Electric scooters are very popular in 2024, especially in countries where awareness for pollution are on a higher level. The main advantage why they became so popular in the first place is due to the fact they’re not using any fuel that harms our environment. Electricity is still not “for free” but it’s better than releasing harmful particles in the air and harming living things around us, including humans.
But, as with everything else in life, purchasing a cheap electric scooter has its negatives. Your budget is going to be the main deciding factor about whether you’re going to get a long-lasting and reliable transportation device or something that’s going to cause more headaches than ever.
Since a lot of buyers are thinking about making the right choice when such an investment comes into mind, iScoot decided to write this quick buyer’s guide explaining why it’s smart to avoid cheaper brands. Don’t get us wrong, we have nothing against saving money and purchasing according to your current financial situations, but, if your budget allows for it, here’s why you should go for more “premium” ones instead. Let’s take a look.
1. Not enough warranty years
The issue with cheaper brands is that you don’t get enough warranty for the product, and since this isn’t something that you purchase every day, having a long warranty is actually a very important thing. This is not the case with every cheaper brand, but most of the time it is. Usually premium brands offer even lifetime warranties, or warranties long enough that you’ll re-sell or stop using the scooter before the time for replacement or repairs even comes.
2. Build quality is not solid
Cheaper products are cheaper for a reason. The ones manufacturing them have to cut costs in order to get the price so low and competitive. Like it or not, this means that the build quality is not so solid. But, it’s not something that you shouldn’t expect.
We feel like it is pretty common sense for a person to not expect something spectacular out of an electric scooter that costs below average. But, you have to make the difference between new and upcoming brands and low prices, and brands that exist for a long time and they make products that are simply cheaper both in build quality and in terms of price. New and upcoming brands have solid scooters but their price is lower not because of lower quality, but because they are new on the market and they need to compete with the already existing companies. For such examples, turboant.com is a website that you can visit and learn more.
3. It is a transportation solution so it has to be reliable
Purchasing from a cheap brand when it comes to napkins, toilet paper or something that you purchase every single day is not a big deal. But, for an electric scooter that’s supposed to be reliable and take you to work every day, it’s an entirely different thing. Reliability is key.
4. Safety is crucial when on an electric scooter
The brakes of a cheaper electric scooter are just not what they need to be. They, just like everything else on the electric scooter, are made out of softer and not-so-durable materials. They are not as quality as other more expensive brands and that’s a direct safety threat. When you’re buying this for yourself it’s not that big of an issue, but purchasing it for your child is definitely a bad idea. You don’t want to imagine those breaks giving up in the middle of the street. Although we’re not talking about high speed when it comes to scooters, you get the idea, it shouldn’t happen.
If you plan to go offroad with your scooter, www.varlascooter.com suggests that you pay attention to this category. Does the scooter have good brakes? Does it achieve the speeds it needs to get out of the gravelly terrain? On their sites, you will find both off-road and on-road scooters that can satisfy your needs and you will feel safe while driving them.
5. More expensive ones are expensive for a reason
Materials used on every little part of a premium electric scooter are ten times better than the cheap ones. This means that even the screws and the bolts are of huge quality and that’s what you’re paying for, in case you ask the common consumer question “what am I paying for when it doesn’t do anything extra?”
6. Headlights are not really strong
Headlights are important on a scooter if you are planning to move with it during the night. In fact, headlights are mandatory otherwise you won’t be able to drive your electric scooter at all. In most countries, you can get a ticket for it if you’re driving with them off. Well, with cheaper brands, they can easily break or they simply won’t even light up the area in front of you as much as they should.
7. Wheels have lower endurance, they’ll require replacing quickly
Wheels in cheaper electric scooters can wear off a lot more easily and this means that you’ll have to replace them on a regular basis, which is really a tiresome and frustrating thing to do. Once you purchase a scooter you want it to be reliable and last for a long time. You’re not buying something brand-new just so you spend your time working on it all the time.
Conclusion
Electric scooters are not the safest way to move around the city. Honestly, they aren’t. This is enough of a reason on its own to be a less-wanted choice of transportation for some people. But, that’s only the case with cheaper ones. Why? We made sure to explain it in the content above.
If you are considering such an investment, it’s important to recalculate your budget and see if you can go for something slightly more expensive and premium. Sometimes, if not always, it is worth it to spend a few more days saving for a product of higher quality that’s going to last for a long time instead of purchasing something that won’t satisfy your needs.
But, if you situation doesn’t allow for a more expensive purchase, at least do the research and try to get the one thing that’s best for your price range. It’s not like you cannot find solid electric scooters for an affordable price nowadays.
