22-07-2025
- Automotive
- Evening Standard
Best Electric Mopeds: Top Choices for City Travel
Best for: classic style, modern technology
With a full-on 'no point in messing around' attitude right from the offset, there is no more classic moped than the Vespa.
The motorised star of many a movie over the decades, the Vespa is the vehicle every moped owner aspires to. Oozing Italian style, the 'wasp' – as the name translates to – has been in production since 1946, with 138 variations hitting the market and over 19 million models sold worldwide since then. Then, in 2019, Vespa released its first e-moped, and now we have this vision of Vespa beauty: the Primavera Elettrica 45 Euro 5.
Blessed with all the beloved style ques of Vespa fame, here we find a machine with a removable 48V battery that feeds the motor a 2.7kW of continuous power and a maximum output of 3.1kW, converting that a top speed of mph for a distance of around 53-miles between recharges, which is more than reasonable, with a full recharge from 0-100 per cent taking roughly 4-hours.
Torque comes in at 200Nm, which is apparently better for acceleration and, indeed, handling at lower speeds. Meanwhile, a hydraulic front disc and a rear drum brake make stopping conveniently quick and comfortable.
And speaking of comfort, the seat is sculpted and padded to lovingly embrace any bottom from bony to abundant, with just enough resistance to ensure you don't get too comfortable in the saddle and lose focus. And why would you want to lose focus, when you have a stunning three-inch LCD display that combines analogue and digital controls with connection to your smartphone to give you complete command over your mobile e-empire, watching speed and power consumption, while also being able to make and take calls, read messages and listen to music? Oh, and let's not forget the first road safety commandment: paying attention to the road.
Featuring under-seat storage, LED lights front and back for safety and seeing, plus 12-inch tubeless tyres front and rear for a more comfortable ride, plus freedom from punctures and reduced rolling resistance, you'll be cruising in style and, thanks to the e-motor, near silence wherever you Rome. Sorry, roam.
It is available in three colourways: Verde Amabile, which roughly translates as 'lovable green'; Bianco Innocente, which is obviously 'innocent white; and Nero Convinto, which literally translates as 'convinced black'. I myself am not convinced by my loose translation, so please, feel free to draw your own conclusions.
In any event, the leccy Vespa looks simply iconic in any colour, the sweeping curves paying homage to the original '67 model, the technology on board very much a tribute to today.
Key specs
