How Long Do Electric Scooters Last?

Electric scooters have become quite popular, especially in urban areas. Most people use electric scooters because of their eco-friendliness and convenience, mainly when traversing short distances.

The COVID-19 pandemic boosted electric scooter popularity, and they are here to stay.

One question that often comes up is how long do electric scooters last.

In this article, we will explore the factors that affect the lifespan of electric scooters and how you can extend the life of your e-scooter.

How Long Do Electric Scooters Last On Average?

Most electric scooters last from three to five years. However, their lifespan depends on various factors, including the scooter’s quality, conditions, frequency of use, individual electrical parts, and their level of maintenance.

But you should note that the scooter’s battery has a shorter lifespan of two to three years when correctly maintained. Usually, high-quality electrical scooters last longer than low-quality variants.

What is the Lifespan of Rental Electric Scooters?

Often, rental electric scooters last between 6-12 months. They have a shorter lifespan than those used privately since they experience a lot of wear and tear due to increased usage.

Rental use scooters are used by many people daily. These people may not use the scooters appropriately, and chances are the scooters don’t get the same level of maintenance as privately owned scooters.

Factors That Decrease the Lifespan of E-Scooters

• Improper use: Electrical machines work well and have a longer lifespan when used correctly. For electric scooters, it means avoiding riding them in the rain, unapproved terrain, etc.
• Poor Maintenance: it causes your electric scooter to degrade over time, reducing its lifespan. It helps to do appropriate maintenance, ensuring all electrical components, including the motor, work well.
• Exposure to extreme weather conditions: will affect its performance and reduces its lifespan. Avoid using or storing your electric scooter in damp or hot areas.
• Poor storage: Storing your scooter for a long time without use or storing them in locations that expose them to extreme weather significantly reduces its lifespan. You should store your scooter in a dry and safe location, away from extreme heat, dampness, and vandals.
• Battery issues: Poor charging practices could cause battery issues, reducing your scooter’s lifespan. It helps to practice proper charging, especially since electric scooter batteries aren’t their best feature.
• Wear and tear: will result from improper scooter use, significantly affecting its lifespan. Taking care of your scooter and doing appropriate maintenance helps improve its lifespan.

Other Factors That Affect the Lifespan of Electric Scooters

Frame Material

The type of frame material used in a scooter’s construction affects its lifespan. For instance, scooters with an aluminum frame last longer since the material is strong, lightweight, and corrosion and rust-resistant.

Additionally, the metal can withstand a lot of wear and tear and is impact resistant, making it perfect for electric scooter manufacture.

Other materials include carbon fiber and steel. Both are very strong but have their downsides, i.e., carbon fiber is expensive while steel is heavy.

Riding Habits

Various riding habits may affect your scooter’s lifespan. For instance, overloading your scooter affects its suspension, while neglecting regular maintenance affects its components.

Related: How to Ride an E-Scooter Properly

Additionally, riders should avoid braking hard or overusing the throttle since it stresses the tires, brakes, and other components, reducing the scooter’s lifespan.

Which Electric Scooter Parts Tend to Brake Early?

Battery

Electric scooter batteries break early for various reasons, including overcharging, overheating, overuse, deep charge, poor maintenance, poor use, and the battery’s quality.

The best way to ensure your battery lasts as intended is by following the manufacturer’s guidelines during use.

How Long Do E-Scooter Batteries Last On Average?

On average, scooter batteries last between 2 to 3 years. However, this depends on the battery type, maintenance, and use.

For instance, lithium-ion batteries (found on most scooters) can last for 3 to 5 years with proper use and maintenance, while lead-acid batteries have a shorter lifespan.

Tires

Your electric scooter’s tires may break early if you ride the scooter on rough terrain, neglect proper maintenance practices, buy poor-quality tires, engage in hard braking or high-speed riding, or use the scooter in poor weather conditions.

It helps to pay attention to these factors if you want to increase your scooter’s tires’ lifespan.

What is the Lifespan of Electric Scooter Tires On Average?

Most electric scooter tires have a 6 to 12-month lifespan. However, it depends on the tire quality, frequency or use, and other conditions.

Using your scooter in harsh conditions reduces the tire’s lifespan. Thus, it would be good to purchase terrain-appropriate tires for your scooter, i.e., offroad tires for off-road use.

Wiring

Your scooter’s wiring may break early if you don’t follow proper maintenance practices. Early wiring issues may be caused by vibrations, overheating, moisture, sharp turns, hard braking, moisture, and the quality of wiring.

Practicing proper maintenance, using your scooter in favorable settings, and storing it properly can help you avoid wiring issues.

Lights

You may experience issues with your electric scooter’s lights for similar reasons to wiring. These include vibrations, poor maintenance, overheating, moisture, and poor-quality wiring.

It helps to take care of your electric scooter by doing proper maintenance, using it appropriately, and storing it properly.

Handlebar

Your scooter’s handlebar may break early due to various factors, including overuse, improper installation, rust and corrosion, impact, improper use, and poor quality.

It’s best to use the scooter appropriately and maintain it properly to prevent breakages since it could lead to fatal injuries.

How to Prolong Your Electric Scooter Lifespan?

1. Check Tires Before Riding

Checking your scooter’s tires before riding it can prevent avoidable accidents that could lead to fatal injuries.

Ensure your scooter’s tires are inflated and have minimal wear and tear. Replace them if needed.

2. Don’t Exceed the Limits of Electric Scooter

You should stick within the scooter’s recommended speed limit to prolong lifespan. Exceeding the limit may stress the motor and affect its functionality over time.

Additionally, don’t overload it since your scooter could affect its suspension and structural integrity.

3. Avoid Draining Your Scooter’s Battery

Avoid draining your scooter when using it because it affects the battery and reduces its lifespan. It helps to follow the manufacturer’s guidelines when charging the battery to help keep the cells healthy.

Lead-acid batteries have a limited charge cycle. Draining them could reduce their capacity.

4. Don’t Overcharge the Battery

Overcharging your scooter’s battery reduces its lifespan since it counts as one charge cycle.

Additionally, overcharging the battery generates excessive heat that damages the battery. The heat causes the battery to swell and potentially leak, destroying its integrity.

5. Avoid Riding in Extreme Conditions

Avoid riding your scooter in extreme weather since it can damage it. For instance, rainwater may come into contact with electrical components, while hot weather could cause the battery to lose capacity.

You shouldn’t ride your scooter in the snow because it’s slippery and could cause an accident.

Related: Can You Ride Electric Scooter in the Rain?

6. Keep Your Scooter Clean

You should keep your scooter clean through proper storage, lubricating moving parts, and cleaning the tires.

You can protect the paint by waxing and painting it to keep it safe from the elements.

Wash it regularly with water and soap to remove any grime and dirt that may accumulate after use.

7. Lubricate Moving Parts

Lubricating your scooter’s moving parts reduce friction that causes wear and tear.

You should lubricate control cables, brake, and suspension. Doing this boosts your overall riding experience and increases the scooter’s lifespan.

8. Check Bolts and Nuts

Checking your scooter’s bolts and nuts is part of regular maintenance and helps increase its lifespan.

You should tighten loose nuts and bolts, check on corrosion, rust, and replace damaged or worm parts. You should also check for proper torque values to prevent over or under-tightening.

9. Replace Worn-Out Components

You should replace your scooter’s worn-out components to extend your electric scooter’s lifespan and prevent any accidents.

These include the scooter’s battery, control cables, brake pads, and tires. 

10. Store Correctly

Storing your scooter improperly can cause much damage and decrease its lifespan. Storing it properly reduces wear and damage, and you should follow proper guidelines to prevent it.

For instance, you should clean and cover the scooter, store it in a dry, level & secure place, and disconnect the battery.

Why Choosing a Quality Electric Scooter is Important?

• Reliability: High-quality scooters are dependable. You should purchase a scooter made with durable materials and from a brand with a good reputation. Additionally, the scooter should have a good battery life, a dependable motor and control system, and good reviews and customer feedback.
• Customer Service: The scooter brand should also have good customer service. Good customer service brings peace of mind through their reliability. Buying such scooters guarantees a positive customer experience, availability of parts, response to complaints, warranty and repairs, and customer support. 
• Longer Lifespan: Purchasing a scooter with a long lifespan ensures convenience, peace of mind, a high resale value, a good environmental impact, and cost-effectiveness. Often, such scooters are worth the investment.

Final Words on Electric Scooter Lifespan

Like any other machine, correctly maintaining your scooter increases its lifespan, and you may use it for 3-5 years.

You should clean and store your scooter correctly, lubricate all moving parts, replace worn-out components, and void riding in extreme weather.

Additionally, you should follow manufacturer guidelines when charging the battery to increase its lifespan.