Hoverboard Safety Testing - What is UL2272?

Hoverboard Safety Issues

Ever since the invention of self-balancing scooters (commonly known as hoverboards despite the fact that they don’t actually hover above the ground), the newspapers and social media platforms and have been full of stories about these machines being fire hazards and generally unsafe.

Whilst some of these stories have been exaggerated, and some of the videos on YouTube appear to have been faked, there are quite a lot of apparently genuine examples of cheap hoverboards overheating and either just breaking or actually bursting into flames.

The problem in the early days was that there was often no way to tell a good hoverboard from a bad (and potentially dangerous) one.

The good news is that things have moved on and it is much easier to find a hoverboard that is well made and electrically safe to use.

So, what do you need to know about hoverboard safety testing?

What is UL2272 certification and why is it important?

What is UL2272?

The most important thing that you need to know about hoverboard safety is that you should NEVER buy a hoverboard that does not come with the UL2272 safety certification!

The Quality Mark Certification called UL2272 was introduced by the industry to help kids, and their parents, to find hoverboards that were manufactured to high standards and which had been rigorously tested before being released for sale on the market.

The first thing that I did when shopping around for a hoverboard was to check that it has been certified as being compliant with UL2272, and I strongly suggest that you do the same.

If it doesn’t come with UL2272 certification, then just move on to the next product. I don’t care about any of the other features that it is said to come with .. no UL2272 certification equals no purchase!

So, what exactly is the UL2272 certification?

The UL2272 Certification is based on a comprehensive testing regime that includes:

Overcharge Test
Short Circuit Test
Over discharge Test
Temperature Test (Determines the failure temperature of a product.)
Imbalanced Charging Test
Dielectric Voltage Test
Isolation Resistance Test (Testing Isolation Transformer.)
Vibration Test
Shock Test
Crash Test
Drop Test
Mold Stress Test
Water Exposer Test
Thermal Cycling Test (Testing the effects of extreme differential temperature change.)
Label Performance Test (Comparing products against other leading brands.)
Strain Relief Tests
Motor Overload Test
Motor Locked Rotor
20mm End Product Flame (Test that determines flame resistance.)

Basically, UL2272 is designed to ensure that a hoverboard meets the sort of stringent tests that you would expect of any respectable electrical product.

So. always look for a hoverboard that comes with the UL2272 certification.

All of the hoverboards that I have reviewed on this website come with the UL2272 certification. I will never recommend any product that does not have it.

Find the Best Hoverboards For Kids Here.

Compare the Razor H0vertrax 2 and Epikgo Classic Hoverboards

I would love to hear from anyone that has anything constructive to say about Overboard Safety Testing or UL2272 Certification.

Please feel free to leave a comment in the box below.