, with a minimum of drama and a maximum of predictability. For commuting, that matters more than headline figures.

The Hiboy S2 is the tempting impulse buy: faster, cheaper, with some clever features and that magical promise of "no more flats". For shorter, mostly dry, smooth-urban journeys, it can be genuinely enjoyable and extremely cost-effective. But its harsher ride, weaker wet grip and thinner support ecosystem make it harder to recommend as a longer-term, all-rounder tool unless you're very clear about your use case and comfortable with the compromises.

So the simple rule of thumb: if you want a scooter as a daily transport appliance, get the Xiaomi 1S. If you want a cheap, punchy toy-tool hybrid for smooth city blasts and you're counting every euro, the Hiboy S2 will give you your money's worth - and then some - as long as you treat it within its limits.

Numbers Freaks Corner

These metrics strip away emotion and look purely at maths. Price-per-Wh and price-per-km/h show how much "spec" you get for each euro. Weight-related metrics tell you how efficiently each scooter uses its mass to deliver range and speed. Wh-per-km reveals energy efficiency in real riding. Power-to-speed and weight-to-power show how strongly each scooter is geared relative to its capability. Finally, average charging speed simply shows how quickly the battery fills, which matters if you regularly recharge during the day rather than just overnight.

Author's Category Battle

Overall Winner Declaration

In the Numbers Freaks Corner, the XIAOMI 1S scores 3 points against the HIBOY S2's 7. In the Author's Category Battle, the XIAOMI 1S gets 29 ✅ versus 13 ✅ for HIBOY S2 (with a few ties sprinkled in).

Totals: XIAOMI 1S scores 32, HIBOY S2 scores 20.

Based on the scoring, the XIAOMI 1S is our overall winner. For me, the Xiaomi 1S is the scooter I'd actually choose to live with: it may not excite on paper, but it inspires trust on the street and feels like a finished, well-understood tool rather than an experiment. The Hiboy S2 has its charms - especially for the wallet and for those who crave a bit more punch - but its ride and long-term story just don't feel as reassuring. If you want something to rely on every working day, Xiaomi's quiet competence wins out. If you understand the compromises and just want cheap speed on smooth city tarmac, the Hiboy can still be a lot of fun - just go in with your eyes open.

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.