Anyone who regularly travels with an e-scooter will think about buying at some point. But there is another alternative - long-term rent. What speaks for and what against.
Berlin (dpa / tmn) - E-scooters are preferred for shorter distances. The scooters are practical for the last kilometer - for example from the train station to the workplace or home.
"Most of the models are foldable and can therefore easily be taken on the bus, train and car," says Daniel Stender from the "tretroller-magazin.de" portal.
If you want to drive your own e-scooter, you have the option of renting it on the go and buying it, as well as renting it permanently. There are now a number of providers for this: At Grover or Otto Now, the rental contract is concluded online and the scooters are sent by post. At Media Markt and Saturn, the scooter can be taken out of the store. Whether the rental pays off depends on the model, driving habits and convenience.
"If you drive little, a rental isn't worth it," says Stender. It is better to look for a purchase model right away. Entry-level models are available from 300 euros. The rental models of the providers are usually somewhat higher quality scooters with new prices between 400 and 800 euros.
Price comparison is worth it
How high the monthly rent is depends largely on the total term. "Short terms drive the price up significantly. Those who rent an e-scooter for just one month, for example, pay up to 120 euros," says Carolin Gulz of the price search engine Idealo, which subjected long-term rentals to a comparison test.
It is worth checking several offers. The same model cost around 120 euros a month from one provider, while it was available from another provider for 39 euros. With a rental period of twelve months, there were scooters for 30 euros a month, i.e. 360 euros a year. That makes less than one euro a day.
Rent or buy new - calculate once
If you want to take over the rented scooter after the term, you can buy it from Grover for a symbolic euro. This may sound tempting at first, but a prerequisite is a minimum rental period - here you have to work out whether the bottom line is that the model does not cost more rent than the one-off amount when buying a new one, says Gulz.
Those who prefer to buy now have a large selection. The price range ranges from 300 to 5000 euros. "What you should definitely look out for are the tires. The bigger the better," recommends Daniel Stender. Larger tires would better compensate for unevenness. The expert advises against hard solid rubber tires. No flat feet threatened here, but back pain did.
A functioning lighting system and brakes are a must, the range of the battery should be at least 30 kilometers. Some made up to 50 kilometers, and some even up to 100 kilometers with removable batteries, Stender said. "But that's actually no longer a distance for an e-scooter."
Be careful with used ones
Caution is advised with used e-scooters. Stender recalled that no e-scooter had been approved for road use in Germany until early summer 2019. Anyone who buys an older model should definitely be shown the general operating permit (ABE), he advises. Without them, the scooter must not be moved on public roads.
A good source here is the website of the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA), where there is a list of all e-scooters with ABE.
Stender believes the prices for used scooters are currently too high. This also applies to those models that come from short-term rental companies such as Lime or Circ.
Price comparison on Idealo.de
List of e-scooters with a KBA operating license
Insurance for e-scooters
Like mopeds or mopeds, e-scooters require a valid insurance sticker that must be renewed every year. However, this is not screwed on, but glued on. Because less damage than expected was reported in the summer of 2019 in the first few months after the vehicle was approved for road use, some insurers have recently lowered their contributions to the liability policy. Frequently, the costs depend, among other things, on the age of the driver. It starts from around 20 euros for an insurance year.
