Warranties: Your most common questions answered
We get lots of questions every week about electric scooter warranties. Whether you want to know what it is, or how much coverage it gives you, a warranty can be a great indicator of the quality of a product.
It's completely understandable that anyone would want to know that they're protected should something go wrong.
The trouble is, warranties aren’t all created equal. It’s down to the manufacturer exactly what's included and the extent of the cover. It can be very confusing, so below, we’ve collated the most common questions we hear from customers to help demystify things.
What is a warranty?
A warranty sets out the extent of coverage you get if something goes wrong with your product. Technically called an ‘assurance’, manufacturers are legally required to provide one to assure the buyer that a product will maintain a certain standard of performance and quality for a certain amount of time.
How long does a warranty last for?
This is one of the most common questions that we receive, usually in relation to a specific e-scooter. In general, warranty lengths vary between brands, but typically cover anything from a few months to three years.
We list the lengths of warranties for the majority of our e-scooters on our product pages.
When does a warranty period start?
Warranties can vary in the exact date from when they start. Some start on the date of purchase (with purchase proven by the original receipt), while others start on the date of delivery to you (again, proof of purchase is normally required to make a claim).
Some warranties are only activated if you register your product. These usually expire after a given period of time, so it’s definitely worth checking when you receive your product for any instructions that ask you to “register” or “validate” your warranty.
What does a warranty cover?
A warranty usually covers manufacturing defects and faults in workmanship.
Some warranties cover different parts of the product for different timeframes. For example, a “two-year” warranty might cover the e-scooter chassis for that time, but the internal electronics might only be covered for one year.
This is known as a ‘limited’ warranty.
Is there anything that’s not covered?
Normally, parts that are described as ‘wear and tear’ are not covered by a warranty. This is usually because as soon as they get used, it’s very difficult to tell whether they were subject to a manufacturing fault.
Typical wear and tear parts include (but are not limited to):
- Tyres
- Tubes
- Bearings
- Brake pads
- Cables
- Handlebar grips
Many brands also specify behaviours or actions that void a warranty, such as ‘riding in the rain’, a specific subject which we address in our 2021 model waterproofness comparison blog post.
A manufacturer is free to determine what is covered by a warranty, which means that, theoretically, it could exclude everything from its warranty (although, this is rare).
What will void the warranty?
Warranties are commonly voided if they are misused or used outside of the directions of the manual and/or the warranty. Reasons for this can include riding an e-scooter on unsuitable terrain, in the rain, or modifying it or carrying out non-approved repairs.
Slightly confusingly, the way warranties are phrased can vary a lot between brands, and it's not always completely clear exactly what will void it until the warranty supplier makes a decision with the evidence in its hands. Plus, while some are written in plain English, others are can be laced with confusing terms.
Essentially, it’s a sad fact that grey areas can be left for interpretation by warranty suppliers.
As a rule of thumb, it’s really important to follow any supplied guidelines and instructions to help safeguard your warranty.
Can I pass my warranty on to another person?
This depends on the provider of the warranty and if they accept transfers. It’s usually noted within the warranty text.
Normally, warranties are not transferable and apply only to the first owner or purchaser of the e-scooter. However, Pure Electric’s warranty (which covers Pure Electric e-scooters) does allow for warranty transfer to a second owner if proof of purchase is supplied.
What does a ‘UK-held’ warranty mean?
This means that the warranty is supplied by a company within the UK. A manufacturer may handle warranty cases itself within the UK (like Pure Electric), or partner with a UK-based warranty supplier who will service the warranty on its behalf (like Chinese brand Xiaomi with UK warranty providers SBE).
Therefore your e-scooter doesn’t need to be sent outside of the UK for servicing and repair, which should speed up turnaround times. Manufacturers benefit from this because shipping an e-scooter out and back into a country for servicing can cost a significant amount of money.
How do I make a warranty claim?
Your product should provide details of who to contact if you want to claim on the warranty. If you’re unsure, then you can contact our customer services team, who will be glad to point you in the right direction.
If you bought your product from another retailer, we’ll do our best to help but may not be able to guide you beyond any initial advice.
How long will it take to get a resolution to a warranty claim?
This depends on the level of service given by the warranty provider, as well as any backlogs and time taken to order any required replacement parts.
Some suppliers are able to make warranty repairs in as little as a couple of weeks, while others can take a month or more.
Do I need to activate my warranty?
This depends on the warranty provider. Some require you to do so, while others automatically activate your warranty from the date of purchase.
If you’re in doubt, check your manual for warranty guidance. If you’re offered the opportunity to register your warranty, we strongly recommend doing so for peace of mind.
We hope that this guide has helped answer any questions you might have about electric scooter warranties. If you have a specific question that we've not addressed here, then please get in touch with our customer services team and we'll get back to you!