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The new Kugoo Kirin Mini 2 is an electric scooter designed for kids but with the same robust alloy construction as the adult version. E-scooters are a great gift idea for children, but there are a lot of cheap plastic ones on the market that don’t stand up well to the kind of use they’re subjected to. In this review, I will have a closer look at the specification and let you know what my daughters thought of this electric scooter.
Summary
The kick scooter has always been popular with children, I used to have one back in the 1970s. More recently they have seen a massive surge in popularity and in recent years with advances in electric motor and battery technology, kids’ e-scooters have become incredibly popular all over the world.
Although children’s electric scooters use the same technology as adult e-scooters, they are smaller and have less power and limited speed to make them safer to ride. Typically most kids’ electric scooters will have a maximum speed of between 10-15km/h.
The latest offering from e-scooter and e-bike manufacturer Kugoo is the Kirin Mini 2 – the Mini 2 is like a scaled-down version of their popular S1 adult electric scooter. In this review, I will look at the general build quality and technical specifications.
There’s no doubt that most kids love electric scooters, but to enjoy them fully, they will need access to private land (in the UK) as the laws governing e-scooter use are very restrictive at present. Please read the legal information below for more details.
Can Children ride electric scooters?
Electric scooters are great fun, but as with all personal electric vehicles, there are some legal implications to take into consideration. In a lot of European countries electric scooters are legal to use in public places, but there are certain limitations in place regarding speed and power. Under no circumstances should a child go anywhere near a road on an electric scooter as this would be incredibly dangerous. In the UK, the laws are much more restrictive, and even though hire e-scooters are legally available in some cities, personally owned electric scooters cannot be legally ridden in public places – this includes children’s electric scooters.
So where in the UK can my child ride an electric scooter?
As the law stands at the moment, your child can only legally ride an electric scooter on your property or any other private property with the owner’s consent. They wouldn’t legally be allowed to ride it in a public area like a park, pavement or play area.
The law varies from country to country in Europe, but generally European countries have a more tolerant attitude to e-scooters as they are viewed as an environmentally friendly alternative to cars or public transport. Before purchasing, please check your local laws.
Kugoo Kirin Mini 2 Kids E-Scooter – What’s in the box?
The Kirin Mini 2 was shipped from a warehouse in Poland and arrived in the UK within 7 working days. The box contains the scooter (folded), an instruction manual, a battery charger and a carrying bag. If you are buying this in the UK, you will need to purchase an EU-to-UK plug adaptor for the charger.
As you can see from the photo, the scooter was well-packaged and arrived undamaged. Assembly was a very straightforward process and just involved unfolding the steering shaft and screwing in the handlebar grips. Once this was done, all that is required is for the battery to be charged for a couple of hours and you’re good to go. You can use it right out of the box, but it’s always wise to charge the battery fully before first use.
Using the scooter
The Kugoo Kirin Mini 2 has a simplified design to make it easier to use for children. On the deck is an on/off button which when pressed activates a line of LEDs (that indicate battery power) and one coloured LED that indicates power mode – blue being the slowest and red being the fastest. The modes go up in 5km/h increments so blue is 5km/h, yellow 10km/h and red is 15km/h. You can change between modes by quickly pressing the on/off button – a long press of the button will switch the scooter off.
Unlike most adult e-scooters, the Mini 2 doesn’t have a thumb or twist throttle. Instead, there is a foot throttle that will activate once you kick off to get the scooter moving. The power comes on very smoothly and none of my children felt intimidated or out of control when the power kicked in. Braking is provided by the red thumb lever on the left-hand side of the handlebars, this effectively reverses the motor bringing the scooter to a quick and steady standstill. There is also a friction plate on the underside of the rear mudguard and the manufacturer states that compressing the mudguard with the heel of your foot can be used as an auxiliary braking method.
Portability
The Kirin Mini 2 is easy to fold and unfold. You simply turn the steering and un-clamp the lever at the base of the steering column, fold it back and it clips (loosely) onto the top of the rear mudguard. The scooter weighs just under 9kg, so it is quite heavy for a child to carry for a prolonged amount of time.
Performance
The motor provides enough speed for coasting along at a decent pace without being too fast. Most adult e-scooters of around 250w/350w will do about 25km/h. The Kirin Mini 2 puts out 150w max and will do about 15km/h flat out, which is plenty quick enough for a child. I even had a couple of goes on it myself and it managed to propel me along nicely, despite me weighing 107kg!
Battery
The battery is located underneath the deck and has a total energy capacity of 86Wh (watt hours) – the claimed range is 10-15km, after about 45 minutes of the kids riding it around the battery indicator had one LED lit, suggesting the battery was almost depleted – we do have a fairly steep driveway, so on flatter surfaces this would be better.
Build quality
My first impression of the Kugoo Kirin Mini 2 as it is of sturdy aluminium construction. It didn’t feel like a toy like some of the cheaper kid’s-scooters I’ve come across. More like a scaled-down version of the Adult S1. I think that considering the build quality it’s very good value for money. It could even be used by older teenagers and some adults. There are a few extra neat touches to the Mini 2 like a rear brake light and side stand.
Specifications
- 150w 21.6v brushless rear motor
- 21.6v 4Ah rechargeable Lithium battery
- 8″ front and 6.5″ rear solid rubber tyres
- Alloy construction
- Maximum speed 15km/h
- 3 power modes
- Motor braking system
- Maximum rider weight: 65kg
- Rear brake light
- Battery range: Approximately 10-15km
- Weight: 8.9KG
- Dimensions unfolded: 854mm (L) x 420mm (W) x 980mm (H)
- Dimensions folded: 854mm (L) x 420mm (W) x 340mm (H)
Conclusion
The Kugoo Kirin Mini 2 is a great electric scooter for kids. My daughters have enjoyed trying it out. It comes across as a very robust scooter and looks like it could handle a fair amount of abuse. It’s certainly well-made enough to be used by a smaller adult as well.
E-scooters are great fun for children, but there are limitations as to where they can be used (in the UK) I live on a farm, so there is plenty of space and a long driveway for my kids to enjoy the scooter. If you live in certain European countries then you will have much more choice, but I would recommend wide open spaces like parks.
The Kirin Mini 2 is designed to be safe to use by children – it’s not too fast and the braking system is easy to use and effective. My older daughters range in age from 9 to 14 years and they all got along just fine with it, there were no accidents and they all had great fun riding it.
If you have access to the space for your children to use, then the Kirin Mini 2 will provide them with lots of fun. It’s well-made, has a decent motor and produces a sensible amount of power and speed. I would strongly recommend a cycling helmet be worn, as even falling off at 10km/h could result in a head injury, and maybe some elbow and knee pads if your kids are going to try stunts (as they often will!).
Thanks for reading this article, if you have any questions please leave them in the comments section below and I will reply within 24hrs.
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