Price of Vespas: What You Need to Know

Scooters are generally considered to be cheap ways to get around, thanks to their relatively low cost. However, if you’re thinking of getting a Vespa as your scooter of choice, you should be prepared with the price of Vespas before you get started shopping

In general, new Vespa scooters generally cost between $4,000 and $7,750. The lower end of the price range are the 50cc models with the 300cc models starting at $7,000.

While the prices might seem like a wide range, you’ll find that they are lumped into categories by engine size. In this article, we’ll be talking about Vespa prices in particular, but if you were in the camp that didn’t know Vespa was a brand instead of a generic name for scooter, you can find more about scooters prices in general here

Vespa Models Overview

Generally, the price of a scooter is greatly impacted by the size of the motor that it has. While there is some variability in what a specific brand might charge, Vespa pricing is still highly driven by the engine size, and you’ll find consistent pricing at your local Vespa dealer.

Currently, the models are the Primavera, Sprint, Eletrrica, and GTS. Each of the models come with some extra features, but these are the broad models to help you understand the pricing of Vespa motorcycles.

For simplicity’s sake we’re just going to take a broad look at each model for this comparison and ignore the various trim levels for the moment, but you can read in-depth about the differences in Vespa scooters here.

If you need more clarity on what size engine you need, this guide to choosing a motor scooter can help. Just know that in general, you’re going to be restricted to 30 miles per hour (mph) with a 50cc, 150cc will have a top speed of about 65 mph, and the 300cc engine size will get you up to about 85mph. 

With that in mind, the Primavera and Sprint both come in a 50cc and 150cc. They also have special edition models like the 75th anniversary, Sean Wotherspoon and more to choose from.

The Elettrica is the electric version with a 30 mph and 45 mph option.

The GTS, GTS Super & Sei Giorni are all the 300cc model options if you need the highest speeds that Vespa offers.

The special edition models are consistently higher price & a main difference is the style and unique paint colors not available for other models or model years depending on the arrangement.

The touring models come with a front and rear rack plus a medium windshield. If you plan to add those later, you’ll find the Touring models to be a good price. However, the color choices for the Touring options are generally more limited than other models.

50cc Vespa Scooter Prices

Vespa Sprint and Primavera are the models with the 50cc engine size available in the Vespa line-up, and they are the cheapest model options available to go along with the smaller engine size in the options.

The cheapest Vespa is the Primavera 50 with a price of $3,999. The most expensive 50cc Vespa is the Primavera 75th Anniversary limited edition model at $4,499.

Below are the new retail price for 50cc Vespa scooter models.

Outside of the special edition models, you’ll find much of the 50cc options right around the $4,199 mark.

150cc Vespa Scooter Prices

The 150cc model options are again the Vespa Sprint and the Primavera. They are the same scooters with a bigger motor to get you where you want to go… faster.

The cheapest 150cc Vespa scooter is the Primavera with a retail price of $5,349. The most expensive is the 75th Anniversary special edition at $5,849.

In general, a 150cc Vespa will cost about $5,500 for the Primavera and $5,700 for the Sprint.

300cc Vespa Scooter Prices

There looks to be a lot of different model options, but the differences between models are really not huge. This is why the price range isn’t that big. There are just subtle differences between Vespa 300cc models.

The cheapest 300cc Vespa scooter is the standard 300 model with a retail price of $7,099, and the 75th Anniversary model is the most expensive at almost $8,000.

Read more: Your Vespa GTS 300 Questions Answered

Electric Vespa Scooter Prices

Electric scooters are growing in popularity, but like other manufacturers, there are not a lot of options.

Vespa offers 2 versions of their electric scooter called the Elettrica. One version will top out at 30 mph whereas the higher priced option will get you up to 45 mph on flat roads.

Are Vespa Scooters Expensive?

If you’ve done any shopping for a scooter yet, you may have noticed that Vespa scooters are generally more expensive than other brands in the same engine size range.

Vespa scooters are marketed as a luxury scooter brand, and their pricing reflects this.

In general, Vespa scooters are 100% higher than the average competitor prices for 50cc engines, 90% higher than 150cc competitors and 40% higher than the average 300cc competitor models.

For a specific example, compared to the Honda Ruckus 50, which is currently the most popular scooter in the world, even the cheapest Vespa you can buy is still over $1,200 more expensive than the Honda ($4,000 for the Vespa versus $2,750 for the Honda).

You can read here about if Vespa is worth the premium price, but for the most part, the extra cost of a Vespa mainly stems from the fact that Vespas are made with a unibody, metal frame. Most other manufacturers build their scooters with plastic bodies (outside of the Royal Alloy) with separate frames.

Read more –> Are Vespas Still Made? And Where?

Read on if you’re curious if that premium price translates to whether Vespas are high maintenance here.

While the extra metal on Vespas are fairly heavy compared to other scooters, they also help ensure that Vespas are pretty long-lasting scooters, and they add to what is one of the smoothest rides you can find for a scooter. Metal bodywork will obviously resist the elements better than plastic will, so if you maintain your Vespa well, it will probably last quite a while before it really starts to break down.

The other thing that makes Vespas so expensive is the brand itself.

When you buy a Vespa, you’re not just paying for a scooter; you’re paying for an icon of style.

It’s kind of like buying an iPhone versus buying an Android phone; even though both phones are largely the same, you’ll probably end up paying more for the iPhone based on the branding.

In addition, on the 50cc & 150cc models, you’ll find that Vespa generally has more features and premium components than their similarly sized counterparts. While some other manufacturers are catching up, charging ports & better suspension are standard on Vespa versus many other brands.

Before you go shopping…

Please know that we are talking about the actual sales price of the scooters. There will be additional fees that your local government requires plus things like a dealer prep fee, freight surcharges from the crazy supply chain variations, and maybe more.

Much of the additional fees are not optional for the dealer to charge, but you are certainly welcome to just ask where there is some wiggle room.

Of course, as I write this, the gas prices are surging, and I hear that negotiating isn’t as easy for scooter buyers. Regardless, you might find it interesting to hear some surprise things I’ve found when buying scooters from dealers here.

Be Seen & Be Safe!