Spanish · 5 years on Samui
Spanish cycling enthusiast and eco-travel advocate on Koh Samui for 5 years. Carlos covers all bicycle and e-scooter content with a focus on sustainable exploration.
Updated: May 2026
Last March I rode the Chaweng-to-Mae Nam coastal road on the Yadea G5 Pro and the NIU MQi+ Sport on consecutive mornings - same route, same departure point, same 42-kilometre return circuit. The G5 Pro used 42 per cent battery; the NIU used 48 per cent. Both returned easily. The G5 Pro was smoother over the road joins; the NIU was marginally faster at 55 km/h. Both scooters completed the day competently. The differences were more specific than the headline specs suggest, and finding them required back-to-back riding rather than reading product pages.
Over matched routes across three consecutive days - one G5 Pro day, one NIU day, one mixed - I measured battery consumption per kilometre at 42 km/h average on flat coastal tarmac. G5 Pro: 1.05 per cent per kilometre. NIU MQi+: 1.25 per cent per kilometre. The 19 per cent efficiency advantage translates to approximately 15 kilometres of additional range at rated charge - the difference between 80 kilometres and 65 kilometres. On a day filling the full northern Samui circuit, that 15-kilometre margin is not a comfort buffer. It is the margin that decides whether the route completes or requires a charge stop.
On the concrete road joins north of the Fisherman's Village at 45 km/h last March, the G5 Pro absorbed each join with a single compression cycle. The NIU MQi+ transmitted the joins more sharply through its smaller 12-inch wheels and shorter suspension travel - the 14-inch wheels on the G5 Pro carry more suspension travel and more tyre sidewall to absorb road surface variation. For a rider spending a full coastal day on Samui's north coast road, the G5 Pro's ride quality advantage accumulates into a measurable comfort difference by mid-afternoon.
On the Chaweng-to-Lamai ring road section last February at maximum motor output, the NIU MQi+ Sport reached 62 km/h; the G5 Pro reached 55 km/h. The 7 km/h difference is relevant on the ring road sections where traffic moves at 65 to 70 km/h - the NIU can sustain pace with traffic more easily. On the beach corridor routes at 40 to 50 km/h, both scooters operate identically and the top speed difference is never reached. For a rider using e-scooter speed on the ring road rather than the beach corridor, the NIU's top speed advantage is the first specification that matters.
Plugging both scooters into a standard hotel 220V socket at 0 per cent battery last October, I tracked charge times to 80 per cent: G5 Pro reached 80 per cent in 6 hours 30 minutes; NIU MQi+ reached 80 per cent in 4 hours 45 minutes. The NIU's faster charging is its strongest advantage for riders who want a mid-afternoon charge stop rather than an overnight recovery. For a 2-hour café stop, the NIU recovers 28 per cent versus the G5 Pro's 22 per cent - a 6 per cent advantage that translates to approximately 5 additional kilometres.
Five years of riding both e-scooters across Koh Samui's coastal routes has produced a clear recommendation framework: choose the G5 Pro if range is the primary concern and the day includes long flat coastal circuits above 60 kilometres. Choose the NIU MQi+ Sport if top speed matters for ring road sections, or if a mid-day charging stop under 2 hours needs to recover maximum battery percentage. For the majority of beach holiday riders on Samui - coastal days between 30 and 55 kilometres - either scooter delivers the same practical outcome, and the choosing criterion is rider preference, not specification.
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