Start with the legal question, not the spec sheet
Road legality narrows the field before weights or batteries matter. Egret builds a kick scooter and states road legality for de, even though it ships further afield to DE, AT and FR. Engwe publishes an assist class of EU 25 and a certification of en 15194 for its European range, and ships to AT, BE and BG.
Check the paperwork against the rules on your own street first, then use the Road-legal e-scooters ranking to see how each model is grouped. Only once a scooter is legal where you ride do the numbers below become worth comparing.
Price, plan and the cover that comes with it
A starting price shows where a brand sits, not what a given model costs. Egret lists a starting price of €399 for a catalogue covering Egret GTs, Egret GT, Egret Unit, Egret Ey! 2, while listed entry prices across the scooters on file run €259 to €599. Read the price next to the battery and motor figures further down, because a lower entry point usually means a smaller pack and shorter trips.
Egret backs that with a warranty of 24 months, and the Egret review sets out what that covers in practice. Engwe takes a different route: it offers finance and a money-back window of 30 days, which suits riders who would rather spread the cost than commit outright.
Range and battery capacity read together
Claimed range is a ceiling, so pair it with battery capacity. Egret claims 100 and Engwe claims 140. The packs behind those claims run 873.6 to 949 across the pair, with Egret at 949 and Engwe at 873.6.
A useful test is the trip you actually repeat: a commute of a known length, a hilly route, or a weekend errand. The scooter with the larger pack has the headroom for hills and cold weather, while the smaller pack keeps the weight down for carrying. Neither claim tells you how you will feel on the way home.
Power, top speed and steep streets
Motor output decides how a scooter copes with hills and with you plus a load on board. Egret lists 1,000 of nominal motor power and Engwe lists 500, while the wider group spans 350 to 2,000. Top speeds across that group cover 20 to 60, and Egret's own models are quoted at 20 to 45.
Engwe fits a own motor in the hub, with a nominal power of 250 listed alongside a battery of 720 on its smaller model. The Engwe review is the place to see how that output feels on a loaded climb, since wattage on its own flatters the heavier builds.
Weight, load limits and folding
Commuters carry these machines up stairs, onto trains and into a bike store, so weight earns its place next to speed. Egret's listed weight is 21.8, and it folds. The trade-off is straightforward: a heavier scooter carries a larger pack and climbs better, while a lighter one is kinder to your arms.
Load limits decide how useful that capacity is. Egret states a maximum load of 150 against Engwe's 120, with a maximum payload of 150 quoted on another of its models. Add your own body weight, a full backpack and a shopping run to the stated figure before you commit.
Brakes, tyres and riding in the wet
Braking is where riders should look past motor power. Egret lists disc brakes, while Engwe lists hydraulic disc, which suits steep descents and heavy loads. Egret also adds suspension, so cobbles and tram tracks hit the frame less sharply.
Tyres and sealing complete the picture. Egret runs pneumatic tyres, and both brands carry an ingress rating of IPX5 and IPX5. Those ratings describe sealing rather than grip, which is exactly why the brand reviews are worth reading before a wet-weather purchase.
Support, spare parts and the shortlist
Egret is based in DE, was founded in 2012 and operates as Walberg Urban Electrics GmbH. Support runs through chat and help centre, and there is a spare parts shop, which suits riders who want replacement parts in one place. The trade-off is a narrower catalogue and shipping to fewer destinations than Engwe.
Engwe suits riders who want finance, a money-back window and a broader spread of commuter, step through and folding bikes to cross-shop against scooters, at the cost of a lower load rating on some of its scooters. Also worth a look: KuKirin and KuKirin-scooter for more coverage, Prophete and Mangosteen as alternatives, and engwe-bikes if you ride e-bikes as well as scooters.