The Iconic MOKE Returns as a $50,000 Electric Beach Cruiser for Adults

By bike_ev_admin December 13, 2025 5 min read

California has a new toy — one that’s equal parts nostalgia, lifestyle, and wonderfully impractical engineering. The legendary MOKE, a British icon first born in the 1960s, has returned as a fully electric, street-legal go-kart for grown-ups. This new “California Collection” isn’t trying to compete with Teslas or high-tech SUVs. It exists for a much simpler purpose: delivering maximum smiles per mile, even if the miles are few and the price tag is very much not.

It’s a luxury toy — a beach buggy for people who already have everything except, perhaps, a whimsical open-air EV handcrafted in Britain.

An Electric Toy With Just Enough Power to Stay Interesting

Under its boxy, charming shell sits an electric motor rated at:

33 kW (44 hp)
Top speed: 50 mph

You won’t be overtaking anything on the highway unless it has pedals, but on coastal roads, resort paths, or quiet neighborhoods, the Electric MOKE feels right at home.

It’s not designed for commuting — it’s designed for cruising, waving at strangers, and feeling like you’re starring in your own 1960s vacation film.

A Range Fit for Beach Towns — Not Road Trips

Range: 54 miles.

That’s enough to drive to the beach, forget your sunscreen, drive back, and still have a bit left in the battery for a sunset lap. But not much more. This is a lifestyle accessory, not a utility vehicle.

Starting price: $49,500.
Translation: this is a toy for yacht owners, second-home residents, boutique hotels, and anyone allergic to practicality.

A Military Reject Turned Cult-Favorite Icon

The original Moke was actually designed as a British military vehicle. It was promptly rejected for being too low, too exposed, and generally useless — qualities that later made it perfect for carefree life on the French Riviera and in Caribbean resorts.

Its failure as a combat machine made it a success as a cultural icon.

The Electric MOKE maintains the same spirit:

Open-air cabin
Minimal weather protection
Zero aerodynamic ambitions
Maximum visibility and charm

And now, it comes in very Californian colors: Sonoma Red, Laguna Blue, and Venice White.

How MOKE Became Street-Legal in California

Getting a low-volume British beach buggy approved for California roads was a multi-year odyssey. MOKE International had to:

Become the first low-volume EV manufacturer to win CARB (California Air Resources Board) approval
Navigate a labyrinth of regulatory hoops
Avoid the slow 25 mph cap imposed on typical Low-Speed Vehicles (LSVs)

CARB approval allows the Electric MOKE to reach 50 mph, which in LSV terms is practically supersonic. It also lets the vehicle sidestep the full Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards required for “real” cars.

A loophole? Yes. Brilliant? Also yes.

Handcrafted in Britain — With a Price Tag to Match

Every authentic MOKE is:

Hand-built in the UK
Made with 70% European components
Crafted like a boutique product rather than mass-market hardware

Much of the cost goes into that craftsmanship — the kind of small-batch production where someone named Nigel probably tightened the bolts by hand while complaining about the rain.

It’s miles ahead of the plastic-bodied golf carts roaming coastal towns, and the quality shows… until you encounter a massive American pothole.

325 Units for the Entire United States — Exclusivity Guaranteed

For 2026, only 325 Electric MOKEs will be available in the entire US.
This isn’t a car — it’s a membership card into a very quirky, very wealthy club.

CEO Lorne Vary calls California the MOKE’s “true homecoming,” and he’s right. The state’s climate, wealth, coastal roads, and love of lifestyle vehicles make it the perfect habitat for this electric smile machine.

Who Will Actually Buy One?

Not commuters.
Not efficiency-minded shoppers.
Not anyone who needs more than 54 miles of daily range.

The target buyers are:

Resort operators
Beach house owners
People who want a retro statement piece
Those who value fun over practicality
Anyone choosing joy over logic

This is the anti-Tesla. The anti-SUV. The anti-commuter pod.

It’s unapologetic, colorful, breezy, noisy (from the wind), and completely resistant to being taken seriously.

The Electric MOKE: Joy Over Logic, Fun Over Function

Slow, limited in range, wildly overpriced — and downright marvelous.
It rejects the sterile seriousness of modern EVs and replaces it with sunshine, salt air, and pure whimsy.

If you have the cash, the beach access, and a rebellious love for silly vehicles, the Electric MOKE is the happiest waste of money you’ll ever buy. Just check the tide charts and map out a charger before you take off.

The iconic MOKE has returned as a fully electric, $49,500 open-air beach cruiser built for fun rather than practicality. With 44 hp, a 50 mph top speed, and a 54-mile range, the Electric MOKE targets resort operators, coastal homeowners, and lifestyle buyers seeking a nostalgic, handcrafted British EV. Limited to 325 units in 2026 and now fully street-legal in California thanks to CARB approval, the MOKE blends retro charm with zero-emissions motoring.