How Much Money Can You Save Using an Electric Scooter?
Everybody wants to know if riding an electric scooter saves money.
What most people don’t know is that you need to meet three conditions if you want to save by riding an e-scooter.
We all know that depending on how much parking costs in your area, how much gas your car is burning, and what type of tires you buy for your car (expensive vs cheap ones), riding an electric scooter can help you save money.
But, how on Earth can we cover all that to calculate the exact cost when there are millions of scenarios?
If you’re searching for the exact return on investment, forget about it.
Looking for exact ROI is like herding cats.
But, we can focus on the three conditions below to learn more.
What are you going to learn here?
We’re here to show you what you need to focus on if you want to save money by riding these stunning electric machines. Electric scooters are here to stay and it’s on us to benefit from them.
Not to judge, doubt or be negative, but not everyone is going to be able to get away with selling their car off and expecting an e-scooter to solve all transport problems.
If you apply these three tips, it’s likely that after a few months, you will be thrilled when you notice the results:
- Buy an affordable, but high-quality electric scooter
- Regular maintenance & riding style
- Keep an e-scooter log book or journal
If you live in an area outside of the city where transport connections are limited and you work quite a distance away please, do not sell your car. Not taking these factors into consideration might actually end up in you hating yourself and your scooter after a while.
There are many people who depend on their car for daily long-haul commutes and making the big decision to get rid of your car in this situation without good transport connections could be foolhardy. The truth is, an e-scooter can’t replace a car in every circumstance, but you can bet that an electric scooter saves money when you play it smart.
How do you find the sweet spot where an electric scooter saves money?
If your commute is one mile away, you might go on foot so unless you need mobility assistance, getting an electric scooter won’t save you money on that trip. Say your work is 20 miles away and there is a motorway involved along the journey, with minimal transport connections. This journey may not be suitable, but could possible if you find a decent parking space. Then you might be able to use a mix of public transport and a bit of scooter action involved to get you to your destination.
I mean, if the route isn’t very convoluted, you could do that, but it might not always be the best option.
The sweet spot for using an electric scooter, and planning to save money, is having a commute that is between 1 and 20 miles (one way). Of course, some scooters can go even further, but let’s be honest. It’s hard to travel more than 20 miles one way standing. And, don’t forget, you have to get back from work. If your commute is out of this range, we suggest that you combine public transport or a car to make your journey multimodal.
Now you should have an “aha” moment and noticed that it’s not a coincidence that manufacturers are providing a range of 15-20 miles for the majority of e-scooters.
Electric scooters are built for commuting (cars aren’t)
For many, having a car is a necessity and there are a ton of reasons why keeping your car could be crucial. However, when it comes to everyday commuting, the truth is that cars are not built for the short commute (10-15 miles). Cars are built for traveling long distances.
That’s where e-scooters come to the rescue. It’s the perfect machine for commuting, it’s always on time and a real solution for rush hours.
When it comes to the road and traveling in general, the average vehicle speed is 25.5 miles per hour in UK and 32 mph in the USA. With urban roads, speeds are significantly lower. Those are just the facts. So, when someone tells you that a car is better than an e-scooter just because it’s faster – that’s nonsense.
And most scooters are limited to 20-30 mph. Coincidence? Not really. The first reason is, of course, safety. But the second one is that we actually don’t need anything faster for everyday commuting.
Do not compare cars and e-scooters
We are not here to compare these two types of vehicles. No! We’re here to make them work together. And as a result, we’re going to save loads of money, and what’s more, have a little bit of fun, too.
Some trips just won’t be possible purely on an electric scooter. And it would be ridiculous for an able bodied person to start their car just to go 1000 ft down the road to buy their favorite snack before hitting play on Netflix, right? Sometimes a car is the solution. Sometimes it isn’t.
So, we don’t want to compare these two, just note that in lots of situations, you can use your scooter and prolong the life of your car. And that is one of the aspects where you’re saving some money.
On the other hand, you can quit using public transport. If you quit public transport, you can save between £1,000 and £2,000 per year.
Start there.
So, does riding an electric scooter save you money?
Well if you apply these three tips, very likely.
Condition #1 – Buy an affordable, but high-quality electric scooter
Honestly, if you buy a cheap, low-range, poor quality e-scooter, you will end up having a really bad experience. It will start to break down a lot, very quickly, and you will have an annoyingly short range. Not to mention the weight. It will weigh slightly less than the sun. Lightness and practicality (proper folding mechanism) is science fiction when it comes to cheap e-scooters.
You need a high quality and sturdy e-scooter with a folding mechanism that actually works. Be aware that if you get a long-range e-scooter, it will weigh a bit more for sure. But focus on an aluminum frame. Don’t forget that. The golden rule is not to go overboard. If you get an e-scooter that is too expensive, it will take longer for you to “break even” when it comes to returning on investment.
The best strategy is to get one that is between £500 and £2000. That is all you need as a daily commuter.
Condition #2 – Regular maintenance & riding style
It might seem like riding an electric scooter is child’s play. Well, it is, if you’re in your backyard or a park. But if you plan to ride it to work, or school and use it as an everyday traffic participant, there are some things you need to be aware of. If you regularly maintain e-scooter you’ll save a lot of money down the line, by avoiding bigger breakdowns. Also, if you aspire to extend the life of your scooter, there are some steps when it comes to electric scooter storage you need to learn.
Regular e-scooter maintenance and knowing how to behave in traffic (riding style) is crucial. When you hear that people hate e-scooters, the truth is that, actually, people are hating on those people who ride around like maniacs. When you ride like a decent human being, there is nothing wrong with e-scooters. Be a responsible e-scooter owner and take care of it like you’re taking care of your car.
You need to keep yourself from being injured and/or breaking your e-scooter. Well, I suggest learning the basics when it comes to maintenance. Half of the maintenance we can do by ourselves, and when bigger things come up, we need to have our mechanic on speed dial. Like with any other vehicle, there might be problems with scooters too.
Condition #3 – Keep a log book or journal
When you buy an electric scooter, write the price down in your log book or journal. The journey has begun. If you quit public transport, you can save at least £1,000 a year. Keep that in your journal. When you use your scooter for at least three days a week, you’re going to notice that you will have saved at least £50 on gas. If you use your scooter every day in one working week, that can be between £100 and £200. Write that down as well. Write down how many times you didn’t pay for parking too.
Of course, there are some things you can’t put on paper, but it’s obvious that you can save a lot. If your car is resting three days a week, you will keep your tires in better shape for a longer period of time. For instance, tyres on an electric scooter cost around £30 each. And only you know how much it costs to replace four tyres on your car… maybe £400, or £600, maybe more..? Either way, for every mile you go riding a scooter, your car tires will stay in better shape longer…
You will also, prolong the time before interim service needs to be done. Oil, the repairman, full service, the list is endless. You will need to service your car less, and that is hard to calculate. Also, when the time comes to sell your car, you will get a better price if the mileage is lower. You will slow down depreciation.
Gas is easy to calculate, that is something you will notice right away. But there are also lesser known (yet important) things you need to take into consideration as well.
The thing is, by keeping a journal, you’ll be able to prove to yourself that riding an electric scooter saves money. However, if you see that you are not saving money like you expected, you can quit riding the e-scooter. But if you’re a proper e-scooter enthusiast like me, you will quickly become aware that riding these will bring you freedom and options. And that’s something most people appreciate. I know, I do.
Conclusion
You can save a significant amount of money by riding an e-scooter if your daily commute is between 1 and 20 miles one way. The exact number is different for every e-scooter rider in this world.
Our main advice is to keep your available transport and e-scooter working together, so your electric scooter saves money and you can stay comfortable when the weather is poorly and perhaps when you need to pick someone up. That way you can get the best of both worlds.
If you’ve been asking yourself if you can save money riding an electric scooter, now you know you can. I hope this has opened your eyes. Let us know how much you saved in your first year of having one of these astonishing solution for commuters.
This is a guest article by Liam from Voltage Rider, read his article on electric scooter storage
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