Electric Scooter Maintenance: 4 Easy Steps

The best way to make your electric scooter last as long as possible is through a proper maintenance routine. Just like with any vehicle, electric scooters need all their parts maintained to keep the whole system running properly.

Even after six months, an electric scooter can start to perform more poorly, and after one or two years, it can lose much of the ability it had when you bought it.

That is, unless you follow this guide to keep your electric scooter in tip-top shape.

The Importance of Maintaining Your Electric Scooter

Without regular maintenance, your scooter has a high risk of developing major problems in one or multiple parts.  Maintenance can help prevent components of your scooter from wearing out and breaking down, and it keeps your scooter at prime efficiency.  

An efficient, maintained scooter is more reliable. If you use your scooter to commute to work or run errands across town, you need a vehicle that can get you to and from wherever you’re going.

The last thing you want is for it to unexpectedly break down miles away from home.

Benefits of Regular Scooter Maintenance

Not only is maintenance important for the wellbeing of your scooter, but taking care of it reaps several rewards for you as well. If you’ve found a great electric scooter for adults, you want it to work well for as long as possible. You’ll save money by practicing preventative maintenance that can keep you from having to replace or repair a costly part. 

You’ll also reduce the risk of an accident happening, especially a fatal one, which keeps you safe.

You’ll also become more knowledgeable about your scooter, so if something were to ever go wrong, you would know exactly what was happening. You can also do much of this maintenance by yourself, reducing the time and costs spent on repair services. And of course, your scooter will ride better and more efficiently, making the overall experience more fun for you.

Knowing the Parts of Your Scooter

Before you can learn how to take care of your electric scooter, you’ll first need to know what its components are that you will take care of. It may seem simple, but there are many parts that work together to create the vehicle that helps you get around. 

The electric parts of the scooter include the motor, batteries, throttles, charger, controllers, fuses, and switches. The mechanical parts are the handlebars, brakes, forks, deck, wheels, chain or belt, kickstand, fenders, seat (if your scooter has one), and shock absorber. For safety on the road, your scooter also has front and rear lights, turn signals, and a horn.

Tools You’ll Need for Scooter Maintenance

In order to maintain your electric scooter on your own, you will need a good set of tools to complete all tasks:

• Wrench (10, 13, 15, and 17)
• Adjustable wrench
• Allen Key
• Bike tire levers
• Lubricant
• Digital multimeter
• Washing equipment
• Chain tool*
• Chain breaker*
• Chain-cleaning brush*
• Magnetic steel tray
• Freewheel removal tool

*Note: You will only need tools for chains if your scooter has one. Some models have a belt.

Maintaining Your Electric Scooter in 4 Easy Steps

Preventative maintenance is not as complicated as it may sound. It can be done by regularly completing the following steps, which are not difficult but important all the same:

1. Wash Your Scooter Weekly

Washing your electric scooter weekly (or more often) helps keep your vehicle looking good and prevents environmental contaminants like pollen, salt, dust, dirt, and pollutants from damaging or degrading the condition of the scooter .

First, turn off your scooter. Make sure you wash your scooter outside, which is kind of a no-brainer. Don’t use a hose when washing an electric scooter, as the water can damage the electrical components. 

Use a sponge or a rag to wash the vehicle with soapy water, but not one that’s dripping wet. Wring the rag or sponge thoroughly to avoid excess water running into the scooter. Wipe it again with clean water to rinse off the soap, and use a dry rag to dry everything off. Use eco-cleaner to degrease the chain, if your scooter has one. Be sure to lubricate the chain afterward.

2. Check and Change the Tires

You should check the pressure in your tires regularly. Optimal tire pressure for your scooter depends on the weight of the rider (i.e. how much pressure is regularly exerted on them).  For a lighter rider, the ideal pressure reads between 35 and 37 psi. For heavier riders, a psi of 42 to 43 is optimal. 

If your tires have low pressure, use a pump to put air in them. Beware not to exceed the maximum psi listed in your scooter’s owner’s manual, or you run the risk of your tires blowing out and a more dangerous ride.

Scooter tires should be changed after a certain mileage has been reached (consult owner’s manual for guidance on your model). Beware not to let a tire wear out to the point of a puncture or blowout.

3. Take Care of the Battery

Your scooter should be charged regularly to maintain optimal battery health. You can use a digital multimeter to check on the voltage of your batteries. Typically,  a healthy electric scooter battery has a capacity of 25 volts or more . If your battery is reading below that, it may be time to replace it.

To extend the life of your batteries as long as possible, don’t leave the scooter out in freezing weather, don’t leave the charger plugged in once the battery is fully charged, keep the scooter out of the rain, and allow the scooter to cool down before you charge it after a ride.

4. Check and Care for the Brakes

Regardless of the type of brakes on your scooter, pay attention to the condition of the brake pads, shoes, and calipers to make sure they’re not damaged or defective. Test your wheels to see if they can spin unobstructed. If they don’t, you’ll need to adjust them to fine-tune. You can use your Allen keys for working on the various parts of the brake.