Choosing the right Xiaomi electric scooter for me.

Choosing the right Xiaomi electric scooter for me!

Xiaomi are the world’s market leader in electric scooters, upon release in 2017, their M365 model shot to fame after it won the coveted “best of the best” Red Dot award. Red Dot is an independent international design awards company you can read about here
https://www.red-dot.org/about-red-dot
You can also read the full report on the Xiaomi electric scooter here
https://www.red-dot.org/project/mi-electric-scooter-10648
Now that you are confident you are on the right path to choosing a great brand of electric scooter you just have the small issue of pronouncing the brand. This along with many top Chinese brands like Huawei isn’t easy for the western world to pronounce so let’s break it down.
Xiao = shaww but like how you would end cow so SH OW
MI = Me
SH OW ME
You can also click the link to hear it spoken in English.
https://www.howtopronounce.com/xiaomi

Now you can speak the lingo let’s break down the current range before deciding which model suits you best. Firstly, let’s talk about the two old models from 2017/18, the M365 was the first model they made followed by the M365 PRO. All the current 2020/21 models are basically new improved version of them. For the untrained eye the new range looks pretty much exactly the same as these older versions and in fact they do share the same elegant simplistic chassis design as well as many other parts. This is not only clever but shows that they got the design right in the first place, so why change it! Way too many Chinese companies stamp out new models every other week, but Xiaomi have only released 2 ranges in 5 years and the 2021 range shares many parts to the 2017/18 range. With that being said, it doesn’t mean they have simply changed the name and started up production of more electric scooters the same. Instead, they have taken on customer feedback and analyzed the faults/returns and improved them accordingly. I think this is how stuff was manufactured for many decades in the west, before the Chinese started stamping out cheap junk “willy nilly” (without direction or planning; haphazardly) and subsequently how our land fills are just that “filled”
Anyway…..

Let’s quickly produce a time line for the Xiaomi scooter range
2017 M365 is released and won the Red Dot Award
2018 M365 Pro was released (Slightly bigger Chassis)
2020 The 1S was released which was an improved M365 (Same Chassis)
2020 The Essential was released which was a cheaper base version of the 1S/M365 (Same Chassis)
2020 The Pro 2 was released which was an improved M365 Pro but the dropped the M365 name (Same larger chassis is M365 Pro)
2021 The Scooter 3 was released which was a further improvement on the M365/1S/ESS (Same smaller chassis)

As you can see from this there are only really 2 electric scooter chassis, the smaller 1 designed for the M365 and used on the 1S & Essential which has now evolved into the scooter 3. The other slightly larger chassis designed for the M365 Pro was then used on the PRO 2. This means when it comes to buying Xiaomi scooter spare parts there is lots of cross compatibility once you know which chassis you have ie small or large. As well as this, other main items like tires, innertubes, throttles and grips to name a few will fit on all models.
As we are assuming you are buying a new electric scooter we aren’t going to talk about the M365 or the PRO, if you do see these models online then please be aware that it may still be new, but, potentially the battery is still up to 4 years old and if its been sitting flat for a long time it will in the end cause you problems.
Now we have covered the 2 chassis lets talk about the other important differences, firstly the smaller chassis is 14.5x410cm and larger is 15.8x160cm so only 1 cm wider and 19cm longer. For the handle bar height the smaller is only about 6cm lower than the larger. Weight wise, the small is 12.5kg and large is 14.2kg. The most important and most expensive part of the electric scooter is the battery The smaller chassis uses a 7800Mah (1s & Scooter 3) and the larger uses a 12800Mah (Pro/Pro 2) however as the Essential is the budget version on the small chassis it only uses a 5100Mah battery, and hence why it’s the cheapest version. Simply put, more mAh (Milli Amp Hour) gives you more range- 1s/scooter 3 = 18 miles, Pro 2 =27 Miles, Essential = 12 Miles. All the scooters are limited to 16mph or 25km but again the essential can only top out at 12mph. There are also 2 electric scooter motors 250w (small) and 300w large, as they have the same restricted top speed the larger motor on pro 2 just gets you to top speed slightly quicker and helps on hills, also a better choice if you are heavy.
All the models have 3 riding modes walk 4-5mph, eco 12mph, sport 16mph again not including the base version essential which doesn’t have the fastest mode.
All the scooters have access to the Xiaomi APP via the LCD display, headlights break lights and side reflectors.
All Xiaomi scooters fold up and fit into the boot of a small/medium sized car no problem.
With all this being said here are the main deciding factors when choosing a Xiaomi electric scooter to buy from your local electric scooter shop.

1. How much money do I have to spend?
2. How far do I need to travel?
3. How big and heavy am I?

If you are 13+ stone 83kg then we suggest you go with the PRO 2 regardless of how far you need to travel, the bigger battery and motor will help ensure you get home without pushing the last leg.
If, however you are 9-11 stone and quite petite and only plan on short trips then the 1S or Scooter 3 would be a better choice. We also find teenagers are better suited to the smaller chassis as it’s lighter.

Conclusion
As we conclude this article on choosing the right Xiaomi electric scooter for you, we would like to finish up by saying whichever one you choose, choosing a Xiaomi e scooter is a great choice. These scooters are very good, the minimalistic design inherently means there isn’t anything on this scooter that isn’t required, no gimmicks, no stuff for the sake of it, everything on these scooters is required and in our book that’s good design. The money has been spent on well designed and good quality components that last, the design has also been subtly improved over the products evolution, traits rarely seen from Chinese manufacturers.
So, whether you decided on the Xiaomi 1s or the Xiaomi Scooter 3 because of cost or this is more suited to your size, or you decide on the Xiaomi Pro 2 you will be very happy with your Xiaomi. We would however say unless you budget is very tight to avoid the base line Essential model as the battery is very small and it struggles on hills.
If you are local to Edinburgh Scotland feel free to pop into our electric scooter shop at www.edinburghscooters.co.uk and speak with the experts.