Golf cart, LSV, or NEV?
A standard golf cart tops out under 20 mph and is not federally regulated as a motor vehicle. A Low Speed Vehicle (LSV), sometimes called a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle, reaches 20 to 25 mph and is regulated under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 500. LSVs get a VIN, and in most states they are titled, registered and insured like a car.
Federal equipment required on an LSV
- Headlights, tail lights and stop lights
- Front and rear turn signal lamps
- Red reflex reflectors — one on each side and one at the rear
- An exterior mirror on the driver side plus either an interior mirror or a passenger-side exterior mirror
- A parking brake
- A windshield meeting the federal glazing standard
- A Vehicle Identification Number
- A Type 1 or Type 2 seat belt at each designated seating position
How the states we serve differ
Requirements vary and change; always confirm with your state DMV or local municipality before purchase. In broad terms: Delaware, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina all register LSVs for road use on streets posted at or below 35 mph, with local exceptions along the beaches. Pennsylvania and New Jersey are more restrictive — carts are generally limited to private property, permitted communities and specific municipal ordinances. Virginia, Indiana and Vermont permit local ordinance-based operation that differs town by town.
Memorial Day Golf Carts sells LSV-equipped carts and can bring an existing cart up to LSV specification. Every vehicle page on this site shows whether that specific cart is street legal, and the inventory search has a street legal filter.
Insurance
Where an LSV is registered for road use, liability insurance is normally required, and most auto carriers will add an LSV to an existing policy inexpensively. Even where insurance is not required, coverage is worth carrying — carts are frequently stolen and are rarely covered by homeowners policies once they leave the property.