Quick answer: Can you take a hoverboard on a plane? Only if the airline agrees, so ask before you book and get the answer in writing. Airlines and airports can refuse battery items they consider dangerous, the CAA's lists do not name hoverboards, and our 8.5-inch board (about 144 Wh) falls in the band that always needs the airline's permission.
What do UK rules say about lithium batteries on planes?
The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) publishes what passengers may carry, based on the international rules for dangerous goods by air. For lithium-ion batteries it works in watt-hours (Wh): multiply the battery's voltage by its amp-hours and you have the figure. For devices powered by lithium-ion batteries, its table sets two bands:
| Battery energy | What the CAA table says for battery-powered devices |
|---|---|
| Up to 100 Wh | Can be carried without the airline's permission, subject to the other conditions in the table |
| Over 100 Wh, up to 160 Wh | Only with the airline's permission |
The device rules stop at 160 Wh. Spare lithium batteries may only travel in the cabin, and the CAA adds three points that matter more than any number: airlines and screening staff can refuse items, airports can confiscate anything they consider dangerous even when the list does not name it, and passengers have to ask the airline in advance. GOV.UK says the same about UK airport security: staff will not let anything through that they consider dangerous.
Is a hoverboard allowed on a plane?
There is no general yes. The CAA's row covers portable electronic devices, and the examples it and GOV.UK give are things like phones, laptops and tablets. Hoverboards do not appear in either list, so you cannot read an answer off a table. Whether a board can fly at all, and whether in the cabin or the hold, is the airline's decision, and the airport can still refuse it on the day.
The practical rule: do not book a trip on the assumption that the board is coming with you. Ask first, and plan for a no.
How many watt-hours are our hoverboards?
| Board | Battery as specified | Our calculation | Where that falls in the CAA device bands |
|---|---|---|---|
| The 6.5-inch board (24 V pack) | 24 V, 4.0 Ah | about 96 Wh | Just under the 100 Wh line, close enough that the label and the airline decide |
| The bigger 8.5-inch board (36 V pack) | 36 V, 4.0 Ah | about 144 Wh | Between 100 and 160 Wh: only with the airline's permission |
The watt-hours are our own sum of volts times amp-hours, the method the CAA describes. They do not come from a battery test summary, so treat them as approximate. If the board or its battery label shows a watt-hour figure, that is the number to give the airline, not ours. And because about 96 Wh sits so close to 100 Wh, do not assume the smaller board clears the line. Still choosing between them? Our page with both boards side by side gives the battery of each.
Can a hoverboard go in hand luggage or in the hold?
That is for the airline to say. In the CAA table, battery-powered devices should normally travel in the cabin, and one carried in the hold must be switched off completely, not just left idle. Spare batteries are cabin-only. Whatever the airline decides, three things hold for our boards:
- The battery stays inside. It is wired into the board, and taking it out would mean opening the casing; our battery guide explains why a pack is never opened at home.
- Size counts as well as the battery. GOV.UK sends you to the airline for how many bags, and what size, you may take on board.
- Charge before you go. GOV.UK warns that an electronic device which does not switch on when security asks may not be allowed onto the aircraft.
How do you ask an airline about a hoverboard?
- Ask before you book, and ask every airline on the trip, including any connecting flight and the flight home. The CAA notes that other countries can restrict items further.
- Describe it plainly: a self-balancing hoverboard whose lithium-ion battery is wired into the board.
- Give the figures. The 6.5-inch board: 24 V, 4.0 Ah, about 96 Wh. The 8.5-inch board: 36 V, 4.0 Ah, about 144 Wh. Say that the watt-hours are calculated, and attach a photo of any rating label.
- Ask whether it may travel at all, in the cabin or the hold, and how it has to be packed.
- Get the answer in writing, keep it with your booking and carry a copy on the day.
- Remember that airport security still has the last word when you get there.
What if the airline says no?
- Leave the board at home, stored dry, indoors and unplugged, away from the way out.
- Do not post it ahead to your destination yourself. Lithium-ion batteries travel as dangerous goods, and the 8.5-inch pack is above 100 Wh.
- Do not take the battery out, or swap in a smaller one, to get under a limit.
- Riding rules abroad are outside this guide; check the local rules before you take a board anywhere.
At home in Great Britain the rule does not change: private land, once the owner has agreed. No roads, no pavements, no cycle lanes and no parks. Questions about anything else? Start from our rider help for other questions.
Stop and contact us
Do not take the board to an airport, and do not charge or ride it, if the battery:
- has been dropped hard, crushed or damaged in a fall;
- bulges, or the casing around it has lifted or split;
- smells unusual, leaks, hisses or crackles;
- gets very hot on the charger or during an ordinary ride.
Quote your order number and say what you noticed. Damaged lithium-ion cells are not fit to travel anywhere.
Questions riders ask
Is the 6.5-inch board allowed because it is under 100 Wh?
Not automatically. About 96 Wh is our own calculation and close to the line, and the CAA's 100 Wh figure sits in its row for portable electronic devices, which does not mention hoverboards. The airline still decides.
Can I take the battery out and fly with the board?
No. The battery is wired into the board, and opening the casing risks a short circuit. A loose pack would also count as a spare battery, which the CAA allows only in the cabin and within strict limits.
Can you fly with a hoverboard on a connecting flight?
Only if every airline on the journey agrees, and the countries you pass through can have stricter rules than the UK. Ask each airline, get each answer in writing, and expect airport security to have the final say.
Does the Hoverkart seat need the airline's permission?
Not as a battery item: the Hoverkart (go-kart seat for hoverboards) has no battery, which is also why it can go by post on its own. Its size and weight are an ordinary baggage question for the airline.