All Types of Scooters

With so much going on in the scooter industry, it is easy to see why people get confused over the differences between scooters.  To help resolve this confusion, we have put together this list that breaks down the differences between different scooter types.

Gas Scooters

Gas scooters are the most common scooter on the market.  Most know of their history in Italy and Japan; however, they have expanded over to other places including the United States.  Gas scooters have a powerful engine that ranges from 50cc up to 250cc.  They also come in several types as you can find some that have the classic look that has a step-through frame, some that have a sportier look which takes on the mode of Japanese motorbike, and some that have a larger size that allow for an additional passenger and highway driving.  The main benefits of these scooters is they get great gas mileage compared to cars (up to 50 to 75 mpg) and are much easier to park and maneuver through traffic.

Electric Scooters

These are alternatives to gas scooters and operate with strong battery motors.  Common advantages over gas scooters are reduced emissions and no need to pay escalating gas prices.  Instead, you only need to plug it in.  The disadvantages are slower speeds and tend to not go as far before a plug in compared to gas scooters needing their next fill-up.  In all other respects, they are same with gas scooters and are actually less expensive for certain models.

Mobility Scooters

These scooters are the modern day answer to help allow more mobility to elderly and handicapped.  Mobility scooters practicality and functionality make it effective in home, stores and outside uses.  Although they provide much slower speeds than gas and electric scooters, they are the only scooters designed for in-home and in-store use.  Speeds usually go up to 5 to 10mph and cost anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000.  The cost range varies based on additional features and options. 

Motorized Scooters

These scooters are very popular with the teenage crowd.  They offer a number of different varieties, but all have smaller engines of 50cc or less or a smaller electric motor.

The most popular forms of motorized scooters are mopeds, segways, seated scooters, or standup electric or gas scooters.  The max speeds for these scooters tends to be anywhere from 8 to 20 mph and have a traveling range of roughly 5 to 20 miles before a fill-up or charge-up.  The main perk for these scooters is they have all the advantages of motor scooters but have a smaller engine or motor.  This means they get great gas mileage and are relatively inexpensive in comparison.

Kick Scooters

Push Scooters or Kick scooters are the starting point for most people with scooter buying.  These continue to grow in popularity with kids and result in many of them moving to other types later in life.  Kick scooters function off a push and glide motion and do not have a motor or engine.  Their main appeal is a cool way to get around that avoids walking.  Kids love them because you can also do tricks and are foldable.  This means you can take them to school and stuff them in a locker or your backpack.  Also, they are very inexpensive because of their basic design and no engine.

Armed with this information, you should be able to keep the different scooter types separated.  This should help in your scooter buying and understand what others are talking about when they bring up different scooters. 

Kyle Park is a scooter enthusiast and follower of the scooter industry.  For more tips and advice on scooters, please click here:

Article submitted Saturday, June 21, 2008
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