How to Choose Your First Electric Skateboard?

Battery Capacity & Motor Power

Which type of rider are you? Are you a thrill-seeking rider, a commuter, or someone who just wants to use a better way to get around? As we all know, the bigger battery capacity comes with a further cruising range. If you plan to buy an electric skateboard for your commute, it is better to choose one with a range of at least twice your commute distance. Besides, the bigger motor power output is recommended for roads with more uphill or thrill-seeking riders due to more acceleration and higher max speed.

Belt motor or Hub motor?

The pros of belt-driven motor are that its faster, more torque, can be used with many wheels. But it usually makes more noise due to mechanical friction and comes with a more complicated structure.
On the other hand, hub motor's far less maintenance, much quieter, and the enclosed structure to keep it from sand or dust entering. Besides, you are able to use the board as a regular longboard after the battery is dead. The trade-off is it has less torque and lacks wheel customization. Though it all comes to personal preference, most beginner skaters choose the hub motor board as it requires less maintenance than belt-driven motors.

Longboard vs a Short One? 

Short electric skateboard is perfect for your quick errands and shorter commutes. And it is optimized for portability, making it easier and more versatile to use in public transportation and indoor spaces. However, the shorter deck is not very stable at higher speeds than longboards. So longboards are recommended for most beginners. And the deck width must enter into consideration too so as to fits the rider's feet. Besides, it is better to choose a deck with the foot concaves so you will always know where your feet are on the deck and you won’t go slipping about or tire your feet too much.

PU wheels or Rubber wheels?

Polyurethane (PU) wheels are recommended for well-paved city streets, bicycle lanes, or on campus.
Off road wheels' flexibility can soak up the bumps on the unpaved road to making longer commutes more comfortable, but it also can drain the battery faster due to more friction between the wheel and road and make the board looks bulky.

Top-mount board or Drop-deck board?

Drop-deck board comes with reverse setting trucks that can lower the center of gravity, so you can have a more stable riding experience.
Top-mount board has more turning ability due to more leverage on your trucks, the trade-off is less stable, and easy to have speed wobble at high speed. In all, reverse setting trucks are perfect for a beginner.

Weight & Portability

Each electric skateboard has its max load, so please take your weight into account when you choose.
And the board's weight is also important, in case you may need to carry the skateboard up/downstairs during your commute.