Quick answer: A hoverboard that is not charging usually has a problem outside the battery. Check in this order: the wall socket, the charger and its lead, the charging port, and only then the battery. If anything is hot, swollen, scorched or smells unusual, stop and contact us instead of testing further.
Before you start
Bring the board indoors, switch it off and stand it on a solid floor. Let a battery that is warm from riding cool down, and let one that has come in from a cold garage or car boot reach room temperature: many lithium-ion packs refuse a charge when they are very cold. Keep the manual that came with your board to hand, because the meaning of the lights differs from one maker to the next.
Five checks, in order
Work from the wall towards the battery, and stop at the first check that turns up the fault.
Check 1: the wall socket
- Plug something you know works, such as a lamp, into the same socket. If it stays dark, the fault is the socket or the circuit, not the board.
- If the socket has a switch, make sure it is on.
- Plug the charger straight into the wall. Leave out extension leads, multi-way adaptors and timer plugs, now and whenever you charge.
Check 2: the charger and its lead
With the charger in the wall but not yet connected to the board, its indicator light should come on. No light from a socket you have just proved is live points to the charger.
- Run the lead through your fingers from plug to connector. Kinks, cuts, flattened sections or bare wire mean the charger is finished.
- Look at the connector pins. Bent, blackened or melted pins can damage the port, so do not force them in.
- Feel the charger brick after a few minutes. Warm is normal; too hot to hold, buzzing, crackling or a hot-plastic smell is not, so switch off at the wall and unplug it.
Charge each board only from the charger packed with it. Our two board sizes differ here: the 6.5-inch board uses a 24 V pack, the 8.5-inch board a 36 V one, and a connector that happens to fit tells you nothing about voltage. If you own both sizes, label them: keep the charger that comes with the 6.5-inch board with that board, and the 36 V charger from the 8.5-inch box with the larger one. Lost a charger? Tell us which board it was for, rather than picking an unknown one off a marketplace.
Check 3: the charging port
Off-road riding is hard on a hoverboard charging port: grass seed, sand, grit and moisture from damp ground work their way in.
- With the board off, shine a torch into the port.
- Lift out loose dirt with a dry wooden cocktail stick or a soft, dry brush. Never use anything metal, and never spray cleaner or water into the port.
- If the port looks damp, leave the board indoors until it is completely dry, without a hairdryer or radiator to speed it up.
- Push the connector fully home. It should seat firmly rather than hang loose.
- A port that wobbles, has been pushed back into the casing, is cracked or shows scorch marks needs an internal repair: stop here and contact us.
Check 4: connect the board and watch the light
Connect the charger to the wall first, then to the board, and watch the charger light for a minute; the next section explains how to read it. Stay with the board while you test, on tiles or concrete with nothing flammable nearby, and never on a landing, a staircase or in the hall, where a fire would cut off your way out.
Check 5: is it the battery?
When the socket, charger and port all pass, the pack becomes the likely cause, especially if:
- charging stops partway, or the board never reaches full;
- a full charge now gets you a fraction of the distance it used to;
- the board cuts out although its charge display is not empty;
- it loses most of its charge after a few days of sitting unused.
Fire services list a battery that charges slowly or will not charge fully as a warning sign, so do not keep putting it back on the charger to see whether it improves. Read when the battery itself is the problem before you do anything else.
What the charger light is telling you
On most chargers the light changes once charge starts to flow and changes again once the pack is full. Your manual gives the colours; what matters first is whether the light changes at all.
- No change when you connect the board. The charger is not reaching the battery. If the port and connector look fine, the charger or the board's charging circuit is the likely cause.
- It shows charging, but the board never gains range. The charger is doing its job; the battery side is next.
- It shows full straight away on a board you rode until it stopped. The protection circuit may have switched the pack off. Do not leave it plugged in for hours hoping it will recover.
Symptoms at a glance
| What you see | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The charger light never changes | Connector not seated, dirty or damp port, or a charger fault | Repeat check 3; if the port is clean and dry, contact us |
| The light changes, but the board stays flat | The battery is not taking or holding a charge | One more try with its own charger, then contact us |
| Charging stops partway every time | A worn or faulty battery | Treat it as a warning sign and stop retrying |
| It refuses after a night in a cold garage | The pack is too cold to accept a charge | Warm it to room temperature indoors, then try again |
| It refuses after a ride on damp ground | Moisture in the port | Dry it indoors without heat, then try again |
| The charger is hot, buzzing or smells of hot plastic | A charger fault | Switch off at the wall and do not use it again |
Not charging after months in storage?
A board put away with a nearly empty battery can come back refusing to charge, because its protection circuit stops a deeply drained pack from taking any more. Connect its own charger once, with you in the room; if the light does not change, contact us instead of leaving it connected. How to put a board away so this does not happen is in our guide to storing a board over the winter.
Habits that keep the charging side healthy
- After an off-road session, look into the port before you charge.
- Unplug the board and switch off at the wall as soon as charging is complete.
- Charge while you are awake and at home, not overnight and not while you are out.
- Before a long break, give the battery some charge and check on it every few weeks.
- Coil the charger lead loosely; wrapping it tightly strains the cable where it leaves the brick.
Still not charging?
When you contact us, give your order number, which board you have, the checks you have done and what the lights are doing. A photo of the port and a short video of the charger light help more than a long description. If it also beeps while connected, read about beeping while it charges; for anything else, the help centre sorts our guides by other symptoms.
Once it charges normally again, keep your rides to private land, and ask the landowner first. Keep off public roads and pavements, and stay out of parks and cycle lanes.
Stop and contact us
Unplug the charger at the wall if you can reach it without risk, and do not charge or ride the board again until we have talked. At the first sign of smoke or flame, get everyone out, stay out and call 999.
- The battery area or the underside of the board feels hot, bulges, leaks, hisses, crackles or smells unusual.
- The charger, its lead or the charging port is scorched, melted or cracked, or gives off a burning smell.
- Water got into the board, or it was dropped hard, and now it will not charge.
- Charging stops partway every time, or a full charge drains away within days.
Questions riders ask
How do I know if my hoverboard is charging?
Watch the charger light when you connect the board. On most chargers it changes once charge flows and changes again at full charge; the manual gives the colours for yours. The real proof is the next ride: a board that goes its usual distance was charging.
Can I leave a hoverboard charging overnight?
No. Only charge with someone awake at home, and unplug once it is full. Fire services advise against leaving lithium-ion batteries for e-bikes, e-scooters and similar devices charging while you sleep or are out.
Can I use another charger if the plug fits?
No. The 6.5-inch board runs on a 24 V pack and the 8.5-inch board on a 36 V pack, and each needs the charger from its own box. A charger with the wrong output can damage the pack or overheat it. If yours is lost or broken, contact us and tell us which board it belongs to.
My hoverboard beeps and will not charge. What now?
Switch off at the wall and disconnect it first. If the board or the charger is warm, smells or hisses, treat that as a stop sign. If not, clean and dry the port and try once more; if it still beeps, send us a short clip with the sound on.