Update: Unfortunately, Lidl experienced a delivery issue with this scooter and none of their stores received it. As a result, they will no longer be stocking the electric scooter. Apparently, this will now feature at a later date instead. I’ll keep my eyes out for it. Join the Goosed.ie newsletter for further updates.
I think it’s safe to say I’ve become a bit of an e-scooter fanboy. I’ve been fairly vocal in defending them pending potential negative legislation and also will have chats with people when I’m out and about recommending them. They’re not just great craic, they’re also a very practical mode of transport.
I ride a Xiaomi m365 that I bought for €450 from Three Ireland and, while it does need some hands-on care and attention, I can’t fault it in terms of performance and practicality.
Fresh in from the weekly grocery shop, I was flicking through the Lidl catalogue only to find they’re selling an electric scooter of their own. I wonder if it’s any use?
The Lidl E-Scooter: A Cat 2Droid Kickster S
The scooter in Lidl this week appears to be a German manufactured Cat 2Droid Kickster S electric scooter. At first glance, it looked like a bit of a toy, sharing a page with some stuffed animals. But a longer look left me appreciating just how close to my own Xiaomi m365 the 2Droid Kickster S is, despite it costing just €199.99. That’s a whopper €250 less than what I paid for my scooter.
I had to crunch the numbers to see if this can even come close.
Note: I haven’t had a chance to take this scooter for a spin at all I’m afraid. I’m purely looking at the numbers on the page for comparison.
Xiaomi m365 2Droid Kickster S Comparison
There are some key stats to look at when comparing electric scooters. Here’s my rundown.
Top Speed
The Lidl catalogue claims that this scooter can reach a top speed of 24km/h but after rooting around on the Cat website, this model looks like it’s more likely only going to be able to reach a top speed of 18km/h in sport mode. The scooter also features a 6km/h safe mode if that floats your boat.
My Xiaomi m365 would leave this thing sitting handy enough thanks to a top speed of 25km/h.
I’ll be interested to see if the Lidl e-scooter can really reach that 24km/h top speed or not but my gut feeling says it probably can’t, just from seeing similar models on the road.
Weights
The Lidl e-scooter does bring away two massive wins when it comes to weight. First of all, the Xiaomi m365 can carry a max weight of 100kg, though I can personally vouch for it handling heavier people…ahem. This Cat 2Droid Kickster S is capable of carrying a person weighing up to 120kg.
Next up in the weight wins is the actual weight of the scooter itself. Both scooters fold up so you can carry them around. My Xiaomi weighs in at workout worthy 12.5kg. It doesn’t look like much on paper, but if you do need to carry the m365 any distance at all, you’ll feel it. This scooter in Lidl weighs just 8.9kg.
That’s a substantial amount of additional portability you can enjoy with the Kickster S.
Range
I’m lucky enough that I only ever really take my scooter on relatively short spins. I’ve only really tested the range a few times. The m365 advertises a range of 30km but I really doubt it can comfortably do that. You’re probably looking at 20km really. The Lidl e-scooter advertises 15-20km so if I’m to base this purely on paper, the m365 wins this one well.
My instinct tells me that the Lidl scooter will fall well short of that advertised range, but if you’re just planning on some short spins none of these range limits really come into play.
Power
Power gets a different section to range to offer a slightly different take on what all the juice this scooter gives you. Both scooters have a 250w motor. The Lidl scooter has a smaller battery pack which does give you a substantially quicker charge time of just 100 minutes. The Xiaomi m365 takes up to five hours.
While this looks like a positive, it really tells me that it’s even more likely those range stats could be over the top from Cat.
It’s unclear whether or not the Lidl scooter required you to kick to get it moving, but the name would suggest it’s a kick scooter. That’s important so it’s not defined as an MPV which lets you avoid lots of unwanted legal issues from hanging over you.
Bells and Whistles
Well, literally, both scooters have bells. Both have a headlight and both have brake lights. The 2Droid Kickster S does have some additional lights on the handlebars which inform others whether you’re accelerating or braking.
One additional nice feature of the Lidl e-scooter is the display. Xiaomi opted against including a display at all so this is a nice inclusion.
Lidl Electric Scooter: The Verdict
I want to stress again that I have not tested this scooter from Lidl. With that said, on paper the Lidl scooter doesn’t look bad at all. But I can only imagine that if I took this for a spin, I’d be looking forward to jumping back on my Xiaomi m365. Still, €250 is €250 and that’s a substantial saving if this Cat 2Droid Kickster S is any use at all.
If you’re in the market for a scooter and not willing to spend €450, this might be a punt-worthy pick-up from Lidl’s middle aisle.
Lidl will be stocking the electric scooter from Monday 25th March.
