Electric Scooter Chargers: The Complete Guide

• by E4TP Contributor
• September 29, 2022
• 9 min read

There’s more to e scooter chargers than what you think you already know

Rarely do people research electric scooter chargers when looking into purchasing a motorised two-wheeler of their own.

That said, you reading this blog is, hopefully, a sign of that changing as there’s a lot to learn about e scooter charging, generally.

For example, did you know that you can extend the lifespan of your charger by not letting the battery dip below 30% before plugging it in for some more juice? If you didn’t, then now you know.

This is one of many insightful facts you’ll find littered throughout this post, alongside basic information relating to how often you should charge your e scooter, how long they typically take to charge, and some of our favourite charging options.

Below you’ll find everything you need to know and more.

How Do You Charge An Electric Scooter?

To charge an electric scooter, all you need to do is plug it in and flick the switch, right? Technically, yes, that’s how you charge an e scooter, but not every two-wheeler charges the exact same.

For example, there are some electric scooters that come with removable batteries, making it a lot more convenient to charge at home, or anywhere really.

We’ve put together a quick list of electric scooters with removable batteries for those interested:

• Turboant X7 Pro
• Levy Plus
• Ninebot ES4
• Hiboy NEX5
• Swagtron Swagger 7T
• Smartkick X7 Pro

Built-in battery scooters might be a little annoying to heave into your living room to charge, but they’re still just as powerful as those with the removable option. We say that because there are some out there who believe removable batteries are weaker in comparison.

Both are at the same level, for the most part.

Charging your electric scooter is a lot like charging your phone, in that common sense should dictate health and safety when doing what you need to do (i.e. try to avoid charging it in the middle of your front room where it’s a potential hazard).

Follow these next few steps to successfully charge your electric scooter without worry:

• Ensure that the e scooter/battery pack is in a safe location
• Connect the charger plug to the scooters charging port
• Plug it into the wall and turn it on and then wait for a light
• Promptly disconnect the scooter when charged enough
• Unplug e scooter charger from the wall and store safely

How Do You Know When Your Electric Scooter Is Fully Charged?

If your electric scooter is decent – as in, made by a reputable brand – then it should have an indicator light on it, showing the owner that the battery is indeed charging, and is full whenever the light changes colour.

The charger going green usually means that it’s full and ready to use, or has enough power in it to get you where you need to go.

Important info on e scooter charging:

Know that you don’t need to charge your battery to 100% each and every time you use it. Charging it to roughly 80% is more than enough, and will actually help increase the lifespan of your battery by proxy!

You see, e scooter batteries aren’t infinite sources of power. Batteries eventually degrade forcing you to replace it (this is a lot easier/cheaper to sort when you own an e scooter with a removable battery).

Still, that’s not to say that owners are helpless here.

There’s a lot you can do to prolong the inevitable, and not overcharging your e scooter battery is one of them.

Unagi’s chargers tend to be as good as their two-wheelers © Credit to Unagi Scooters

How Long Does an E Scooter Take To Charge?

This is a very popular electric scooter charger-based question, and must be asked around, at least, 100 times a day.

It’s the same with e bikes. People are always asking how long they take to charge, with many groaning at the fact that some can take around 20+ hours to charge.

With electric scooters, some can take between 2-6 hours to charge, with others taking between 15-20. How long it takes to charge is determined by the type of e scooter charger it comes with, and the battery capacity of the two-wheeler itself.

Long range e scooters (like some we covered in our post on the best commuter e scooters) will usually take a lot longer to charge than others. That’s because the batteries tend to be a lot bigger to handle the energy required to travel further distances.

How Often Should I Charge My Electric Scooter?

An electric scooter is unlike any of the other tech devices you have at home, so don’t treat it as such. Ideally, you should only be charging it ahead of whenever you plan on riding around on it.

That said, it’s recommended that you keep up a steady charging routine – even when you’re not using it – to ensure that it doesn’t go too long without use.

Leaving it for too long without giving your e scooter some juice can negatively affect its charging abilities, regardless of whatever electric scooter charger you use.

Overuse of your electric scooter can also drain a lot out of your battery. Which is why it’s important that you try not to go out on it every single day.

We understand that it’s a cheaper commuter option, but there are always rental scooters to ride around on to give your own a well-deserved break, every once in a while.

Getting on every other day seems to be the best path forward, and is how we typically ride around when we’re not writing blogs about electric scooter chargers. Try it out for yourself and tell us how you get on.

Some e scooter have app support allowing you to stay on top of charging

What Is The Best Electric Scooter Charger?

The best electric scooter charger is almost always the one that it comes with in the box. This e scooter charger is optimised to handle the capacity of the scooter, giving it enough power to run on its own, and not overload it with too much energy.

That being said, these chargers aren’t indestructible, neither are they full of unlimited power, meaning you might eventually need to purchase a new one to keep you going.

If that day comes, know that there are plenty of chargers for you to pick and choose from, not as many as the amount of actual e scooters you have readily available these days, but more than enough for you to be torn between one or two options.

Below you’ll find our picks for the best electric scooter chargers:

• Decent Electric Scooter Charger (Halfords)
• Brompton 2A Charger Set (PureElectric)
• Velocifero 2000W 60v Lithium Battery Charger (Multiple Sources)
• Xiaomi & Ninebot UK Charger (PureElectric)
• Yugen RX12 60v 25AH 2400w E Scooter Charger (Fun:Bikes)
• Bosch Standard 4 Amp Charger (Multiple Sources)

Disclaimer: Not all of the above chargers will work with the electric scooter you own. Be sure to refer to your instruction manual and any FAQs before making a purchase.

If you are going to look for other electric scooter chargers, try to look for reputable brands that have all of the appropriate certifications and laws. There’s a lot of, let’s say, unreputable types out there that simply want to sell you something that looks expensive simply to make a quick buck.

They might be cheap, but these chargers often break down within a handful of uses or worse. We’ve heard many horror stories of e scooter chargers melting into floors and things like that.

Remember, either go with one of the chargers from our list, or look for something that’s clearly up to snuff.

You can usually tell from the product images alone whether or not it’s worth plugging into your expensive scooter or not.

Effective E Scooter Charging Tips

Before we finish up here we thought we’d highlight some effective electric scooter tips. These tips were either given to us from our readers (that’s you), or were written down by ourselves here at E4TP.

You see, when you’ve been riding/charging electric scooters as long as we have, you tend to pick up a thing or two as far as looking after it goes.

Here’s the list (in no particular order):

• Try to avoid charging your battery when it’s hot or cold to touch (this can damage it)
• Only charge the battery at room temperature, keeping it out of direct sunlight to avoid overheating it
• You don’t need to charge the e scooter after every use, only when you think it’s necessary
• Give your electric scooter around five minutes or so after charging before you use it (this will help negate any overheating)
• Store your scooter charger in a safe place and don’t just leave it plugged in on the floor
• Keep charging your scooter every now and then during long periods of storage even if you don’t plan on riding around on it
• Overcharging can seriously damage your charger, so try to avoid leaving it on overnight, or going out with it still on charge
• Try to stick to the original e scooter charger that it came with, and avoid using cheap chargers (even if they promise -10 minute charging times)
• When in doubt always look at the instruction manual/guide that comes with the two-wheeler

Electric Scooter Chargers: The Complete Guide

Electric scooter charging is arguably the most important aspect of owning an e scooter, in our opinion – aside from following the current laws, and performing routine maintenance checks on a regular basis.

Charging is important for a few reasons, some more obvious than others:

• Without charge your scooter won’t run
• Not every charger works with every scooter
• Charge-time varies from ride to ride
• Cheap chargers can break your e scooter
• Overcharging kills the battery quicker

We’d hate to see anyone having to fork out the money to buy a new charger when they could double, even triple, how long they have with the original.

The same goes for your electric scooter itself, as not charging it properly and with care can result in you needing to make the trip to Halfords and Pure Electric – or any of the countless transport stores selling them – to buy another one.

Buying back to back charger/scooters isn’t cheap, so look after both and they’ll look after you. Hopefully you remember that the next time you give your e scooter some juice.

E4TP Contributor

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