Quick answer: Our hoverboard weight limits are set per board: 100 kg is the most the smaller 6.5-inch model should carry, and 120 kg the most for the all-terrain 8.5-inch model. That figure covers everything on the board: you, your kit, anything you carry and a fitted seat. Stay below it with room to spare, especially on grass or loose ground.
The two limits at a glance
| Board | Maximum rider weight | Top speed | Range per charge | Battery |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.5-inch board | 100 kg | up to 7.5 mph (12 km/h) | up to about 5 miles (8 km) | 24 V, 4.0 Ah (about 96 Wh) |
| 8.5-inch all-terrain board | 120 kg | up to 9.3 mph (15 km/h) | up to about 6 miles (10 km) | 36 V, 4.0 Ah (about 144 Wh) |
All figures are the manufacturer's, except the watt-hours, which we work out from volts and amp-hours. A weight limit is the most a board is designed to carry, not a level to ride at every day, and the speed and range are maximums that a heavy load brings down.
What counts towards the limit
A hoverboard weight limit covers everything standing or sitting on the board, not just the number on your bathroom scales. Add it up like this before you decide which board fits:
- Weigh yourself in the clothes and shoes you ride in.
- Add your helmet plus the guards for wrists, knees and elbows. They are light, but they count.
- Add anything you carry: a backpack, a drink, a phone in a heavy case. Better still, leave the bag on the ground.
- If you ride seated, add the seat. With a Hoverkart fitted (go-kart seat for hoverboards), the board carries the seat as well as you. The supplier has not yet confirmed how much the board may carry with the seat on. Until it has, count the seat as part of the load, and get in touch before you place the order if you are near the limit.
- Compare the total with 100 kg or 120 kg. If you are close, choose the bigger board or carry less.
What happens as you get close to it
A board does not stop dead at its limit. It struggles gradually, and the signs are easy to miss:
- it is slower to move off, and slower to respond when you lean;
- it needs more room to slow down and stop;
- it may beep or tip the footpads back to warn you, as our guide to beeps and warnings while you ride explains;
- the battery drains faster, so you get well short of the range in the table;
- the motors, battery, tyres and frame take more strain on every ride, and wear sooner (see also hoverboard overheating).
Over the limit you are riding outside the manufacturer's instructions. The board was not designed for that load, and a sudden cut-out or a wheel that stalls on a bump becomes much more likely to throw you off.
Carrying things while you ride
A backpack does more than add weight. It sits high and swings as you turn, so the board feels every shift and corrects for it. A carrier bag on one wrist is worse: it pulls you to one side and takes a hand out of play when you need your arms for balance.
- Ride with both hands free.
- If you have to carry something light, use a close-fitting backpack and do the straps up.
- Never carry another person, a pet or anything that blocks your view of the ground.
Ground changes the load
The same rider feels heavier to the board on soft ground. On a patio the wheels roll freely. On grass, sand or loose gravel they sink in slightly, and the motors have to push harder to keep you moving and level. A rider who is comfortable on hard ground can find the board labouring or beeping on a lawn.
On the 8.5-inch board, two 400 W motors drive off-road tyres built for grass, unpaved ground and sand, which is why we point heavier riders to it. Even so, close to the limit ride slower on soft ground and avoid slopes. Our guide to grass, gravel and wet ground explains how ground changes the load in more detail.
Choosing between 100 kg and 120 kg
- If whoever weighs most, kit included, stays comfortably below 100 kg and you keep to hard surfaces, the 6.5-inch board, limit 100 kg, is enough.
- If anyone who shares the board is close to 100 kg or above it, or you mostly ride on grass or unpaved ground, go for the 8.5-inch board, limit 120 kg.
- If a rider weighs more than 120 kg with kit, we have no board for them. Please do not ride one anyway.
In a family, size the board for the heaviest regular rider, not the youngest; our boards for heavier riders sit side by side on one page. Our age guidance reads: from around 8, with adult supervision. Teenagers grow, so check the numbers again every so often.
Checking the board after heavy use
If the board regularly carries a rider near its limit, look it over more often than usual:
- Switch the board off, spin each wheel by hand and listen for grinding or rubbing.
- Check the tyres for flat spots, cuts and uneven wear.
- Press down on each footpad and watch for flexing or cracking in the casing around it.
- Note whether the range on your usual ride is falling faster than it did.
Anything unusual is a reason to stop and ask us before the next ride. The outside checks are listed under what you can check yourself before a repair.
Riding seated with a Hoverkart
With a Hoverkart fitted, you ride sitting down. Strapping the seat to the board takes minutes, not an afternoon. The frame adjusts for both children and adults, and steering is done with two hand levers. Seated, your weight sits lower and further back, but every kilo still goes through the board, so treat the board's limit as the ceiling for you and the seat together. Our page on riding with a seat fitted lists the seats and kart sets.
Seated or standing, the rule does not change: ride on private land, once its owner says yes. Pavements, roads, parks and cycle lanes stay out of bounds.
Stop and contact us
Step off and put the board aside until it has been looked at when you spot any of the following:
- The footpads tip back or the board beeps under you on level ground, ride after ride.
- A wheel scrapes, rubs or stalls, or the board leans to one side when you stand on it.
- The casing or footplates crack, flex or creak under your weight.
- It cuts out under load, or the battery area is hot after a short ride.
Then get in touch, quoting your order number, and describe what you noticed.
Questions riders ask
How much weight can a hoverboard hold?
Every board has its own limit, set by its maker and given in its manual. Ours carry up to 100 kg (6.5-inch) or 120 kg (8.5-inch), counting everything the rider wears and carries. Check the figure of any other board before you ride it.
Does the weight limit include the Hoverkart seat?
Yes. The seat rests on the board, so the board carries you and the seat together. The supplier has not yet confirmed a separate limit for riding seated, so if the rider is close to 100 kg or 120 kg, get in touch before you place the order.
Is a few kilos over the limit really a problem?
Yes. The limit is the most the board is designed to carry, so any extra load works the motors, battery and frame beyond that. Stay below it with some room to spare rather than right on it.
Will a heavier rider get less range?
Yes. Neither board reaches its full range with a heavy load: up to about 5 miles (8 km) and up to about 6 miles (10 km) are maximums. More weight, soft ground and cold weather all bring the real figure down.
Can two children share one board if they are light enough together?
No. A hoverboard balances one rider. Two people pull it in different directions and neither can control it, and an adult holding a child is no different. Take turns, with an adult watching.