How to ride an electric scooter: a step by step guide for your first rides

Before your first ride

Spend five minutes on checks before you roll. If the scooter is brand new, start with our electric scooter setup guide, which covers the first charge, tire pressure and bedding in the brakes.

• Gear: a helmet that fits, closed shoes with a flat sole and gloves. Our safety gear guide explains which helmet suits your speed.
• The scooter: squeeze both brakes, press the tires, check that the folding latch is locked and the battery is charged.
• The settings: choose the lowest speed mode on the display or in the app, and switch off cruise control if your model has it.
• The place: an empty parking lot or a smooth, quiet path, on dry pavement, in daylight.

Stance: how to stand on an electric scooter

A good stance keeps you balanced when the scooter speeds up, slows down or hits a bump.

• Front foot forward, pointing toward the stem, near the front of the deck.
• Back foot behind it, turned out at an angle, as on a skateboard. Many riders put their stronger foot at the back. Try both and keep whichever feels steadier.
• Knees slightly bent. Stiff legs pass every bump straight into your arms. Bent knees soak it up.
• Hands on both grips, with one or two fingers resting on the brake levers.
• Eyes up, looking well down the path, not at the deck. The scooter tends to go where you look.

Lean slightly forward as you speed up and shift your weight back as you slow down. That keeps your weight centered over the deck.

Starting off

Many electric scooters need a short kick before the throttle works. It is a safety feature that stops the scooter lurching forward if the throttle gets bumped. Others pull away from a standstill, and some apps let you choose. Your manual says which kind you have.

• Stand beside the scooter holding both grips, and put your front foot on the deck.
• Push off with your back foot once or twice, as on a kick scooter.
• Once you are rolling, bring your back foot onto the deck in your stance.
• Press the throttle gently and hold it steady. Throttles respond to small movements, so ease in rather than pressing all the way.

The INMOTION Air uses a twist throttle, and the INMOTION S1F a thumb throttle. Either way, practice slow, smooth starts until they feel automatic.

Braking

Learn to stop before you learn to go fast. Electric scooters use three kinds of brake, and many combine two of them:

• Hand lever brakes, disc or drum: the strongest. Squeeze progressively, never grab.
• Electronic or regenerative brakes: the motor slows the wheel, often from a lever or button. Smooth, but gentler than a disc.
• Foot brakes: you press the rear fender onto the tire with your back foot. Common on light and kids’ models.

Use both brakes together when your scooter has two. The front brake gives most of the stopping power, but grabbing it alone, especially in a turn, is a common cause of falls. As you brake, bend your knees and shift your weight back to keep the rear wheel planted.

Practice an emergency stop. Pick a marker, ride toward it slowly and stop as quickly as you can while staying upright and straight. Repeat at slightly higher speeds until it feels natural.

Turning

Slow down before the turn, not in it. Then:

• Look through the turn to where you want to go.
• At walking pace, steer with the handlebar. Above that, lean the scooter and your body together and turn the bars only a little.
• Keep your weight centered and your knees soft.
• Start with wide turns and figure eights in your practice space, then tighten them.

Hand signals take practice, because one hand leaves the bar. Try them at low speed first and keep them brief. Some models have turn signals, such as the Segway E3 Pro and the E-TWOW TankTorq TK3, so both hands stay on the bars.

Hills

• Going up: lean forward, hold a steady throttle and carry a little speed into the climb. Makers list a hill rating, such as 25% for the E-TWOW GT Sport and up to 30% for the Segway Max G3. Steep hills drain the battery fast, and a heavier rider climbs more slowly.
• Going down: shift your weight back, keep your speed low and brake early and gently. Do not let speed build and then brake hard. On long descents, the electronic brake helps hold your speed.

Potholes, curbs and rough ground

Small wheels make potholes a bigger deal than on a bike. An 8 to 10 inch scooter wheel can drop into a hole that a bicycle wheel rolls over.

• Scan the road ahead and slow down early for anything you cannot avoid.
• Before a bump, bend your knees and shift your weight back a little so the front wheel goes over light.
• Cross rails, cracks and pavement edges straight on, as close to a right angle as you can. A shallow angle can catch the front wheel.
• Never ride up or off a curb. Use a curb cut, or step off and walk the scooter.
• Treat painted lines, metal covers, wet leaves and gravel as slippery, and do not brake or turn on them.

Riding in traffic and bike lanes

Where the law allows it, the bike lane is usually the right place for an electric scooter. Rules on bike lanes, roads and sidewalks vary by state and city, so check yours first. Our guide to electric scooter laws lists what to look up. In New York City, for example, e-bikes and electric scooters have a 15 mph limit on city streets, and they belong in bike lanes, never on sidewalks.

• Ride with traffic, in a straight, predictable line. No weaving.
• Stay out of the door zone. Keep at least a door’s width from parked cars.
• Be seen. Lights on from dusk and in poor weather, and something bright or reflective on you.
• Watch turning cars at intersections, especially drivers turning right across the bike lane. Make eye contact before you cross their path.
• Keep your speed down in busy bike lanes and near people walking. Pass with room, and use your bell or horn.
• No phone in your hand and no headphones in both ears.

Beginner speed modes

Speed modes are the simplest safety tool on your scooter. Start in the lowest one, and move up only when you can stop confidently from your current top speed.

• The NANROBOT X8 has three speed modes: 6, 10 and 18 mph.
• The KUKIRIN G2 has three speed gears of 15, 21 and 27 mph.
• The ASAP 10 V2 lists five: Eco 9, Standard 15, Sport 24, Turbo 30 and Max 35 mph.
• The E-TWOW Booster ES offers Eco, Normal and Sport, and the INMOTION Air offers ECO, D and S.

Some models also slow down by themselves when the battery runs low. The E-TWOW TankTorq TK2 Lite limits speed to 7.5 mph below 10% charge, so plan to get home before you reach that point.

Maker figures, checked September 2026. Real range and speed depend on rider weight, terrain, temperature and riding mode.

A sensible first week: day one in an empty lot, practicing starts, stops and turns. Then quiet streets or paths in daylight. Add traffic, hills and night riding one at a time. When you are ready for more, browse the electric scooter shop, or add lights and a mirror from our electric scooter accessories guide.

Questions riders ask