How to Store a Hoverboard Over Winter, and Ride It in the Cold

Where should you store a hoverboard over winter?

Good hoverboard winter storage comes down to one room: indoors, dry and at ordinary room temperature. Fire services add two conditions for anywhere a lithium-ion battery is kept: away from the main route out of your home, and away from things that catch fire easily. In most homes that rules out the hallway, the landing and the stairs.

• Dry. Neither board has a published rating for protection against water, so keep it clear of damp walls, leaks and floors that can flood.
• Not warm either. Radiators, heaters, a boiler cupboard and a sunny windowsill are all wrong for a battery that will sit for months (see the summer side of battery care).
• Out of the way of knocks. A fall from a shelf can damage the pack without leaving a mark you would notice.
• Covered by a working alarm. Government advice is to have fire detection wherever a battery vehicle is kept or charged indoors.

Can you leave a hoverboard in the garage?

The advice pulls two ways. The Department for Transport suggests a shed or garage separate from the house where possible, keeping a battery fire away from the home, but it also says to avoid very cold or damp places. The London Fire Brigade warns against leaving batteries outside overnight in winter.

Our reading: a detached garage can work if it stays dry and frost-free, has fire detection (in a garage, fire services recommend a heat alarm rather than a smoke alarm), and the board comes indoors to warm up before every charge. A garage that gets damp, frosty or as cold as the garden is the wrong place for a whole winter, and so is a garden shed.

How do you put a hoverboard away for the winter?

1. Let it cool. After the last ride, let the battery and the charger cool before you pack them away.
2. Clean and dry it. With the board off, brush it clean first: grass and grit out of the tread, the footpad edges and the charging port. If it came home wet, follow the steps for drying a board after a wet ride first.
3. Look it over. Check for cracked casing, gaping seams and cut tyres. A board that has been dropped hard or damaged should not simply go into storage: contact us.
4. Leave some charge in it. A pack stored empty can sink so low that its protection circuit refuses to charge, which is a battery that will not take a charge after storage. Our product information gives no storage percentage; if the manual that came with your board names one, use it.
5. Unplug the charger and keep it with its board. The 6.5-inch board's 24 V pack needs the charger from its own box, and so does the 36 V pack in the 8.5-inch board; label them if you own both.
6. Look in on it now and then. A bulge, a seam opening up or an unusual smell means you leave it unplugged and contact us. If you top up the charge, do it indoors once the board is at room temperature, and stay in the house while it charges.

Can you ride a hoverboard in the cold?

Yes, on dry, firm surfaces, on private ground the owner lets you use, with a few changes to how you ride.

• Stay off frost, ice and snow. Neither board's tyres find any real grip there.
• Wait for dry grass. A frosty or dewy lawn stays slippery long after sunrise.
• Ride shorter, in daylight. Range drops in the cold, and winter afternoons get dark early; ride only where you can still see holes and edges.
• Kit as always. Helmet, plus guards for wrists, knees and elbows.
• Bring it in afterwards. Do not leave the board outside between rides.

Why does a hoverboard lose range in the cold?

A hoverboard in cold weather loses range because the chemical reactions inside a lithium-ion battery slow down as it gets colder. The London Fire Brigade lists the result: less range, slower charging and a charge that runs down more quickly. The range figures for our boards for adults and teens are maximums: up to about 5 miles (8 km) from the smaller board, up to about 6 miles (10 km) from the 8.5-inch one. A cold day cuts them further.

A board that feels weak on a frosty morning is not necessarily worn out. Judge it on a mild day before you look for signs of a worn-out battery.

Can you charge a hoverboard in the cold?

Not while the board itself is cold. Charging a very cold battery can damage it, and a frozen one must never be charged. Bring it indoors and let it warm to room temperature by itself, without a radiator, heater or hairdryer. There is no fixed waiting time: a board that spent the night somewhere freezing needs far longer than one carried in from a short ride. Then charge it as always, on a hard, flat surface away from the way out, with someone awake in the house, and unplug it as soon as it has finished.

What if the board has been frozen or snowed on?

1. Switch it off and carry it inside rather than riding it.
2. Towel it dry straight away, especially around the port, the power button and the seams.
3. Let it warm up slowly and dry right through in a dry room, with the casing closed, before you charge it.
4. If it then beeps, will not balance or smells odd, or if it stood in meltwater, do not use it: the London Fire Brigade's advice is that a submerged battery must not be used.

How do you get a hoverboard ready again in spring?

1. Bring it up to room temperature indoors.
2. Look over the casing, footpads and tyres, and turn each wheel by hand while you listen. Rubbing or grinding calls for a closer look at wheels and casing.
3. Charge it with its own charger with someone in the house, and watch the charger light change.
4. Ride slowly on level ground first, and compare the range with last year's.

Winter or spring, the same rule applies: private land, and only with the owner's say-so. Roads, pavements, parks and cycle lanes stay off-limits.

Questions riders ask

Should a hoverboard be stored fully charged or empty?

Not empty, and not left plugged in: give it some charge, then unplug it. Our product information has no storage percentage, so follow the manual that came with your board if it gives one.

Can I keep my hoverboard in a bedroom?

Charging it there is out: fire services say a battery should never be charged in a bedroom, a hallway or anywhere it could block your escape. For storage, pick a dry room you do not sleep in, away from the way out.

Will cold weather damage a hoverboard battery?

A cold spell mostly costs range and charging speed. Repeated freezing is different: fire services warn it can cause permanent loss of capacity and internal damage. Bring the board in after each ride and never charge it while it is still cold.

What if the board will not switch on after the winter?

Usually the battery is cold or nearly flat. Let it warm to room temperature indoors, then charge it with its own charger while someone is in the house. Still no sign of life? Quote your order number when you contact us.