How Much Do Golf Carts Cost? New & Used Prices 2026

A new golf cart costs $7,000 to $13,000 in 2026 for a standard Club Car, EZGO or Yamaha, or as little as $5,000 for a value brand and up to $20,000-plus for a premium street-legal lithium model. Used carts cost $2,000 to $8,000 depending on age and battery health. The single biggest price lever is not the badge on the front but the battery inside: lithium adds $1,500 to $4,000 over lead-acid, and on a used cart a worn pack can knock thousands off the asking price. Here is what every type actually costs, and which one is the smart buy.

How much do golf carts cost by type?

Cart type	Typical 2026 price (US)	What you get
Used, 8+ years old	$1,500-$2,500	Older lead-acid cart, likely needs a battery pack soon
Used, 4-7 years old	$2,500-$4,000	Solid runabout, check battery age and charger
Used, 1-3 years old	$4,000-$8,000	Near-new condition, often still on original batteries
New value brand (2-seat)	$5,000-$9,000	Entry brands like Evolution or Denago, basic trim
New brand-name 2-seater	$7,000-$12,000	Club Car, EZGO or Yamaha, standard features
New brand-name 4-seater	$8,000-$13,000	Family/community cart, rear-facing seat
Lithium battery upgrade	+$1,500-$4,000	Added to any new model over lead-acid
Premium / street-legal LSV	$10,000-$20,000+	Lithium, lifted or DOT-legal build with lights and VIN

Figures are current 2026 ranges from Golf Cart Search’s pricing guide, Carts & Parts and EA Carts. Dealer pricing varies by region and season, so treat these as the range to expect rather than one national sticker price.

What do Club Car, EZGO and Yamaha carts cost specifically?

The three big names cluster in the same window, and the model line matters more than the brand. On EZGO’s current lineup, the Valor S lists around $9,274 and the Valor S+ around $9,854, while the lithium Freedom ELiTE runs about $11,449. Yamaha’s Drive2 opens near $9,620 for the QuieTech EFI gas version and climbs to roughly $14,090 for the PowerTech Li lithium build. Club Car’s Onward sits in the same band, with lithium and street-legal Onward configurations pushing into the mid-teens.

Notice the pattern: gas and lead-acid versions of the same cart start around $9,000-$10,000, and choosing lithium adds a few thousand dollars every time. That lithium premium is the decision that shapes your total cost more than picking one brand over another.

What makes a street-legal cart cost more?

A street-legal cart is sold as a low-speed vehicle (LSV), and the $10,000-$20,000-plus price reflects real hardware, not just a badge. To be road-legal on streets posted at 35 mph or under, an LSV needs headlights, tail lights, turn signals, brake lights, mirrors, a windshield, seat belts, a parking brake and a 17-digit VIN, and it has to reach at least 20 mph. Manufacturers build those in from the factory and pair them with a lithium pack and a more powerful motor.

You can convert a standard cart with a street-legal kit for a few hundred to a couple thousand dollars, but registration rules differ by state and some states will not title a converted cart at all. If road use is the point, buying a factory LSV is usually cleaner than retrofitting.

New vs used: which is the better buy?

For most buyers, a used cart three to five years old is the value sweet spot. A Club Car or Yamaha of that age in good shape sells for about $4,500-$6,500 privately, roughly half of new, and the frame and motor on these carts routinely last 20-plus years. The risk sits entirely in the battery pack, so the used-cart rule is simple: inspect the batteries, ask their age, and factor a possible replacement into your offer.

A lead-acid pack replacement runs roughly $900-$2,000; a lithium conversion costs more but buys years of life. If a seller cannot tell you the battery’s age or you see corroded terminals and low water, negotiate as though you are buying new batteries, because you probably are. Buying new makes sense mainly when you want a warranty, a specific street-legal build, or lithium from day one without inheriting anyone else’s wear.

If you are weighing a cart against the wider cost of the game, our guides to why golf is so expensive and the average cost of a round of golf put the numbers in context, and the golf club fitting cost breakdown covers another spend that is easy to overpay on.

For a first cart, buy a three-to-five-year-old lithium model from a dealer who will show you the battery’s health report. You get most of the reliability of new for thousands less, and you skip the steepest part of the depreciation curve. Visit our full golf hub for more gear and cost guides before you commit.

Freshness note: cart list prices and battery-replacement costs shift with model-year releases and lithium supply. Re-check manufacturer and dealer pricing before buying, especially the lithium premium, which has been trending down.