Mi M365 Summary

Since its release on the market in 2016, the Xiaomi Mi M365 has held the title of greatest electric scooter in the world. The M365, which won a Red Dot award a year later, is significant historically since it is the workhorse scooter that sharing businesses chose to disperse throughout major cities throughout the world. Because of this, more individuals than most other scooters have had their first ride on an M365, and they find it to be familiar and cosy.

Since the design’s birth, various scooter producers have often imitated it in an effort to capture a piece of the personal market. You can find M365 knockoffs with the same straightforward, reliable appearance and entry-level functionality all over Amazon.

Owners praise its exceptional dependability and user-friendliness. Outstanding features for its weight include a rear disc brake, pneumatic tyres, and a mobile app that supports Bluetooth.

The M365 accelerates quickly and has a respectable real-world range of 23.5 kilometres. When folded, it is small enough to fit in most locations and light enough to carry regularly.

Given the thousands of M365s that have been sold to people and used in the rental sector, it continues to rule as the best electric scooter money can buy.

Overall, the Xiaomi Mi M365 is one of the greatest entry-level, lightweight scooters you can buy, pound for pound.

Performance Overview:

The Xiaomi M365 operates smoothly and simply when travelling. While the scooter’s 8.5-inch pneumatic tyres do a wonderful job of keeping your ride pleasant overall, even on the toughest urban roads, the lack of a speed indicator means you tend to focus more on the road.

While the solid rubber tyres on the Unagi Model One and Ninebot Segway never need to be inflated and cannot puncture, you do feel every bone-crushing pothole when the road isn’t smooth. Even riding through grass on the M365 wasn’t too uncomfortable for me.

Unlike the electronic brakes on some of the other e-scooters, the scooter’s 120mm disc brakes perform a decent job of stopping you without propelling you ahead. If you think your brake callipers are too tight or loose, there are online instructions on how to change them with an Allen key. Regenerative braking is another feature of the M365. When you depress the brake pedal, the engine goes into reverse, saving part of your power as you slow down.

Speed & Acceleration:

Hill Climbing:

The M365 performed well while ascending hills, but anticipate to drastically slow down when ascending steep slopes (over 10 percent grade). As it takes some practise to kick-start the scooter up to speed on an incline, it could chug along slowly on the steepest of hills, thus you might need to aid by kicking or walking the scooter.

With an average speed of 10.6 km/h, the M365 finished our hill climb test in 20.8 seconds. The same 60 m, 10% grade slope is used for testing all scooters with a 74 kilogramme rider. This entails a steady ascent that is rather steep.

Battery & Range:

In our ESG-certified real-world range test, the M365’s 280 wh battery covered 23.5 kilometers.

Motor Configuration:

The best thing about the Xiaomi M365 is how quiet it is—so quiet, in fact, that I frequently needed to ring the bell to let others know I was following them. The typical engine hum is present, although it’s hardly audible. Only when climbing steep inclines will you be able to hear the 250W motor.

Construction & Quality:

Suspension & Comfort:

The scooter’s well-designed, well-engineered, and most significantly, well-executed construction is the primary factor in why it offers virtually noiseless rides with no wobbling or vibration. Although the scooter has no additional suspension beyond that provided by the air-filled tyres, even minor or moderate road imperfections are occasionally hardly noticeable.

Ride Quality:

The M365 offers a secure and pleasant ride. This scooter is so comfortable that we would gladly put our mothers on it. It accelerates quickly but not jerkily, and it stops hard but doesn’t knock you over the handlebars. With simply dots to read on the LCD and one button to operate in addition to the simple throttle and brake, it’s a very simple scooter to get on and ride without having to think too much. For the 26.9 km/h speed of this scooter, the steering seems decent.

Although suspension would be nice, it is not anticipated at this price point and would also add weight to the bike. Despite having an inflation specification of 50 psi, the air-filled 21.6 cm tyres provide enough grip and handling abilities while modestly absorbing minor road imperfections. However, you wouldn’t want to ride this scooter off-road since it would give your brain a good workout.

Considering how light the frame is constructed, it seems really sturdy. The ride is incredibly calm and serene; you won’t hear any unpleasant motor whining or stem creak. The rubber nubs on the big, texturized hand grips are both pleasant and easy to clean. The rear disc brake and the regen brake are both operated by a single brake lever on the left handlebar.

One thing to keep in mind is that Segway’s design of a single brake lever to operate two brakes has two flaws. First, if you tighten the brake cord to a normal level, the rear brake light switch will no longer engage, deactivating regen braking and, of course, turning off the brake light. Second, loosening the brake cable makes it possible for the lever to pull far enough to turn on the brake light switch and the regen brake, but it also prevents the rider from using two fingers on the lever and two on the hand grip because the lever will crush the other fingers before there is enough braking power.

The M365 has a good sense of balance and is simple to manoeuvre. The first time you ride any electric scooter will be a bit unnerving if you are not used to riding scooters or skateboards. This happens frequently, and most individuals quickly get over their first anxiety. It is really simple and efficient to accelerate and brake. I never use the back brake or the Xiaomi-provided stopping lengths (4 metres at peak speed), but other tests have confirmed them. I only ever use the front E-ABS brake on the handlebar. Using the front brake on a scooter is different from using it on a bicycle because of its low centre of gravity since there is no concern about falling over the handlebars. My M365 was pushed over and rested on its right handlebar the other day, which caused me to briefly fear. The throttle did not immediately reset itself automatically following this (ie springing back up when it is not being pushed down). However, I soon realised that the handlebar grip was squeezing the throttle, so I moved the grip away to resolve the problem.

Lights:

The headlights and taillights of the Mi M365 are LEDs built right in. The front light is set high, which aids in extending the light’s range and improving visibility. The headlamp fits perfectly in this location, which is neatly recessed into the stem. The tiny, low-mounted rear taillight on the fender is a welcome feature because it reacts to braking and can let other drivers know that you’re slowing down.

To increase visibility and safety when riding at night, we advise using supplementary lights. Adding lights on your scooter and body is a certain method to be safe(r) on the road because it’s crucial that you can see other drivers as well as that they can see you.

Braking:

Portability:

Tyres:

Dual 21.6 cm pneumatic (air-filled) tyres are equipped on the Xiaomi Mi M365. Although pneumatic tyres frequently go flat, the substantial advantages of increased grip and ride quality much exceed this drawback.

Although the M365 lacks suspension, the air-filled tyres nonetheless offer a more pleasant, cushioned ride than even solid tyres and suspension, such as those on the Hiboy S2, whose 21.6 cm honeycomb tyres skate rather than conform to the road’s surface.

Since the majority of flats can be easily avoided and even fixed with tyre slime, they actually aren’t a big concern. Maintaining your tyres properly will also help you avoid flats.

Deck:

The standing area on the deck of the M365 is 45.0 cm by 14.6 cm, with a ground clearance of 8.9 cm. The height from the deck to the handlebars is 95.0 cm, which is normal for this price range and ideal for most riders.

When riding over high curbs or ledges, it’s easy to bottom out because you’re moving quite near to the ground.

Controls & Display:

Overall, the scooter has outstanding control, although I personally think the handlebars might be a little bit larger to improve control sensitivity and facilitate turning. However, I can see the choice not to make the handlebars really broad because it would affect portability (and the handlebars are already wider than the ones of other scooters in this price range).

Bluetooth:

An app for smartphones may link to this scooter through Bluetooth. The buyer’s handbook explains how to download easily. Download the Mi Home app from the App Store, or use the manual’s QR code, to do so. Hit “+” to add a device, then add your scooter. The app displays information such as battery life, speed, and distance travelled.

This is especially helpful because the scooter only has that LED system and none of those on the control panel. It might not be very dependable, though, as the majority of Bluetooth apps experience connectivity issues. Additionally, you’ll need to either stop the scooter and glance at your phone or keep it in a holder while you ride.

Safety:

The Xiaomi Mi M365 e-manual scooter’s buyer’s states that it meets with both the license-exempt RSS standard set by Industry Canada and part 15 of the FCC regulations for the United States. The handbook had no information about UL certification.

Other safety advice includes not using this scooter in the weather, keeping your speed between 3.1 and 6.2 mph while navigating speed bumps or other uneven pavement, and always keeping both feet on the scooter deck. The Xiaomi Mi has bright headlights that can illuminate up to 6 metres in front of it for visibility.

Water Resistance:

Few models have a higher certification than the IP54 ingress protection grade that the Xiaomi M365 uses, which is essentially the gold standard when it comes to water protection (usually costing much more). The Xiaomi M365 stands out even more from the competition because the typical scooter offers absolutely no water protection.

Reliability:

Because of its dependable braking setup, the Xiaomi M365 is generally quite safe. It uses a dual braking system that consists of a front electronic disc brake and a rear disc brake. The brake lever on the left handlebar is used to apply the brakes. When stopping at full speed, the braking distance for this scooter will be between 16.5 and 19.8 feet (between 5 and 6 metres).

Warranty:

For its scooter, Xiaomi offers a 12-month warranty. The business will not fix or replace scooters that have been harmed due to disregarding directions under a limited warranty, which is the most typical kind.

Known Issues:

Maintenance:

The Xiaomi M365 is incredibly easy to operate and requires little upkeep. I advise doing a fast set of maintenance actions once or twice a week and washing the scooter at least once a month. I’m currently doing:

• examine all of the electronics
• Make sure the brakes are powerful enough and are not worn out by inspecting them.
• Ensure the tyres are properly inflated and not damaged.
• check to see if any screws are loose, tighten them if necessary, and use Loctite if you can.
• Examine whether the rubber mat is still adhered to the deck, and use adhesive if necessary.

There are still not as many scooter-only repair shops as there are for cars or bicycles. If you reside in a larger city, you might be able to find a scooter repair business, but in many circumstances, you could have to rely on bike mechanics if your scooter develops a flaw that you can’t fix yourself. The good news in this situation is that although though many bike mechanics may not be very familiar with scooter models nowadays, if they are, it’s nearly always the Xiaomi M365. Therefore, while repairs might occasionally be challenging, they are most likely not going to be, and the situation is just getting better.

Who Should Buy The Xiaomi Mi M365 Scooter?

Despite a recent recall, the Xiaomi Mi scooter has shown to be a reliable introduction into the scooter industry. It boasts a simple, lightweight design and the speed and range necessary for city commuting. If required, it is simple to fold up and transport on a bus or train.

It is also incredibly simple to ride because to features like regenerative braking, disc brakes, brilliant headlights, shock absorption, and more. The Xiaomi Mi is a fantastic alternative if you’re searching for a commuter scooter that’s less expensive than, say, a Segway.