Xiaomi Finally Admits Small Wheels and City Streets Don’t Mix
Xiaomi is finally acknowledging what urban commuters have known for years: tiny wheels and stiff frames are a recipe for a rattled skeleton. The global debut of the Electric Scooter 6, quietly listed on the company’s international site this week, marks a pivot away from the ultra-portable "toys" of the early 2020s toward a machine built to survive the real-world chaos of modern pavement.
This isn't just another incremental spec bump. By prioritizing mechanical stability over raw top speed, Xiaomi is chasing the segment of riders who are tired of bracing for impact every time they see a utility cover or a patch of uneven asphalt.
More Muscle for the Morning Climb
The internal overhaul starts with a redesigned drivetrain. The Electric Scooter 6 now puts out a continuous 400W, but the real story is the 800W peak. That’s a 100W jump over last year's Electric Scooter 5, providing the extra grunt needed to haul a fully-laden adult up 18% inclines without the motor groaning in protest.
Xiaomi is playing it safe with a 25 km/h (16 mph) speed cap to dodge the legal headaches of European and Asian licensing. While speed demons might find the limit frustrating, the extra wattage is redirected into torque. This means snappier acceleration from a dead stop and more consistent power delivery when fighting a headwind. Riders can still cycle through Pedestrian, Standard, and Sport modes depending on how much battery they want to burn.
Bigger Tires, Fewer Bone-Jarring Bumps
The most significant change is the chassis. For too long, commuter scooters have forced riders to play a high-stakes game of "avoid the crack in the sidewalk." Xiaomi is attempting to end that by moving to 12-inch tubeless tires—a massive jump from the 10-inch standard seen on the 2025 models.
Those extra two inches change the physics of the ride. A larger diameter provides a better "attack angle" for hazards like sunken manhole covers, tram tracks, and the dreaded European cobblestones. To complement the rubber, Xiaomi added a dedicated spring suspension system at both the front and rear. This dual-suspension setup, paired with the signature "kicktail" deck for better foot positioning, puts the Electric Scooter 6 in direct competition with the Segway-Ninebot Max G2. While the Ninebot has long been the king of "plush" commuting, Xiaomi’s move to 12-inch tires might actually give it the edge in pure vibration dampening.
From Budget Lite to Find-My-Enabled Max
The Electric Scooter 6 isn't arriving alone. It sits in the center of a three-tier lineup designed to hit every price point. The entry-level 6 Lite scales things back with a 300W motor and 10-inch tires for those with perfectly smooth commutes, while the flagship 6 Max is built for the long-haul power user.
The Max variant is the clear heavyweight, boasting a 468 Wh battery capable of a 70 km (43 mile) range and a motor that peaks at a staggering 1,100W. Beyond the power, the Max addresses a major consumer pain point: theft. By integrating Apple Find My support directly into the hardware, Xiaomi is giving riders a way to track their scooter through the Apple ecosystem without taping a third-party AirTag under the deck.
While the standard Electric Scooter 6 will likely be the volume seller, the inclusion of better suspension and smarter tracking across the lineup suggests Xiaomi is finally moving past the "last mile" gimmick and building legitimate transportation.