We Tested 13 Electric Scooters. We Don’t Recommend Any.
Due to their higher speeds and an increase in injury data, CR no longer recommends e-scooters.
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At their best, e-scooters are a fun way to get from point A to point B. They’re quick, portable, and relatively cheap, making them an obvious choice for short trips or commutes. But riding one comes with real risks, and years of incremental increases in top speed have made many models more dangerous in key ways.
At the same time, new safety data has shown that injuries on e-scooters are both widespread and, in many cases, very serious. For that reason, Consumer Reports does not currently recommend any electric scooters. We also recognize that they are increasingly popular, and many people ride them. If you choose to ride an e-scooter, it’s important to understand the risks and how to ride as safely as possible.
Unlike e-bike users, who remain seated, e-scooter riders stand upright. That makes e-scooters exceptionally dangerous when you hit something, particularly at high speed, because you have a higher center of mass and may be more likely to fall headfirst.
Unlike e-bike users, who remain seated, e-scooter riders stand upright. That makes e-scooters exceptionally dangerous when you hit something, particularly at high speed, because you have a higher center of mass and may be more likely to fall headfirst.
Some e-scooters have lower top speeds or a means to limit top speed (such as an app). “It is safer to own a scooter that has a lower top speed,” Deitrick says, suggesting that under self-imposed lower-speed conditions, certain high-speed models can be used more safely.
But even models like the Segway Max G3, which can be used more safely at lower speeds, can just as easily be used in ways that pose very serious risks. That particular model can reach speeds of up to 28 mph, which Deitrick considers dangerous.
Further complicating matters is the fact that many e-scooters are used by kids and teens. Children account for more than 45 percent of all e-scooter injuries, according to a study published by Johns Hopkins Children’s Center researchers.
While e-scooters continue to get faster, it’s not clear that users understand the risks of traveling at those speeds—or the need to wear protective gear. “The severity of accidents is increasing because the speeds are increasing, and people tend not to wear bike helmets as often as they should,” Deitrick says.
A 2025 study found that e-scooter users were significantly less likely to wear helmets than bike users (4 percent vs. 28 percent). Head injuries were also more common in e-scooter users; the study found that more e-scooters were involved in accidents at night, and of those accidents that occurred at night, intoxicated riding was more common, too. E-scooters are also increasingly popular on college campuses, which may account for some of these instances.
E-scooters can also be dangerous because of their riding position and the fact that their small wheels can struggle to navigate irregular or wet surfaces, as we discuss below.
In fact, our experts were involved in two e-scooter accidents during testing. Going around a turn at 20 mph, one of our testers rode over gravel, and the rear wheel of the e-scooter “kicked out,” according to Deitrick. The second accident occurred when braking during a turn—a common scenario that Deitrick describes as problematic. As soon as you begin to brake, your weight naturally shifts forward onto the front wheel of the e-scooter and the rear wheel is de-weighted, so it’s more likely to skid when you’re turning, he says. Both of our expert testers sustained injuries in their e-scooter accidents, the first more serious than the second because of the higher speed. We contacted the North American Bikeshare & Scootershare Association for comment on e-scooter injury and safety risk, but we hadn’t heard back by the time of publication.
How to Stay Safe Using an E-Scooter
Wearing a helmet to protect your head during a fall is paramount. Only 5.9 percent of e-scooter riders were documented as wearing helmets in a 2026 study published in Scientific Reports, compared with 45 percent of pedal cyclists and 75.7 percent of motorcyclists. “I would never recommend anyone ride an e-scooter without a helmet, at a minimum,” Deitrick says.
The authors of the Scientific Reports article and Deitrick came to a similar conclusion: The way you’re positioned on an electric scooter makes falling from one more dangerous than falling off a bike.
Standing on an e-vehicle instead of sitting (like on an e-bike) means that your center of mass is higher and further forward, and abrupt deceleration might send you head-first over the e-scooter’s handlebars. “If you’re seated, it lowers your center of mass. It’s much less likely that your rear wheel is going to lift on an e-bike than on an e-scooter,” Deitrick says.
Deitrick says that the distance that your head falls is important, too. If your head is 6.5 feet off the ground while standing on an e-scooter and you fall, the velocity of your head when you hit the ground will be higher—and the impact more severe—than if you’re seated on an e-bike.
Lastly, electric scooters’ small wheels, often between 8 and 12 inches but sometimes even smaller, make them more difficult to use on rough pavements and sidewalks, where there might be irregular surfaces, says Deitrick.
Of the two accidents experienced during testing at the CR labs, the worst was when a tester wearing a helmet hit a patch of gravel and fell off the e-scooter. While our tester only scraped his helmet, which did its job of protecting his head, he also hit his shoulder—which knocked him out of commission for a couple of weeks—and sustained injuries to his elbow, hand, and knee, Deitrick shares. “Some but not all of that would’ve been helped by protective equipment.” That underscores that while protective gear is critical, it’s not always enough to prevent injuries on an e-scooter, which is why it’s important to limit your speed and stay aware of your surroundings.
Still, wearing a helmet and other protective equipment is essential for protecting yourself while riding an electric scooter, particularly against the most serious head injuries.
Our second tester was wearing wrist guards, and when he fell, he put his hand down to protect himself. The wrist guard saved his hand. “At that point, he was wearing a helmet, wrist guards, knee pads, and elbow pads,” Deitrick says. “He tore the wrist guard more than anything else.”
Finally, don’t wear headphones or use your phone while riding an e-scooter, as they can distract you from where you’re going and increase the risk of a crash.
Best E-Scooters From Our Tests
Here are the highest-rated electric scooters we tested. Keep in mind that, given the relative risks, we don’t recommend any models in our ratings. The combination of high travel speeds, small wheels, limited tire contact, and exposure to problematic surfaces during typical use can make e-scooters dangerous. If you choose to ride an e-scooter, always wear appropriate safety gear, including a properly fitted bike helmet; limit your speed; and be aware of your surroundings.
How CR Tests E-Scooters
For all of our tests, two test riders used each scooter to average out differences in performance due to variations in weight and riding style, including how aggressively you accelerate, use your top speed, and brake. For our tests, we used the highest available speed level.
To find the best electric scooters, we tested for the following.
- Range: We fully charge the scooters’ batteries, then ride a hilly loop course on our test grounds. We maximize the motors’ power, and the loop includes stops and starts, full-speed stretches, U-turns, a long uphill, and a sharp downhill. The score for this test is based on the number of miles each scooter covers before the battery is depleted. For our riders, on our course, most scooters cover between 5 and 17 miles.
- Stopping distance: “If you’re using the e-scooter at its top speed, how long does it take you to stop?” Deitrick asks. We measure the distance required to come to a stop from the highest attainable speed—28 mph in one case.
- Acceleration: We time the scooters on a set course, starting from a standstill and accelerating to the highest speed.
- Hill climb: We time each scooter as it climbs a short, steep hill.
- Ease of use: To assess an e–scooter’s ease of use, we look at whether each electric scooter folds and whether it has a companion phone app, an instant throttle, an adjustable stem, front and rear suspension, water bottle access, lights and directional blinkers, cruise control, and a brake interlock.
A Gap in Safety Standards
One reason CR’s testing found serious safety problems: In the U.S., there is no safety standard specifically for adult e-scooters sold to consumers. The CPSC hasn’t issued federal rules, and there’s no comprehensive voluntary standard from either the e-mobility industry or from independent standards development organizations.
“Consumers simply cannot trust that manufacturers are putting safety first as long as e-scooters come with such glaring hazards,” says William Wallace, CR’s director of safety advocacy. “If this industry is going to help reduce injuries, they need to agree on a set of strong baseline standards to make sure all e-scooters are designed and built to be safe.”
Manufacturers have a number of options they could use as a jumping-off point. In the U.S., there are already standards for youth e-scooters and shared commercial e-scooters, both overseen by the standards-setting organization ASTM International (CR is an active member of ASTM). A broad and thorough e-scooter standard exists in Europe, and Germany has its own rules that go beyond the continent-wide requirements.
Separately, a standard overseen by UL Solutions governs the safety of the battery, charger, and electrical system to help reduce the risk of fire. CR encourages all consumers who buy an e-scooter to choose a UL 2272-compliant model.
