Fun little electric jeep-like Moke vehicles now renting out in the US

The Moke, based on a post-war British jeep-like vehicle, has become an iconic and eye-catching little buggy over the years. Now the US-based MOKE America has opened up a rental option called WeMoke to make these weird little electric vehicles more accessible to anyone looking for a unique driving adventure.

Mokes from MOKE America are street-legal four-seater vehicles with small wheels, a low floor height and an open jeep-like design. The airy setup makes them popular in sunny areas and beach communities, where they’re often used as local transportation.

They may be fun, but they certainly aren’t cheap. Trying to buy a Moke in the US will set you back close to $22K before all the fancy options like bimini tops, wooden steering wheels, or other neat features. Plus there’s a nearly six-month lead time for them to make one for you.

But if that price is a bit rich for your blood — especially for a glorified 25 mph buggy — then perhaps renting one is more your style?

MOKE America’s sister company WeMoke is hoping that idea will catch on, and recently added several resort cities in Florida to its growing list of rental locations. The Sunshine State now joins Georgia, Tennessee, Hawaii, and New York as locations where you can hop in a Moke and cruise around to your heart’s content.

The prices are a bit steeper than a typical rental car, starting at $125 per hour or $475 per day, but somehow I don’t think your homemade music video will look quite as good with a Hertz rental car rolling through it. Anyone renting a Moke is going for style points, not pure utilitarian transportation.

The Moke vehicles obviously rely on their unique look and driving experience to command that high price, which is good because they can’t really rely on their performance.

As minicars that fit into a legal designation known as low-speed vehicles (LSVs), these Mokes top out at 25 mph (45 km/h). They are allowed to operate on roads with speed limits posted up to 35 mph (56 km/h), but you won’t want to take them on the highway (nor are you even allowed to).

For beach communities though, these small electric fun-mobiles might just be perfect. And with 40 miles (64 km) of range per charge, they’ve likely got enough battery for a whole day of fun in the city.

They might not be fast, but they actually wound up at a race track in a surprising way. The company is providing a fleet of the little EVs in a partnership with South Florida Motorsports to serve as VIP transportation throughout the Miami International Autodrome, the location of the upcoming Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix. Last year there, 20 Mokes providing transportation around the race.

As MOKE America founder Tod Rome explained:

We were thrilled to be part of the inaugural big race weekend last year. And we’re even more excited to be back for future years. South Florida Motorsports, LLC has brought a first-class, luxury racing experience to South Florida and the attention of the world. Our open-air Mokes make people happy as they are driven around the campus, and we love putting smiles on people’s faces.

Hmmm, I might just need to get myself into one of these Mokes soon to see what all the fuss is about. What do you say, should City Dwellers do a Moke video next?