The Xiaomi 1S electric scooter is far from being the perfect scooter, but the best thing about it is that you get what you pay for, along with a little more. Unlike the Pure air 2, the Mi 1S isn’t completely waterproof and it’s not advised to use it in the rain, but the large pneumatic tyres ensure it can handle a much greater array of lumpy road surfaces. The smaller, solid wheels found on some rivals lead to a twitchy and slightly worrisome ride at speed, but these 8.5-inch numbers do a great job of improving stability. The biggest upgrade on the Xiaomi 1S is its LED display and three riding modes. The M365 has only two riding modes and four battery indicator dots, making it the only e-scooter I’ve reviewed without a display. The 1S also seems to have ironed out any kinks with the patchy Bluetooth connectivity I experienced when I rode the M365. Pedestrian mode is indicated by a walking man icon and it tops out at 3mph; ideal for when you’re walking with your e-scooter because the throttle doesn’t activate in this mode. Drive mode is denoted by a blue “d” icon and has a top speed of 12.5mph. The fastest is Sport mode, denoted by a blue “s” icon, with a maximum speed of 15.5mph. There’s also a conventional rear brake, much like you’d find on a bicycle, which pairs up with a clever regenerative braking technology in the front wheel to bring things to a fast and predictable stop.

Battery range is pegged at 18.5-miles, based on a 75kg rider scooting around in fairly ambient 25-degrees celsius temperature, but we all know that’s not going to be the case in the UK.The scooter's battery is located in the base and the frame itself is built from aluminium. It feels strong and the folding mechanism means it can be folded or unfolded in a few seconds (Xiaomi claims three seconds). This sturdiness and low cost (as you are not paying for carbon fibre) does mean it is reasonably heavy at 12.5 kg; but this is as light as mid-range scooters come and heaviness is fairly subjective: I am by no means strong and can carry this scooter up and down stairs without too much effort. One difference from its predecessor, apart from yellow reflectors on the EU/UK model, is that the external wires are neater in the 1S. They still have not figured out how to feed the wire to the handlebar internally (through the folding joint) but they have at least tried. The batteries will drain faster in colder climates and as soon as you throw a few hills into the mix, the remaining range soon slips away, but we’d say it could still handle a ten-mile commute if ridden carefully. The Xiaomi 1S is a foldable electric scooter designed by Chinese tech giant Xiaomi (pronounced "show-er-me"). It is manufactured by Ninebot, who also manufacture their own e-scooter (the Segway branded ES2). Like the M365, it has a simple folding design, 30 km (18 mile) range, 25 km/h (16 mph) top-speed, low weight and pneumatic tyres. It also boasts cruise control, front and rear lights, E-ABS brakes and a dedicated phone app (the Mi Home app seen below). The frame is also basically the same as the M365. The Xiaomi 1S scooter is sleek, elegant, and portable with a safe minimalist design. The strong and lightweight aircraft-grade aluminium body only takes 3 seconds to fold and go weighing 12.5 kg.

It has a maximum climbing range of 14% and only weighs around 27.6 lbs, which is still quite heavy for an entry-level scooter. The good thing about it is that it has a maximum load capacity of 220 lb. On top of that, it only takes four hours to charge. The Xiaomi 1S E-Scooter comes with a 250W motor powered by a 7650mAh/275Wh Li-ion battery, which powers through almost all general road surfaces that you’d expect an electric scooter to zoom through. Hailing from the 2020 lineup of Xiaomi, this entry-level scooter that’s cheap and accessible goes head-to-head with Xiaomi’s earlier releases as the two offerings go tooth and nail to compete on price and performance. The main plastic platform is slightly smaller than its larger Pro 2 sibling, but there’s ample room to have even large feet resting one in front of the other. Unlike rival scooters, the rear fender doesn’t double-up as a brake and carries a ‘no step’ warning with it, which is slightly annoying given the rear foot naturally wants to sit here, but it feels strong enough to handle it. It is worth noting that once the battery level drops below 5% the scooter performance drops significantly (if you are in a rush ensure you have it reasonably well-charged or you may find yourself going at an embarrassingly slow speed).

Easily switch speeds at the touch of a button. When commuting to work, press S to go faster. When cruising around the park, press D, and in crowded areas, you can turn on the pedestrian mode to go slower. Simply double press the power button to switch between modes and easily adjust the speed to your surroundings.