An electric assist cart includes: a drive wheel provided in a body frame; a control handle used by an operator to input a driving force to the body frame; a torque sensor that detects a driving torque applied to the body frame from the control handle; a controller that computes an assisting force applied to the drive wheel based on the driving torque; an electric motor that applies the assisting force to the drive wheel; a brake that brakes the drive wheel and switches from a braking state to an unbraking state when a predetermined electric current flows; and a brake release switch manipulated by an operator to allow the controller to instruct the predetermined electric current to flow to the brake, wherein the controller maintains the braking state of the brake even when the brake release switch is manipulated without turning on power, and power is then turned on.