Your sixteenth birthday is the time when you can ride a moped, but you’ll probably have to persuade your parents or guardians to open their wallets to buy a moped for you. And that can be a tough sell.
Luckily Bikesure is here with some sensible strategies to safely get you on two wheels and the freedom of the road.
The first thing to do is get yourself a Saturday job and try to save up your wages to help pay for your dream bike. It’s not just the cost to buy the moped, there’s tests, safety gear, insurance, maintenance and fuel too. It’s a lot to ask your parents to shell out for, and you should be prepared to do something to help mitigate those costs.
You could also offer to help more around the house and do other things that demonstrate to them that you’re willing to be serious about owning a moped.
The more you can contribute towards it the more likely you will be to persuade them. It will also demonstrate how responsible you’re willing to be – you’ll be much less likely to take risks with your own property!
If you really want to build a case, you could even try to work out how much it’s costing people to pick you up. Try to demonstrate the positive benefits it could have not just for you, but them as well. You could even try to calculate how much they’d save by not having to run you around in their cars.
But which moped or scooter should you choose? Price is going to be the main factor. Picking one from a known brand or major manufacturer will help, but there can be a fair amount of variation in a manufacturer’s range.
As you can see in our guide to moped insurance for 16-18 year olds, there’s more than £160 difference between the premiums of the Aprilia SR R50 moped and the RS50 sportsbike, which is a fair indicator of the comparative risks of these different types of bike!
You can also see that the cheapest scooter to insure is the Yamaha Aerox. The next few cheapest are all from established brands, and there is a small but noticeable difference in the cost from these brands and the most successful of the newer brands like Lexmoto.
If you’re looking for more information on what mopeds are available check out our guides to picking your first moped and the best 50cc scooters.
Obviously, manufacturers are constantly changing and improving their lineup but the overall hierarchy rarely changes. You’ll find the large, established manufacturers making high quality machines that cost more, with a second tier of smaller manufacturers selling cheaper machines built to a less advanced specification.
This second tier still has many worthwhile purchases, for example Lexmoto has one of the most comprehensive ranges of 50cc mopeds on the market, including multiple electric versions, and the Echo+ has been one of the UK’s best-selling mopeds in recent years.
In terms of convincing those adults to buy a moped that you’ll be safe and responsible riding, anything out of either of those guides would be a solid choice.
Your selection will be dependent on what you can afford and, if you’re buying second hand, a certain amount of luck with what’s available. But you’ll be wanting to strike a balance between cost and practicality.
If you’re buying new, one from a larger manufacturer will cost more, but might have lower insurance and repair costs and a higher resale value.
As we’ve already seen the insurance costs for cheaper machines are slightly higher, and the lower initial price is obviously reflected with a smaller resale too.
Buying secondhand can certainly be cheaper, but there could be trade-offs with extra maintenance and repair costs. As long as you’re not buying something old and obscure you should be OK.
Five of our favorite cool-yet-safe mopeds and scooters
If you’re looking for something that combines cool looks with safety, you should be able to find something that fits your personal standards.
If you’re looking for extra inspiration, then the Sinnis Street is an appealing twist on the classic Vespa look with a modern sensibility. Alternatively, if you want something that looks a bit sportier, the Sym Jet 4 has a sleeker, modern aesthetic. This look is shared by the Lexmoto Diablo, and the Kymco Super 8.
If you’d prefer to buy a moped from a more established company, Peugeot offers a comprehensive range of 50cc mopeds including many costing under £2k. The Kisbee R’s name isn’t the coolest, but it still looks pretty sleek.
Our guide “how to buy a moped” explains everything you need to check.
- Did you convince your responsible adults to let you buy a moped? Do you have any hints to share? Tell us your secrets in the comments.
