How to choose an electric scooter? Electric scooters are plug-in electric two-wheelers. They have a battery and an electric motor. Unlike the conventional two-wheelers, electric bikes and scooters don’t use petrol. Hence, they are eco-friendly and highly in demand these days.
If you are also planning to buy an electric scooter but have no idea where to start from then this article is all you need. In this article, we’ve shared all the important buying pointers that you should check before buying an electric vehicle.
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Types of Electric Scooters
Primarily, there are two types of electric scooters:
- Slow-Speed Electric Scooters – These are the basic types of electric scooters. These don’t require a registration number. A rider doesn’t need a driving license to ride one of these scooters. Also, there is no need for vehicle insurance for these scooters. The speed and riding range of these scooters are certainly very low as compared to high-speed electric scooters.
- High-Speed Electric Scooters – These are advanced electric scooters. These scooters require both, registration and vehicle insurance. A rider needs to have a driving license to drive these scooters. Also, the speed and riding range of these scooters are high than low-speed electric scooters.
Price of Electric Scooters
The price or cost of electric scooters is the first point that you should consider while buying an electric scooter. The average cost of the above mentioned two types of electric scooters are as follows:
- Slow-Speed Electric Scooters cost around Rs 50000. These types of scooters are generally preferred for women and kids and are best for small day-to-day life tasks.
- High-Speed Electric Scooters on the other hand cost around Rs 100000. These types of scooters are for long range commutes.
NOTE: Never buy an electric scooter for the sake of a lower price. If you are getting something at a considerably lower price than the average, then you might get poor-quality components.
Top Electric Scooter Brands in India
The electric vehicle industry is at a very early stage right now. While several brands are still in the process of launching and delivering their electric scooters like Ola & Simple Energy, most of the brands already have their electric scooters running on the streets. Based on the market shared, below are the top 8 electric scooter brands in India in the FY21.
| Brand Name | Market Share (FY21) | Dealer Count | Number of Electric Scooters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hero Electric | 36% | 600+ | 10 |
| Okinawa | 17% | 550 | 8 |
| Ampere | 14% | 300 | 7 |
| Ather | 11% | 15 | 2 |
| Revolt | 4% | 11 | 2 |
| Bajaj | 4% | 2 | 1 |
| Benling | 3% | 52 | 4 |
| TVS | 2% | 2 | 1 |
While there is a huge list of electric scooters available in the market to buy, we strictly recommend you to go for brands that have a nice infrastructure and positive after-sales service.
Electric Scooter Buying Guide 2024
How to choose an electric scooter? There are various factors that one should consider while buying an electric scooter. Let’s discuss these in detail.
Speed
Speed is one of the top important pointers while buying an electric scooter. There are various underpowered electric scooters that give you a maximum speed of just 50-60 km/h. While this much speed is okay for small commutes, you will definitely not like this speed on the highways.
TIP: We recommend you take the test drive of the model that you are planning to buy.
Riding Range
Riding range means how far your vehicle can go in one full charge. All slow-speed electric scooters give you a maximum riding range of 50-70 Km. Now, you decide if this is the range you are expecting. If you research properly and go for a high-speed electric scooter, you will be able to get electric scooters with a riding range of 120-200 km.
Battery Life
A battery makes up most of the cost of an electric vehicle. If for any reason, you want to get it replaced, you’ll have to pay more than half of the total cost of an electric scooter. Hence, It is very important to check the battery type and its average life expectancy. In almost all electric vehicles, a lithium-ion battery is used.
Motor Power
Motor power is very important when it comes to the driving style of an electric scooter. Depending on the rider’s weight and the area where it is to be driven, motor power should be considered carefully.
Charging Stations
You can charge your electric scooter at your home, however, in order to commute to the farthest distance, you need electric charging stations to recharge the battery power. Hence, we recommend you to go for the brand that has a good network of electric charging stations.
Maintenance Cost
You would be happy to know that electric scooters have low maintenance cost as compared to conventional scooters. This is because of the fewer moving parts and no use of the engine. Electric scooters use motors to power the wheel motion which requires less maintenance than an engine. But still, we recommend you to check from your dealer about all the maintenance your electric scooter needs and how much it will cost.
After Sales Support
Your journey with a brand does not end when you buy a product. In fact, the real journey starts when you buy a product. Believe it or not but your product is not going to last forever.
Unlike conventional scooters, electric scooters are a complicated thing for an automobile mechanic. So, if you ever face any issue with your electric scooter, you’ll have no other choice but to take it to the brand’s service center. Hence, always buy an electric scooter from a brand whose after-sales service is good. You can check users’ feedback and the number of service centers of the brand.
Build Quality
One more benefit of going with a well-known brand is that you can trust the build quality of its electric scooters. Also, we recommend you do some test drives and consider the conditions under which the electric scooter will be driven such as the quality of the roads and the rider’s weight.
Warranty
When it comes to electric scooters, you need to check the warranty of the battery, motor and overall electric scooter. Like we mentioned earlier in the article, the cost of the battery is more than half of the total cost of the electric scooter. Hence, you need to make sure that the warranty on the battery should be maximum.
Usually, most of the brands in the market offer at least 3 years warranty on the battery and on the vehicle.
Maximum Load
How much load one can carry on an electric scooter affects its overall performance. While buying an electric scooter, consider the purpose of its use. Ask yourself these questions –
- what is your body weight?
- Are you going to carry some extra load with you?
- Do you want to drive it with a sharing rider?
Once you have the answers to all these questions you can then choose the electric scooter that best meets your requirement.
Conclusion
It’s always better to know more about the electric scooter before you buy it. If you don’t know what to look for in an electric scooter while buying, you’ll always end up buying an electric scooter that doesn’t meet your requirement.
We hope this article gives you enough details about electric scooters that you’ll make a good decision.
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More powerful motors will have greater wattage. An average electric scooter will have a 250-watt motor.