We've said it before and will say it again: humanity is living in the golden age of rideable technology right now. Over the past few years, electric motors have become smaller and more powerful, while batteries have become more power dense and accessible two trends that have coalesced and kicked off a renaissance in personal transportation devices. Before we get started with our video detailing the best electric skateboards on the market, we have included links in the description for each product mentioned, so make sure you check those out to see which one is in your budget range. Starting off with the best overall electric skateboard we have the INBOARD M1. Electric skateboards have been getting better and better over the last couple years, but for some reason, most of them still suffer from the same big drawbacks: they're cumbersome to carry around, and practically impossible to ride like a normal skateboard when the battery dies. But the Inboard M1 is different. Inboard designed this beast from the ground up to address all the pain points that come with other electric boards, and after whipping it around the convention center parking lot at CES, I'm here to tell you that they absolutely nailed it.
This board blows every other electric skateboard out of the water. A myriad of features separate the M1 from the rest of the pack, but the secret sauce is really in the wheels. Instead of using a belt-drive or gear system like you'll find on every other electric skate, Inboards M1 is equipped with two hub motors built directly into the rear wheels. This configuration not only makes the board more quick and responsive; it also allows the wheels to spin freely when the motors aren't engaged so even when the battery dies, you're still free to push, slide, and bomb down hills just like you would on a regular longboard.
The battery system is also pretty brilliant. Rather than following the crowd and using a fixed rechargeable battery, Inboard built the M1 with an interchangeable power system wherein the batteries can be swapped. This means that when you inevitably run out of juice, you don't have to plug this board in and wait around for it to recharge before you can just pull your spare battery out, pop it into the deck, and keep riding.
Inboard made some really smart design choices here, and they all come together to provide one of the most enjoyable riding experiences I've ever had on an electric board. The M1 feels fantastic under your feet. When you let off the throttle, the board just coasts along there's no belt-induced resistance to give you that unintentional brake effect. This, along with the boards relatively low weight, makes the ride feel drastically more fluid and free than other electric skateboards I've tried. If you're in the market for an electric skateboard, this one should definitely be on your radar. You'll need to dish out $1,400 to get your hands on one, which is definitely not a small amount of money but in my opinion the unparalleled riding experience justifies the high price tag.
Inboard is currently finishing up production and expects to start shipping the boards to customers in the next few months, so keep an eye out for the M1 sometime around May. Next up we have the best commuter skateboard which goes to the Boosted Mini S. Boosted makes some of the best electric longboards in the biz, and the Mini is no exception. Despite the fact that it doesn't boast quite as much battery life as its larger siblings, it makes up for that shortcoming with a myriad of awesome features. Our favorite? The deck. Its got this lovely radial concave shape that provides a comfortable yet responsive platform for you to stand on, and this time Boosted even gave it a kicktail. This makes it much easier to whip the board around and perform tight turns when necessary. The Minis deck is also considerably shorter than that of previous Boosted boards, so it's super easy to pick up and take on a bus/train/whatever. This board also comes with Boosteds top-notch control system and therefore provides extremely smooth acceleration/deceleration while you ride.
On cheaper boards, acceleration and braking are either to fast and jarring, or too mellow and sluggish but Boosted boards strike a perfect balance. The Mini feels powerful yet controlled under your feet, allowing you to ride confidently no matter what your skill level. This board is absolutely ideal for commuters. Up next we have the most powerful skateboard which goes to the ACTON BLINK QU4TRO. On paper, the Quatro is a beast. This monstrosity of a skateboard carries four hub motors (one in each wheel) that collectively provide 2,000 watts of power, and propel the board along at speeds up to 23 miles per hour. It also has insane amounts of torque enough to push a car on flat ground, or propel a 165 pound rider over a hill with a 30-percent grade.
Think San Francisco steep. On top of that, it's also equipped with a massive battery that fills up most of the boards 39-in deck and provides over 22 miles of range on a single charge. To hold all that matters, the board is constructed from aircraft-grade aluminum and feels extremely sturdy as a result. You'll also notice a handful of little flourishes that don't come standard on most electric longboards things like lights around all four sides, and an innovative suspension system built into the trucks. Its easily one of the most feature-packed boards we've ever stood on.
The Quatros burly four-wheel drive system and outrageous amounts of speed and torque are arguably the board's biggest selling points, but they're really just the tip of the iceberg. There's a lot going on behind the scenes that gives the Quatro an extremely polished underfoot feel. First and foremost, there's the motors. Unlike some other boards on the market, the Quatro sports a set of hub motors, meaning the motors live inside the wheel and don't need to be attached via a belt or chain.
This essentially means that the Quatros wheels roll with less resistance when they're unpowered, allowing you to coast freely when you let off the throttle, and also push the board manually if necessary. Unfortunately, the Quatros massive weight (24 pounds) means its a bit of a chore to push even with the low-friction drive mechanism, but to be fair, the board has such a ridiculously long range that you'll rarely need to kick it manually. In addition to the boards fantastic coasting abilities, the throttle is exquisitely well-tuned. Both acceleration and deceleration are incredibly smooth and actuated in a gradual manner that doesn't throw you off balance even if you're quick and heavy on the throttle.
It's definitely still possible to accelerate or decelerate too hard and send yourself flying onto the pavement (especially in Pro mode), but Actons throttle and brakes are far less touchy compared to most other boards we've ridden. Next we have the best designed electric skateboard which goes to the OneWheel Plus. We checked out the original Onewheel a few years back, and more recently got a chance to rip the new-and-improved version around PDX and although it isn't what you'd typically consider a traditional skateboard, its still one of our favorite rideable gizmos of all time. To be perfectly honest, the only reason we didn't give it our top spot as the best overall electric skateboard is because its not really a skateboard.
In addition to bearing little resemblance to a traditional skate, it also feels completely different under your feet. The ride is more like a strange blend of snowboarding, wakeboarding, and skateboarding and once you get the hang of it, its nothing short of addicting. The best part is that its pretty much all-terrain. The big go-kart wheel between your feet allows you to tromp over just about anything gravel driveways, small potholes, and even muddy patches of grass. This makes the Onewheel far more free and dynamic than a traditional longboard. You don't necessarily have to stick to sidewalks and streets. When the going gets tough and you find yourself on a patch of dirt or gravel, you can just bend your knees and blast through. This is the rideable device to get! Up next we have the best budget board which goes to the ACTON BLINK LITE V2. While frequent skaters may prefer to invest in a premium electric skateboard, folks who use their board less often or primarily on the weekends may want to start with a budget option. The Blink Lite, for example, is a lot less expensive than many of the others on this list which is perfect for someone looking for a more casual way to get around town.
Weighing just pounds, this sucker is one of the lightest electric skateboards on the market right now. Its maximum power output is just over half of the larger Blink S2 board, but its range is just miles short, standing at 5 miles. One of the neater features is actually off the board Acton allows its Blink Board users to connect to the Acton app to log miles, record routes, and document adventures. You can even participate in challenges against other riders. Just don't expect to rip this little guy up any big hills. It just doesn't have the oomph to make it happen! And for our last pick we have the smoothest ride electric skateboard, which goes to the Boosted 2 Dual plus.
In addition to Boosteds fantastic handheld throttle mechanism, the board's motors are exquisitely well-tuned so much so that we dare say they offer the smoothest acceleration and deceleration of any electric board we've ever ridden. On most boards, you'll experience a bit of a jarring effect when you hit the throttle or brakes, no matter how hard or soft you try to accelerate. This is especially pronounced when starting from a dead stop. More often than not, the average board will speed up too quickly for your muscles to adjust, thereby throwing you off balance but we experienced no such effect with the Boosted 2 Dual+. Bringing yourself to a gentle stop doesn't require an ultra-delicate touch on the decelerator. You can actually mash the brakes fairly hard without flying off the front of your board, because the motors slow you down in a gradual (but still strong) way. As an added bonus, the board's software can be tuned to suit different users. If you're a beginner, you can limit the board to a top speed of 11 mph and make acceleration/deceleration even more gradual than it usually is.
If you want a bit more speed, but don't want to eat up all your battery power, just put the board in Eco mode; it'll top out at 16 mph but leave you enough oomph to power up moderately-sized hills. And if you're a real ripper, you can kick the board into either Pro or Expert modes both of which will get you up to (or over) 20 miles per hour. Toggling between these modes is as easy as pressing a button on the controller. So that sums up our top electric skateboards of 2019.
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