Ever wondered why are golf carts so expensive and how they cost as much as a brand-new car? Even though it has no roll-up windows and you can’t drive them on the fairway…
Well, you wouldn’t be the first to wonder about golf cart prices!
Golf carts are a luxury item that is typically reserved for the wealthy golfer and or golf courses themselves.
The reason they are so expensive comes down to a whole bunch of factors that only send the prices of golf carts higher and higher.
In this post you will find out what factors make golf carts so expensive and some additional factors that can make them even more expensive.
How Much Do Golf Carts Cost?
There is no exact answer to how much golf carts cost only that they cost a lot of money. To get your own golf cart you’re going to need anywhere from a few thousand dollars to tens of thousands of dollars. But you can get a better deal if you get a used cart if you know what to look for.
The reason for such a huge range is because of all the variables that influence the price. These can be things like extras, shipping costs, designs, and more.
But don’t worry because we are going to go through all of these factors in this post.
Quick Menu
What Makes Golf Carts So Expensive
Universally there are five factors that make golf carts so expensive globally.
All five are listed for you below.
The Price Of High-Quality Golf Cart Parts
When it comes to golf carts these days compared to their ancestors it shouldn’t be a surprise that they now last longer and perform better.
Just like how cars and phones have improved over the years in terms of quality and what you get from them golf carts are no different.
Especially when you factor in the number of electric golf carts on the market today that require different parts than before.
The price for all of these items has also increased as a result of improving these products. Nowadays golf carts are made from parts of superior quality to those of which were made in the past.
Electric golf car motors or gas-powered engines now have more power for faster speeds, charge quicker, and have a longer lifespan.
Even with the golf cart batteries in each cart in the past, you may have gotten away with having just one, but today there are usually multiple batteries per golf cart.
The reason is so if one fails the golf cart doesn’t become a sitting duck.
They are just a handful of examples and the quality doesn’t stop there.
Overall all these improvements will undoubtedly drive up the total price however they are known to last longer as a result.
As the age-old saying goes “You get what you pay for”.
Modern Golf Cart Safety Features
Many of the improvements in golf carts today have come in the form of safety features. These safety features are added to the overall price of the golf cart by the manufacturers.
Why? Well because they cost money.
These features may be things like seat belts, lift kits, off-road wheels, speed restrictors, brake lights, and even more are needed if you’re trying to make a street-legal golf cart.
All these parts cost money so for every additional one bought installed on your golf cart from the manufacturer the more expensive it will be.
You can obviously look for golf carts that don’t have many of these features but some golf courses may require you to have them so it’s worth checking out first.
That being said if you just look at your club car carts on the course you play on you can check out what safety features they have and copy that.
Big Golf Cart Manufacturers Control Pricing
The big three golf cart manufacturers in the golf cart industry are Yamaha, E-Z-Go, and Club Car. Between these three they control the majority of the golf cart market share.
Whenever there are a few who do most of the business they can pretty much pick their price and consumers have no choice but to pay.
Since the gap in the big three’s product quality and the rest of the manufacturers, they only have to worry about competing against each other on price. Big companies are aware of this and are more than happy to keep their prices similar.
For example if Yamaha golf cart prices were to reduce by 50% the other two would have to either drop their prices too, or keep their current prices.
The issue with this is that consumers would much rather buy the now cheaper option seeing that the quality is still of a high standard. Over time this would price the other two out of the market.
But like I said they know what they’re doing and will gladly maintain similar prices for business.
The only other option for consumers is to not own a golf cart or find one for cheaper which will not be as good of quality.
There are more golf cart companies and some offer less expensive golf carts but they cannot match the quality of the big three.
Because Golf Cart Manufactures Know Customers Will Pay
The target consumer for golf cart manufacturers is not the average weekend golfer who enjoys playing golf for fun with his buddies.
No, their main target consumers are golf courses or wealthy consumers who can afford their prices.
From a manufacturer’s point of view it makes no sense to tailor a product to the masses when they are making the same money selling less for a high price.
A brand like Rolex they are not worried about making a price-sensitive watch to appeal to the everyday consumer because they sell what’s for thousands and thousands of dollars every day.
The only way golf cart manufacturers would drop their prices is if their customer base decided they were no longer willing to pay these high prices.
Only then would they drop it until they reached a point consumers began buying again.
That being said as long as golf courses and rich people have money to spend I don’t see this happening anytime soon.
Golf Carts Are A Niche Industry
Golf carts are very much so a niche product and because of this, their price is going to be higher.
The reason for this is simply a niche product is only of interest to a very small consumer base which means there are fewer chances to sell lots of units.
Since they are going to sell fewer units to make sure they make money golf cart manufacturers increase their prices. Without doing this they wouldn’t be able to operate and the business would fail.
However let’s say next week everybody in the world now wanted a golf cart this would mean golf carts are no longer a niche product.
Then because the golf manufacturers now have a market of scale meaning they can sell to more people they would then be able to sell the golf carts for cheaper.
With more people to sell to prices go down, with fewer people to sell to prices go up basically.
There’s A Huge Demand For Golf Carts
When there are more people looking to buy a limited supply of a product the price is going to become higher which will make golf carts so expensive.
The same is happening with golf carts and certain brands.
Certain brands can be more popular than others because they may be made well, are easy to upgrade or they just have really good marketing.
Whatever the reason is once a brand gains the favor of the consumers the prices will begin to climb because now they cannot keep up with the demand for their product.
That’s just how the world works.
For example, if you live in an area and there are ten stores that sell handcrafted furniture then their prices will be affordable and competitive with each other.
However, if you live in an area and there is only one store for miles then they can name their price. The reason is that everyone in that area needs furniture and that store has the supply.
Things That Can Make Golf Carts Even More Expensive
Some factors that can drive up the price of golf carts won’t apply to every sale as they may or may not be needed by the golfer buying the golf cart.
Below there are three variables that can make golf carts even more expensive.
Golf Carts Shipping Costs
As you know golf carts are much larger than the packages Amazon offers next-day delivery which means unfortunately you won’t get the same kind of savings.
No, golf carts can be costly to ship and can cost you anything from a few hundred dollars to a couple of thousand. There are a couple of factors which will decide how much extra the shipping costs will be.
Firstly if you’re buying a single golf cart and getting it shipped to your own address it’s going to cost you.
How much it’s going to cost depends on how far away you are from the manufacturer or dealership. Obviously if the cart dealer is one state over it will cost less than if it’s being shipped from overseas when you should expect higher prices.
Secondly, if you’ve put down a bulk order of golf carts then the shipping and overall golf cart price will be lower per unit.
Thirdly if the golf cart you’re buying is old stock they might give you a better price for shipping just to get it out of their storage to free up space for new stock.
And lastly if you’re buying from a dealer just know that they have already included the cost of shipping they had to pay in the total price.
Custom Golf Cart Upgrades
Golfers who have the money spare to buy their own golf carts will more than likely have the money to add on some extras.
Unlike the safety extras that can come with the golf cart from the manufacturer, some extras have to be specially ordered and installed.
As you would imagine this will not be for cheap.
Some of these upgrades can be as follows Bluetooth stereo, leather seats, embroidered seats, drink coolers, golf course GPS systems, doors, extra seats, paint, ball cleaners, and pretty much anything you can think of.
Other upgrades can be related to increasing the speed of the cart and the cost will depend on how fast you want to go?
While some are easier to install than others they will all cost you anything from a few hundred dollars to thousands of dollars.
Unique Golf Cart Designs
The way golf carts are designed today compared to the original golf carts is completely different.
Golf carts back in the day were made to carry golf clubs with a couple of passengers and that’s all it needed to be.
However these days golf carts are designed by manufacturers to accommodate future upgrades to the vehicle. This makes the actual process of making the golf carts more technical which can drive up costs.
For example, a standard golf cart designed for two people and a couple of golf bags will take less time and resources than a golf cart that can accommodate four people along with their golf bags.
The extra time and effort put into the designs makes a difference in the final cost to consumers.
At the end of the day maybe buying the latest electric golf cart from the best golf cart brands is not in everyone’s budget.
However, you can always try to find some used gas golf carts or electric ones for a lower price.
Checkout our post of the Best Golf Carts Of 2024 while you’re here.