Electric scooters are going fast and the average price is going up 60%, but how much are state incentives affecting them?
Italians like the electric scooter: it's a boom in sales in the January-July period of this year, according to Gfk's latest survey. In the first seven months of 2020, in fact, 125,000 units were sold and the market grew by 140% compared to the same period in 2019.
To push Italians towards the purchase of an electric scooter were two factors: the possibility to use it avoiding social contact and government incentives. Gfk's research shows that the greatest growth in sales of electric scooters took place in July, with the weather component certainly playing a strong role. For this reason, it is highly probable that the data for August will be just as good, if not even better. The fact is that by now, Italian roads are full of these small and light means of individual micro-mobility with zero emissions, which are also increasingly technological. However, the great demand, and perhaps also the incentives, have made the average price of electric scooters go up quite a bit.
Why scooters cost more
According to data collected by Gfk in 2019, to buy an electric scooter, Italians spent an average of 193 euros. Today, however, they spend as much as 320. A nice jump, then, that can have at least two explanations.
The first is that, given the presence of the bonus that covers a good chunk of the price, Italians have decided to buy higher-end products. The second, related to the first, is that sellers have raised prices a bit knowing that Italians would have bought the same products, thanks to the bonus. How much the first factor affected and how much the second, however, is impossible to say.
How much does a scooter cost today
At the beginning of 2020, before the announcement of the incentives, the low price range for electric scooters stopped at 250 euros. With that amount you were buying decent products, but not very powerful and, above all, not very robust. Given the average price 2019 detected by Gfk in its research, we can say with certainty that the best-selling scooters last year were precisely those of this type.
Enough to take a trip on Amazon, however, to know what are the best-selling scooters today and see what price they have. The best-selling scooter of all is the Xiaomi Mi Electric Scooter Essential that costs 329.90 euros, which is practically the same as the average price detected by Gfk. This is a model with superior features compared to those sold last year, especially for the quality of materials.
How much does the state bonus affect
At this point it is worth making a simulation and apply to the best-selling scooter the "Bonus Mobility" of the Italian Government, which provides a 60% discount on the selling price, but up to a maximum of 500 euros of reimbursement. The Xiaomi Mi Electric Scooter Essential, with the bonus, costs 197.94 euros. That is, practically the same average price paid by Italians last year for an electric scooter.
Remember, however, that the Mobility Bonus (also called "Bonus Monopattino" or "Bonus Bicycle" because it applies to all means of ecological micro-mobility) will be disbursed only from November 4: on that date, in fact, will be activated the Web platform through which you can enter the invoice or receipt of purchase and receive the refund.