How Much Do Electric Scooters Cost? [Research]

Last Updated on July 13, 2022 by Matt

As someone obsessed with electric scooters, I’ve done a lot of research on how much electric scooters cost. I’m a firm believer in detailed research and analysis before making a buying decision of any kind, and especially one of this magnitude. It literally pays off to be educated about the prices of electric scooters before buying one.

I arrived at the answer to how much electric scooters cost by going through all the prices of all the models available.

Prices for electric scooters change all the time. However, they tend to remain within these ranges.

The minimum price for adult electric scooters rarely goes below the $200 mark. Oftentimes, those scooters are right at the border between adult and kid scooters, with weight limits not quite big enough for many adults.

Every now and then, we see a new scooter break the upper price barrier and set a new standard for what’s considered super-expensive. This doesn’t happen a lot, but when it does, that scooter is really something, usually the new best electric scooter money can buy. Currently, the most expensive electric scooter is the Rion Thrust, costing $10.000 without shipping!

The price of the electric scooter will depend on many factors. While not always, it will often be correlated to its quality. So, our grandmas’ golden rule often applies here – if you don’t know what’s good, buy what’s expensive.

However, if you’ve done your research, or are already experienced with scooters, you will be able to spot amazing value deals.

Sometimes you will be able to save hundreds of dollars, or thousands if you’re looking at high-end scooters.

In fact, that’s one of the core purposes of this blog – help you find the best scooter for your needs, at the lowest price possible.

Read on to learn how to achieve exactly that.

How Much Do Popular Electric Scooters Cost?

As we can see, while there is a big variation in prices, the popular and most widely-used scooters tend to cost between $350 and $1400.

When most people talk about electric scooter price, this is what they mean. Very few people need (or even want) the $6000 monsters that reach speeds above 62 mph / 100 kmh.

By going through a lot of data, both publicly available and provided by brands for my reviews, I’ve found the best-selling scooters of all time. They are listed here with their usual price:

• Xiaomi Pro 2 – $638
• Xiaomi M365 Pro – $623
• Xiaomi M365 – $449.99
• Unagi Model One 500W – $990
• Unagi Model One 250W – $790
• Ninebot Max – $949.99
• Ninebot ES 4 – $799.99
• Ninebot ES 2 – $589.99
• Ninebot ES 1 – $524
• Levy Plus – $729
• Levy – $499
• Hiboy S2 – $499
• Hiboy Max – $399
• GoTrax XR Ultra – $449
• GoTrax XR Elite – $499
• GoTrax GXL V2 Commuter – $349
• Glion Dolly – $429
• Emove Touring – $899
• Emove Cruiser – $1499
• Apollo Explore – $1399
• Apollo City – $849
• Apollo Air Pro – $799
• Aovo Pro – $399

Keep in mind that around the summer there is a big spike in prices, and many of these scooters will cost more than the prices specified here. In the summer, when electric scooters are the most popular and in-demand, brands and manufacturers raise prices to maximize profits. The prices will go down after a few weeks.

Together, these scooters have sold tens of millions of units. They all come from established, reputable brands in the electric scooter industry.

As we mentioned, their prices range between $349 and $1499. Their average is $698.

We can even say that this is a more accurate price range for the vast majority of electric scooters out there today, as the vast majority of scooter owners own one of these models.

That’s the complete answer to how much popular electric scooters cost.

However, there’s another question that I believe it is even a better, smarter question that buyers need to ask.

How much does a good electric scooter cost?

A good electric scooter will cost you between $399 and $1499. On average, a good electric scooter costs $926. It will be a scooter with a very practical and usable range, good battery life, powerful enough motor, and tested and proven through time by the market.

The question “how much does a good electric scooter cost” is a much smarter question than “how much does an electric scooter cost?”.

There are some really expensive electric scooters out there, priced north of $3000, and some even go as high as $10000! Price is not always an indicator of quality, but for the vast majority of these scooters, it truly is.

On the other side of the coin, we have the low-end, budget scooters. Again, the price may not always tell the whole truth, but you will not find an electric scooter that can reliably take you to and from work for under $300. There will be some decent cheap scooters, but most will not fit your needs.

Most people need something in between, a scooter that will take them from point A to point B efficiently, and will not require a second mortgage. We’re looking for a good scooter that provides a lot of value for its price.

I obtained the numbers for this question through some research. First, we need to define what “good scooter” means.

What is a good electric scooter?

A good electric scooter has the following characteristics:

• range of at least 15 mi / 25 km on a single charge
• top speed of at least 15 mph / 25 kmh
• battery energy storage capacity of at least 300 Wh
• motor power of at least 300 W
• is water-resistant or has an IP standard
• made out of quality materials
• is at least somewhat tested over time by users
• comes from a reputable brand

We will also limit the price of the scooter to $1500, since we’re looking for good scooters, and not necessarily monster half-truck half-rocket scooters, and scooters under $1500 fit that description perfectly.

Of course, the list above is not the definite list of everything you need to look for to determine whether an electric scooter is good. The attention to detail, the materials used, the overall performance, the general lifespan of the scooter, are all important metrics, and some of them may be even more important than what we’ll be looking at. But those things are not simple to measure, and the bullet points above are a great start.

Prices of good electric scooters

Out of the 300+ electric scooter models in existence today, 23 fit what we defined as “good” scooters.

These are all the good electric scooters that don’t cost a fortune.

We can learn a lot from this table.

What is the best cheap electric scooter?

The cheapest electric scooter that is still a great scooter is the Xiaomi M365 Pro.

For just $623 you get a very solid range of 28 mi / 45 km, powered by a 300 Watt motor (600 Watts peak power) and a 474 Watt-hour battery. You can move as fast as 15 mph / 25 kmh, and your scooter will have a pretty decent water resistance with an IP54 rating.

Even more than that, the Xiaomi M365 Pro is one of the most popular electric scooters of all time. Literally millions of people around the world have decided to make it their own scooter and have only good things to say. I myself am one of them, and I can say that the Xiaomi M365 Pro is probably the best value scooter you can find today.

What is the best electric scooter under $1000?

The Ninebot Max, usually priced around $850 – $950, is the best electric scooter that most people can afford. It has 40 mi / 64 km on a single charge, made possible by the 551 Watt-hour battery.

The motor is potentially a weak point of this scooter, as 350 Watts only provide you with a top speed of 18 mph / 30 kmh. But the best thing about the Ninebot Max is that it has learned from the mistakes of its predecessors, the Ninebot ES 1 and the Ninebot ES 2, which are still some of the most widely used scooters in the world.

What is the best electric scooter under $1500?

The EMove Cruiser is the best electric scooter under $1500. It comes at a price of $1499, and you will truly get a lot for that amount. It has a top speed of 28 mph / 45 kmh, and a stellar range of 62 mi / 100 km. Its motor packs 600 Watt of power, which enables it to easily handle going uphill. The 1560 Watt-hour battery will make sure you go long distances on a single charge.

Best value electric scooter manufacturers

One of the things that stick out of the data is that there are a few electric scooter brands that produce scooters with great specs while not pricing them very expensively.

The following brands seems to be the main contenders for the title of best value scooters:

• Ninebot
• Xiaomi
• GoTrax
• Hiboy
• Apollo

The Xiaomi M365 Pro is arguably the most popular electric scooter of all time, and is owned by millions of users worldwide. It is currently considered the best electric scooter, all things considered.

But the challengers are not sitting by idly.

The Ninebot ES 2 is also one of the most popular scooters, and its successor the Ninebot Max is an excellent scooter that fixes a lot of its mistakes. It is easily one of the best scooters below $1000 even with scooters outside of this list, and it may as well be the best electric scooter you can get for $800.

GoTrax and Hiboy, while not selling that many scooters right now, do provide few excellent choices each, and are growing in popularity with every passing day.

Apollo is on the cutting edge in the scooter world, making some of the best scooters out there, although their prices are a bit above the budget price range.

It is a very busy, very interesting landscape to watch and see what happens next. We can be sure of one thing – great scooters are becoming more and more affordable, and affordable scooters are becoming great.

The real winners are the everyday consumers, which finally can get very good electric scooters for under a thousand dollars. It wouldn’t come as a shock to anyone if we see truly powerful scooters with long-range and great batteries for about $500 in a year or two.

What is the cheapest electric scooter?

The cheapest electric scooter for adults today is the Voyager Proton, costing only $179.99.

We’ve all been there. Money is tight, and we need a solid mode of transport for the least amount possible. Luckily, the Voyager Proton is one of those models that are cheap but not bad. If your budget is under $200, you can give it a look.

What is the most expensive electric scooter?

The most expensive electric scooter in the world is Rion Thrust. It costs $10000, plus $300 for shipping in the USA, and $600 worldwide.

Not only is the Rion Thrust the most expensive scooter ever, but it’s also one of the fastest scooters, capable of going as fast as 80 mph / 129 kmh (and that’s not even the maximum speed, as it is limited)!

Expensive electric scooters are a whole different animal. They will undergo rigorous testing, and will often be hand-made. In the case of the Rion Thrust, you will have to wait for 12 months for your scooter to be built after you order it. My guess is – it would totally be worth it.

You can check out my most expensive electric scooters guide to learn more about the creme de la creme models.

How much does it cost to charge a scooter?

Another common question that is related to the price of electric scooters is how much does it cost to charge them.

Fully charging the typical electric scooter will cost $0.03 during off-peak hours, and $0.06 during peak hours.

This assumes a scooter with a somewhat bigger battery than the average scooter has, at 400 Wh capacity.

As usual, we have a complete research on the topic. You can check out the full guide on electric scooter charging cost to learn more.

Are electric scooters worth it?

Electric scooters are a great investment. Even the medium-priced electric scooter will pay itself off within a year on public transport savings. After that, you will continue to save $400 to $700 for every year you own your scooter.

They are not just a means of transport, but they save you money as well. The amount of money you save on fuel, taxis, and public transport tickets will likely pay off your scooter even in the first year. Great scooters are getting more affordable, and they cost basically nothing to ride.

Even more importantly, a good scooter is more than worth it. It will take you through long distances, not break down or malfunction, and rain and bad weather will not endanger it.

If you’re after a scooter like that, use the list above to make an educated choice.

How much do Lime scooters cost?

A very popular, and smart way to try out an electric scooter before deciding to buy is through a scooter-sharing app.

These companies have provided the gateway for many would-be scooter owners, by giving us a cost-efficient way of both trying out a scooter, but also using it over a longer period of time to see if it would work for us.

The most popular scooter-sharing company today is Lime. They have a lot of scooters you can rent in many cities throughout the world.

The price of riding a Lime scooter depends on the city, but most often it’s $1 or €1 to unlock the scooter, and 15 cents for a minute of riding. You need to upload funds into your Lime account to ride, and funds get deducted from it as you ride.

Lime scooters rely mostly on Ninebot and Xiaomi models. If you are interested in test-riding one of those scooters, you can try out a Lime scooter. Also, make sure to check out my guide on rental electric scooters to learn more about all the details when it comes to using shared scooters.

How much do Bird scooters cost?

Bird is a very popular scooter-sharing app. They also have tons of Xiaomi and Ninebot models in many cities worldwide.

The cost of riding a Bird scooter is $1 or €1 to start the ride, and then 15 or 20 cents per minute, depending on the city. You pay the price of the ride after you finish the ride.

How much do used electric scooters cost?

One way of determining if the price for a used scooter is fair is to take the original price of the scooter at the time of buying, and then subtract between 10% and 20% for every year of ownership. You can subtract 20% for every year if the scooter has a lot of mileage  (more than 1500 mi / 2400 km per year), or 10% if the scooter hasn’t been used that much.

See the used electric scooter marketplace and the guide on how to buy a used electric scooter for more information.

Electric scooter price categories

The final piece of the puzzle is learning the price categories.

When thinking about buying a scooter and comparing many models, it is useful to think of them as grouped into price categories. The price guide has all of the categories broken down, and covers a lot of frequent buying scenarios and use cases that potential scooter owners face.

Matt Trajkovski

My name is Matt Trajkovski. I love electric scooters, and electric vehicles in general. I like doing a lot of testing, reviewing, and research on various electric scooter models and brands, looking for great value and performance, both through data and experience. All of the content published on this blog goes through a rigorous review and editorial process, and our product reviews not only include the hands-on experience of our own team members, but the experience of our audience members as well. My goal is to provide you with the best information about electric scooters possible. You can see all of my posts in my articles archive.