MadChargeCurrently sold at the same price as the Xiaomi M365, the Kugoo M2 PRO is one of the newest additions to the world of budget scooters.
The Kugoo M2 PRO is an excellent last mile solution that offers quite a lot of mid- and even some high-end features that make the riding experience great. In this review, I will be comparing it a lot with the Xiaomi M365, which still remains one of the most popular commuters nowadays.
Let’s take a closer look at all of the important features this scooter has to offer and how well it will suit your personal needs.
About KUGOO: KUGOO is one of the biggest and most popular brands in EU. They sell over 100.000 units per year and their scooters have great after-sales service. They ship worldwide and have representatives in most countries.
KUGOO M2 PRO Review
Unboxing Kugoo M2 PRO
Handling
The M2 PRO is a lot of fun to ride; it’s a very agile and comfortable scooter with a lot of features that make it the perfect choice for beginners.
Compared to the Xiaomi M365, the M2 PRO features more powerful motors, tubeless tires and front spring shocks that offer you so much more control over the scooter, especially on roads with imperfections.
For the price, I’d say the M2 PRO is the best choice for beginners, as well as experienced riders who want a balance between portability and features.’
Brakes
The M2 PRO features a disk brake on the rear wheel, as well as a foot brake and electric brake. The advertised brake distance is 4 meters, though in reality it depends a lot on the road and tire conditions and driver’s weight.
That being said, the scooter does have great braking power, definitely enough to stop the vehicle reasonably fast.
Comfort
For the money, it’s hard to think of a more comfortable scooter than the M2 PRO. Not only it comes with spring suspension, it also features tubeless tires, which means you can reduce air pressure at will to make the wheels softer, when needed.
Suspension aside, the scooter is also bigger than anything else you can find for the money. The wider handlebars and larger deck are a welcome addition for the tallest and bigger riders.
The thumb throttle is reasonably soft. I personally prefer finger throttles (such as those found on Dualtrons), however for a scooter with a limited run distance and cruise control, thumb throttle is just fine.
Suspension
The suspension the scooter comes with isn’t exactly on the high end, however it’s still great and it puts the M2 above any other scooter in this category. It comes with a spring shock absorber on the front and rear wheel, which reduces the impact of any bumps you might run into.
Wheels
As you already know, the M2 PRO comes with 8.5 In wheels and tubeless tires. While the wheels are the exact same diameter than on the Xiaomi M365, the tubeless part makes a great difference. You see, tubed tires need to have 3.5 bars pressure. Anything lower than that will create friction between the inner tube and the tire, resulting in a flat after a bit of use.
Tubeless tires, on the other hand, can work wonders with a wide variety of pressure values. Lower tire pressure might help you to achieve a smoother ride on bad roads.
Another thing to keep in mind about tubed tires is that you cannot use a new tube on a used tire. Over time, the inner surface of the tire becomes quite rough and jagged. There are steel wires running inside the rubber and over time, those become exposed. If you put a new tube there, it will get a flat pretty quick.
Again, this is not an issue with tubeless tires, which is why personally I believe in this case, tubeless tires win big time.
Portability
Is the Kugoo M2 PRO portable? Yes. Is it the easiest scooter to carry around in its price range? Not at all. If you are looking for something that’s easy to carry with you to public transport, the Turboant X7 or the Xiaomi might be better options.
As expected from an electric scooter, the M2 PRO comes with a great 3 seconds fast-folding design. It securely locks the bar in place once unfolded, offering a stable ride, and it locks in place once folded, too. This mechanism is very convenient.
That being said, a key factor to consider is that the M2 PRO is heavier than any other popular scooter in this price range. Usually, scooters under $1000 are very lightweight (under 12kg or 27 lbs) and that makes them a good choice even compared to $2000+ models. If portability is key for you, you might prefer a $400 scooter over a $2000 one even if you are not on a budget.
The M2 PRO comes in 15.6 Kg (34 lbs), which is about 3.6 kg (8 pounds) heavier than the Xiaomi M365. The weight difference is due to the M2 PRO having a beefier frame, bigger motor and suspension.
Moreover, the scooter is also bigger than the Xiaomi M365 (or any other scooter in the price range). It’s longer, taller and has a considerably wider handlebar – 51.5 cm (20 In) vs. 42 cm (17In) for the Xiaomi M365. While not necessarily a deal breaker, the added weight and size is something I would suggest you taking into account when choosing your scooter model.
Additional Accessories
The scooter comes fully-equipped and ready to use.
Lights
The M2 PRO comes with better lights than I expected for the money. Not only it has the entire head, tail and brake light set found on expensive scooters, the headlight is also strain-free. This means it won’t blind people in front of you.
Bell
The scooter comes with a nice little bell.
Dashboard
Another good thing about the M2 PRO is that it features a fully functional LED display. You don’t have to have your phone turned on all the time to monitor your current speed and battery life.
The dashboard is pretty well-made for a budget scooter. Not only it has all the info you need, the display is also very bright; in fact, you can still see the numbers clearly even under direct sunlight.
Obviously, the scooter also comes with its own dedicated app that allows you to connect your phone to the scooter via bluetooth. From there, you get access to all the metrics, as well as control features such as cruise control, acceleration speed, brake strength and backlight power.
Looks
The M2 PRO comes in three different colors – pink, silver and black. The scooter looks compact and modern, though it doesn’t have anything that makes it stand out. In fact, I personally think the Xiaomi M365 looks more professional, whereas the M2 PRO looks more like a leisure vehicle. The way it has a lot of plastic covers on top of the aluminum body doesn’t help either, making the scooter look flimsier than it actually is.
Overall, I’d say the designer did an okay job but there is definitely room for improvement.
Durability
If you remove the plastic covers, you will find a solid aviation-grade aluminum alloy frame underneath. The metallic parts are surprisingly thick for such a cheap scooter and the vehicle feels solid and sturdy. Most of the extra weight is due to the scooter having more metal than the Xiaomi or similar scooters, which is a good thing.
This explains why the scooter has a max carry capacity of 120 Kg (264 lb), whereas other scooters in this price range don’t go above the 100 Kg (220 lb) mark.
Power
Compared to the M365, the M2 PRO offers significantly better torque and acceleration. We are talking about 350W motor for the Kugoo M2 PRO compared to the 250W of the M365. If you have used a scooter before, you certainly know how important acceleration is. Not only it makes the scooter more fun to ride, it also gives you more control on the road.
Motor power also translates to gradeability. In other words, the stronger the motor, the better your scooter can handle uphill roads. The M365 is known for not being able to handle hills well. On paper, we are talking about 27% gradeability for the M2 PRO and only 14% for the Xiaomi. If you put both scooters against the same hill, the M2 PRO will climb it faster. As a plus, it also handles all roads imperfections better – bumps and irregularities do not slow it down as much.
The Kugoo M2 PRO comes with three speed modes you can change on the go:
- Eco – 15km/h (9 MPH) limit
- Normal – 20km/h (12 MPH) limit
- Sports – 25km/h (15 MPH) limit
Note: The max speed, as usual, depends a lot on the weight of the rider, wind direction and strength, as well as road condition and battery charge.
Range
The Kugoo M2 PRO comes with a Lithium 36V, 7.5Ah battery. It’s not exactly huge but it offers up to 30 Km (18.6 Mi) of range, which puts the scooter in the lead compared to other models in the price range. On paper, the Xiami M365 offers the same range though in reality, the M2 PRO beats the M365 by a couple kilometers. Needless to say the higher quality battery on the M2 PRO also offers better performance when battery is getting low.
Charge Time
It takes 4-6 hours to fully charge the scooter with the default charger, which is the standard in scooters of this price range and battery capacity.
Kugoo M2 PRO vs. Xiaomi M365 vs. Ninebot ES2
Kugoo M2 PRO
| Xiaomi M365
| Ninebot ES2
| |
| Max. Speed | 25 Kmh (15.5 MPH) | 25 Kmh (15.5 MPH) | 25km/h (15.5 mph) |
| Range | 30 Km (18.6 Mi) | 30 Km (18.6 Mi) | 25km (15.5 Mi) |
| Weight | 12.8 Kg (34 lbs) | 12 Kg (27 lb) | 12kgs (27 lb) |
| Carrying Capacity | 120 Kg (264 lb) | 100 Kg (220 lb) | 100 Kg (220 lb) |
| Motor power | 350W | 250W | 300W |
| Gradeability | 27% (15°) | 14% | 10° |
| Tires | 8.5-inch, tubeless | 8.5-inch, inflatable | Front: 8 In, Back: 7.5 In) |
| Suspension | Front and rear spring shock absorber | — | Spring shocks on each wheel |
| Brakes | Front electric, rear disk, foot brake (rear) | Recuperative and disk brake on both wheels | Manual brakes+ electric brakes |
| Display | Anti-reflective LED display | — | Full info dashboard display |
| Price | USD 430 (disc) – 620 | USD 440 | USD 600 |
Takeaway
It is clear that the Kugoo M2 PRO is taking the whole budget electric scooter thing to a new level. Not only it offers significantly better features for the money compared to the M365, it’s also sturdier and will hopefully have less issues in the long run.
Kugoo M2 PRO 2 Specs
- Max Speed: 25 Kmh (15.5 MPH)
- Max Distance: 30 Km (18.6 Mi)
- Battery: 36V, 7.5Ah lithium
- Motor Wattage: 350W, brushless hub motors
- Gradeability: 27% (15°)
- Max Load: 120 Kg (264 lb)
- Tires: 8.5-inch, tubeless tires
- Suspension: Front spring shock absorber
- Brakes: Front electric, rear disk, foot brake (rear)
- Lights: Strain-free headlight, Brake lights
- Dashboard: Anti-reflective LED display
- Charge time: 4-6 hours
- Weight: 12.8 Kg (34 lbs)
- Material: Aviation grade aluminum frame
Where to Buy Kugoo M2 PRO
Join the forums to discuss more about the Kugoo M2 PRO
Recommended Accessories and Upgrades
- Helmet: https://www.madcharge.com/product-tag/electric-scooter-helmet/
- Extra front lights: https://www.madcharge.com/product-tag/electric-scooter-lights/
- Turn Signal Widget: https://www.madcharge.com/product-tag/electric-scooter-turn-signal/
- LED Backpack: https://www.madcharge.com/product-tag/electric-scooter-backpack/
- Phone Holder: https://www.madcharge.com/product-tag/electric-scooter-phone-holder/
- Mirror: https://www.madcharge.com/product-tag/electric-scooter-mirror/
- Bag: https://www.madcharge.com/product-tag/electric-scooter-bag/
- Horn: https://www.madcharge.com/product-tag/electric-scooter-horn/
In Conclusion
Compared to other scooters in this price range, the Kugoo M2 PRO is a clear winner in all aspects, with weight being probably the only area where it lags behind its competitors. I honestly believe this model revolutionized the world of budget scooters by offering quite high end features for such little money.
Overall, I’d get this scooter over the Xiaomi M365 and similar any time of the day. The only use case where I would probably go for something else is if I prioritized weight and portability over everything else.
That’s my take on the scooter, what is your experience with it? Let me know your story in the comments below:
