WERHY H5 Electric Scooter Review: a light commuter scooter that keeps things simple

I’ve been using the WERHY H5 8.5" electric scooter for a couple of weeks for short commutes and errands, so this isn’t a quick unboxing impression. I picked it because I wanted something cheap-ish, light enough to carry up stairs, and fast enough to replace a bus ride for about 3–5 miles. On paper, 350W, around 19 mph top speed, and a 15-mile range looked decent for the price, so I gave it a shot.

In practice, it behaves like a typical entry-level adult scooter, closer to a Hiboy S2 or Gotrax G4 than to anything high-end. It’s clearly built for city streets and campus riding, not for rough trails or long-distance commuting. I used it mostly on asphalt, bike lanes, and some ugly sidewalks with cracks and patches. I’m around 175 lbs, so well under the 264 lb limit, and that weight definitely helps it hit its advertised speed more easily.

What stood out for me early on was how simple it is to live with: unfold, power on, kick off, thumb the throttle, done. No weird learning curve, no extra nonsense. The app exists, and I’ll talk about it later, but you don’t actually need it to get going. That’s a plus if you hate fiddling with your phone just to ride to work.

It’s not perfect. The lack of suspension is obvious as soon as you hit rough pavement, and the solid tires don’t help with comfort. But for short city runs, it gets the job done. If you’re expecting an ultra-smooth, premium ride, you’ll be disappointed. If you just want something to replace a 20–30 minute walk, it’s honestly pretty solid for that.

In terms of value, I’d say the WERHY H5 sits in a pretty good spot. You’re not paying premium-brand money, but you’re still getting a scooter that can reliably take you to work or class without feeling like a toy. The 350W motor, dual braking, lights, and app control are all things you’d expect in this segment, and here they actually work as described. It’s not over-delivering, but it’s not cutting corners in a scary way either.

Where the value shows most is if you actually use it for what it’s built for: short city commutes, campus riding, and quick errands. If your round trip is under 8–10 miles and your roads are mostly decent, this thing does the job and saves you bus fares or parking stress. The fact that it only weighs about 24–25 lbs and folds fast makes it practical for apartment living or mixing with public transport. You can carry it into a store, up stairs, or into the office without too much hassle.

On the downside, you are giving up some things for the lower price: no suspension, smaller battery, and basic comfort. If you compare it to more expensive scooters with bigger batteries and air tires, you’ll feel the difference. Also, if you’re heavier or live somewhere with lots of hills, you might find the motor and range a bit underpowered for your needs. So it’s not some magic bargain that beats everything else out there.

Overall, I’d call it good value for money if your expectations are realistic. It’s a straightforward, no-frills commuter scooter that does its job well enough. If you know you only need a short-range, city-focused ride and you’re okay with a firmer ride feel, the price makes sense. If you want comfort, long range, and power, you’ll need to spend more elsewhere.

Design-wise, the WERHY H5 doesn’t try to be flashy. Mine is the black version (the listing mentions a yellow style option, but the core frame is still pretty basic). It looks like a standard city scooter: straight handlebar, narrow stem, and a deck that’s just wide enough for adult feet if you stand one foot ahead of the other. No crazy curves, no weird shapes. If you’ve seen a Hiboy S2 or similar scooters, this is in the same visual category.

The folding mechanism is the main design feature you notice daily. It’s a one-step latch near the base of the stem, and once you get used to it, you can fold or unfold it in a few seconds. The hook on the handlebar clips into the rear fender to lock it in the folded position. That connection is decent: strong enough to carry it by the stem without it slipping out, but you do have to make sure it’s fully hooked. I tested walking about 100–150 meters with it folded, and it stayed locked, though you definitely feel the weight in your forearm.

The deck height is fairly low, which I actually like for stability. It makes it easier to balance and feels safer at low speeds because your center of gravity is close to the ground. The downside is you do have to watch for high curbs or big bumps, because you don’t have a lot of clearance to just roll over everything. Also, there’s no suspension, so whatever bump you hit, you feel it straight through your knees and back.

From a usability standpoint, the control layout is good. The thumb throttle is easy to modulate, and the brake lever is in a normal bike-style position on the left. The screen is centered and readable in normal daylight; in direct harsh sun it’s a bit washed out, but still usable. If you want something that looks flashy or premium, this isn’t it. If you just want a scooter that looks like a regular commuter tool, the design fits that profile pretty well.

The scooter comes with a 36V/5.2Ah battery, which is on the smaller side. The brand claims up to about 15 miles of range, and that’s technically possible, but only if you ride in lower speed modes, are fairly light, and stay on flat ground. In real-world use, riding mostly in the fastest mode at 14–18 mph with some mild hills, I was seeing more like 8–11 miles before it started feeling weak and slowing noticeably.

For daily use, that’s still enough for a typical short commute. My routine has been around 3–4 miles per day, and the scooter easily handled two days on a single charge with some battery left. If I pushed it to around 7–8 miles in one go, the last couple of miles felt softer on acceleration and speed, which is normal with smaller batteries. You’ll want to charge it regularly if you’re doing anything longer than a quick round trip.

Charging time is in the 3–4 hour range from low to full, which lines up with the specs. Plug it in after work or overnight, and it’s ready to go. The charger is small and easy to throw in a bag if you want to top up at the office. The battery indicator on the display isn’t super granular, but combined with the app, you get a decent idea of how much juice you have left. Just don’t expect perfect precision.

Overall, I’d call the battery setup good enough for short urban use but not something for long weekend rides across town. If your commute is under 5 miles one way, you’re in the sweet spot. If you’re planning 10+ mile rides regularly at full speed, you’ll hit the limits pretty quickly and probably want something with a bigger battery pack.

This is where the scooter shows its limits. The WERHY H5 has solid 8.5" tires and no suspension, front or rear. On smooth asphalt or bike lanes, the ride is genuinely nice: it feels stable, you don’t get much vibration, and you can cruise at 12–15 mph without thinking about it. On my usual route with mostly decent roads, I had no problem riding 20–25 minutes straight without feeling beat up.

As soon as you move onto rougher sidewalks or patched roads, you start to feel every crack. The solid tires mean no risk of flats, which is nice, but there’s zero cushioning. I found myself bending my knees more and shifting weight to absorb shocks, especially over expansion joints and small potholes. If your daily path is all broken concrete, this scooter will feel tiring pretty fast. If it’s mostly good pavement with occasional bad spots, it’s manageable, but it’s not exactly plush.

The deck is long enough for adult feet, but not wide. I usually ride with my front foot angled slightly sideways and back foot across the deck. That stance works here, but there isn’t much extra width. If you have big feet or like riding fully side-on, you’ll feel a bit cramped. The rubberised deck surface has good grip though, even when my shoes were slightly wet from a light drizzle.

Handlebar height is fixed and works fine for my height (around 5'10" / 178 cm). Someone much taller might wish for a bit more height, but it’s not terrible. The grips are basic but comfortable enough; I didn’t get hand fatigue, even on longer rides. Overall, comfort is very dependent on your roads. On clean city streets, it’s totally fine. On rough surfaces, it’s clearly a compromise, and if comfort is your top priority, you’d want a scooter with air tires and at least some basic suspension.

The frame is aluminum and feels rigid. I didn’t notice any flex in the deck or stem while riding, even when hitting small bumps. For a scooter at this price, that’s reassuring. At my weight, there was no creaking or weird noises from the folding joint either. The latch mechanism feels secure once locked, and I didn’t have any accidental partial unlocks or scary moments with the stem.

The solid tires are a double-edged thing: they’re harsher on comfort, but they should be more durable since you don’t have to worry about punctures. For daily commuting over glass or debris, that’s actually a plus. The downside is if you do manage to damage them, swapping solid tires can be more annoying than swapping tubes on air tires. Over two weeks of use, I didn’t see any abnormal wear, but that’s still short-term. Long term, I’d expect them to hold up decently if you avoid curbs and big impacts.

The finish on the frame is okay. It doesn’t feel premium, but it also doesn’t feel ultra-cheap. The paint held up fine to light bumps and being laid on its side a couple of times. The deck rubber is grippy and didn’t start peeling or lifting. Cables are mostly routed cleanly, though you can see some exposed runs near the handlebar, which is normal on budget scooters. Nothing was rattling badly; only occasional minor noise over rough ground, which is expected with any folding scooter.

WERHY mentions a 180/365-day warranty on different parts. I obviously haven’t stress-tested their customer service, but it’s at least something. I wouldn’t treat this scooter like a stunt toy or off-road machine. Used as a normal commuter on roads and paths, the build seems strong enough. If you want something bombproof for constant heavy abuse, you might want a more expensive model, but for regular adult commuting, it feels like it can handle the job.

The 350W brushless motor is about what you’d expect in this price range. On flat ground, with my weight around 175 lbs, I was seeing speeds close to the advertised 19 mph in the highest mode when fully charged. After the battery drops a bit, top speed sits more in the 16–17 mph range, which is still fine for commuting. Acceleration from a kick-off is smooth, not neck-snapping, but quick enough to get ahead of bikes at lights if you push it.

On small hills, the scooter holds up okay. On gentle inclines, it slows down a bit but doesn’t feel like it’s dying. On more moderate hills, speed dropped to around 9–11 mph in my testing, which lines up with the kind of feedback some other users gave. It will get you up the hill, just not fast. If you live in a very hilly area, this is important to keep in mind: it’s not a climbing beast. For mostly flat cities with occasional slopes, it’s fine.

The three speed modes are basically just speed limiters. Mode 1 is slow and mainly useful for crowded areas or if you’re lending it to someone new. Mode 2 is good for casual cruising around 10–12 mph. Mode 3 is what you’ll use 90% of the time for commuting, giving the full power and speed. Switching modes on the handlebar is simple, and you can fine-tune some behavior via the app if you want, like cruise control and zero-start.

Braking performance is solid. The rear drum brake plus front electronic brake combo gives confident stopping without feeling too abrupt. At full speed, if I pull the lever firmly, I can stop in a short distance without skidding out of control. It’s not sports-bike strong, but for a city scooter, it’s good. In terms of pure performance, I’d say it does what a mid-budget commuter scooter should do: quick enough, safe enough, and predictable, as long as you’re not trying to treat it like a motorcycle.

Out of the box, the WERHY H5 is about as straightforward as it gets. In the package I had: the scooter itself, charger, a small tool, a few screws for the handlebar, and a thin manual that’s just okay. Assembly took me roughly 5–10 minutes: you basically line up the handlebar stem, put in four screws, and tighten them. Nothing complicated, even if you’re not handy. The scooter arrived about half charged, so I topped it off before the first proper ride.

The scooter is listed at around 24–25 lbs, and that seems accurate. I can carry it up one flight of stairs with one hand without feeling like I’m lifting weights, but holding it for longer than a couple of minutes is tiring. For a daily commuter, that’s acceptable. The folding mechanism is a simple latch at the base of the stem: lift it to unfold, push it down to lock. It’s not fancy, but it locks firmly and I didn’t feel any wobble in the stem once it’s clicked in.

On the handlebar, you get a small display, a thumb throttle on the right, a brake lever on the left, and a bell. The display shows speed, battery level, and gear mode. No nonsense, no color animations, just basic info. The bell is loud enough to warn pedestrians, which is good because you’ll end up using it a lot in city traffic. Lights are integrated: headlight in front, taillight that blinks when braking. They’re not car-grade bright, but enough to be seen and to see the road in city lighting.

Overall, the whole presentation is pretty no-frills. It looks and feels like a mid-range budget scooter: not cheap toy-level, but not premium either. For the price bracket it’s in, I’d call the out-of-box experience solid and practical. No surprises, good or bad, and you can be riding within half an hour of delivery.