Hiboy S2 Pro Review: a no-nonsense commuter scooter that trades comfort for zero-maintenance tires

I’ve been riding the Hiboy S2 Pro for a few weeks as a daily commuter – roughly 5–10 miles a day, mixed bike lanes and rough city pavement. I’m not sponsored, I paid for it myself, and I’m mainly comparing it to shared scooters (Lime/Bird) and a cheaper 350W entry-level model I owned before. The S2 Pro sits in that middle zone: more serious than rental-style toys, but not a monster like the Titan Pro or other 1000W+ scooters.

The first thing that hit me is how focused on commuting it is. It folds, it’s not insanely heavy at around 36 lbs, and the 500W motor is clearly tuned for city speeds and short hills, not off-road trails. Hiboy pushes the 25.6-mile range and 19 mph top speed. In practice, those numbers are optimistic unless you’re light and riding gently, but they’re not total fantasy either.

I used it mostly in its higher speed mode, with frequent stops, and I’m around 180 lbs with a backpack. Under those conditions, the scooter felt solid and predictable, but you can tell it’s built to a price: solid tires instead of air, basic rear suspension, and an aluminum frame that does the job but doesn’t feel premium. If you’re expecting the comfort of the Titan or a high-end dual-suspension scooter, this isn’t that.

Overall, the S2 Pro gave me what I wanted: a reliable, low-maintenance way to get to work without thinking too much about flats or constant tweaking. It’s not perfect – the ride can be harsh, and the 8-hour charge time is long – but for the price, it’s pretty solid. The rest of this review is just me breaking down what worked, what annoyed me, and where I think Hiboy cut corners to keep the cost down.

For what it costs, the Hiboy S2 Pro offers a pretty solid mix: 500W motor, around 15–20 miles of real-world range, 19 mph top speed, solid tires, app control, and decent lights. You’re not paying performance-scooter money, but you’re getting more than a basic 250–350W toy. If your main goal is daily commuting without drama, it hits a nice middle ground.

Where the value shows is in the low maintenance angle. Solid tires mean no flat repair bills, no time lost patching tubes, and no checking PSI every week. For a lot of people, that alone is worth some extra vibration in the hands. The warranty (12 or 6 months depending on parts) and the generally decent customer service also add to the value – knowing you can get parts and support is important with electric scooters, because stuff does eventually wear out or fail.

On the downside, you are trading away comfort and some performance for that price. The ride is clearly harsher than air-tire scooters, the range is very dependent on how you ride, and the 8-hour charge time is long. There are competitors in the same price bracket with air tires and slightly more comfort, but then you’re back to worrying about punctures. It really comes down to your priorities.

If you want maximum comfort and power, you’re better off saving for something like the Titan series or another 800–1000W scooter with real suspension and pneumatic tires. If you just want a reliable, reasonably fast way to replace short car or bus trips, and you don’t mind a firm ride, the S2 Pro offers good value for money. It’s not the best at any one thing, but as an all-round commuter tool, it gets the job done without draining your wallet.

Design-wise, the Hiboy S2 Pro is pretty understated. Matte black frame, integrated deck lighting, standard vertical stem with a folding mechanism at the base. It doesn’t scream for attention, which I liked for city use. You can park it outside a café without feeling like you’re leaving a flashy toy on the sidewalk. The deck is long enough for a normal adult stance, and at 6'0" I didn’t feel cramped, though it’s not as spacious as the Titan or other big-deck scooters.

The folding system is straightforward: you unlatch a lever at the bottom of the stem, fold it down, and hook it to the rear fender. It’s not the smoothest or nicest mechanism I’ve used, but it works. After a couple of weeks, there was a tiny bit of play in the stem if I yanked it side to side, but nothing dramatic. For commuting, it was fine. Carrying it up one flight of stairs is doable; carrying it up three floors daily would get old fast.

The handlebar layout is very basic: throttle on the right, brake lever on the left, a small center display with a single button to toggle power and modes. The grips are okay – not super soft, but they don’t feel cheap. There’s no adjustable handlebar height, so if you’re very short or very tall you’re stuck with the standard 47.6-inch handle height. I’m average height and it felt natural, but taller riders might wish for a bit more height.

Lighting is actually one of the points where the design holds up well. The front headlight is bright enough for city riding at night, and the rear light plus side lights make you visible. It’s not motorcycle-level visibility, obviously, but compared to many cheap scooters with weak LEDs, this is decent. Overall, the design is very function-first: no fancy lines, just a black aluminum frame that looks like it’s built to be used, not admired.

Hiboy claims up to 25.6 miles of range from the 36V/11.6Ah battery, and technically that’s possible under ideal conditions: light rider, eco mode, mostly flat, steady speed. In real life, I got less, which didn’t surprise me. With my 180 lbs, mixed riding (a lot of stop-and-go, some hills, mostly in the faster mode), I was seeing around 12–16 miles before the battery dropped low enough that performance started to sag.

If I consciously rode more gently – lower speed mode, smoother acceleration, less hill climbing – I could stretch it closer to 18–20 miles, but that required actually trying to save energy. So if you’re planning a daily round trip of 8–10 miles, you’re in the sweet spot. Beyond that, you either charge at work or you accept that some days you might be close to empty when you get home.

The charging time is one of the annoying parts: around 6–8 hours for a full charge. That means this is basically an overnight-charge scooter. Quick top-ups aren’t very practical unless you’re parked somewhere for a long meeting or a full workday. Compared to bigger scooters like the Titan, which some owners also mention have long charge times, this isn’t surprising, but it’s still something to plan around. If you’re a heavy user, carrying the charger and plugging in at the office is almost required.

On the plus side, the battery behavior felt stable. No random cutouts, no weird jumps in the battery gauge. As the charge drops, you do feel a slight reduction in power and speed, especially near the bottom 20%, but it’s gradual, not sudden. For safety and battery health, I tried not to run it down to 0% regularly. Overall, the battery is fine for city commuting, but don’t buy into the max range number as your everyday expectation unless you ride very conservatively.

Comfort is where the Hiboy S2 Pro is clearly a compromise. The rear dual shock absorbers help, but they’re fighting against those hard 10-inch solid tires and a rigid aluminum frame. On smooth bike paths or decent asphalt, the ride is fine and actually feels pretty stable. Once you hit rougher pavement, expansion joints, or brick/paver sections, you start to feel every little bump through the handlebars and your knees.

Compared to the Titan or Titan Pro, which multiple reviewers praised for suspension, the S2 Pro feels much harsher. If you’re coming from rental scooters with air tires, you’ll notice the difference too. I had a couple of stretches of old city street with patched asphalt, and at around 15–18 mph, the front end would chatter enough that I instinctively slowed down. It’s not unsafe, but it’s not comfortable either if you do that daily.

Standing position is okay. The deck is long enough to stand sideways with one foot slightly angled, and the handlebar height is good for average-height adults. The rear suspension does take the edge off bigger bumps and speed bumps if you slow down a bit, but if you just hammer through at full speed, you’ll feel it in your wrists and lower back. I quickly learned to reduce speed over potholes, speed bumps, and curb cuts, which lines up with what some French reviewers said about needing a good grip on the handlebars over rough surfaces.

If your commute is mostly smooth bike lanes, the comfort is acceptable, and you’ll probably appreciate the zero-maintenance tires more than you’ll hate the stiffness. If your city has lots of cobblestones, broken pavement, or you want to ride long distances at higher speeds, I’d seriously think about either a scooter with air tires or a better suspension system. For short to medium city hops, it’s “good enough,” but it’s not a plush ride by any stretch.

The frame is all aluminum, which keeps weight reasonable and resists rust. It doesn’t flex much, which is good for stability but also part of why the ride feels stiff on rough roads. The deck has a rubberized top with grip texture. It’s easy to clean and gives decent traction, even when a bit dusty or slightly wet, but it doesn’t feel high-end. It’s more “practical scooter rubber” than anything fancy.

The 10-inch solid tires are probably the most controversial material choice. They’re made from a dense rubber compound that feels tough and unforgiving when you press on them. The upside: no flats, no checking PSI, no random punctures from glass. The downside: they don’t absorb much. Compared to the air-filled tires on many scooters or the Titan’s beefier setup, you feel every crack and small pothole. They do grip the road well enough in dry conditions, but on wet pavement I rode more cautiously because there’s not a lot of give.

The brake hardware is decent for the class. The rear disc rotor feels sturdy enough and doesn’t bend easily if you’re not abusing it. The caliper isn’t top-tier bike quality, but it gets the job done for a 19 mph scooter. The electronic brake is all internal of course, but the lever feel is okay – not as smooth as proper hydraulic brakes like on the Titan Pro, but I never felt like it was about to fail or anything.

One thing I’ll say: nothing on it feels premium, but nothing feels toy-grade either. The plastics around the display and wiring are basic but not flimsy. The cables are somewhat exposed along the stem, which is standard in this price range, though I’d have liked a bit more protection in case of snags. If you’re expecting high-end scooter materials, you’ll be underwhelmed. If you just want something that can take daily use without falling apart in a month, the S2 Pro seems up to the task based on my time with it and what I’ve seen from long-term owners online.

In terms of short-term durability, the S2 Pro held up well during my weeks of use. No loose screws, no weird noises beyond the normal clunks from rough pavement, and the folding mechanism stayed functional. The solid tires are obviously a big win for durability: no punctures, no sidewall damage, nothing to worry about there. For someone who doesn’t want to deal with fixing flats or checking air pressure, this is a big part of the appeal.

Looking at other owners’ experiences, it seems Hiboy scooters in general are fairly reliable, but not perfect. One review in your data mentioned a drive motor failing early on a different model, but also said Hiboy sent a replacement motor quickly and even reimbursed some of the install cost. That lines up with what I’ve seen: parts can fail, especially on electric scooters that get daily abuse, but Hiboy’s customer service tends to respond and actually ship parts instead of ghosting people.

The frame and main components feel sturdy enough for the 220-lb limit. I wouldn’t push that too far – if you’re significantly above that or plan to carry heavy cargo, I’d look at beefier models like the Titan Pro that are clearly built for bigger riders. The S2 Pro is more of an average-size adult commuter tool. The rear suspension hardware looks basic but functional; time will tell how it holds up after a year or two of potholes, but I didn’t spot anything that looked like a failure waiting to happen.

Overall, I’d call the durability good for the price, with the usual caveat that electric scooters are not maintenance-free. You’ll still want to periodically check bolts, keep the brakes adjusted, and avoid smashing it into curbs at full speed. If you treat it as a vehicle, not a toy, it should last a while. Just don’t expect car-level reliability – this is still a mid-range electric scooter with a lot of moving and electronic parts.

The 500W brushless hub motor is the heart of the S2 Pro, and for commuting it does a decent job. On flat ground, it gets up to 15–19 mph without much drama. Acceleration isn’t brutal, but in sport mode it’s quick enough to feel lively when pulling away from lights. Compared to my older 350W scooter, the S2 Pro is noticeably stronger off the line and doesn’t bog down as easily when you’re near top speed.

Where you feel the limits is on hills. Small inclines are fine; it holds speed reasonably well. On steeper city hills, you’ll see the speed drop, especially if you’re closer to the 220-lb weight limit or carrying a backpack. It still climbs, but you’re not flying up. If you’re expecting Titan-level torque like in those 1000W+ reviews, forget it – this is more of a realistic urban commuter than a performance scooter.

Braking is one of the stronger points. The combination of rear disc brake and electronic brake gives you good stopping power for the speed range. I tuned the electronic brake a bit stronger in the app, and with that setup, I could stop confidently without yanking the lever too hard. It’s not as smooth or strong as hydraulic brakes, but for a 19 mph scooter, it’s in the right ballpark. Just keep your speed reasonable if you’re riding in crowded areas, because like one reviewer said, braking distance still depends a lot on how fast you’re going.

Handling is stable. The scooter tracks straight, and carving gentle turns feels natural. Even at top speed, I didn’t feel wobbly as long as I kept a relaxed but firm grip. The solid tires and stiff frame give a somewhat "on-rails" feeling on smooth ground, which I liked. In short: good commuter performance, nothing crazy, but fast enough that you need to respect it and wear proper protection (helmet at minimum, gloves and reflective gear strongly recommended).

On paper, the Hiboy S2 Pro is a 500W, 36V commuter scooter with 10-inch solid tires, a claimed max range of 25.6 miles, and a top speed around 19 mph. It folds at the stem, has a rear dual shock setup, electronic and disc brakes, and connects to the Hiboy app via Bluetooth. Weight limit is 220 lbs, and the whole thing weighs just under 36 lbs. It’s clearly aimed at adults who want something practical for daily use, not kids messing around in a parking lot.

Out of the box, assembly is simple: you basically attach the handlebar, tighten a few screws, unfold it, and you’re mostly ready. Mine came with a partial charge like other users mentioned, but charging it fully before the first ride is a good idea. You get the scooter, charger, a small tool kit, and the usual manual. No seat included – that’s an extra accessory if you want it.

The feature set is decent for the price bracket: bright headlight, rear light, side lights, app control for things like locking the scooter, adjusting acceleration and braking strength, and setting speed limits. Braking is a mix of rear disc and electronic braking on the motor, which you can tune in the app. You also get a simple display that shows speed, mode, and battery level. It’s not fancy, but it’s readable in daylight and at night.

In practice, the S2 Pro sits between the basic S2 and the heavier Titan-style scooters. If you’ve ridden the Titan or Titan Pro, this will feel a lot tamer in terms of power and suspension, but also way easier to carry up stairs or lift into a trunk. If you’re used to rental scooters, the S2 Pro feels like a slightly more powerful, better-built version with the bonus that you don’t have to scan a QR code every time you want to move.