Electric scooters have become an increasingly popular way to get around, especially if you live in a small town or major city. Underpowered, small electric scooters may once have been considered a fun toy for children, but they have proven to be a reliable and efficient form of transportation. With the current car market booming and the price of new vehicles increasing consistently year over year, it makes sense that some major manufacturers, such as Honda, would be making a push to produce more affordable vehicles in growing niches, like electric scooters. The new Honda U-BE electric scooter, for example, is practical, efficient, and affordable, with a starting price under $500 brand new.

Introducing the Honda U-BE electric scooter

Sitting at around $475, the new Honda U-BE is the latest, more affordable generation of electric scooter from the already popular and reputable brand. It lives in the shadow of the Honda U-GO, an older version that was more than twice the price, coming in at an MSRP of $1,150, making it less affordable than the new U-BE. Part of what makes this electric scooter so affordable is the selling market, as it is not currently available in the US. The Honda U-BE is only currently available for sale in China, where safety regulations and standards are slightly different than what the NHTSA requires from street-legal vehicles in the US.

How fast can the U-BE go?

According to electrek, the new Honda U-BE can go surprisingly fast for a street-legal electric scooter. It has a top speed of 30 mph, which may not sound impressive for a car, but is sometimes considered fast for an electric scooter. It comes with a seat for additional comfort, making it a more reasonable option for an across-town commute. There is only one seat, however, so it isn’t a great choice for traveling with a passenger — and, for obvious reasons, you won’t be the carpool option of choice among coworkers. It can go reportedly go as far as 50 miles on a single charger, which isn’t bad if you consider how far you actually want to travel on an electric scooter realistically.

The Honda U-BE is a good option for large American cities

Honda has yet to announce whether or not the Honda U-BE will become available in the American market, but it is likely to be successful here, especially in major cities, meaning that Honda may make the push to bring it to the US market. In larger cities, heavy traffic and lack of adequate parking can make vehicle ownership a complete nightmare, and that leaves you at the mercy of public transportation or walking everywhere you need to go, which isn’t always ideal. Electric scoots like the U-BE are more convenient, as they can move through traffic with ease and don’t require special parking.

Although the Honda U-BE is not currently available in the US market, we have high hopes that Honda will make it available, and at a still affordable and reasonable price. For big-city commuters, electric scooters can prove to be a responsible and affordable option that solves more problems than one.