What’s the best hoverboard for me? Considering the amount of options you have now, it’s hard to tell. You have to juggle factors like price, features and safety.
Thankfully, we have tried and reviewed all of the last generation self balancing scooters so we can help you choose the best hoverboard for you!
In this article, we will go over the basics of what hoverboards are, which boards are better at what tasks, and what you should be looking out for when buying one.
Hoverboards are technically self-balancing scooters. While most people call them hoverboards, you may find them by other names, such as smart balance wheels or hoverboard segways. They’re all the same thing. In this article, we’ll just refer to them as hoverboards.
So, let’s go..
What is a Hoverboard?
“Hoverboard” is the name that people started giving to self balancing electric scooters.
These two-wheeled gadgets use internal gyroscopes to detect the rider’s movements, which in turn activates the electric motors in the wheels.
All you have to do is lean in the direction you want to move and the board will accelerate you there. Check out this video for a quick explanation of what self balancing scooters look like and how fast they can go:
Hoverboards have garnered a ton of popularity with celebrities showing off their gadgets on Instagram in 2015. The craze all but faded towards the end of the year, though, when the first reports of hoverboards catching fire hit the news.
Are Hoverboards Safe Now?
The battery powering your phone (or any of your gadgets) is most likely a Li-Ion battery. Li-Ion, with its incredible energy density, is the de facto standard for any application requiring batteries. The catch: Li-Ion is inherently unstable.
So, why did hoverboards catch fire specifically? We have a whole article about it, but, in short, it’s because of poor manufacturing, low quality components and especially the very nature of hoverboards.
Why is this a big deal?
You see, hoverboards are transportation devices and, as such, they’re going to be exposed to a lot more vibrations and impacts than, say, your phone. This will inevitably exacerbate possible manufacturing defects of the battery and increase the risk of a fire by at least an order of magnitude.
News outlets ran with the stories of hoverboard fires, and most major retailers stopped selling the gadget.
Hoverboard companies rushed to create a safer hoverboard that would pass inspection, and they created prototypes in record time.
Enter UL
Underwriters’ Laboratories is an organization devoted to the testing of electric equipment. They ran tests on hoverboards, to gauge the quality of the components, the manufacturing and the resilience of hoverboards even when used improperly. This includes subjecting the hoverboards to vibrations, drops, motor overloads, water exposure, high and low temperatures, and various kinds of physical stress.
Here’s the deal..
The UL standard 2272 is the one regulating hoverboards. Every hoverboard that has a legitimate UL 2272 certification is completely safe. Therefore we only ever recommend hoverboards that are UL2272 certified.
UL 2272 Certified Hoverboards
The first companies to obtain a UL 2272 certification were the following:
- Swagtron
- Hoverzon
- Razor
- Powerboard
- EPIKGO
- Segway
Let’s take a look at their products.
Best Hoverboard 2026 Comparison Table
| Name | Max Speed | Max Weight Limit | Range | Pros & Cons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swagtron T1 Two Wheel Self Balancing Electric Scooter | 8 mph (12.8 kmh) | 220 lbs (100 kg) | 12 miles (20 km) |  Great design Fast Safe Inexpensive |
| Swagtron T3 Bluetooth Hoverboard with SentryShield | 8 mph (12.8 kmh) | 220 lbs (100 kg) | 12 miles (20 km) | Sturdy Built-in carrying strap Bluetooth speakers Quite a bit more expensive, only makes sense if you NEED bluetooth speakers |
| Hovertrax 2.0 Electric Self Balancing Scooter | 7 mph (11 kmh) | 220 lbs (100 kg) | 12 miles (20 km) | Well-known company Design is kinda odd |
| Powerboard by Hoverboard Self Balancing Hoverboard with LED Lights | 6.2 mph (10 kmh) | 220 lbs (100 kg) | 11 miles (17 km) | Cheapest hoverboard Slower than a Swagtron T1 and not much cheaper |
| EPIKGO Self Balancing Off Road Hoverboard | 12 mph (19 kmh) | 260 lbs (117 kg) | 12 miles (19 km) | Fast charging All terrain Heavy |
| Segway miniPRO Smart Self Balancing Personal Transporter | 10 mph (16 kmh) | 220 lbs (100 kg) | 14 miles (22.5 km) | Fast Big 10.5 inch wheels for riding on grass/gravel Well-known company High price |
1. Swagtron T1
We begin with Swagtron, a company born from the ashes of the now defunct Swagway, LLC. Swagway got itself into trouble with the non-UL certified boards it shipped prior to getting its certification, as well as a trademark infringement lawsuit by Segway.
Swagtron is producing two of the most innovative hoverboards out there, the Swagtron T1 and the Swagtron T3.
You can check out our in-depth review of the Swagtron T1 here.
Both the T1 and the T3 feature a Sentry Shield™ system that basically encases the battery in aluminum, so that if it were to fail, it wouldn’t catch fire. They also come with silicone wheel arch scratch protectors.
Swagtron hoverboards feature a “learning mode” which softens the response from the hoverboards, allowing you to step on and off more easily. For instructions on how to ride a hoverboard, check out our article.
The Swagtron T1 is bridging the gap between high quality components and affordable prices. It may not be as feature rich as some of its competitors, but the reliability and the build quality of this hoverboard are excellent for the price.
2. Swagtron T3
We would recommend the T3 only if you really want bluetooth speakers on your hoverboard.
Another reason to choose the Swagtron T3 is speed: the Swagtron T3 features a “performance mode” which makes the board super responsive and fast. Note that, in practice, the difference is around 2mph.
It’s cool to blast your jams while riding your hoverboard. The extra power is also definitely welcome for heavier riders (or if you want to use your hoverboard on steep inclines).
3. Hoverzon
Hoverzon is a Las Vegas based company that seems to have a contract with the same manufacturer that Swagtron is using: Swagtron and Hoverzon are pretty much putting out the exact same products.
The Hoverzon equivalents of the Swagtron T1 and T3 are, respectively, the Hoverzon S and the Hoverzon XLS.
This is because both Hoverzon and Swagtron are getting their hoverboards from the same manufacturer in China.
Because of this, we are going to merge the Swagtron and Hoverzon hoverboards in this article. Anything we write about the Swagtrons is applicable to the Hoverzons.
If we had to choose between the two, we’d still go for the Swagtron anyway, because the company is larger and they have better customer support.
4. Razor Hovertrax 2.0
The established company that makes kids’ scooters and toys entered the hoverboard game just before the whole fire media frenzy started. Bad timing.
Especially because Razor allegedly purchased the patent for the hoverboards from the creator of the Hovertrax, a kickstarter project that is credited as the first hoverboard concept.
The Razor Hovertrax 2.0 is basically a traditional 6.5 inch wheel hoverboard redesigned more for “branding” purposes than to introduce any new functionality.
The one thing that we like about the design is the inclusion of rubber guards on the wheel arches, so that you don’t have to purchase them separately (like you would for the Powerboard), and your board won’t get scratched up as easily. Because the rubber is an integral part of the board, it seems like this would be a little more secure than the silicone guards that come bundled with both the Swagtron T1 and T3.
And you won’t even really use these guards as much — because of its “EverBalance” technology, this board won’t tumble away from you if you fall or dismount while riding it. This seems minor, but it’s a really neat feature, which makes the Hovertrax 2.0 the best hoverboard for novice riders.
Update: read our full Razor Hovertrax 2.0 Review here.
5. Powerboard by Hoverboard
The laziest of them all, Powerboard by Hoverboard simply modified their hoverboards to pass the UL inspection and be deemed safe, but no cosmetic or functional changes were introduced from the previous generations of hoverboards. This is offset (slightly) by the Powerboard being pretty cheap. We have a more in-depth review of the Powerboard here.
We feel that for most riders looking for a vanilla hoverboard to start with, they should look elsewhere. The Swagtron T5 is, in our opinion, cheaper and better anyway.
6. EPIKGO
The EPIKGO is a brand new hoverboard design: it’s marketed as a off-road hoverboard. It features never-before-seen 8.5 inch wheels with solid rubber tires, which makes it an ideal compromise if you want a hoverboard that can you can ride on grass and gravel, but you don’t want to have something as bulky as the miniPRO. It’s IP 56 certified as well, which means you won’t have to worry about it getting wet: short of submerging it in water, it is completely waterproof. Now you can go for those long hoverboard rides on the beach you’ve always dreamed of.
The bigger standing platforms mean that your stance will be a little wider, for extra stability when going over rough terrain.
This hoverboard is by far the heaviest, heavier than the miniPRO even: it’s 31lbs. So you definitely wanna make sure you have enough battery left to ride it back home, otherwise that’s going to be a long walk carrying this bad boy.
Speaking of battery, the EPIKGO’s fast-charging technology allows you to get the full 10-12 miles of range with a two hour charge, which is pretty impressive.
Overall the EPIKGO is the best hoverboard for rough terrains. We really like the design (a little Dark Knight-esque), and we love the power coming from its motors.
7. Segway miniPRO
Segway felt it was missing out on the hoverboard action, a market that they should’ve intuitively dominated, considering their experience with self-balancing transportation devices.
They let the craze pass them by, as big companies often tend to do.
But they’re trying to create a more refined product with the strategic acquisition of Ninebot, a company that had been making some really good looking electric unicycles.
The Segway hoverboard is not much of a hoverboard at all.. it’s bigger, and has a weird knee support. And the price tag means it’s not a cheap hoverboard at all.
It’s called the miniPRO and was first developed by Ninebot. It also was the very first hoverboard to get a UL 2272 certification in May of 2016.
Read our in-depth review of the miniPRO here.
What really stands out with this model (besides the higher price tag), is the really large 10 inch wheels. This is definitely a very capable hoverboard that can handle grass, gravel, cracks and even small steps.
So which one is the Best Hoverboard for sale right now?
We picked two candidates for best hoverboard, and they all depend on how you like to use your hoverboard:
If you want a smaller, more practical hoverboard that may not fare too well on grass or gravel, the best hoverboard you can get is the Swagtron T1. It’s fast, it features a nice design and it’s not terribly expensive.
If you have quite a bit more money, and you want to ride your hoverboard on grass and gravel or over bigger cracks in the road, the Segway miniPRO is the hoverboard for you. We see no use yet for the remote control features of the miniPRO, although we figure there are a few dads out there who would enjoy driving their kids around remotely. Not that we recommend doing that 😉
In conclusion – The Best Hoverboard of 2026 is..
If you have been waiting for your chance to grab a hoverboard until now, you’re in luck: these hoverboards are fast, fun and safe.
Can I bring any of these hoverboards on a plane?
One thing to note, though is that, because of the earlier batches of hoverboards and their shoddy components, a bunch of places have banned hoverboards outright (check our article for local hoverboard laws). And you definitely can’t fly with any of these. Despite being safe now, the media did its witch hunt, the cat’s out of the bag and we don’t foresee anybody being able to fly with a hoverboard ever (pun intended). Keep this in mind when buying a hoverboard, and you’ll be safe.
Be sure to come back as we update our list of the best self balancing scooters on the market.