Xiaomi M365 vs Levy Original - Two Lightweight Legends, One Clear Winner?

Fast Answer for Busy Riders ⚡ (TL;DR)

The Xiaomi M365 still edges out the Levy Original as the more rounded everyday scooter: it's cheaper to run, goes noticeably further on a charge, and benefits from a gigantic ecosystem of parts, fixes, and community knowledge that keeps it rolling long after the warranty ends. The Levy Original fights back with stronger punch off the line, a touch more speed, a nicer cockpit, and - its party trick - a removable battery that makes charging in flats and offices far less of a faff.

Pick the Xiaomi if you want a proven, efficient, low-maintenance commuter with the widest parts availability on the planet and you're not obsessed with having the latest toy-like features. Go for the Levy if your main pain point is charging logistics, you ride shorter distances, and you're happy to pay a little extra for the convenience of swapping and carrying batteries instead of the whole scooter.

If you want to know which one will actually keep you smiling after a year of real-world abuse, keep reading - the devil is in the details.

Electric scooters have grown up a lot in the last few years, but these two are still squarely aimed at the same rider: someone who wants a light, packable, city-friendly machine that doesn't cost as much as a used car. The Xiaomi M365 is the old guard - the scooter that basically invented the "serious commuter" category. The Levy Original is the clever upstart, trying to out-think the competition with a removable battery and a slicker modern touch.

I've put a frankly unhealthy number of kilometres on both of these in mixed European city conditions: cobbles, tram tracks, glass-strewn bike lanes, and the occasional optimistic park shortcut. On paper they look close; on the street they feel surprisingly different. One leans into proven simplicity, the other into clever modularity with some compromises hitching a ride.

If you're staring at both in separate browser tabs wondering which one will actually make your commute better and not just your Instagram feed busier, this comparison is for you.

Who Are These For, and Why Compare Them?

Both the Xiaomi M365 and the Levy Original live in that compact, sub-15 kg commuter category: light enough to haul up stairs without regretting your life choices, fast enough to keep up with urban bike traffic, and priced so they don't feel obscene left locked at a rack.

The Xiaomi is the "baseline" scooter everyone ends up comparing against: modest power, decent real-world range, utterly conventional layout, and a reputation built on millions of rides rather than marketing slogans. It's for riders who want something that just works, and doesn't need an instruction manual longer than a bus timetable.

The Levy Original is very obviously engineered around one idea: the removable stem battery. It targets people whose problem isn't so much the ride, but the faff of charging: walk-up flats, suspicious office managers, awkward parking. You trade some range and a bit of simplicity for that convenience and a slightly more modern feel.

They're natural rivals because if you walk into the shop and say "I want a light, decent scooter to get to work that doesn't cost silly money", these two will very likely be pushed in front of you.

Design & Build Quality

Put them side by side and you can see the family resemblance - slim decks, straight stems, clean lines - but the design philosophies diverge quickly once you start poking around.

The M365 is minimalist almost to a fault. Matte frame, tucked-away cables, no flashy display, just four little LEDs and a bell that moonlights as the folding latch. It still looks surprisingly contemporary, which is impressive given how long it has been around. The frame feels solid in the hands; the aluminium tubing doesn't give you that hollow, tinny sensation some cheaper clones do. Where it lets itself down is in the known weak spots: the folding joint can develop play, and the rear mudguard and plastic battery cover are not exactly indestructible if you're habitually clattering kerbs.

The Levy Original takes that baseline and adds some polish. The thick stem housing the battery gives the scooter a slightly more substantial, "grown-up" look, and the centrally mounted display immediately makes the cockpit feel more modern than Xiaomi's four anonymous dots. Cable routing is tidy, the paint finishes are pleasant (though not the most scratch-resistant), and the folding latch feels a bit more confidence-inspiring out of the box. The frame itself feels at least as rigid as the Xiaomi, arguably more, and you don't get that same folklore of stem-wobble fixes floating around forums.

Where the Levy slightly stumbles is in the side effects of that fat stem: mounting accessories like phone holders can be annoyingly fiddly, and the visual bulk up front won't be to everyone's taste. Both scooters use aviation-grade aluminium and feel decently put together, but the Xiaomi's sheer production volume has also uncovered every possible rattle and creak, and the community has already engineered half a dozen fixes for each. With Levy, you're banking more on the brand to keep supplying parts and less on a global hive mind of tinkerers.

Ride Comfort & Handling

Neither of these scooters has "real" suspension. If you're looking for springs, pivots and shocks, look elsewhere. Comfort here comes down to tyres, geometry, and how forgiving you are of municipal road maintenance.

The Xiaomi rolls on smaller air-filled tyres. On fresh tarmac and decent cycle paths, it glides along nicely; the combination of low deck and those tyres takes the sting out of smaller imperfections. Once you stray onto cracked pavement or cobbles, the story changes. Five kilometres of old European cobblestone on an M365 and your knees will start drafting a complaint letter. The steering is light, almost twitchy at first, which helps it feel nimble in tight city manoeuvres but can feel a bit nervous at higher speeds on choppy surfaces.

The Levy's larger pneumatic tyres are its secret comfort weapon. The extra air volume noticeably smooths out broken asphalt, expansion joints and the odd tram track. It still has no suspension, so big hits and sharp edges come straight through, but the baseline buzz is filtered better than on the Xiaomi. Handling feels slightly more planted, helped by that weight in the stem pinning the front wheel down. The steering is a touch more deliberate: less "zippy toy", more "small vehicle". It's the one I'd rather be on for a stretch of rougher bike lane.

Deck comfort is a wash: both give you just enough room to stand in a staggered stance, but neither lets most adults go full feet-side-by-side without feeling cramped. On longer rides the Xiaomi's deck feels a bit more muted; the Levy's slight deck flex takes some of the high-frequency chatter away. In both cases, ride "actively" - bent knees, loose arms - and they're fine for typical cross-town trips. Treat them like magic carpets and the roads will educate you quickly.

Performance

This is where the spec sheets start whispering in your ear and reality gently taps you on the shoulder. On paper, the Levy has the more powerful motor and a smidge more top speed. On the road, you do feel that extra shove - especially off the line.

The M365's front hub motor is tuned for gentle, predictable acceleration. In its faster mode it gets you up to its limited top speed briskly enough for city duty, but there's never a "wow" moment. It's the kind of powertrain you give to someone on their first day and don't worry they'll launch themselves into a parked car. On flat ground it's perfectly adequate; in traffic you can keep up with relaxed cyclists. Hit a serious incline, and that little motor starts to sound like it's composing its last will and testament. Light and medium riders will grind up most city hills at reduced speed; heavier riders will find themselves adding the occasional "manual assist" kick.

The Levy's motor has a bit more enthusiasm. In its sportiest mode it pulls harder off the line and holds pace better into the higher end of its speed range. It's not violent, but it does feel more eager, which is genuinely nice in stop-and-go city riding. On moderate hills it out-climbs the Xiaomi; it still bogs down on truly steep stuff, but you're less likely to feel you've bought the wrong tool. The trade-off is that if you ride it everywhere at full tilt, you'll notice the battery gauge dropping with a certain enthusiasm too.

Braking is strong on both, but the Levy plays the "belt and braces and another belt" game: electronic front brake, mechanical rear disc, plus a backup fender brake for the truly paranoid (or those who forget to adjust cables). The Xiaomi's combo of front regen and rear disc is already very good and nicely modulated when properly adjusted, but having that extra mechanical fallback on the Levy is reassuring when you're dodging taxis. Neither feels under-braked for their performance levels; both will haul you down from top speed in a distance that feels sensible, assuming tyres are properly inflated and the road isn't made of polished marble.

Battery & Range

Here the Xiaomi quietly wins the grown-up battle. Its deck-mounted battery simply holds more energy, and in the real world that translates to noticeably longer rides between charges. Ride briskly but not like you've stolen it, and you can cover a decent two-way commute on one charge with a bit of buffer. You still need to be realistic - manufacturer claims assume an ideal world where all roads are flat, no one is over a nominal weight, and nobody ever touches sport mode - but it's the scooter that lets you stop thinking about range once your daily loop is under that typical urban envelope.

The Levy Original takes the opposite approach: smaller individual battery, but the option to carry more of them. On a single pack, you're very much in short-to-medium trip territory. Push it in sport mode and that claimed figure evaporates fairly quickly, especially with a heavier rider or hills in the mix. For people whose commute is just on the comfortable side of walking distance, it's enough - especially if you can top up at work. The magic trick is when you actually commit to a second battery: suddenly your total possible day's range is competitive, but you're now also carrying extra hardware and have spent more money. Swapping itself is quick and neat; the question is whether you'll really buy and carry that spare or just intend to.

Charging behaviour is another point of difference. Xiaomi's bigger pack takes longer to refill, though still reasonable for overnight or under-desk top-ups. Levy's smaller battery charges significantly quicker, and because it lives in the stem, you don't need to drag the whole scooter into the kitchen to plug in - just the battery, which weighs about the same as a hefty bottle of mineral water. For people in small flats or strict offices, that convenience is genuinely valuable.

In short: Xiaomi wins on single-charge autonomy and energy efficiency; Levy wins on charging convenience, provided you actually use the removable battery as intended and not just as a brochure feature.

Portability & Practicality

On paper they weigh almost the same. In your hand, they feel... almost the same. We're firmly in "one-armed carry up a flight of stairs" territory with both, not "drag it and hope no one's watching."

The M365's low deck and stem-in-deck weight distribution make it feel slightly more neutral when carried by the stem. The folding latch is quick enough once you're used to it, and the bell-hook catching the rear mudguard is still a neat bit of design, even if the mudguard itself can feel a bit flimsy over time. Folded, it's a compact, flat package that disappears under desks or in car boots without argument. The downside is all the classic Xiaomi niggles: the latch needs periodic attention to avoid wobble, and if you're unlucky with potholes you learn quite quickly how to fix that rear fender.

The Levy folds in a similarly straightforward way and locks together into a tidy package. The slightly lighter overall weight is noticeable only when you're really tired or doing multiple flights of stairs. Where it really earns points is in day-to-day logistics: you can happily lock the scooter frame outside like a bicycle and just carry the battery in. No dirty tyres in your hallway, no passive-aggressive notes from the building manager about "vehicles" in the lift. For anyone in a dense city flat, that alone can swing the decision.

Storage is a wash: both are small enough to live behind a door, under a desk or in the boot of a modest hatchback. The Xiaomi's widespread use means you'll find more third-party accessories - hooks, bags, mounts, you name it. The Levy, meanwhile, leans into practicality through its security by battery removal; a scooter without a battery is a much less tempting theft target.

Safety

Safety on small scooters is a cocktail of brakes, tyres, lights, geometry and rider common sense. Both of these get the basics mostly right; neither is a death trap, but neither is magically immune to physics either.

The Xiaomi's braking setup is proven and well-tuned. The combination of front electronic braking and rear disc gives strong, predictable stopping as long as cables are correctly adjusted and the rotor isn't contaminated. Tyres are decent-grip pneumatics, but their smaller diameter does make potholes and deep cracks more of a hazard - hit something truly nasty at speed and you'll know about it. Stability is helped by the low-slung battery in the deck; the centre of gravity is right where you want it for emergency manoeuvres.

The Levy adds that extra mechanical fender brake as a backup and gains a bit of stability from the larger tyres and slightly more planted steering. In slippery conditions and on poor surfaces, those bigger tyres give you a bit more margin before things start to slide. Both scooters have integrated lights front and rear that are good enough for being seen in lit urban environments; for serious night riding on dark paths, you want an extra bar- or helmet-mounted light regardless of brand. Neither is a night-riding specialist, but they're not pretending to be either.

In terms of weather resilience, both are in the typical "light rain is fine, storms and standing water are a bad idea" class. Xiaomi's design has been battle-tested in shared fleets from Seattle to Paris; Levy's IP rating and sealed battery casing are reassuring, especially as you'll often be carrying that battery through your living space. Ultimately, safety here is more about how and where you ride. Both scooters reward smooth, anticipatory riding and properly inflated tyres; both will punish blind faith in their ability to teleport you over manhole covers.

Community Feedback

Price & Value

In pricing, they're basically staring each other down across the same shelf. At the time of writing, the Levy Original typically comes in very slightly pricier than the M365. That tiny gap wouldn't matter much if the rest were equal - but it isn't.

With the Xiaomi, you're buying into a platform that's been driven, broken, fixed and modified more than almost any other scooter ever made. Every quirk is documented, every wear part has a cheap replacement, and used values stay surprisingly healthy because people know exactly what they're getting. Its efficiency and longer single-charge range also mean lower running costs over time.

The Levy asks for a bit more money for the promise of convenience and a fresher design. The removable battery is undeniably clever, and customer support is more personal than Xiaomi's occasionally arm's-length approach. But once you factor in the realistic range, the likely eventual purchase of a second battery, and the fact that the underlying scooter is otherwise fairly conventional, the overall value proposition becomes a bit less sparkling than the marketing suggests.

Service & Parts Availability

This is one of the easiest categories to call. Xiaomi wins the parts game by knockout. Because the M365 has been sold in astonishing numbers and used by rental fleets worldwide, you can get almost every component - original or aftermarket - from multiple sources. Motors, controllers, latches, mudguards, third-party tyres, even upgraded suspension kits: all a search and a few clicks away. You're never more than a YouTube tutorial away from a fix.

Levy does a commendable job for a much smaller brand. Having a responsive, human support team and stocking spares on their own site is a big plus, especially compared with the many anonymous "logo-on-a-box" brands. But their ecosystem is naturally thinner: fewer third-party options, fewer wild hacks, and more reliance on the company itself for the long term. That's fine now; the question is what things look like in five or seven years, whereas the Xiaomi platform already has that history behind it.

Pros & Cons Summary

Parameters Comparison

Final Verdict - Which Should You Choose?

After living with both, the Xiaomi M365 still comes out as the more complete package for most everyday riders. It isn't exciting, but it is competent in a very reassuring way: the range is more generous, the efficiency is better, the platform is endlessly documented, and parts are cheap and everywhere. It doesn't pretend to be more than it is - a straightforward city tool - and it delivers that job with relatively few surprises once you're prepared for the odd tyre and latch annoyance.

The Levy Original is more of a specialist: fantastic if your biggest limitation is where and how you charge, or if you absolutely need that little extra punch and speed in a very compact scooter. The removable battery is genuinely practical, not just a gimmick, and the larger tyres give it a more composed feel on imperfect roads. But you pay for that cleverness with shorter range per pack and a value proposition that starts to look wobbly once you add the cost of extra batteries into the picture.

If your commute is under that typical "city hop", you can charge easily at work, and you love the idea of carrying a slim battery instead of a whole scooter, the Levy will fit your lifestyle nicely. For everyone else - especially riders who just want a reliable, efficient, low-drama scooter that's easy to maintain and easy to resell - the sensible, slightly unglamorous choice is the Xiaomi M365.

Numbers Freaks Corner

These metrics put hard numbers on how each scooter uses money, weight and energy. The Xiaomi M365 clearly wins on energy efficiency and cost per kilometre, both in money and kilograms. It extracts more range from each euro and each Wh. The Levy Original wins where power and convenience dominate: more motor power per unit speed, better power-to-weight, faster charging, and slightly better "performance per euro" if you care more about top speed than range.

Author's Category Battle

Overall Winner Declaration

In the Numbers Freaks Corner, the XIAOMI M365 scores 5 points against the LEVY Original's 5. In the Author's Category Battle, the XIAOMI M365 gets 25 ✅ versus 15 ✅ for LEVY Original.

Totals: XIAOMI M365 scores 30, LEVY Original scores 20.

Based on the scoring, the XIAOMI M365 is our overall winner. Between these two, the Xiaomi M365 simply feels like the more complete companion: it might not shout the loudest on specs, but it quietly gets you further, asks less of your wallet over time, and is backed by an army of riders who have already solved almost every problem you'll ever face. The Levy Original brings genuinely useful ideas to the table, especially if your life revolves around awkward charging situations, but once the novelty of the removable battery fades you're left with a scooter that asks more compromises than it really earns. If I had to live with just one as my daily city workhorse, I'd still take the M365 - it's the scooter I'd trust to get me home when the weather turns, the tram breaks down, and my phone battery is on red.

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.