Electric Scooter Safety (2026): UL 2272, Recalls

UL 2272 (current edition ANSI/CAN/UL 2272:2024) is the safety standard for the electrical system of stand-on personal e-mobility devices: scooters, hoverboards, e-skateboards and unicycles. It tests the battery, charger and electrical system together for fire and shock risk. Two neighboring numbers cause confusion:

What UL 2272 does not test is the metal. The folding mechanism, the stem, the fork, the welds and the brakes are outside it. That gap matters, because seven of the ten CPSC actions in the recall table below were mechanical: a stem that folds, a fork or downtube that breaks, brakes that fail. A UL 2272 scooter can still be recalled for a latch.

Everywhere else in the US, UL 2272 is voluntary. CPSC asks buyers to choose devices certified to the applicable voluntary safety standards anyway.

Three things make a UL line on a product page weaker than it looks.

1. Amazon accepts more than one standard. Amazon US reportedly accepts UL 2272 or ASTM F2641 plus a battery standard for scooters. The policy sits behind Seller Central, so a listing that passed Amazon's check has not necessarily been tested to UL 2272.
2. Fake labels exist. On July 24, 2025, CPSC recalled 700 Transpro scooters that "were sold with unauthorized lithium-ion battery UL certification labels" (CPSC notice).
3. Wording drifts between the maker and the listing. In our own spec files: Segway's pages say its scooters were tested to UL 2272 by TÜV Rheinland, while several Amazon titles for the same models add UL 2271. Hiboy's S2 FAQ calls the battery UL 2272 certified, though UL 2272 is the whole-scooter standard; the certificates Hiboy links are the right ones, UL 2272 for the scooter and UL 2271 for the pack. NAVEE's UL 2272 claim for the GT3 appears only on Amazon; NAVEE's own US page cites ASTM F2641 brake tests. MAXSHOT's listings for the V1 switch between "tested to" and "certified" and name no lab.

None of that means a claim is false. It means the claim is the seller's word until you find the scooter in the certifier's own records.

It takes five to ten minutes a model:

1. Find the lab. The listing, the box or the label on the scooter should name who tested it. California now requires the lab and the standard to be shown, so it is fair to ask any seller for a photo of the label.
2. Search UL Product iQ by brand, model or the file number (it starts with E) printed in the UL mark, if UL did the testing.
3. Search the named lab's own directory if the lab is someone else. SGS, Intertek and TÜV Rheinland each certify to UL standards and each keeps its own records.
4. Ask for the certificate or file number when you cannot find it. A seller with a real certificate can send one.
5. Search cpsc.gov/Recalls for the brand and model, new or used.

A certified battery or charger does not make the scooter certified. UL 2271 on the battery is a good sign, and it is still not UL 2272 for the scooter.

This is what each maker's spec sheet and each Amazon listing said on October 18, 2026. Where a maker or listing states UL 2272, we could not verify it in the certifier's directory, so the last column says no for every model. The recall column records the CPSC and web searches made for our spec files on the same date.

The count: 18 of 20 carry a UL 2272 claim, 9 name a lab, 2 state no certification at all, and 0 are verified. Segway and Hiboy are the only makers in the set that name a lab on their own sites, and Hiboy is the only one that publishes the certificates, by number; we could not check those in UL's directory, which needs a login. Two popular kids' scooters, the SIMATE S5 and the LINGTENG E8, are left out of this table and our kids' guide because neither listing states any certification, and we hold children's products to a stricter bar than adult picks. The VOLPAM Q1 and Roinside UP2P state none either; they are adult scooters, so we still cover them, labelled as stating no certification.

The table below is a selection of recent CPSC scooter recalls and warnings, not every one, so search cpsc.gov/Recalls for your own model too. CPSC acts in two ways. A recall is agreed with the company and comes with a remedy. A warning means there is no agreed remedy, and owners are told to stop using the product. Before you buy, new or used, check the model and serial number against the notice.

Three notes that save confusion:

• The Segway Max G30P and G30LP recall does not cover the Max G2, Max G3, E2 Pro, E3 Pro or C2. They are different models. If you own a G30P or G30LP, stop riding it and contact Segway for the free repair kit; the model number is on a label on the side of the deck.
• The Apollo Phantom "V1" is not the MAXSHOT V1. They are different brands that share a model name.
• No CPSC recall since 2023 was found for Gotrax, Hiboy, NIU, NAVEE, VOLPAM or Gyroor scooters, in our search of CPSC records on October 18, 2026.

CPSC's April 2026 report puts the scale plainly:

• an estimated 79,300 emergency room visits from e-scooters in 2024, against about 10,600 in 2017
• 206 e-scooter deaths from 2017 through 2024, with crashes involving motor vehicles and loss of control the top hazards; 15 of the deaths came from battery fires
• an estimated 18% of injured riders were wearing a helmet and an estimated 32% were carrying or holding something while riding, per CPSC; an estimated 54% of the injuries happened on paved roads and 32% on sidewalks

The numbers point at riding, not only at batteries. A helmet, two free hands and brakes you trust do more for most riders than any certificate.

Battery fires are rare next to crashes, but they are the risk that reaches people who never ride. These rules come from CPSC and the FDNY:

1. Use the charger that came with the scooter, or one the maker recommends, as CPSC and FDNY advise.
2. Plug straight into a wall outlet. FDNY says never to charge a lithium-ion battery with an extension cord or a power strip.
3. Charge away from exits and hallways, so a fire cannot block your way out.
4. Be there while it charges. CPSC: "Always be present when charging" and "never charge them while sleeping or when you are not at home." Unplug it when it is full.
5. Keep the area clear of anything that burns, and keep working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms nearby.
6. Stop using a battery that changes. A swollen case, heat, a smell, leaking or odd noises mean stop charging and stop riding.
7. If it catches fire, leave. FDNY: close the door, leave the building, call 911 from outside, and do not try to put out a battery fire yourself.

Water is the other storage risk. The scooters we cover are rated from IPX4 (Hiboy S2, Segway E2 Pro) to IPX6 (Segway Max G3), and several budget listings state no rating at all. The Gotrax GXL V2 manual says not to ride it in wet conditions, and Segway's Max G3 page says immersion damage is not covered by the warranty.

CPSC asks riders to check for damage to the handlebars, brakes, throttle, lights, tires, cables and frame. What you are checking differs a lot between models. From each maker's spec sheet (listing figures are marked):

Three things to take from it:

• Know which lever does what. Most budget scooters pair an electronic brake with one mechanical brake, and the Gotrax GXL V2 has a single rear disc. Learn which lever works which brake before your first ride.
• Solid tires never go flat; air-filled tires need pressure. Segway prints 42 to 48 psi for the E3 Pro and Max G2. Pumping to the maker's figure is part of the pre-ride check.
• The max load includes your bag. Hiboy's manual says its 220 lb limit covers the rider and anything carried. When the maker and the listing disagree, as on the NAVEE GT3, plan on the maker's lower number.

Weight also costs range: energy use rises about 3.4% for every 10 lb of rider, which is one reason our range estimates assume a 175 to 180 lb adult.

CPSC's advice is short: "Always wear a bicycle helmet when riding." CPSC estimates that only 18% of injured e-scooter riders were wearing one. Some states require it: California requires a helmet for scooter riders under 18 (Vehicle Code section 21235), and NCSL counts five states that require helmets for minors. The law is the floor, not the advice.

Go by the maker's own age and weight limits, and where the maker and the Amazon listing disagree, use the maker's range:

Adult scooters are not kids' scooters. Hiboy rates the S2 for riders 16 and up, Segway rates the E2 Pro for 16 and up, and NIU sets 14 as the minimum for the KQi 300X. On public roads, NCSL counts 15 states with a minimum age for e-scooters, mostly 16. Illinois lowers its scooter minimum from 18 to 16 on January 1, 2027, under SB 3484. Start a new rider on the slowest mode, and put the helmet on every time.

Our picks by age are in the kids' guide and the teens' guide.

• All electric scooters we cover, with the UL status and our range estimate on every page.
• Best electric scooters for adults and for commuting, where IP ratings and brakes are part of the ranking.
• Best electric scooters under $200, where the certification gaps are widest.
• Electric scooter or e-bike? if you are still choosing between the two.

Treat a UL 2272 line as the seller's word until the certifier's directory says the same, search CPSC before you buy, and remember the certificate covers the battery, not the latch. Most scooter injuries are crashes, so the helmet, the pre-ride brake check and two free hands do the most work.