Where to Find the Best Hoverboard for Kids: Practical Tips From a Parent Who Did the Research
Last April, I stood on the sidelines of my 10-year-old’s soccer practice, half-way through a lukewarm coffee, when he tugged my sleeve hard enough to slosh it over the edge of the cup. He was staring across the parking lot, where his classmate Jax was zooming back and forth on a neon blue hoverboard, dodging cleat bags and water coolers like a pro. “Mom,” he said, “I’ve saved $120 from dog walking and allowance. Can we get one? Please?”
I said I’d look into it, fully expecting the hype to die down in a week. But it didn’t. Every playdate turned into a hoverboard demo over at Jax’s house, and every scroll through his TikTok For You Page ended up full of 10-year-olds doing hoverboard tricks. So I dug in, and what I didn’t expect was how confusing it would be to figure out where to even start looking. Cheap no-name models popped up all over my Instagram feed for $60, big box stores only had a handful of options, and every Amazon review seemed to be either 5 stars or one star calling the whole thing a death trap.
Over the course of three weeks, I checked pretty much every possible spot to buy a kids’ hoverboard, and learned a lot about what works for different budgets and needs. First, I stopped at our local independent bike and scooter shop, the one that’s been downtown since before I was a kid. The owner, a guy named Mike who wears a faded baseball hat and fixes our bikes every fall, walked me through the whole thing, no pressure. He pulled out three different models sized for 8 to 12 year olds, and let my son test each one in the empty back lot behind the shop. He pointed out the UL 2272 sticker on the bottom of each, explained that that’s the certification that means the battery won’t overheat and catch fire, which was my biggest worry. He also told me that for kids under 12, you don’t need anything that goes faster than 7 or 8 mph—any faster is just unnecessary risk. The downside? Even the cheapest model he had was $100 more than our total budget. But I left with good info, which was worth the trip.
Next, I checked the local Target and Walmart. Both had a small selection of hoverboards by the front toy section, and I was relieved to see that every single one had the UL 2272 sticker—after all the recalls a few years back, big box stores don’t stock uncertified models anymore. The prices were right in our range, but the only model in budget was a 15-pound board, and my son is still only 70 pounds, so it felt too heavy for him to haul up the steps to his bedroom or carry to the park. He could barely lift it in the store, so I crossed that off the list. The selection was so limited there wasn’t another option in our price range, so I moved on.
My sister suggested I check Nextdoor and Facebook Marketplace for a used one, which I hadn’t thought of. Kids outgrow hoverboards so fast, or lose interest after a few months, so there are always people selling barely used ones for half the original price. I found one nearby, it was a year old, name brand, originally $220, they were asking $80. Before I went to check it out, I pulled up the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s recall page and typed in the model number, just to make sure it wasn’t on the list. It wasn’t, so I went, my son tested it out in their driveway, we checked that the battery held a charge for 30 minutes of riding, and looked for any cracks in the plastic frame. It was in perfect shape. But in the end, we ended up going with a new one from Amazon, because my son really wanted the light-up wheels he’d seen at Jax’s, and the used one didn’t have that. That’s just how kid things go.
When I shopped on Amazon, I stuck to two rules: I only looked at models that clearly said they were UL 2272 certified, and I only bought from a model that was shipped and sold by Amazon, not a random third-party seller. A lot of uncertified sellers will list their boards as certified even when they aren’t, so buying from a trusted seller cuts down on that risk. We got the one we wanted for $180 total, which fit our budget, and it’s been working great for 8 months.
What I’ve learned is that there’s no single “best” place to buy a kids’ hoverboard, it just depends on what you need. If you’ve got room in your budget and want to test it out before you buy, local bike shops are unbeatable for help and safety, and they even offer repairs if something breaks down the line. If you want a cheap new one and need to see the size in person, big box stores are solid, with easy returns if it doesn’t work out. If you want to save the most money, used from local marketplaces is great as long as you do the two-minute recall check and test it in person before you pay. And if you like the convenience of online shopping, stick to major trusted platforms and always filter for the safety certification.
My son rides his at least three times a week now, usually after school, out in the cul-de-sac with the other neighborhood kids. It’s gotten him off his tablet more than any screen time rule I’ve ever enforced, which I didn’t expect. Sometimes he leaves it leaning against the porch for days when he’s busy with his rock collection, but that’s okay. I still hold my breath a little when he zooms past our driveway, but he wears his helmet and pads, and the board’s never had a problem. It’s not a perfect toy, but it’s worked out for us, and the whole process of finding it was a lot less stressful once I knew what each place had to offer.
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