Quick answer: Can you post a hoverboard? Not as an ordinary parcel: its lithium-ion battery counts as dangerous goods, so a courier must agree to carry it before you book, and our 8.5-inch board, at about 144 Wh, sits above the 100 Wh line. By car, carry it switched off in its bag; for trains and buses, ask the operator first.
Why can't a hoverboard go in the post like any other parcel?
Because of what sits inside the casing. Each of our boards and kart sets runs on a built-in lithium-ion battery, and in transport that battery counts as dangerous goods. The parcel has to be classified, packed and marked for what it is, and GOV.UK's guidance on moving dangerous goods gives that job to whoever sends it. Post a board yourself, and that is you.
Battery size matters too. Carriers apply stricter terms above 100 Wh, and our two boards sit on either side of that line:
| What you are sending | Battery | Energy | Against 100 Wh |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.5-inch board, or the 6.5-inch kart combo | 24 V, 4.0 Ah lithium-ion | about 96 Wh | below |
| 8.5-inch all-terrain board, or the 8.5-inch kart set | 36 V, 4.0 Ah lithium-ion | about 144 Wh | above |
| A Hoverkart seat without a board | none | none | not dangerous goods |
The rows match the 6.5-inch board for hard ground and the 8.5-inch outdoor board. We work the watt-hours out from volts and amp-hours, so read the label under your own board before you quote a figure.
Can you send a hoverboard by courier?
Only with a courier that has said yes before you book. Sending a hoverboard by courier goes in this order:
- Look the board over. A pack that has swollen, leaked or run hot, taken a hard drop or been under water stays at home; the box below lists the signs.
- Read the label under the board for volts, amp-hours and watt-hours.
- Contact the courier first. Tell them it is a hoverboard, give the watt-hours of its lithium-ion battery, and ask whether they accept it and how it must be packed and marked.
- Keep their answer in writing. The 8.5-inch board, at about 144 Wh, goes nowhere without that written yes.
- Turn the board off, then pack it exactly as the courier asks. The carry bag protects the board in your hands; it is not packaging for a parcel.
- Describe the parcel honestly. A battery hidden under another name puts the people handling it at risk.
How do I send a board back to you?
You do not post it. Boards and kart sets never come back to us through the post: message us first, and we book a carrier cleared for the battery to collect the goods. The cancellation period, the collection and its cost are on our page about how our deliveries and collections handle the battery.
Seats for our sit-down karts are the exception. The Hoverkart Standard, ordered as a seat alone, contains nothing electrical, so ordinary post is fine, a return to us included.
How should you transport a hoverboard in a car?
For most riders the car is how a board reaches private land worth riding on. The job is keeping it still and at a sensible temperature.
- Power it down, then put it in its carry bag. One comes with each of our boards and with the 8.5-inch kart set.
- Lay it flat in the boot and wedge it in, so it cannot slide or tip when you brake. A board loose on a seat can be thrown forward.
- Do not leave it in a parked car in strong sun. London Fire Brigade warns against long spells in direct sunlight for these batteries.
- On winter evenings, take the board indoors rather than leaving it in the car overnight, and give it time indoors to warm up before it goes on charge. Our guide on keeping a board through the cold months has more.
- Carry it from the car to the field, paddock or garden where the owner agreed to your riding. Never ride on pavements, on roads or in car parks, not even for the last few metres: see which places are open to a hoverboard.
Can you take a hoverboard on a train or bus?
That is for the operator to decide, not us. We have not found one published rule on hoverboards that covers rail, bus and tram companies and London's transport network alike, so we will not guess at one. Before you travel:
- ask the operator whether a hoverboard, battery included, may come on board, and keep the reply if they put it in writing;
- carry the board switched off, in its bag, and keep it with you for the whole journey;
- never ride it in a station, on a platform or at a bus stop: those are public places.
What changes if you are flying?
Everything depends on the airline, so do not plan a trip around the board. Carrying dangerous goods by air falls under internationally agreed rules of its own, separate from those for road and sea. Ask the airline in writing before you book, and treat the board as staying at home until it has said yes. Our guide to taking a hoverboard on a plane works through what about 96 Wh and about 144 Wh mean against those limits.
Can I charge it on the way?
No. Charge at home before you set off, with the charger packed in that board's own box and no other. London Fire Brigade's advice: use the battery's own charger, because the wrong one can overload it. That rules out every shortcut for charging on the move:
- a "12v to 42v charger" for the car socket;
- a portable charger for a hoverboard, a power bank or an external battery pack;
- a solar charger.
Can you charge a hoverboard without its charger? Not one of ours. Lost the charger? Give us your order number instead of buying an unknown one; we do not sell loose chargers. At home, let it charge on tiles or concrete, with someone up and about in the house, never overnight. After a cold journey let the board warm up indoors first; after a hard ride, let it cool. If it then will not charge, our list of checks for a board that refuses to charge comes next.
Selling your board: should you post it to the buyer?
Hand it over in person if you possibly can. The buyer sees board, charger and manual together, and no lithium-ion battery has to travel as a parcel. If it has to be sent, every courier step above applies, and you are the sender. Never sell or send a board whose battery shows a sign from the box below. A worn or damaged pack goes for recycling instead; our guide lists the signs that a battery is worn or damaged.
This board should not travel
Leave the board where it is, unplugged and unpacked, and message us if:
- the casing has bulged, lifted or split near the battery;
- it smells of burning or chemicals, hisses or crackles, or is hot while switched off;
- it has taken a hard drop, or the casing has cracked;
- it has been under water, or water has got inside it.
Move anything flammable away from it. If smoke appears, get everyone out, shut the door and call 999.
Questions riders ask
Can I post a Hoverkart seat without a board?
Yes. Without a board attached, the seat carries no battery or motor, so it travels as an ordinary parcel, returns to us included.
Could I remove the battery and send it separately?
No. Never open the casing to get at the battery. The pack is wired in, a slip can short it, and a loose lithium-ion battery is still dangerous goods in transport.
What should I tell a courier about a hoverboard?
That the parcel is a hoverboard whose lithium-ion battery is built in, which board it is, the watt-hours on its label and the condition it is in. Ask how it must be packed and marked, and keep their answer in writing.
Is the 6.5-inch board easier to send than the 8.5-inch?
Its battery, about 96 Wh, sits below the 100 Wh line, so it avoids the stricter terms for larger packs. It still counts as dangerous goods, though, and still has to go with a courier that agrees to take it before you book.
Can I ride the board to the courier's drop-off point?
No. Roads, pavements and car parks are all closed to hoverboards in Great Britain. Carry it in its bag or take it by car, and save the riding for private ground the owner lets you use.