Engwe S6 Review: Long-Range Electric Scooter on a Budget
Engwe S6 is a super affordable offroad electric scooter with front and rear suspensions, dual-disc brakes, and offroad tires with a unique foldable design. On paper, the scooter looks quite promising and has many exceptional features. But the scooter’s price makes me wonder if there are too many shortcuts taken in order to keep the price as low as possible.
Let’s Inspect!
Summary
Pros
- Excellent pricing
- Comfortable ride
- Solid brakes and ample lights for night
- Handy indicators
- Adjustable handle and saddle height
- Wide and comfortable board
Cons
- Entry level suspensions
- Unimpressive motor
- Some low-quality parts
- No speed modes
Engwe S6 – Price
Let’s start with the price. It is priced at 600$, making it the cheapest off-road oriented electric scooter. As most of the competitors usually cost a 4-digit. Some possible competitors are Kugoo Kirin, Segway, Ninebot, Kaboo, Mantis, Vsett, and a few others. But keep in mind Engwe S6 seriously undercuts the price of all these scooters by a significant margin.
Engwe S6 – Unboxing
Unboxing Engwe S6 is not something you want to do alone. It weighs a whopping 30kg and comes as a single unit making it even harder to lift and carry. If you are alone, I recommend cutting and lifting the box instead of pulling the cycle out of the box. The electric scooter is well-packed; almost every component has significant padding to ensure 100% safety.
The scooter comes pretty much assembled, thanks to the folding seat stem and handlebar. The mechanisms don’t look too trustworthy, but you can expect them to work for a long time.
Before riding the scooter, make sure to check there is nothing loose or broken. In my case, the grip tape was off from the corner. It’s easy to fix, but the broken mudguard isn’t. It was held by four screws. I don’t know if it broke due to over-tightening or cheap plastic quality but was broken on arrival.
Appearance and Build Quality
I am not going to lie. Despite its price, the scooter looks quite solid at first site. I would prefer it without the seat, but it’s just my preference. Most components are made out of metal and feel strong. The paintwork is pretty good. The folding mechanisms are weird, rest of the things look good.
The board is spacious and can easily accommodate both feet. It has indicators on all four edges with LEDs on either side. Speaking of the lights, S6 also has a tail and front headlight.
Engwe S6 is using 10-inch offroad tires with dedicated suspensions for both. The saddle also acts as a suspension with decent travel.
The handlebar is also very comfortable and adjustable. Instead of the lever throttle, Engwe has gone with the motorcycle-like accelerator, which is quite nice. Moreover, on the right side, we have a small display and keyhole. While the left side has the turn signal switch, horn, and headlight button.
Technical Specifications
- Motor: 500W motor producing 23Nm Torque
- Speed: up to 45km/h
- Battery: 48V, 15.6Ah
- Range: Up to 70km in ideal conditions
- Frame: Metal Alloy Frame
- Weight: 26kg
- Max Loading Capacity: 120kg
- Brakes: Front and rear disc brakes
- Tires: 10-inch Offroad tires
Engwe S6 – Features
Engwe S6 is not the most feature-rich electric scooter. It is a basic scooter with some offroad capability and minimal bells and whistles.
One thing I really liked about the electric scooter is the number of lights. It has eight light sources. 2 RGB LED strips under the board on both sides. Four turn signals on all four corners, a tail light, and a bright headlight. The amount of light is simply tremendous for both looks and evening rides as they keep you safe and well-visible in the dark.
Suspensions are another excellent inclusion. It has suspensions on both tires, along with a comfortable and adjustable saddle. Hence adding to the overall comfort of the electric scooter.
The screen we have is quite basic and functional. It has a perfect size and placement, making it even more practical. It displays speed, electric charge, mileage, and a couple of other metrics.
Engwe S6 – Performance
Speed
Engwe S6 has a 500W motor; it has a peak power of 700W, which is sustained down to 500. The rated max speed is 45km/h, which is only possible in ideal conditions. In my testing, S6 is one of the weakest offroad scooters I have ever tested.
The acceleration is underwhelming, so don’t expect much about the climbing abilities. It took quite some time to reach max speed and didn’t even reach that with a 90kg rider. In my case, it mostly caps at 35km/h, and in lucky situations, it touches 40km/h. Moreover, it does not have speed modes, so you cannot limit the maximum speed.
In my opinion, Engwe S6 is a normal electric scooter with offroad tires.
Range
The electric scooter has a big 15.6Ah battery with an expected range of 70km. The predicted range is more like a delusion. You can cover only 40km with some self-control.
Riding Comfort
The riding comfort is a plus point of Engwe S6. Let’s start with the saddle. It is super comfortable and acts as a shock absorber thanks to its springs and thick padding. The wide board is also pretty good.
The suspension is entry-level and not the most effective. The front fork has a travel of only 5cm and is slightly harder to maintain.
10-inch tires are excellent; they look great and have a strong construction. The rugged construction also contributes to riding comfort.
Most parts of the scooter are entry-level, but the combination of all these parts delivers a comfortable ride. Another thing I like to point out is riding while sitting. It is a great use case but maintaining your balance on a bumpy road in offroad conditions is very difficult.
Safety
Engwe S6 has dual-disc brakes. They are not hydraulic but work well. The brakes are easy to adjust, and I haven’t felt any problems since the day I am riding the scooter.
Moreover, to ensure maximum security, it has eight lights on all four sides of the scooter. All of them are great and keep you well visible at night.
Drawbacks
- No speed modes to limit the speed
- Entry level suspensions
- Low-quality mudguards
- Underpowered motor
- Lots of noises when riding on a bumpy surface
Verdict
Is Engwe S6 a danger for other similar scooters? No, I don’t think so. It is a good scooter for flat roads, as I don’t feel it is designed to sustain challenging roads.
So, while I totally enjoy Engwe’s electric bicycles, I really hope that there will be a revamped edition with all the weaknesses addressed and fixed.
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