From Kawasakis to Sea-Doos and everything in between, there’s no shortage of jet skis out there if you’re looking for one. The best part? Whether you have a teeny-tiny budget or one that’s miles wide, you shouldn’t have a hard time finding a personal watercraft within your price range. Exactly how much money will you spend on a jet ski?
New jet skis cost $5,000 to $18,000 and up. If you go for a used one, then it’s possible to cut down on your costs by hundreds, sometimes even thousands of dollars depending on just how old your jet ski is.
If those prices have you intrigued, then I encourage you to keep reading. I did a lot of thorough digging on the costs of new jet skis from all the major brands. These include Kawasaki, Sea-Doo, and Yamaha. There’s even data on the costs of used jet skis in case you’re considering one. Let’s get started.
How Much Does a Kawasaki Jet Ski Cost?
One of the top names in personal watercrafts, Kawasaki produces a range of jet skis. The current ones on the market include three-passenger, stand-up, and three-passenger supercharged vehicles. Older models run the gamut from single-rider jet skis to those that can hold one or two other passengers.
Per Kawasaki’s website, here’s how the prices break down.
Kawasaki 3-Passenger Supercharged Jet Ski Ultra 310X Prices
For the three-passenger supercharged Jet Ski Ultra 310X, there are the following models:
- 2018 or 2019 Jet Ski Ultra 310LX: $17,999
- 2018 or 2019 Jet Ski Ultra 310R: $16,299
- 2018 or 2019 Jet Ski Ultra 310X: $15,299
- 2018 or 2019 Jet Ski Ultra 310X SE: $15,799
Kawasaki 3-Passenger Jet Ski STX-15F and Ultra LX Prices
If you favor more traditional three-passenger Kawasaki jet skis, your options include:
- 2018 or 2019 Jet Ski Ultra LX: $11,199
- 2018 or 2019 Jet Ski STX-15F: $9,699
Kawasaki Stand Up Jet Ski SX-R Prices
If you want a stand-up jet ski, you can select from:
- 2018 or 2019 Jet Ski SX-R: $9,999
Used Kawasaki Jet Ski Prices
The prices for all used jet skis will come courtesy of PWC Trader, a top resource for buying and selling used personal watercrafts. That said, if you go to a local shop and get your used jet ski there, the prices may be higher or lower than what’s reflected on this site.
Here’s a smattering of listings for used Kawasaki jet skis:
- 2006 Jet Ski STX-15F: $7,500
- 2014 Jet Ski Ultra LX: $8,900
- 2017 Jet Ski STX-15F: $7,999
- 2018 Jet Ski Ultra 310LX: $11,997
- 2019 Jet Ski Ultra 310LX: $16,488
How Much Does a Sea-Doo Jet Ski Cost?
Sea-Doo markets itself as “affordable and fun,” which is why many first-time jet ski owners gravitate towards this brand. They produce a range of personal watercrafts, some of which you can even use for fishing.
According to Sea-Doo, here’s a list of their jet ski models and their pricing.
Sea-Doo Tow Sports Jet Ski Models Prices
The Tow Sports family includes these models:
- Sea-Doo WAKE 155: $11,999
- Sea-Doo WAKE PRO 230: $14,799
Sea-Doo Touring Jet Ski Models Prices
The models in the Touring line are:
- Sea-Doo GTX 155/230: $12,799
- Sea-Doo GTX LIMITED 230/300: $16,099
Sea-Doo Recreation Jet Ski Models Prices
In the Recreation series, you’ll find the following:
- Sea-Doo GTI SE 130/155: $10,599
- Sea-Doo GTI 90/130: $8,799
Sea-Doo Rec Lite Jet Ski Models Prices
Then there are the Rec Lite jet skis:
- Sea-Doo SPARK: $5,399
- Sea-Doo SPARK TRIXX: $7,499
Sea-Doo Sport Fishing Jet Ski Models Prices
If you want to go fishing, then you’ll want the Fish Pro. This jet ski, which retails at $14,799, has room for three people max. You get a boarding ladder, larger rear platform, a watertight phone box, a trolling mode, Garmin with a fish-finding feature, a fishing bench seat, and a fishing cooler from LinQ.
Sea-Doo Performance Jet Ski Models Prices
As for the Performance series, here’s the pricing of Sea-Doo’s models in that line:
- Sea-Doo GTR 230: $12,199
- Sea-Doo GTR-X 230: $13,199
- Sea-Doo RXT 230: $13,899
- Sea-Doo RXT-X 300: $15,799
- Sea-Doo RXP-X 300: $15,399
Used Sea-Doo Jet Ski Prices
Going back to PWC Trader again, here are some prices you might pay for a used Sea-Doo jet ski:
- 2014 GTX LIMITED IS 260: $9,999
- 2017 GTI 90: $16,000
- 2016 WAKE 155: $8,800
- 2019 SPARK: $4,899
How Much Does a Yamaha Jet Ski Cost?
The other major brand we must cover is Yamaha. Their award-winning jet skis (their Yamaha GP1800R received the 2017 and the 2018 Watercraft of the Year Award) might fit your lifestyle and budget exceptionally well.
Per their website, Yamaha has four series of personal watercrafts: the Performance Race Series, FX Series, VX Series, and EX Series. Let’s get into the pricing for each one now.
Yamaha WaveRunner Rec-Lite Jet Skis EX Series Prices
Starting with the EX Series, these recreationally light jet skis have the following price points:
- Yamaha WaveRunner EX: $6,799
- Yamaha WaveRunner EX Sport: $7,799
- Yamaha WaveRunner EX Deluxe: $8,799
- Yamaha WaveRunner EXR: $9,299
Yamaha WaveRunner Recreation Jet Skis VX Series Prices
Next, there’s the VX Series, a step up from the EX jet skis. They include:
- Yamaha WaveRunner VX-C: $8,999
- Yamaha WaveRunner VX: $9,699
- Yamaha WaveRunner VX Deluxe: $10,499
- Yamaha WaveRunner VX Cruiser: $10,799
- Yamaha WaveRunner VX Limited: $11,199
- Yamaha WaveRunner VX Cruiser HO: $11,499
Yamaha WaveRunner Luxury Jet Skis FX Series Prices
For pure luxury, try the FX Series and the following models:
- Yamaha WaveRunner FX HO: $13,499
- Yamaha WaveRunner FX Cruiser HO: $13,999
- Yamaha WaveRunner FX SVHO: $15,499
- Yamaha WaveRunner FX Cruiser SVHO: $16,199
Yamaha WaveRunner Performance Race Series Jet Skis Prices
Then there’s the Premium Race Series, the cream of the Yamaha crop. Here’s an overview of prices:
- Yamaha WaveRunner SUPERJET: $8,499
- Yamaha WaveRunner VXR: $12,299
- Yamaha WaveRunner GP1800R: $14,199
Used Yamaha WaveRunner Jet Skis Prices
If you’re considering a used Yamaha, check out these prices courtesy of PWC Trader:
- 2006 WaveRunner FX 140: $8,500
- 2008 WaveRunner FX Cruiser HO: $6,400
- 2011 FZR1800: $18,250
- 2016 FX Cruiser SVHO: $12,488
Why the Price Fluctuations?
If you compare the prices I shared above to the jet ski averages I mentioned in the intro, everything fits. The Kawasaki Jet Ski Ultra 310LX costs just shy of $18,000, the higher end you should expect to pay. The Sea-Doo SPARK, one of the most affordable jet skis by far, squeaks by at a little more than $5,300. That’s slightly more than the lower end of the average, but it does prove that such jet skis are out there.
What makes one jet ski less than $5,500 and another close to $20k? In this section, I’ll tell you the factors that get built into the overall price.
Brand
Kawasaki, Sea-Doo, and Yamaha have generations of excellence producing personal watercrafts. You can trust in the quality of a jet ski from one of these brands based on name alone. For that brand recognition and seal of quality, you will pay more.
Smaller jet ski brands that might exist now or in the future wouldn’t have that same recognition. They’d thus have to price their personal watercrafts lower. Since you, a consumer, wouldn’t know who this brand is, if they charge high prices, you’d balk and think it’s presumptuous. That’s partly why well-known brands can get away with jacking up the prices of their jet skis.
Not that I think, any of the models listed are unnecessarily expensive. You generally get what you pay for with a personal watercraft. I’ll explain more as we continue along this section.
New vs. Used
Then there’s the little matter of if you decide to get your jet ski new or used. Both have more fees tied to the purchase than the baseline Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP), so you have to keep that in mind.
For instance, Yamaha’s website. Their prices all say “starting at.” Kawasaki lists the MSRP outright and Sea-Doo says their prices are “from” the dollar amount.
What does that mean? Well, the prices on those sites are the lowest amount of money you could pay. By making modifications to your personal watercraft or otherwise altering it in any way, you’re driving up price. For instance, if you wanted a more powerful engine for your jet ski, that’s going to cost you. You can often upgrade seating capacity for some models, which again makes your total asking price higher than what you originally anticipated.
If you’re budgeting for a new jet ski then, keep in mind the prices listed on the website are very rarely exactly what you’ll pay in the end. Even if you don’t touch the jet ski’s features, there’s taxes, possible shipping, and other fees you’ll have to cover.
What about used watercrafts? Unlike a new one, where the manufacturer determines price, with a used jet ski, that asking price is at the discretion of the third-party seller. They could have a $6,500 jet ski and decide to inflate the price to $8,000 or $9,000. Yes, even though it’s used. Will someone bite and go for that higher price? If they really want the jet ski, then sure.
You should know better. Always do your homework before committing to the price of a used jet ski. Compare prices for that same watercraft from other sellers. Is the seller in question charging way more? Ask them why. You can try to haggle a bit, but this doesn’t always go over super well. Some sellers get stuck on a price, as unfair as it can be. You’re better off just moving on.
If you stumble upon a jet ski with a surprisingly low price, you again want to ask why. The watercraft could have major issues that necessitate this decrease in cost.
Size
It’s no surprise that the bigger your jet ski, the more you will pay for it. That’s not always universally true, but it usually is.
Horsepower
Each jet ski has a certain amount of horsepower. This influences speed. As I mentioned earlier in this section, you can potentially upgrade the engine and thus boost the horsepower if you want to. Doing so often ratchets up the final price of your jet ski.
Features and Accessories
What kinds of features do you want your jet ski to have? For each one you add, the overall cost of your watercraft goes up. Let’s take the Sea-Doo SPARK TRIXX as an example. It’s an affordable favorite that costs $7,499 initially. If we upgraded with a sound system, then already, the SPARK TRIXX inches up to $8,049.
Why stop there? If you wanted to add some accessories, here’s how much they’d cost:
- Fire extinguisher: $29.99
- Safety equipment gear: $17.99
- Registration kit that’s 10.2 centimeters or four inches: $34.99
- Registration kit that’s 7.6 centimeters or three inches: $29.99
- Side protector: $139.99
- Boarding step: $94.99
- Ski module: $134.99
Let’s add them all on except the second, smaller registration kit. Now, what am I looking at for the price of the SPARK TRIXX? It’s $8,471.95. Is that horrible? No. That said, it’s almost a thousand dollars more than the price listed on the website.
Again, that’s before factoring in taxes and possible shipping as well. That could drive the price up to well over $9,000.
Even once you buy your jet ski, you also have to pay to insure it, maintain it, and store it. Check out this article I wrote on how much money you’ll shell out to do all that.
Conclusion
Jet skis cost between $5,000 and $18,000 on average. That is, if you go new. By getting a used watercraft, you can sometimes save money, but it admittedly depends on the whims of the third-party seller.
If you’re considering buying your first jet ski, I hope this article provided you the guidance you need to make a financially sound choice. Good luck!