Looking to save money on your commute? Here’s why getting an electric scooter could be the answer
Here at T3, I spend a lot of time hunting for ways to save money on the latest tech, which it’s the best electric scooter deals or the best sales around the web, but with the current cost of living crisis looming I’ve been trying to think of ways to save even more money.
Now, I’ve always been a big fan of electric scooters and have reviewed dozens of them for T3’s best electric scooter guide, and I think they could be a great way of reducing transportation costs, especially if you live in a city.
Of course, privately owned electric scooters are currently not legal to use on public land, but there are a lot of e-scooter rental schemes up and down the country.
1. Use an electric scooter instead of your car
With the cost of petrol and diesel at the moment, this one is a no brainer. If you’re doing a short journey in your car, consider using an electric scooter instead. Electric scooters typically have a range of between 12 and 30 miles and are perfect for shorter trips. They can also be folded up when you arrive at your destination instead of having to look for a parking spot like you would with a car or bike. That means you’re not only saving money on fuel, but you’re also saving money on parking as well, it’s a double win.
2. Use an electric scooter instead of public transport
An electric scooter costs significantly less than the price of a train season ticket, so this could also be a potential way of saving money. As e-scooters are so easy to transport, they can also be used in conjunction with public transport. For example, if you commune into a city on a train, then, instead of getting the tube or bus to your office, use an electric scooter instead. This is called ‘last-mile’ transport, and it’s something e-scooters excel at.
(Image credit: Halfords)
3. Charge your e-scooter at night
If you’ve already got yourself an electric scooter and are looking at ways to further save money, here’s a tip for you. If you’re on an Economy 7 electricity tariff, then you can save money by charging your electric scooter at night. For example, if you’re with Bulb, at the time of writing, you’d pay 30.5235p per kWh to charge during the day but only 19.9784p per kWh to charge up at night — that’s a pretty significant saving. If you wanted to automate the charging, you could connect your e-scooter charger to a smart plug and program it to turn on during your off-peak hours.
4. Low maintenance costs
Electric scooters are mechanically pretty simple, and as such, have pretty low maintenance costs. For example, Pure Electric, one of the UK’s leading e-scooter retailers, offers an e-scooter service package for just £40. They’ll carry out a full safety check, update firmware if needed, adjust the steering column and brakes, clean electrical contacts, and carry out a battery health check. Of course, if you’re handy with a hex key you could do a lot of that at home, following our electric scooter maintenance guide for more information.
5. Don’t get bundled with useless accessories
Another great thing about electric scooters is that you don’t need much to ride them — just a decent helmet and a backpack if you plan on carrying things. Unlike a bike, there are no expensive accessories and customisation options — you won’t be upgrading the brakes or gearbox of your Pure Air Pro, which again, makes it quite an affordable way of getting around.
Keyword: How to save money with an electric scooter