Published 23 October 2026
Quick answer: on our default figures, a typical boot scooter costs about £2,200 to own for five years, including electricity, servicing, insurance and two battery pairs. Use the calculator to put in your own price, mileage and running costs; it shows the total for one, three and five years, the cost per year and per mile, and how that compares with a used scooter or a Motability lease.
The purchase price is the part people plan for. Batteries, insurance and servicing are the parts that surprise them, because they arrive a year or two later. Every figure below can be changed, and each one says where our default comes from.
Work out the total cost
The result updates as you type. Leave a box blank to use our figure.
How the calculation works
The total is the purchase price, plus each year’s running costs multiplied by the number of years, plus any battery replacements, less what you expect to sell it for. Electricity is the number of full charges a week, times 52, times the electricity a full charge uses, times your price per unit. A battery pair is replaced each time its expected life runs out during the years you own the scooter. If you keep a scooter for exactly two years and the batteries last two, no replacement is counted.
Cost per mile divides the total by the miles you expect to ride. It falls the more you use the scooter, because most of the cost is fixed.
Where the default figures come from
- Purchase price: the median listed price of new scooters in each class at CareCo and Mobility Smart on 28 September 2026, with VAT relief: £1,432 for boot scooters, £1,300 for mid-size and £2,700 for road scooters. From our mobility scooter price survey.
- Batteries: the middle of the price range we recorded for an AGM pair of the usual size on 27 September 2026, and two years of life, the middle of the one to three years lead-acid batteries usually last. From our battery replacement cost guide.
- Electricity: the median battery size in each class and 26.32p per kWh, from the charging table in our price survey.
- Servicing: £85 a year, the middle of the £50 to £120 range in our price survey.
- Insurance: £38 a year, the lowest annual price specialist insurers advertised on 27 September 2026. Some of those policies cap the scooter’s value, so a dearer scooter can cost more to insure. See our scooter insurance comparison.
- Miles and charges: 10 miles and two full charges a week. These are our assumptions, not measured figures. Change them to match how you ride.
- Motability: the typical weekly cost for each type of scooter on Motability’s October to December 2026 price list, from our Motability scooter costs page.
What it leaves out
Repairs are set to nothing unless you add them, because they vary too much to average. A repair outside warranty usually costs £50 to £300 a visit. The calculator also leaves out finance charges, breakdown cover beyond what your insurance includes, and VAT if you are not eligible for relief. Treat the result as an estimate to plan with. It is not a forecast of what you will pay.
Related tools and guides
- Battery lifespan estimator: how long your batteries are likely to last
- How much it costs to charge a mobility scooter
- Mobility scooter finder: which type suits you
- Mobility quote checker: check a dealer’s price
- Funding finder: Motability, VAT relief and grants
General information, not financial advice. Nothing you type is stored or sent to us. Spotted an out-of-date figure? Email hello@reviewmobility.co.uk.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a mobility scooter cost to run each year?
On our default figures, about £130 to £170 a year for electricity, servicing and insurance, plus a battery pair every year or two at roughly £60 to £220 depending on the scooter. Insurance and repairs can push it higher.
How much does it cost to charge a mobility scooter?
About 9p for a full charge of a typical boot scooter and 43p for a road scooter at 26.32p per kWh, from the charging table in our price survey. Two charges a week costs under £10 a year for a boot scooter.
Is it cheaper to buy a scooter or lease one through Motability?
On our figures, buying usually costs less over three years if you can pay upfront and arrange your own insurance. The lease includes insurance, servicing, breakdown cover and faulty batteries, and is paid weekly from a qualifying allowance, but you do not own the scooter at the end.
Is a used scooter cheaper overall?
Often, but the batteries are the risk. The calculator assumes a used scooter needs a new battery pair straight away, because their age is rarely known, and that it has no resale value at the end.
How often do mobility scooter batteries need replacing?
Lead-acid batteries usually last one to three years, depending on how often you ride and how you charge. The calculator uses two years unless you change it.
Published 23 October 2026