Electric scooters are essential mobility tools that are also fun, but they can be extremely expensive as a hobby. If you’re getting into sporting scooters or trick scooters, you already know that a good scooter is hard to find and expensive to buy.
You may not know if you can afford an electric scooter or not, but the chances are good that you can—the only question that remains is whether it will fit your needs.
In this article, we’ll go over the various manufacturers and features which contribute to the price ranges that different types of electric scooters cost.
Manufacturers
There are some different manufacturers of electric scooters, each of which has several models. Each of these models come in different price ranges.
Some manufacturers tend to be more expensive than others across all of their scooter lines; these are made by brands like:
- Yamaha
- Cezeta
- SWAGTRON
- Suzuki
- OXA
Other brands are less expensive, but can still provide a great scooter experience. These scooters are from manufacturers like:
- Z Electric Vehicle
- Razor
- Pulse Performance Products
- Hollywood Electrics
- Maxtra
Necessary Features
For each of these features, you will pay more to have a higher quality component, but you should think carefully about which feature is the most important to you before spending a lot of money on a scooter that is the best in every category.
Engine
The engine in your electric scooter determines most of the cost, though the battery is also a significant contributor to cost.
Your engine choices determine how much horsepower your scooter is capable of putting out, which means that it dictates how fast you can go, how quickly you can accelerate, the power draw of the engine, and also the loudness of the engine.
The engine also determines the general purpose of the scooter. Certain engines are intended for city maneuverability and casual riding, whereas others are suited for sporty events where the range of the scooter isn’t an issue.
Off-roading
Given how popular scooters are in the off-roading scene, a scooter’s ability to off-road effectively is a big influence on price.
Off-roading effectively requires a more aggressive engine and a sturdier, shock absorbent frame which cruising style scooters don’t need. Off-roading ability isn’t included in these scooters, which means that off-roading scooters are custom made for the purpose.
Again, being custom made for off-roading ensures that off-roading is a feature that will drive the price through the roof.
Comfort
Comfort is a minor factor in the cost of an electric scooter. Most of the comfort features of a scooter are going to be determined whether it’s a cruiser style scooter or a sporting style scooter.
Cruiser scooters emphasize comfort by default, whereas sporting style scooters will significantly cost more if they have features that add comfort like extra shock absorbance.
It’s relatively cheap to add more cushioning or grip padding on a cruiser, but it’s expensive to add more mechanical stress resilience on a sport scooter.
Battery
The battery is the second largest influencer on cost after the engine. The battery determines how the scooter charges, how fast it charges, what kinds of engines run, and what the overall range of the bike is.
The most expensive batteries are for cruiser scooters, which need to draw a consistent amount of power for a long time to provide a long range; these batteries will make for an expensive scooter.
The cheapest batteries are in sporting scooters because they don’t need to provide stamina, just the ability to discharge rapidly and frequently in response to the engine’s ever-changing needs.
More expensive batteries are also larger, and heavier, even if they’re lighter per cubic inch. Sporting scooters need batteries that are small and light, which can lead to a higher cost.
Sporting Ability
The overall sporting ability of an electric scooter is a combination of the scooter’s engine, battery, design, and for cost, marketing.
Sporting ability includes features like shock absorbers, bendable joints, and a frame that’s more durable. Sporting ability and off-roading ability often overlap, but not all scooter sports are off the road.
Racing scooters are markedly different in design than off-road scooters, but both emphasize tight control surfaces and rapid acceleration.
Price Ranges
For a high-end sporting scooter, you can expect to pay in the $300 range or higher. Expect to spend at minimum $250 to get a brand-new sporting scooter.
For a less expensive city cruising scooter, you can get away with paying under $100, but you’ll probably end up paying between $100 and $200.
Midrange scooters are typically intended for cruising and can cost from $150 to $250. These scooters may provide the best value of the bunch because their engines and batteries will be good enough for long range cruising.
Wrapping Up
The price of electric scooters depends heavily on their intended purpose, manufacturer, and engine/battery unit.
If you’re thinking of purchasing a scooter for someone you know, consider their most likely use case, and choose accordingly. If you’re not sure what the person will be using the scooter for, you should probably err toward lower-cost scooters because the features of the high-end scooters will be wasted on them.