How Much Should I Spend on an Electric Skateboard?

The answer here depends on a variety of aspects, so let’s list them out before giving you a good estimate on what you should spend:

How frequently you’re going to use the board
Whether you’re going to use it off-road or on paved roads only
Your maximum budget
Your level of skill

Ideally, if you’re a beginner who uses skateboards casually and mainly on flat surfaces, you don’t need to pay a lot of money for one. For example, you can land some excellent models with a budget of $300 to $700.

Luckily, there are several brands that offer products at such a price range, such as Veymax Pinocchio XR.

If it’s a higher-end electric skateboard and you’re planning to use it on more challenging terrain, you can go for $1,000+ options like Veymax Spider.

Spare Battery Cost

A lot of electric skateboard users will end up buying an extra battery pack to extend the range of their skateboards.

Alternatively, since electric skateboard batteries will only last for 1 to 3 years, you may eventually need to buy a new one as the performance of the existing one declines.

Getting an extra battery pack is also a great strategy to extend the life span of the original battery, as you won’t need to charge it as much.

Some modular skateboard models allow you to replace the existing battery with another model that has a higher capacity in order to increase the range.

Ideally, the spare battery’s cost will depend on the type of battery used as well as its capacity. A typical lithium-ion battery can cost around $100 to $700 depending on the model of the electric skateboard.

Electricity for Charging

Charging the skateboard battery is the most recurring expense of an electric skateboard. Of course, the cost of electricity for charging will vary depending on:

The battery’s capacity
The efficiency of the charging process
The rates where you live

Generally speaking, it should cost you around 5 to 20 cents in order to charge the battery fully.

Since a battery can sustain between 300 to 1,000 cycles, you should expect a battery to cost you a total of $15 to $200 throughout its time in service (around 3 years)

Accessories

The costs of accessories depend on what you’re going to add versus what already exists on the eBoard, so it is mainly down to your personal preference. These accessories include:

Lights

Having a good set of lights on your electric skateboard is essential because they help you to be seen at all times of day and they help you to see when riding at low light settings.

Safety gear

This doesn’t just include a helmet. I’d also highly recommend you get yourself some knee and elbow pads and gloves.

Replacement Wheels

A popular upgrade for many eSkaters is getting a set of Cloudwheels. They’re bigger, softer and grippier wheels that make riding a lot more comfortable and you’re able to tackle more terrain types like gravel and short grass.

Maintenance and Care

Taking care of your electric skateboard will help you extend its life span significantly. Despite that, the majority of your maintenance routine will cost very little money. Here are some of the best tips to care for your electric skateboard without spending a fortune:

Clean the non-electric parts of the skateboard with a slightly damp cloth and wipe the electrical components with a dry one after runs
Use bearing oil to lubricate the bearings of the wheel
Tighten all the bolts and screws on the board from time to time as they loosen up

Fixing and Replacing Damaged Parts

Lastly, not all parts of the electric skateboard will last a lifetime. Some parts are expected to break with time, and you’ll have to fix and replace them.

Here’s a quick look at some of the most commonly replaced parts within an electric skateboard and their average prices:

Belts: $5 to $30
Wheels: $10 to $100
Bearings: $10 to $120
Deck: $30 to $400
Trucks: $30 to $100
Motor: $50 to $300
Controller: $30 to $150

Do I Have to Pay for the Electric Skateboard in Cash?

The high price of some electric skateboard models is one of the biggest limitations that prevent a lot of people from buying one. But luckily, electric skateboard makers are aware of how expensive some of their electric skateboards can be.

For that reason, a lot of them offer a variety of methods for payment over a long period of time with little to no interest to help avid skateboarders to enjoy their high end models without worrying about the upfront costs.

So the answer to this question is “not necessarily”, as you can pay for an electric skateboard over a period of 6 to 24 months when you buy from some manufacturers.

If you’re interested in an extended payment period, make sure that you check the main supplier’s website to see if it offers additional methods of payment.

Will Electric Skateboard Prices Improve in the Future?

Electric skateboards are relatively expensive because of the following reasons:

The competition among companies is still pretty low
Lithium ion batteries improved in prices over time but they’re still far from cheap when compared to other types of batteries
Most manufacturers are small companies that specialize in high end options only
The supply chain of electric skateboards is pretty limited while the demand as a niche product is relatively high

With that said, you should know that the technologies used to make these batteries are improving by the day, which allows manufacturers to make compact batteries with larger capacities for less money.

Additionally, as previously discussed, one of the main reasons why skateboards are quite pricey is that it’s a relatively new industry with small supply chains.

As the demand for electric skateboards starts to grow larger, companies will invest more in the supply chain, which can help in bringing down the average price of an electric skateboard.

Not only that, but as the market for e-boards expands, large manufacturers with established supply chains will enter the market, increasing the competition, which helps in lowering the prices.

A recent Transparency Market Research report noted that the growing trend of personal mobility and using eco-friendly electricity for transportation is here to stay, which are also key factors that can make electric skateboards cheaper in the future.

Wrap Up

There you have it! A complete electric skateboard pricing guide that shows you everything you need to know from the average price of an electric skateboard to additional costs that you may need to pay after purchasing one.

As you can see, there are several factors that have an impact on the price of an electric skateboard. However, being a new industry and the need for high-quality materials are the main reasons why they’re still quite pricey.