Buying Guide: Gas vs Electric Carts

Once you’ve narrowed down your search to a new or used cart, the next consideration you’ll want to make is whether you want an electric or gas cart.

First, consider what you’ll be using your cart for. Strolling through the neighborhood or on the nearest 18 holes? An electric cart is probably sufficient. Off-roading or hauling things around your land? You may want the extra power that comes with a gas cart.

Here are a few pros and cons of each.

Electric Pros:

  • Minimal maintenance – In all, a golf cart with say, 500 parts is likely to need much less maintenance than a golf cart with 2,000 parts, which is what makes electric carts so convenient: less maintenance.
  • Less noisy – Electric carts are quieter than gas carts which means less noise pollution and less complaints from other people.
  • Eco-friendly – Electric cars are much more eco-friendly than their gas-guzzling counterparts. Not only does this mean less pollution, but it’s also less expensive to charge carts than to pay for the gas.

Electric Cons:

  • Charging time – Depending on the age of your batteries, your golf cart could be charging anywhere from 1-3 hours (with new batteries) to up to 10 hours (with older batteries).
  • Less power/speed – One of the trade-offs with an electric cart is having less power and speed. Electric carts generally travel around only 12-14 mph.

Gas Pros:

  • Convenience – You’ll never have to worry about charging your gas cart or traveling too far and running out of a charge. Plus, you can always bring extra fuel if you’re worried about running out.
  • More power – Gas golf carts generally have about 3x the horsepower as electric carts and perform better in rough terrain, steep hills, and off-road conditions.
  • Running time – Gas carts can run significantly longer on one tank of gas than an electric cart can run on one charge.

Gas Cons:

  • More noise – Undoubtedly, your gas golf cart is going to be much noisier than an electric cart. Because of this, some golf courses and residential neighborhoods have banned them.
  • Higher maintenance – Gas carts require more maintenance than electric carts. As carts require maintenance such as oil changes, air and fuel filter changes, new spark plugs, belts, clutch, fuel pump, etc.
  • Pollution – If being eco-friendly is a concern for you, you may want to opt for an electric cart over a gas cart due to their emissions.

As you can see, there are several things to consider when choosing the right golf cart for you. Hopefully, this has been a helpful guide in making that choice. If you have any questions about choosing a golf cart, we’re happy to answer your questions. Feel free to call us at 800-940-8068.