Where to Find the Best Hoverboard for Kids: Tips From a Parent Who Did the Research
I was wiping salsa off the kitchen table after taco Tuesday last March when my 10-year-old Milo slammed his phone down next to my dish towel. “See? Jax can do an ollie off the curb. Can I please get a hoverboard?”
I’d heard all the horror stories from a decade back about faulty batteries catching fire, and I assumed hoverboards were just another overhyped fad that’d collect dust in our garage alongside the scooter he rode twice and the vending machine toy he begged for at the grocery store. But I also noticed Milo had been glued to his screen more often than not after his fall soccer season ended. His physical therapist had mentioned working on core strength and balance after he broke his wrist falling off his bike the summer before, so I figured if it got him outside moving, it was worth looking into.
I started my search close to home, heading to Target the next Saturday. They had four models stacked by the front entrance next to the kids’ bikes. I leaned on the cheapest $120 option, and the plastic base creaked under my weight. The nicest big-name brand model was $425, which was way more than I wanted to spend for a toy Milo might lose interest in by summer. The floor worker couldn’t tell me if any of the models had the updated battery safety certification, just shrugged and said “all the ones here are fine.” I left empty handed.
Next I spent three nights scrolling Amazon after Milo went to bed. There were hundreds of options, from $90 no-name brands to $500 premium models built for tricks. I quickly caught on that most of the glowing 5-star reviews were from people who got a free or discounted board in exchange for a review, so I started filtering for only verified purchases with customer photos. I also made a non-negotiable rule: any board I considered had to clearly list UL 2272 certification, the current safety standard that prevents batteries from overheating. That one check eliminates most of the old fire risk people worry about, so I wasn’t going to skip it. I was this close to adding a $150 certified model to my cart when I ran into Jax’s mom at the mailbox the next morning. She told me she’d bought their son’s board at the local independent bike shop on Main Street, and I should check it out. I’d never thought of a bike shop for hoverboards, but I had 20 minutes before I had to pick Milo up from school, so I popped in.
The shop owner, Dave, who’s run the place for 20 years, had five kid-specific hoverboards leaned up by the counter. He didn’t push the most expensive model on me. He asked how old Milo was, what he’d be using it for, and what my budget was. When I said beginner, just cruising around the neighborhood, $150 to $300, he pulled out a mid-range model, explained it had built-in speed control that capped it at 7 miles an hour so it wouldn’t get away from a new rider, and pointed right to the UL certification sticker on the bottom. He even told me to bring Milo back after school to test it on the parking lot pavement before I bought it.
Milo said it felt sturdier than Jax’s cheaper Amazon board, and the $220 price tag was right in my budget. Dave also added that if anything broke in the first year—battery, motor, anything—he could fix it in shop for half the cost of sending it back to a manufacturer. That sold me immediately.
After buying ours, I started thinking through all the options available for parents looking, and what works for different situations. If you’re on a tight budget, our local parent Facebook group always has used hoverboards for sale—kids outgrow them in a year or two, so most are barely used. I saw the same model I bought listed for $70 just a month before I bought mine new. The only concrete steps you need to take here are ask the seller to show you the UL certification sticker on the bottom, and test ride it for five minutes before you buy to make sure the steering doesn’t wobble and the battery holds a charge.
If you like trying before you buy but don’t have a local bike shop that carries them, big box stores like Walmart and Target work fine—just check for the UL sticker yourself, don’t take an employee’s word for it, and give the base a little shake to see if it feels flimsy before you check out. If you’re comfortable ordering online and don’t mind going through the return process if it’s not right, Amazon is great as long as you stick to verified reviews and skip any brand that doesn’t clearly list the UL certification. I’d steer clear of those random no-name boards that pop up in your Instagram ads—they’re almost always uncertified, and you can never get ahold of anyone if something goes wrong.
It’s been six months now. Some weeks, Milo rides it every single day after school, racing Jax up and down the cul-de-sac, practicing his wobbly curb turns. Some weeks, it leans against the garage door while he obsesses over his new Star Wars Lego set. I don’t mind that—part of the point of getting it was to give him another option besides screens, and it does that. I still unplug the charger once it’s done charging when he’s been riding it a lot, just to be extra safe, and we haven’t had a single issue.
There’s no one “best” place to buy a kid’s hoverboard, honestly. It just depends on your budget, how much work you want to put in, and whether you want to test it before you buy. If I had to do it again, I’d still start at the local bike shop—for a little more than the cheapest Amazon option, I got the peace of mind of someone who knows rideable toys helping me pick it out, and a local place to go if something breaks. But if that doesn’t work for you, there are solid options out there, as long as you don’t skip the simple safety check.
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