There is one mode of transportation that you should embrace in this modern time – adult electric scooters. However, buying an electric scooter can feel like buying a bike or other large purchases because of its intricacies.
To ensure a successful purchase, here are some tips you can consider for your first electric scooter:
Determine why you need an electric scooter
You should first determine why you need an electric scooter. Do you need it for work or do you need it to go around the park or mall? You can come up to a decision if you know the advantages of having an electric scooter. Advantages include the following:
- It is cost-effective: electric scooters are cheap since you do not need to rely on fuel. In the end, you will save more.
- It is environment-friendly: every time you use an electric scooter, you are reducing your carbon footprint. This means that you help improve air quality by decreasing pollution.
- It is easy to use: electric scooters are easy to use because you just need to kick off and press the start button.
- It has lower maintenance cost: electric scooters have lower maintenance cost because licenses, registration, insurance, and gas are not needed.
- It has a lower acoustic impact: electric scooters are known because of its lower acoustic impact. This means it does not make noise.
Filter the price
The next thing to do is filter the price by understanding the different categories of an electric scooter.
- Budget electric scooters: if you are after minimal or recreational light use, you should consider budget electric scooters. There are many electric scooters under $300 but you
- Budget commuter: budget commuter is ideal for traveling short distances. In most cases, budget commuters offer a reasonable range as well as a suitable build. Budget commuters start from $300 to $600.
- Premium commuter: premium commuter is designed with larger motors, added suspension, better brakes, and bigger batteries. However, these tend to be heavy. Premium commuters start from $600 to $1200.
- High-performance: as the name suggests, this scooter is by far the best but they are the heaviest. High-performance electric scooters start from $1200.
Identify the right features
After filtering the price, you should start looking into the different features to make an informed decision. Here are some features you should consider:
- Range: this refers to the distance an electric scooter can travel before it runs out of battery. It is practical to take your charger with you on your commute.
- Weight: if you need to fold or carry the scooter, weight should be considered. Most scooters with reasonable range (like more than 15 miles) will weigh a minimum of 25 pounds. Anything above 30 will be difficult to carry especially for long durations.
- Speed: when you are traveling on roads, speed is important. There are some scooters that offer 15-18 mph, which is fast enough. When you go faster, make sure that you wear safety gear.
- Motor power: typically, motor power starts at 200 watts and it goes up to thousands depending on the model. For daily commuting, it is not recommended to buy scooters under 250 watts.
