![15 Best Electric Skateboards in 2021 [From Budget to Best]](http://shredlights.com/cdn/shop/articles/Screen-Shot-2021-08-24-at-2.42.02-PM.jpg?v=1629842021&width=1500)
15 Best Electric Skateboards in 2021 [From Budget to Best]
Electric skateboarding is a quickly growing market with enough new boards to overwhelm even the most experienced riders. We’ve compiled a list of the 15 best electric skateboards to help you stay informed in the current market and hopefully make a more informed Eboard purchase.
For each board, we calculated a “Shred Score” to rank it against its competitors. This ranking has been formulated based on 11 key defining factors: price, speed, range, acceleration, smoothness, weight, customer support, warranty length, ease of wheel and battery swap, and smartphone app compatibility. Using this, we have ranked each of these top 15 boards out of a perfect 10 to see which board comes out on top.
At the end of 2021, we created the ESK8 Rider's Poll where the community of electric skateboard riders voted on their picks for the best electric skateboards of 2021 across 12 different categories.
Table of Contents
Electric Skateboards Compared
Here is the comparison table we made for our Top 15 Electric Skateboards. We believe these 11 categories are the most important for a potential buyer to consider when purchasing an electric skateboard.
1. Lacroix Lonestar Supersport
The king of electric skateboards, Lacroix never fails to deliver. Their Lonestar Supersport is impressive in every way. This board has immense power and ridiculous range, for anyone looking to shell out over $4,000… this is the board for you. However, with great range and power comes great size and weight. This would definitely not be ideal for carrying into a store, office, or classroom.
Pros:
- Power
- Range
- Customer Service
Cons:
- Price
- Weight
- Lack of Practicality
2. Backfire Zealot S
The successor to one of the most widely acclaimed boards, the Backfire Zealot, the Zealot S offers a premium, smooth, powerful ride all for under $1000. The Zealot S is a very enjoyable board to ride, the power delivery is smooth and strong and the board still feels very nimble. The deck has a nice amount of flex without being unstable. All in all, it is a very solid and well-rounded board backed by Backfire’s excellent customer service.
Pros:
- Smooth throttle/brake curves
- Build Quality
- Customer Service
Cons:
- Real world range is more like 20 miles instead of claimed 24
- Motors and ESC get unreasonably hot
- Off-the-line acceleration may feel too soft for spirited riders
3. Exway Flex Riot
The Exway Flex Riot is a well-made board with plenty of features and solid performance numbers. It may not be the fastest on the list, but it has plenty of power for most riders to be pleased and hosts a reliable range. Paired with Exway’s customer service, the Flex Riot is an easy board to recommend especially for the price. From our testing we see the Exway Flex Riot as a cheaper Backfire Zealot S alternative with lower performance.
Pros:
- Build Quality
- Customer Service
- Smooth Throttle/Brake Curves
Cons:
- Lower top speed than the competitors
- Smaller wheel size may lead to a rougher riding experience
- Exway’s part supply is inconsistent; finding replacement parts in stock is difficult
4. Propel Endeavor Pro
**Contact Info@ShredLights.com, for further information.
Propel’s newest board the Endeavor Pro, sports a VESC (a more customizable and powerful ESC than most pre-built Eboards). It is very powerful and has an impressive range, frequently compared to Lacroix for a fraction of the price. However, the size and weight are similar to Lacroix boards, so this is definitely not an easy board to carry around. This board has independent suspension which provides an even more capable off-road experience, but this adds to the number of moving parts that can break.
Pros:
- Power
- Range
- Price
Cons:
- Weight
- Lack of Practicality
- Complicated Design
5. Revel Kit 4WD (ER)
Representing direct drive motors on this list is Revel’s 4 wheel drive “kit.” Offering ultimate freedom of deck choice, this is a dream come true for those riders who want more customization. In our acceleration testing we are struggling to find any board that can match the power of the 4wd Revel kit for remotely the same price. Revel’s customer service does often rely on you shipping the kits back to them for any work which can be costly and annoying to go without a board for weeks.
Pros:
- Loads of Power and Torque
- Direct Drive means easy wheel swaps with no belts or belt tension
- Swappable Batteries
Cons:
- Heavier than most other street boards
- Spare batteries are quite expensive ($199 - $249 each)
- Direct drive motors have minimal ground clearance and will get beaten up by road debris easily
6. Exway Atlas Carbon-4WD AT
**Requires Top Mounted Lights: How To Video**
The Exway Atlas Carbon-4WD features pneumatic all terrain tires and Exway’s premium build quality and feature set. 4WD gives this board not only very impressive off-road capabilities and power. Exway also offers an array of cool extras for the board, our favorite being the fender Shredlight Mounts.
Pros:
- Power
- 4WD Pneumatic Traction
- Shredlight Fender Mounts
Cons:
- Real world range with 4WD is much less than advertised
- Maintenance on 4 Belts
- Double Kingpins are a personal preference
7. Exway Wave (Cruiser style board)
The Exway Wave proves that size doesn’t matter. Sporting a unique design among short decks, you can wave goodbye to clumsy size constraints and bring the Wave with you everywhere you go. With fast-swap batteries, an RGB taillight, swappable drivetrain, and an integrated app, last mile transportation has never had so many features.
Pros
- Size
- Integrated app
- Unparalleled agility
Cons
- Less range
- Less speed
- Smaller deck means a less comfortable ride
8. Wowgo 2S Pro
The newest model within the $400-$500 price range is the Wowgo 2s Pro. This board boasts the edge in range among entry-level boards if you're looking for longer rides. It offers a smooth riding experience and a turbo mode for extra power output. The battery is also a 12s2p pack which provides more voltage to the board for a more premium experience.
Pros
- Range among immediate competitors
- Standby mode to power on using just the remote
- Price
Cons
- No Wowgo brand larger hub motor PU sleeve
- One-button remote control makes navigation clumsy
- Lower top speed than the Meepo V3
9. Meepo V3
The Meepo V3 is one of the most popular if not the most popular budget electric skateboard on the planet. It has a very good price-to-performance ratio and out of the 3 main budget boards (Wowgo 2s Pro, Backfire G2 Black, Meepo V3) has the most performance. What the V3 gains in speed and power, it loses in comfort, smoothness, and range. Meepo’s quality control seems to be more hit or miss than Backfire and Wowgo though, some V3’s we’ve owned have run for 1,000+ miles without a single issue and others have been riddled with problems.
Pros
- Speed (for the price)
- Power (for the price)
- Price
Cons
- Less range than competition
- Throttle/Braking Curves are harsher than competition
- Build Quality
10. Backfire G2 Black
This may be the easiest board to recommend to someone apprehensive about the handy skills required to maintain an electric skateboard. Backfire is a company known for its good customer service in the community, and will always be available to help with any issues you might have. If you've got a big problem, Backfire will offer to ship your board to one of their American warehouses for professional maintenance, free of charge. The G2 black model is smooth and beginner-friendly while still offering a top speed in the mid 20s.
Pros
- Customer Service
- Smooth Throttle/Brake Curves
- Price
Cons
- Less Power than Competition
- Lower top speed than the Competition
- The hard deck coupled with the hub motors makes rough riding conditions worse
11. OneWheel XR+
The OneWheel XR+ earns its place among electric skateboards with its impressive range and ability to handle a diverse range of terrains. Comparing it to other more conventional electric skateboards on paper doesn’t do the impressive engineering and build quality justice. Onewheel offers a completely different riding experience than conventional electric skateboarding but is arguably more fun. Onewheel also has almost unbeatable customer service.
Pros
- Diverse Terrain Capabilities
- Build Quality/Customer Service
- Fun Factor
Cons
- Less stable than conventional boards (potentially more dangerous)
- Price
- Weight
12. Evolve Hadean Carbon AT
**Rear/Tail Lights Must Be Top Mounted: : How To Video**
The Evolve Hadean Carbon AT is a new release from Evolve, aimed to top the current Evolve GTR series, and has an impressive range rating. Evolve also focused heavily on power and cooling with this new board after some issues with the GTR line. Hill climbing is something Evolve said the Hadean will excel at.
Pros
- Power
- Range
- Build Quality
Cons
- Exorbitant Price
- Weight
- Less Top Speed than Competition
13. Meepo AWD Pro
The Meepo AWD Pro is a very powerful and fast board, unmatched speed and power for the money. For someone looking in the sub $1,000 range of the budget category for raw performance at all costs this is a good choice. With this performance comes tradeoffs; the acceleration and brakes on this board are very jerky. Even experienced riders with this throttle can be thrown off. For heavier riders, this jerkiness is less noticeable and the riding experience is much more manageable. As this board is designed for heavier riders, the deck is super stiff making comfort another afterthought.
Pros
- Power
- Speed
- 4WD Traction
Cons
- Jerky Throttle/Brake curves
- Weight
- Comfort
14. Wowgo AT2
**Rear/Tail Lights Must Be Top Mounted: How To Video**
Off-road access has never been so cheap. The Wowgo AT2’s wooden deck and foam grip tape makes one of the most comfortable rides on any terrain at a price many street boards can’t compete with. Its double kingpin trucks allow for a fun carving experience and are constructed in a way such that you can adjust both kingpins without disassembling the whole board.
Pros
- Comfort
- Versatility on and off road
- Price
Cons
- ESC limits the motors and will heat up significantly
- Double kingpins are a personal preference
- Stock bushings may be unstable at high speeds
15. Boosted Stealth
A classic staple in the community, the Boosted Stealth was the original premium board. Smooth acceleration curve, in-house engineered super-flex deck, and the paradigm silhouette that almost every street board has clung to, makes this board a stand out success that has stood the test of time. Although Boosted no longer exists as a company, they are widely known in the community and still held in high regard.
Pros
- Build quality
- Poplar deck is among the nicest to date
- Familiarity with Boosted in the esk8 community
Cons
- Customer Service is limited to smaller official retailer companies
- 3M belts are prone to snapping
- Expensive to buy/replace parts
Electric Skateboard Buying Guide
Before buying an electric skateboard, there are a few key factors that are important to the overall buying decision. Below we’ve compiled a few factors to consider:
Removable Battery and Drive Train
- Having a removable battery and changeable wheels are both hugely beneficial when riding a board. On the Revel kit for example, a rider is able to bring a spare battery or two in a backpack and in less than 30 seconds change a dead battery for a new one and keep riding.
- Wheel options are also very convenient so the rider can choose a larger, more pliable wheel for comfort and top speed or a smaller, harder wheel for quicker acceleration and responsiveness. This is a big reason why some people prefer belt or direct drive boards to hub motors like the Meepo V3. Hub motors can be very harsh over rough roads whereas a belt drive board with Boosted 105s or Cloud wheels will absorb the bumps much better.
Regenerative Braking System
- Every electric skateboard on the market today uses a form of regenerative braking as the board’s “brakes.” Regenerative braking flips the polarity of the electric motors and begins converting the board and rider’s momentum into electricity to put back in the battery. A board without regenerative braking would have a physical brake like a drum or disc brake system that converts momentum into heat energy.
Remote Control
- Most new electric skateboards out today come with remotes with “telemetry displays.” These screens will often show the rider current speed of the board, board battery level, remote battery level, and sometimes an odometer. Sometimes these remotes will give the rider settings to adjust like wheel size so the speed rating is more accurate, generally speaking though we find a quality GPS ride tracking app like “Yours Truly” (on the App Store) to be more accurate.
Warranty and Service
- Most electric skate companies will support a 6 month warranty from the time that you receive your board. This usually includes replacements or repairs for factory defects. Some companies have local warehouses in your country that can provide maintenance and repairs whereas others ship you replacement parts and rely on you to do the repairs yourself.
- Some companies like Boosted are known for making all of their components proprietary so that the rider would have to buy Boosted Brand parts from companies like The Boosted Guys. Other companies have less proprietary parts so riders are able to purchase parts from more generic retailers like Amazon or eBay.
Air Travel
- Most airlines have a battery capacity limit of 100Wh or 144Wh. Before flying with your board be sure to check your battery size and your airline’s lithium battery policy. If your board battery is too big, see if the company offers a smaller travel battery that meets your airline’s requirements.
- Flying with electric skateboards can be tricky, as they can be too bulky to carry on and have batteries too large to be checked. All batteries must be removed from checked baggage prior to checking and moved to carry on, where only batteries that meet acceptable size limits may be permitted to be taken on the plane.
- If your battery is too large to be taken on a passenger plane, your only option is to ship the battery separately.
Conclusion
We hope the information provided will be helpful to you in making a more educated electric skateboard purchase! Don’t forget to pair your new electric skateboard with a set of Shredlights. For questions concerning Shredlights compatibility on your new board, check out our fit guide and ride safely!
