Scooters are the ultimate money saved mode of transportation. They’re cheaper than cars overall, and gas is generally the go-to savings thoughts. Especially when the national average gas price has creeped to over $5 a gallon.
Many people are curious about scooter fuel mileage and how it can help save money. You are also probably here because you want to know what to look out for in scooter fuel mileage when getting a scooter.
How Far Can A Scooter Go On A Tank Of Gas
Scooter fuel mileage is determined by how far the scooter can go on 1 gallon of fuel (or liter if that’s how you roll). This is heavily impacted by the engine displacement.
Engine size and the displacement are classified by their cc.
What does cc mean?
CC is short for cubic centimeters. This is the measurement used to measure the volume of an engine by how much .
The size of an engine will determine the volume of fuel that the engine can combust at any time. Just know that the larger the size of an engine, the more fuel will be consumed at once which translates to more power & speed output.
The bigger the scooter, the more fuel that is used to move it, and when you use it for the high speeds it is capable of, the more fuel that is used to move it.
Note that cc can be converted to horsepower, and the basics of conversion are that about 15cc is equal to 1 horsepower. So as a rule of thumb, a 50cc scooter engine will be the same as 3.3 horsepower.
Other Factors
There are other factors that play into fuel efficiency. The weight of the scooter & what its carrying is an impact – including the rider weight. The more you’re carrying, the less fuel economy you get.
Are you a speed demon coming off of a light, or do you prefer to coast along slowly as if everyday is a Sunday drive? Well, the speed demon is dumping that fuel into the motor for that power & will have a lower miles per gallon (mpg) overall.
Lastly, electronic fuel injection is more fuel efficient than their carbureted cousins, but this only matters to 50cc scooters. Modern scooters beyond that size are all fuel injected.
Let’s dive back to the engine displacement and fuel mileage you can expect.
50cc Scooter Engine
A 50cc scooter is the smallest sized scooter and by default wins the award for most fuel efficient of gas motor scooters.
A 50cc scooter can travel 40 miles or about 66 kilometers in an hour. Scooters with this engine size and mileage are suitable for driving around town and within the city, but they don’t make sense on high speed roadways.
On average, you can ride 110 miles using a gallon of fuel on a 50cc scooter engine for the published miles per gallon. Lance, Kymco, and Honda all publish over 115 miles per gallon for their 50cc models.
More on how fast a 50cc can go here
125cc Scooter Engine
There are not a lot of choices in the 125 range, and I tend to lump them with the 150cc in most conversations. However, 125cc scooters are just different enough in this conversation to parse them out.
125cc scooters use fuel at around 95mpg.
The Yamaha Zuma & Buddy Kick claim to be 100, but I get about 95 mpg on my Kick regularly. The Lance models are published to have 90mpg.
Read more on the best scooter brands here
150cc Scooter Engine
Next on the list is the 150cc scooter. It’s the mid-range of what’s available, so what does that mean to you for fuel? A 150cc scooter can travel 60 miles or about 100km per hour.
Because the engine of a 150cc scooter is bigger and it will burn more fuel, its mileage is less per gallon than the smaller engine sized scooters. A 150cc scooter is expected to go 70 miles using a gallon of fuel.
250+cc Scooter Engine
There are healthy options for 250cc scooters & larger, but there are a total of 13 offered in the US ranging from 276 to 550. So there are choices to get to the higher speeds, but there aren’t as many and have a sizeable spread in their engine size.
The rule of thumb holds true on fuel cost, though. The bigger the engine, the less you can expect in a miles per gallon rating. If you’re after the speed but want to save money, the lower cc engines in this class are going to give you the most for your gas money.
The average cc in this class is 276 with an average of 69 mpg for those scooters. Below is a table of scooters with their fuel efficiency for this class.
Which Scooter Model Gives The Best Mileage
A scooter that gives the best mileage has the smallest engine size. From what we have discussed above, a 50cc scooter engine will have the best mileage as the engine size is small, and the amount of fuel that will be combusted will also be small compared to that of a 250cc engine which has a larger engine and will consume more fuel.
The best fuel efficiency for a 50cc gas powered motor scooter is a tie at 117 mpg from the Honda Metropolitan and any Lance Powersports 50cc model.
That said, if you need to go 45+ regularly, you’re best suited for a scooter in the 150cc range.
The Genuine Hooligan 170i and Genuine Buddy Kick 125 have the best fuel efficiency published at 100mpg.
If you need to go highway speeds, the most fuel efficient scooter beyond 250cc is the Sym CitycomS 300i at 84 mpg
What Type Of Gas Does A Scooter Use
I recently sold my Kymco Like, and the buyer had some issues. It turned out he was using the minimum octane at a traditional gas station.
This can cause issues in modern scooters at least.
Motor scooter manufacturers recommend you use 93 octane gas or at least the highest octane available.
If you can get ethanol free, you do not have to use such a high octane, but I find it hard to get access to that type of fuel for my form of transport.
In general, the best gas for a scooter is 93 octane but a 91 octane can work. It is highly recommended that you check out your owners manual if you are unsure to keep your scooter running appropriately!
Scooter Fuel Consumption 50cc
The fuel efficiency of a 50cc scooter is incredible. You might need to refill your tank every few weeks, but this is dependent on your riding habits and the size of your fuel tank.
Most 50cc scooters have a fuel capacity of about 1.5 gallons (5.4L). Vespa Primavera & Sprint 50cc models have the largest tanks at 2.1 gallons.
A full 50cc scooter tank can function and travel for about 100 miles. This will, however, depend on several factors back to the weight on the scooter, terrain, and how hard you are on the throttle, of course.
How To Maximize Your Scooter’s Fuel Efficiency
Here are some tips on how you can maximize your scooter fuel mileage.
- Use your accelerator wisely
- Maintain your scooter tire’s pressure
- Do not continually hold the clutch while you are riding if you’re riding a manual one
- Avoid parking your scooter under direct sunlight as sunlight can cause evaporation of the gas (every little bit counts!)
Final Words
Scooters are well-known for their good mileage and efficiency in conserving fuel. This is why a lot of people prefers scooter to other transport around the world. Scooters have a minimal fuel mileage, conserve fuel and help to save money.
The higher the scooter engine size and displacement, the lower the fuel mileage and efficiency.
Although each scooter engine comes with its specific mileage, how well a scooter can maximize fuel is also dependent on the rider and their riding habits.
You should make sure to have smooth, safe riding habits so that you will be able to maximize your scooter fuel mileage.
