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For the better part of a decade, we've been putting electric skateboards through our robust and comprehensive testing. With over 45 boards bought and reviewed since we started, we've gotten our fair share of bumps and bruises along the way, but it was all worth it to unearth the best options on the market. For this update, we looked at 13 of today's best e-skateboards and tested them head-to-head. We pushed these boards as hard as they would go, measuring their top speed, range, braking power, and how steep of a hill they could climb. We also rated and compared how each board handled rough terrain and how comfortable they were to ride — taking each model on bumpy trails, cruisey pavement, and everything in between. Read on to see which skateboard claimed the top spot, which is the best for off-roading, and which is the best bargain option.
If you're more into freestyle than high-speed cruising, check out our list of top skateboards. If you like the thought of skateboarding but feel like you need something that you can actually hold on to, we've also tested electric scooters. For a totally different approach to battery-powered travel, head over our hoverboard review.
Editor's Note: This review was updated on September 6, 2024, to include new models from Backfire, JKing, Meepo, and Caroma. We also included buying advice to help steer you to the perfect ride you're looking for.
Our testing team fell in love with the Backfire Zealot S2, even though isn't our top scoring electric skateboard. How is that possible? It delivers an outstanding blend of eye-watering speed, hill-gobbling power, marathon-plus range and brakes that compete with boards that cost twice as much. Basically, the Zealot S2 delivers high-end performance at a midrange price point, making it a great buy for experienced riders who can handle its GearLab-tested 30.8 mph top speed.
Compared to the previous Backfire Zealot S version, the new S2 is 2.6 pounds heavier, likely due to its more powerful Samsung 40T 403Wh battery system. Interestingly, this new version isn't significantly faster than the S, nor does it have more range, and we suspect the majority of the new battery power translates into more torque. What is fantastic about the new S2 is its ability to zoom up hills with ease. Our testers were amazed at how fast they could blast up a steep 14-15% grade. “The Zealot S2 board just eats hills,” said our lead tester, a bit of glee in his voice.
We were surprised and delighted by the sheer vibrant brightness delivered by the Zealot S2's new built-in deck lighting system. If you want to turn some heads or ride at night, the S2 should be on your shortlist.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
The new S2 also includes an upgraded, modernized controller that will let you tune the acceleration and braking characteristics to match your skills and your riding environment — as well as control built-in lighting. If you like a bit of bling and aren't afraid of attention, Backfire improved on the previous generation's below-deck lighting by integrating a new full-coverage LED light strip around the perimeter of the deck, making the board a spectacle to see when night starts to encroach. With its 26.1 mile confirmed range, the S2 is a great choice for commuters looking to cruise and carve to work or school without needing to worry about a midday recharge. Plus, if your commute includes hills, this new Zealot is the kind of board that can make you smile on the climb.
Of course, the Backfire Zealot S2 isn't perfect. The hard PU wheels aren't the smoothest on rough pavement, so if your paths are thrashed, you might want to consider an all-terrain alternative like the JKing Jupiter-01 All-Terrain that has crack-smoothing 6-inch rubber tires. As for beginner friendliness, our testers felt that the S2's powerful acceleration was tough to tame even at its lowest mode settings, which might prove hard for newbies to master quickly. Still, if you're a beginner with good balance and are willing to practice, the Zealot S2 is an ESK8 ride you can grow into — and one that could deliver thrills for years to come.
Along with riding these boards for hours on end, we measure every aspect of the board and wheels to give you the nitty gritty details to help you decide which board is right for you.
The Ownboard Carbon Zeus Pro is our top-scoring electric skateboard, possessing the fastest top speed and the greatest range of any board we've tested. It can climb up hills with no problem, and the remote is comfortable in-hand and offers intuitive controls. This model has four settings, including a turbo mode, which gave us the ability to really rip it. The selection of settings allows a rider to fit it to their skill level and allows beginners to ease into the power that this board is capable of.
While the Carbon Zeus Pro has a wicked-fast 34 mph tested top speed, overall ride comfort surprised us again and again. Despite having a relatively stiff carbon-fiber deck, the Zeus softens the feel on your feet through thickly padded grip tape. “The foam under the tape seems to give this board a flexy feeling, somewhat similar to a bamboo deck — without being truly flexible,” one tester explained. “It's surprisingly comfortable, especially at higher speeds and for longer distances.” Meanwhile, the air-filled all-terrain tires soften the feel of cracks and gravel at all speeds.
The speed test raised our heart rate when getting measurements. We think any thrill seeker will be stoked to hit top speeds on this board.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
The impressive range and speed make this board a standout for commuters who need to cover a lot of ground, but we can't ignore its playful chops. If you like to bomb down gravel paths or cut through grassy parks, the Zeus inspires confidence along the way. Few beginners will ever grow out of this board, and expert speed demons will appreciate the powerful brakes — which are clearly needed by those who regularly lean into 30-plus mph sections.
Speaking of powerful brakes, sometimes a pro is also a con: The only real performance drawback of this premium ESK8 ride is that its braking system takes some time to get used to because the stopping power can be harshly abrupt. For beginners and even intermediate riders, the brakes decelerate so quickly that they can possibly toss the rider off if they aren't prepared. If smooth and stable braking is a top priority, we'd recommend the OneWheel GT or its less expensive sibling, the OneWheel Pint. The Zeus also makes a high-pitched whiny noise when traveling at higher speeds for any sustained amount of time, which doesn't affect the performance but can be slightly annoying. Being a top-of-the-line model, this board is on the pricier side, but for those who crave speed and are willing to splurge, the Carbon Zeus Pro will not let you down.
The Onewheel Pint is one of our favorite electric skateboards from the Onewheel brand, and it handles poor-quality pavement as well as off-road terrain with ease. This pint-sized self-balancing skateboard is exceptionally fun to ride, with its massive monowheel easily cruising over obstacles and terrain that would stop other boards in their tracks. Its top speed is less than half that of our fastest tested e-skateboards, but it's peppy acceleration and hill-climbing prowess make it feel zoomy with a chill surfing vibe.
There is a lot to appreciate about the Pint, but our testers couldn't stop gushing over how well it rolls over pavement cracks, giving them a cushy ride where standard skateboards vibrate, buck us over bumps and sometimes intrude on our groovy days. Of course, the Pint's off-road capabilities command attention, too, letting us cut corners over grassy berms or shoot down narrow dirt paths on the way to our favorite hidden gems around Lake Tahoe. Compared to longboards, the Pint turns on a dime. Sharp turns on trails were more fun than bothersome, and when obstacles suddenly appeared in our paths, dodging felt natural. The large single wheel isn't the only feature that lets us explore off the paved path — the Pint's braking system is stellar, coming to a complete stop in just 14 ft, topping our brake-testing charts with ease.
The Pint gave us no problems cruising over rough roads, debris, and even shallow puddles during our testing process. As for the ride inducing smiles, we consider those a bonus.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Because this little Onewheel is so capable over rough terrain, it's a great choice for anyone who deals with poorly maintained pavement, sidewalks and recreational paths. Similarly, if you're riding on multi-use paths with a lot of walker/jogger traffic, the Pint lets you easily swerve off the path and onto grass or gravel to give kids, dogs, or other riders appropriate space when passing by. Non-AT skateboards just aren't as smoothly good at this kind of riding challenge.
There are some drawbacks to the monowheel design. The Onewheel Pint can be off-putting if you aren't a fan of self-balancing boards. The board is essentially useless when its battery dies, and it can be a little less comfortable than the standard boards to ride for long distances. It also can't go up the steepest hills without bottoming out. We'd steer you towards the Ownboard Carbon Zeus Pro if long rides are a priority. If you like single-wheeled designs, we'd recommend checking out the OneWheel GT as an upgrade pick that offers a 25-mile range vs the Pint's 10-mile range. However, the Pint is a fantastic choice if you are searching for the surfy feel of a monowheel board on a budget.
The Pint will dampen the roughest roads and conditions out there, giving you peace of mind while riding. So go ahead, crank it up because you have some sweet pneumatics underneath to help you out.
The Meepo V5 is our favorite budget option for anyone looking for a solid overall performance at a reasonable entry-level price point. The V5 stands out with beginner-friendly features in its distinctive mode settings. While some boards dial down the top speed and soften the brakes, many boards have a hard time smoothing acceleration to the gentle levels beginners appreciate. Meepo's four modes give new riders confidence-building options that progress incrementally without surprising unsuspecting newbies with board-launching acceleration or forced run-off-the-board braking.
However, that's not to say the brakes aren't effective. In fact, the standout feature that surprised us most during the testing process was the V5's powerful brakes. Just a couple of versions ago, the Meepo V3 had above-average brakes, but the V5's brakes have continued to evolve and now compete well with boards that cost a lot more. “In our brake test on a steep hill, I was amazed at how well this relatively affordable board was able to slow me down, letting me step off with ease,” noted one 190-pound test rider.
Our long-range test confirmed Meepo's 12-mile range, even with a 190-pound test rider.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
The V5 is one of the best boards we've tested for beginners needing easy modes to learn on. For more experienced riders, our testers praised the plenty-fast top speed of 24.6 mph, which can be helpful for anyone needing to get to work or school on time. We also appreciated the built-in carry handle, which is great for carrying the board when you meet friends in town or walk through buildings or no-skate zones on campus.
The biggest drawback to the Meepo V5 is its relatively limited range of 10.9 miles, which makes it suitable only for those with short commutes or the ability to easily recharge between rides. To be fair, Meepo does offer an extended-range version at a higher price point. If you're looking for a similar board with a bit better ride comfort and out-of-the-box range, the V5 only narrowly bested the Backfire G2 in our charts, and we think it is a particularly competitive option for experienced skateboarders considering their first electronic ride. The V5, though, keeps a slight edge for versatility: We appreciate the hefty 330-pound weight rating and the built-in power and brakes that can handle larger riders, giving all sizes of beginners a versatile option that's fast enough for almost everyone.
We measure key components on each board to confirm manufacturer specs and help us understand why some designs result in different ride characteristics.
If you're looking to ride off the paved path but just looking at the price of premium all-terrain options has you hitting the brakes, the more affordable JKing Jupiter-01 All-Terrain might be the trail-ready board for you. After we cruised over pavement cracks with nonchalant ease, we looked for more challenging trails to put this AT board through some harder tests around Lake Tahoe. We zoomed over dusty dirt roads, hit short-cut trails through parks and over grassy berms, and even accelerated over gravel and sand.
Along our varied test paths, we quickly learned that the standout feature of this board is its airless 6-inch tires. They tamed unexpected bumps, carved surprisingly smoothly, and let us ride through possible sharp debris without worrying about punctures slowing us down. Over rough pavement surfaces and small cracks, the tires performed similarly well. “The solid, honeycomb rubber tire feel isn't as smooth as air-filled tires on rough pavement, but they're far smoother and transmit less vibration than hard PU wheels,” one tester explained.
When we tested this AT board on dusty, stick-strewn dirt and gravel roads, we felt confident playing around with fast stops.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
What's great about the Jupiter-01 is that it's a great all-around board for beginners who want to get into electronic skateboarding but aren't yet sure about where they're going to ride — glossy pavement, ripped up paths or on dirt roads and trails? While this AT option is a bit spendier than beginner street-focused boards, it's more affordable for beginners compared to most all-terrain options. And with a top speed of 25.5 mph, we don't think you'll grow out of this board anytime soon.
While this JKing AT option doesn't top our testing charts in any single metric, it delivers solid performances across every metric except range, which is its biggest drawback. While our range test confirmed a 12-mile range specification claimed by JKing on a relatively flat, paved surface, we don't believe most riders will be able to replicate that range over more varied, challenging terrain that tends to consume more battery power than smooth surfaces. If you're a rider who wants to kick up dust for hours or cruise without care for miles, the longer-range Ownboard Carbon Zeus Pro (33.3-mile range) or Onewheel GT (25-mile range) might be worth the higher price point. However, let's be clear: If you just want to bust off a curb, rip through a curvy dirt trail, spray gravel, and ignore leaves and pine needles to see if going AT is as fun as it sounds, the Jupiter-01 is a solid place to start.
The Onewheel GT is the new and improved flagship model from one of the most recognizable names in electric skateboards. This massive monowheel can tackle virtually any terrain and cruises over bumps and cracks better than any of the competition. Riding the GT is super fun and handles more like riding a snowboard than a traditional skateboard. Controlling the Onewheel is different from typical four-wheeled electric skateboards. Instead of using a remote to control speed and braking, the Onewheel reacts to foot pressure and board tilt. If you want to accelerate, lean forward and increase pressure on your front foot. If you want to slow, lean back and increase pressure on your back foot. Once we got the hang of it, we found that riding the GT was incredibly intuitive, and we quickly fell in love with the fun, floaty vibe delivered by the big 12" single tire.
One of the GT's best features is the braking system. Because you're naturally leaning back to slow the Onewheel, your position on the board reduces the chances of getting pitched forward as the board slows down. Plus, the brakes are powerful. We were able to stop very quickly, with surprising confidence. “Overall, the GT is one of the smoothest braking boards I've ever ridden,” noted our lead tester.
We loved how easily the Onewheel GT cruised over a variety of terrain types while letting us adjust speed and braking with just our balance.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
If you're looking for a fun, floaty ride over all sorts of terrain, the GT is stellar option. It cruises like a dream on pavement but also lets you dive off the beaten path. We appreciate the ability to cruise over gravel, power through sand, and zip onto dirt trails on a whim. At the same time, its 25-mile range and hill-climbing prowess make it great for covering ground, letting you play all along your ride without worrying about a low-range battery leaving you stranded.
Our main gripe with the Onewheel GT is that your front foot must put pressure on both sides of the sensor while starting up. It's a great feature for not having the board accidentally get up and go while you're first getting on; however, a lot of the time, the sensors would stop registering as we tilted forward and the motor wouldn't engage, causing us to tip forward and stumble off the board (usually in front of onlookers). On the plus side, once you're going, you can adjust your feet without stopping. Having concave on every edge of the footpads may help somewhat with traction, but it isn't very comfortable when riding for a sustained amount of time. If you're drawn to lengthy rides, we'd steer you to the Ownboard Carbon Zeus Pro. With its 33-mile range, it was a joy to take on even the longest cruises. One other minor consideration for the GT is its steeper learning curve, but that's true with any self-balancing board. Onewheel offers an app so you can adjust ride modes, helping you ease into its single-wheeled design. This app also includes numerous tutorials to reduce your chances of catching unintentional air time on your inaugural rides. Once you get the hang of it, this E-board is a lot of fun and will keep you grinning from ear to ear.
The GT's front foot sensors force you to keep your foot in position while starting up, but we must admit, the playful feel makes up for it.
When we started testing the low-cost, entry-level JKing H2, our expectations were low, primarily due to its relatively underpowered 350-watt dual hub motors and battery system. However, this short little electric skateboard packed enough torque to make it up our 10% grade test hill with a 190-pound tester (although it coulnd't handle the steeper 14%-15% grade hill test), leading us to believe that smaller, lighter riders will get along just fine. The 15.8 mph max speed is slower than top models, but for beginners and younger riders, it's perfect. Better yet, the H2's brakes managed to slow the board successfully on descents, increasing our confidence.
The JKing H2 might be a little board, but we put it through our full testing protocol to evaluate how it performs and who might appreciate it most.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
The biggest drawback is the short 8.2-mile range, which will limit both playtime and commuting distance. Despite that limitation, the H2 has great beginner-friendly settings that smooth acceleration so new riders won't struggle with jerky, overpowered throttles. For a bit more money when it's on sale, the sibling JKing Jupiter-02 Road is almost as beginner-friendly but delivers a longer range of 20.8 miles and a faster top speed of 23.5 mph. Still, the value packed into the H2, especially if you can catch it on sale, makes it easy to recommend for shy beginners wanting to step onto an e-skateboard for the first time.
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How We Test
We spent countless hours researching the specifications of these products and comparing different manufacturer's claims to first determine which boards were good enough to make the cut for our review. We then moved on to determine a grueling series of challenges to differentiate the highest of the high performers and crown the winners. We conducted over 15 comprehensive side-by-side tests, measuring and scoring everything from the maximum speed to the stopping distance on both flat ground and down a steep hill, and then tested power levels when going back up again. We rode these boards hundreds of miles to see how they held up to sustained use — even taking them off-road! — and measured their maximum range head-to-head on flat ground.
We break down our overall score into six key metrics:
Ride Comfort (30% of overall scoring weight)
Range (20% weighting)
Braking (20% weighting)
Speed (10% weighting)
Hills (10% weighting)
Beginner Friendly (10% weighting)
But there is more going on with these metrics than simple scores. In addition to measuring specific performance metrics such as acceleration, we also rode these boards long and hard to evaluate the feel and on-board performance that makes electric skateboards so fun. We evaluated how the shape of the deck feels under our feet after miles of range testing. We considered how deck flexibility combines with the type and size of wheels and trucks to inform why some boards carved with sweet control while others made us feel like our feet could vibrate off at higher speeds. We purposefully rode over bone-jarring cracks again and again to evaluate stability, and we hammered the brakes to simulate emergency stops as if a car had just pulled out in front of us. Sure, we got thrown from boards a few times and have had more than our fair share of high-speed step-offs — but that's just how we roll at GearLab, so you know what to expect when you take a new board out on your first ride.
We purposely find monster cracks to test how each board handles non-perfect pavement, hitting them at increasingly fast speeds to better understand each board's response to adversity.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Why Trust GearLab?
Austin Palmer, Zach Lovell, Ross Patton, and David Wise make up our E-skateboard testing and reviewing team. Austin is an avid skateboarder — both motorized and not — and has been riding for almost two decades, logging over a thousand miles. Since 2015, he has personally ridden and tested over 40 electric skateboards. Over these last eight years, he has ridden over all sorts of terrain, including sand, dirt, grass, rough mountain passes, trails, gravel, snow, and ice. Zach has been involved with product testing/design for over a decade, putting his analytical mind to a vast number of outdoor and tech goods, and he first entered the world of skateboards over twenty years ago. Zach's detail-oriented lens can never be turned off (debatably a gift or a curse), and such a point of view has been indispensable in testing flow sports products.
We use calipers to precisely measure each board's wheel width.
We test charge time by starting with a fully drained board then recording how long it takes to completely recharge the battery.
No product remains untested around here.
David has formal training as a mechanical engineer and has significant experience with lithium battery and brushless motor systems, including building electric go-karts, race cars, scooters, and even a self-balancing skateboard. He lends his expertise when it comes to comparing and scoring the range and power of each board, as well as aiding in the creation of our test plans for these products. Ross has been skateboarding for more than 30 years and has used just about every size and type of skateboard known to man from freestyle-oriented trick boards to some of the first longboards to come out of Southern California. With a formal education in Environmental Science, he is no stranger to the laboratory-based component of product testing either.
We tested electric skateboards on an array of surfaces. We even set up an obstacle course to help us evaluate carving and turning characteristics of our boards in side-by-side comparisons.
Credit: Ross Patton
Analysis and Test Results
We broke our test into six different weighted metrics that encompassed the most important aspects of these products and pushed them to the limit. While your first impression of these products may be that they exist only as a novelty item, these boards can be a great daily commuter vehicle for the skateboard enthusiast. It's hard to argue with the ability to easily and quickly activate brakes or to zoom up a hill with ease.
Safety First!
We always recommend that everyone wears the proper protective equipment, whether they are a new rider or an experienced one, and check local rules and regulations regarding the use of these products before they go ride — no one wants an injury, ticket, or citation.
What's the Best Value?
Unfortunately, you are going to have to pay for it if you want a high-performance electric skateboard. Our reviewers were able to unearth some relatively affordable options, but any E-board is a hefty chunk of change. Fortunately, we've done the hard part for you — finding which options are worth the cash and which ones aren't. The Meepo V5 and Backfire G2 are highly affordable, beginner-friendly, and great for those that are new to electric skateboarding. If you're ready to invest a little more, the Backfire Zealot S2 is fast, flexible, and has an impressive range. If you're looking for a unique monowheel experience but don't feel like emptying out your bank account for a new ride, the Onewheel Pint offers comparable performance to some of the higher-priced models from the brand. For top-tier performance, you're going to have to pay top dollar. The Onewheel GT is the best in the world of monowheels and it's hard to beat the overall performance of the Ownboard Zeus Carbon Pro if you're looking for a four-wheeled ride.
In addition to timed test runs on a closed course, we love to take the best boards out in the wild for high-speed zoom and carve sessions.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Ride Comfort
On all but the smoothest of surfaces, wheel size directly correlates with ride comfort. In almost every case, larger-diameter wheels roll over objects more smoothly than smaller wheels. This gives mono wheeled options like the Onewheel GT a big advantage here, but even some 4-wheeled options, like the Evolve GTR Bamboo 2in1, have large enough wheels to take some roughness out of your ride.
We measure wheel diameter to help us compare riding characteristics.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Deck length affects comfort in a variety of ways. Longer, wider decks give you more positions for your feet, so you're less likely to get achy calf muscles on long rides. Short decks often mean your feet ride directly on top of the trucks, and trucks deliver a lot of road-jarring vibrations through the deck and to your feet. Longer decks usually have commensurate wheelbase (the distance between the front and rear wheels). Having a longer wheelbase usually translates into smoother ride experiences because it allows the deck to maintain a more even angle over bumps. The Meepo Hurricane and the JKing Jupiter-01 All-Terrain have the two longest decks in our lineup, at 40" and 39.8" respectively. It's no coincidence that they are both all-terrain models, as the wider wheelbase also helps provide stability on uneven surfaces.
Many of the most competitive electric skateboards have evolved to longboards ranging from 38-40". Short boards like the JKing H2 sacrifice ride comfort in favor of maneuverability and portability. Monowheel options like the Onewheel Pint are different animals altogether: short yet heavy with poor carry characteristics — but surprisingly, as our combined Ride Comfort metric reveals below, they can be exceptionally smooth-riding and comfortable.
Deck length is hard to judge from a manufacturers photo, so we confirm length and chart the results for easy comparisons.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
While wheel size and deck length are comfort factors, how everything comes together while you ride is what really gets us stoked to test new boards each year. Your board could offer all of the bells, whistles and competitive measurements available, but if you don't enjoy how it rides, how often would you take it for a spin? This metric encompasses how each board feels in all conditions, from the good to the bad to the ugly. We evaluated the comfort of each board, as well as which models we were drawn to over and over again. In other words, those options that possessed that certain je ne sais quoi. We also assessed how each board fared in the face of adversity — how it handles bumpy terrain and if it can successfully clear unexpected cracks in the road.
The Ownboard Carbon Zeus clearly emerged as a front-runner in this metric, with an insanely comfy, padded grip tape on top of a carbon fiber deck. We felt like we could handle anything and, even more importantly, have a ton of fun while doing it. We could never even feel smaller bumps or cracks, and Zeus handled larger terrain features like the god of thunder thanks to its 38.8 in wheelbase and 150 mm pneumatic wheels.
The Zeus is a favorite board to ride among our testers because the soft deck pad, pneumatic wheels, and long deck length combine to deliver an unparalleled blend of comfort, even over rough ground.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
The Backfire Zealot S2 is comfortable, has a great grip, and it feels solid at high speeds. Its large wheelbase, relatively big 96mm PU wheels, and wide trucks aid in handling the nastiest of bumps and cracks — though you'll definitely feel those rougher obstacles as you roll over.
Truck width is one indicator of stability. By measuring and charting key specifications, we confirm manufacturer reports, clarify manufacturer claims, and identify factors that can contribute to pure riding joy.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
We were drawn to the Onewheel Pint and OneWheel GT for all-terrain fun, with a more surfy ride that felt like we were on snowboards rather than skateboards. Both of these OneWheel options were most comfortable for short to medium-length rides — with footpad sensors and concave shaping causing more discomfort on the longer cruises.
The OneWheel GT absolutely ripped, letting us zoom off the easy path to evaluate its performance over wild terrain.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
The ability of these OneWheel boards to handle bumpy terrain and unexpected cracks is among the best we've seen. Boards designed for traveling over mud, grass, sand, and snow should easily handle some rough spots on the asphalt, and we confirmed this several times. Either of these boards are great options if you know that you're going to be riding over less-than-perfect pavement. Alternatively, the Evolve GTR Bamboo 2in1 lets you swap out different types of wheels to tackle different terrain, but it's flexy deck is its most comfortable component, sometimes making us feel like we were carving through dreams. The Backfire G2 is another board with a comfortably flexible deck, while the Jupiter-02 Road has a stiffer deck that sacrifices some comfort in favor of stability at higher speeds.
The Backfire G2 has a relatively flexy deck that helps absorb bumps and vibration, which can improve ride comfort.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
The Jupiter-02 Road has a relatively stiff deck, which is less cushy but can help with stability when riding at faster speeds on smooth pavement.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
The Exway Flex is a 38.3" longboard that can handle moderately bumpy terrain, but anything more requires skill to manage. The build quality is good, but we'd recommend that you use this board on smoother rides. The shortest boards in our test group, the 25.3" Caroma 350W Longboard and 31.5" JKing H2 have jarring and unpleasant rides when going over bad pavement, so we weren't particularly drawn to them unless we knew we were going to be going over smooth roads.
When test riding the Evolve GTR Bamboo 2in1 over rough ground, its large off-road tires cruised over dirt-to-pavement transitions with ease.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Range
Our range tests deliver one of the most important decision metrics for most riders, who need to know how far they can go before their board dies and turns into dead weight to carry around. An important range factor is rider weight, and some boards simply aren't designed for larger riders. What you need to know before you buy is that larger rides will reduce range and that most manufacturers report their range specs as if relatively lightweight riders were on the board. At GearLab, we make sure our range test riders aren't too heavy and aren't too light, usually weighing in around 190 pounds, which technically makes our tests a bit harder than what most manufacturers seem to prefer.
With an awesome 552 lb weight limit, the Meepo Hurricane is a clear standout board that's strong enough for almost everyone. The Exway Flex is similarly impressive with a 400 lb limit. Smaller, less expensive boards often have lower weight limits due to less quality components, but it's important to pay attention to flexy boards, too. The Evolve GTR Bamboo 2in1 tops out at 220 lbs so that a heavy rider won't bottom out and scrape the battery while riding over rough terrain.
To test range, we ride each board around a relatively flat paved loop, counting laps and logging the time it takes before each board's battery completely stops.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
To test the actual range, we ran each board on relatively flat terrain, striving to stay between 13-15 mph until the battery died. We kept them in either an “Eco” mode if it was available or in the riding mode closest to the middle. We also timed how long it took for each board to recharge after it was completely drained.
Caught with a Dead Battery?
If your battery dies while you are out riding, you aren't totally out of luck- at least, depending on which board you are on. Self-balancing models like the Onewheel Pint can't be ridden once they run out of power, so you'll want to pay particular attention to the range of these boards when planning rides. The hub motor boards are the exact opposite, as they can be ridden the same as a normal skateboard when the battery dies, with only a barely noticeable increase in rolling resistance. The belt-driven boards have a fairly noticeable amount of resistance compared to a normal skateboard when you are pushing them around manually, but you can usually manage for short distances without too much suffering.
The Ownboard Zeus topped the charts with a tested range of 33 miles — imagine all of the places you could go with that kind of distance. Its performance also stayed solid for the entirety of its battery life. The battery does take several hours to recharge, though we feel that it's a fair compromise, given how many miles you get out of that charge.
The extended range of the Zeus made us wonder if we should use it as a commuter transport.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
When we range-tested the Backfire Zealot S2, we also saw solid results. The S2 was able to provide top-notch fun for 26.1 miles with decent performance throughout the test.
As more feature-rich boards come into our lab for testing, we tend to see improvements in most metrics, but we also hope for more range — because really, the whole point of having an electric skateboard is to ride it. One metric where more inexpensive boards still trail behind more expensive boards is range. For instance, the Meepo V5 could be an awesome affordable commuter, but its 10.9 mile tested range holds it back. Similarly, the Onewheel Pint is an all-terrain joy ride, but the joy is limited to 10 miles in the best of conditions.
Sometimes we see big gains in charging speed as manufacturers improve battery systems from previous versions. For instance, when comparing the new Backfire Zealot S2 to the previous generation Zealot S, the new S2 version charges much faster — just 2 hours and 3 minutes compared to the old S's 3 and 1/2 hours.
The Caroma 350W Longboard earned a blisteringly fast charge time of just 89 minutes, but it's important to remember that it has a short range and a small battery. The relatively fast under two-hour charge time for the Onewheel Pint helps mitigate its relatively short range. For casual play, the Pint is great, but if you need to cover more distance, we recommend its bigger sibling, the OneWheel GT, which has a GearLab measured range of 25-miles.
We love the Onewheel Pint for casual rides, but if you're in for a longer haul distance, the OneWheel GT may be a good alternate.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Braking
The stopping abilities of each board comprised this crucial metric. We tested how the brakes worked at allowing you to maintain a controlled descent down a steep hill, as well as measuring each option's stopping distance on flat ground.
The OneWheel Pint and the OneWheel GT had the best brakes of the bunch, only taking 14 feet to fully stop from a speed of approximately 12 mph. It also makes it very easy to control your speed while going downhill, but you are limited if the hill gets too steep, as the back of the board will start dragging.
If you're looking for very powerful brakes, the Meepo Hurricane and Ownboard Zeus have impressive stopping power, but that power can be hard to handle for beginners. When we hit the brakes too hard on the Hurricane, we could lock the wheels, which could make it hard to maintain control. The deceleration on the Zeus can also be so severe it might throw off the unsuspecting rider if they slam on the brakes. One reasonably priced board that really surprised us was the Backfire Zealot S2, which made a big leap forward in brake-stopping power and was able to stop in just 21 ft, compared to the 28 ft stopping distance of the previous generation Zealot S.
Chris McNamara testing downhill braking.
Credit: Viktoria Low
Too Much Faith in the Brakes? Don't Push Your Limits.
While having brakes on a board is a fantastic addition, it's prudent to remember that these are not 100% reliable. Many of these boards use the electrical properties of the motor to slow down and divert that energy to the battery — rather than a mechanical brake — and can become disabled if the battery is too full or under other circumstances. A prudent inspection of the owner's manual will state the required precautions to take when using the brakes on each board.
Speed
Our speed metrics seem relatively simple — how fast can an electric skateboard travel? And how fast can it accelerate? These are important metrics, but other factors can affect how safely and comfortably you can ride at higher speeds. If you're a speed demon, you might want to consider truck width. In generation, wider trucks spread the wheels apart, which — if the truck systems are of high quality — can improve high-speed stability. Because of this, it is unsurprising that all-terrain boards like the Evolve GTR Bamboo 2in1 and the Meepo Hurricane have some of the widest truck measurements, giving them a solid base to tackle uneven terrain.
To assess the acceleration of each electric skateboard, we timed how long it took each model to travel a 50' course with a stationary start. We also took into account our various testers' intuition of the acceleration after they had logged significant time on each board, and we also used speed guns, which sometimes captured one-off top speeds that the boards generally can't maintain over at least three test passes — which is the key average top speed number we report in our charts.
If you have a pure need for speed, we geared up in helmet and padding to test max speeds for each board in the lineup. The Ownboard Zeus is an absolute beast of a board, delivering the fastest top speeds tested — a blinding 34 mph. It also offers acceleration times of 3.18 seconds, further confirming this option's rightful place at the top. The Meepo Hurricane is no slouch, clocking in at 31.4 mph with 3.03 seconds of muscle-clenching acceleration to boot.
On a closed test course, we ran each board through a series of timed and averaged speed tests -- and we even used a radar gun to help show our top speeds in action.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
We were particularly pleased to see the relatively affordable Backfire Zealot S2 deliver a very competitive 30.8 mph top speed with a very fast 3.57 seconds acceleration measurement, further cementing its spot as a beginner-friendly board with speed to spare. One of our favorite beginner boards, the Meepo V5 clocked a surprisingly quick 24.6 mph top speed — which makes it a good choice for confident beginners who look forward to crushing the straightaways as they gain confidence. The Onewheel Pint didn't have one of the fastest top speeds in our tests, clocking in at just over 14 mph, but it has phenomenal acceleration. It's extremely fast off the starting line and gets up to speed faster than almost every other board in the entire group. In case you're wondering, such excellent acceleration makes the Pint feel a lot faster than it is — which is also why it's such a blast to ride.
We based our 1-10 speed score on a combination of both the measured top speed and acceleration. Averaging between multiple trials in each test, and taking both factors into account helps us give an overall speed score to each model in our lineup.
What the Onewheel Pint lacks in raw speed, it more than makes up for it with peppy acceleration.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Hills
One our favorite benefits of having an electric skateboard is the ability to zip up hills. However, not all electric skateboards are created equal, and a hill that is easy for one model may prove an insurmountable obstacle to another. We put these products through their paces to see how well they could handle a steep 14%-15% grade with an average sized adult male rider. A smaller or larger rider might find slightly different hill climbing abilities than we did. However, the overall trend and order would remain the same.
The Meepo Hurricane is a torque-monster that zoomed up our steep 14-15% grade test hill in 19 seconds as if it wasn't even there. Quite simply, the Hurricane reset our the bar for our hill-climbing expectations. In fact, our lead tester admitted, his eyes gleaming with excitement, "The first time up I was not expecting that kind of speed!"
Our favorite test hills is a 14-15% grade that our fastest boards fly up in 19-23 seconds. Our slowest test boards take a minute or more to complete this hill -- if at all.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Of course, the 23-second measurements for the Evolve GTR Bamboo 2in1 and Ownboard Carbon Zeus Pro are outstanding, but if this were an Olympic race, the Hurricane would have cruised to mind-boggling a blowout win. To put this in perspective, the relatively solid Meepo V5 took 58 seconds to make it up — three times as long.
We expect the most expensive, powerful boards to perform well in our tough hill climb test, but our riders were very impressed by the surprisingly competitive performance clocked in by the Backfire Zealot S2 and JKing Jupiter-01 All-Terrain — proving that you don't have to spend close to two grand to zoom on the ascent.
We test each remote control for user-friendliness, intuitiveness, comfort while cruising, as well as their ability to change riding modes for each electric skateboard.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Beginner Friendly
A big part of assessing beginner friendliness goes to the remote and how well it modifies the modes that affect key speed, acceleration, and braking characteristics. We also consider the weight of the board itself, which affects how easy it is to carry the board after you arrive at a destination. After considering our findings between these elements, we deduced how amicable each board was for someone new to the sport.
We loved the Evolve GTR Bamboo 2in1 for its customizable speed, acceleration and braking, which can keep the sensitivity of acceleration and braking reasonable for a new rider. The Exway Flex delivers an outstanding balance between improved performance for confident riders with beginner-friendly modes. The little Caroma 350W Longboard is short on features, but it scored well in beginner friendliness because it's underpowered and slow with little torque and soft braking. The Meepo V5 doesn't lead the pack in this metric, but it does have surprisingly good mode separation, which helps beginners step gradually toward increased speed, acceleration and braking.
The Flex scored the highest of any board for how beginner-friendly it is. We loved its modest speed limit and less sensitive brakes/acceleration in beginner mode.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
We found the self-balancing control input of the OneWheel GT and OneWheel Pint to be intuitive, though there is an implicit learning curve to riding on a single wheel rather than four. The brand's app offers customizable ride modes as well as tutorials that are effective tools for easing into the board after purchase.
As with any of our reviews here at GearLab, we weighed each board ourselves. The importance of weight purely will depend on each rider's needs and how often they anticipate transporting/carrying their electric board. The lightest option, the Caroma 350W Longboard came in at trim 7.9 pounds, making it easy to pack for kids and adults alike. For quite a bit more power and performance in a true longboard form factor, our testers very much liked Meepo V5 reasonable weight of just 17.6 pounds — which was easier to carry about town due to its handy cutout carry handle.
OneWheel's app greatly eases the learning curve of their boards.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
How to Choose an Electric Skateboard
If you're struggling to decide which electric skateboard is right for you — or for someone else as a gift — we've put together a handful of key questions, answers, and considerations that can help you tease out the right answer.
How Far Do You Need To Go?
When it's time to choose an electric skateboard, range is one of the most important decision factors. Unlike traditional skateboards and many ebikes, if your e-skateboard runs out of battery, it can be very difficult, if not impossible, to push-kick ride them home manually. When you consider range, it's important to think about there-and-back distances. If your destination is mostly downhill, you'll consume less battery power on the downhill and more on the uphill return ride — so you can't just divide the distance by two and call it good math. Here are several of the most important factors when considering how much e-skateboard range you need:
Weight: Heavier riders will require more energy to move, so heavier rides tend to get less range out of their ESK8 boards than lighter riders.
Speed: Traveling at faster speeds usually consumes more battery power, so higher speeds can reduce overall range.
Hills: Steep hills can suck battery packs dry faster than thirsty kids can crush juice boxes, so think hard about which hills you'll need to climb in your neighborhood.
Terrain: Rough terrain robs electric skateboards of forward momentum, which increases energy requirements and reduces range.
Regenerative Braking: Some boards, like those made by Onewheel, support regenerative braking, which can charge your battery while braking on downhill descents. This can boost your range a bit, but it usually isn't a significant factor when you have to return up hills.
Rest easy knowing we've put every electric skateboard through the wringer to discover each models best and worst qualities.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
What Surface Will You Be Riding On?
Surface quality is a very important factor to consider before buying an electric skateboard. If most of your riding will be on smooth pavement, most electric skateboards will give you decently comfortable ride experiences, even with relatively small, hard PU wheels. If you plan to ride over poorly maintained pavement with a lot of of cracks, gravel or debris, larger diameter wheels tend to give you a smoother, more enjoyable ride because larger wheels roll over obstacles easier. For off roading, you'll definitely need an all-terrain board with rubber tires.
When you consider wheel size, imagine how well differently sized wheels might roll over rocks or cracks!
Credit: Natalie Kafader
In addition to tire size and type, the flexibility of the deck can affect your riding comfort. Flexy decks tend to help absorb bumps while stiffer decks tend to transmit bumps and vibrations to your feet and bones. Longer decks also usually increase comfort over bumps — just like extra-long limousines provide smoother rides in cars. Very short decks can decrease ride comfort in another way; if you choose a board with a short deck, your feet will often be placed directly over the trucks — and those metal trucks will transmit every bump almost directly to your feet, without any deck flex to soften the effect.
The small Caroma 350W Longboard's short deck made our testers feel cramped and constrained.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
What Steepness of Path Will You Be Navigating?
If you have to climb a lot of hills, you'll want a powerful e-skateboard that's designed to deliver plenty of torque. Our rigorous hill test scores are designed to help people figure out which boards talk a good game and which boards actually deliver on the incline. In addition, if you live in a hilly environment, you'll need to consider braking power. You will want to choose a skateboard with strong brakes to make sure you can slow your descents and maintain control — especially if traffic issues appear out of nowhere right in front of you.
What Are the Important Differences Between Hub and Belt-Driven Motors?
There are two key things to consider between hub motors and belt drive motors: Maintenance and performance. In general, hub motors require less maintenance than belt-driven motors. Hub motors are fully contained, essentially hidden and protected inside of a wheel, so they tend to be more reliable. Belts are more exposed to the elements, so debris can sometimes build-up or impede belt functioning, requiring cleaning. Belts sometimes break, so if you're not riding with a replacement belt and tool to replace it, you can get stranded with a useless board to carry home.
The electric skateboard on the left shows an example of a belt-driven motor while the board on the right has a hub motor system.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
When it comes to performance, belt driven motors are generally stronger at braking than hub motors, but hub motors tend to have less rolling resistance, making it possible to freewheel like you can with a traditional skateboard. Hub motors are usually quieter than belt motors, so they're better for cruising incognito. Belt-driven motors often are geared to deliver powerful torque characteristics, which is usually better for heavier riders and ascending hills. Because belt-based systems are often designed to be more powerful, beginners can have a harder time learning if the board doesn't have very good beginner mode selections.
What about dual versus single hub motor configurations? As electronic skateboards have advanced over the years, the only benefit of single hub rides is the very low price of the boards they usually are found on. Dual-hub rides place a motor inside each rear wheel, which almost always results in better acceleration, speed, torque, and braking power.
Like size, shape and purpose, the boards we choose for testing vary greatly in price so we can help you find options no matter your budget.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Price
Electronic skateboards can look similar but vary greatly in price, and when it comes down to it, one of the most important factors in this decision is your budget. We rarely recommend that anyone stretch their budget beyond what's comfortable to them. At the same time, we understand the nuances of this key decision. In general, most boards under $300 will have limited range, limited speed, limited power for larger riders, poor comfort, and questionable longevity. Compared to a traditional non-electric skateboard, they might seem awesome. For example, the Caroma 350W Longboard is more like a toy suited to small, lightweight riders than large, adult riders who need to ride up hills — but it can still deliver a lot of fun if you're casually cruising around your neighborhood.
The biggest value range we're seeing these days for a great blend of performance is coming from boards priced $400 to $1,000. In this price range, you can optimize your preference for increased range, more power, higher speeds, better braking and even try out all-terrain options. Boards in this midrange price point might excel in one or two areas, but you'll usually sacrifice some metric of performance — but at least you can choose which metric means the most to you personally before you buy. A great example of a midrange board is the Backfire Zealot S2, which didn't top our charts in any particular test metric but still managed to win our hearts with its all-around solid performance. It's reachable for beginners unsure of their commitment and powerful enough for experienced riders to enjoy. In general, we get really interested in boards that deliver more than half of the performance characteristics of the next price tier up at less than half the cost.
One question lots of newbies ask: Are higher speeds worth paying for? For most riders, high-speed capabilities aren't usually worth paying extra for unless you know you love speed and will have a place to use it. Most intermediate riders are well into the thrill zone by the time they hit 25 mph — and many rarely go over 20 mph and still have ridiculous fun anyway.
Once you exceed $1,000, you're entering premium territory where each board will tend to perform very well in all metrics — and exceedingly well in some. For instance, the Ownboard Carbon Zeus Pro is a clear speed winner (34.1 mph) but it also delivers outstanding range (33.3 miles) while more affordable JKing Jupiter-01 All-Terrain delivers a respectable 25.5 mph top speed but drops to down to a lackluster 12.3 mile range. If the extra speed in the Zeus isn't important to you, the 33.3-mile range might be worth the extra investment even though you might never hit 34 mph. Of course, if you value quality and have little tolerance for breakdowns, more expensive boards will usually last longer — and might be worth spending more on.
Ready to ride off into the sunset after a long day of testing.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Conclusion
Picking out the perfect electric skateboard that matches your needs and budget can be a surprisingly difficult task, given the enormous spread of costs and capabilities. Cheaper boards can save you initially but can be more of a novelty toy than a high-end model that could even replace a vehicle and become a daily commuter. Hopefully, this review has helped you identify which boards are the best fit for you and aided in your quest to find your first, or your next, electric skateboard.
—Austin Palmer, Ross Patton, Zach Lovell, David Wise and Chris Maxcer
