Hoverboards, Kids' Scooters and Ride-On Toys: Battery Safety for Parents

Hoverboards, kids' e-scooters, battery ride-on cars and RC toys all run on lithium cells. They get dropped, kicked, left in the sun and plugged in by whoever gets to the charger first. A few household rules make a big difference.

Regulators already treat them seriously

NSW Fair Trading declared hoverboards, e-scooters and e-skateboards, together with their batteries and chargers, to be declared electrical articles, so they must meet mandatory safety standards before sale (NSW Government, 2024).

Toys have a long history here. In 2008 the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission had received 26 reports of remote-controlled helicopters igniting while being charged (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 2008). In Canada, a farm shed full of tractors and equipment was destroyed in a fire officials suspected began with a charging battery ride-on toy car, the only thing plugged in at the time (Wellington Advertiser, n.d.).

House rules that work

• Adults do the charging, or at least start and finish it.
• Charge on a hard surface in a room someone is in, never in a bedroom or on a bed or couch.
• Use the charger that came with the toy, not a spare from another device (Fire and Rescue NSW, n.d.).
• Unplug when it is full, and don't charge overnight.
• After a hard crash or drop, check it before the next charge.
• Store hoverboards and scooters away from hallways and exits, and out of hot cars and sheds.

The warning signs

Teach older kids to tell an adult straight away if a toy smells strange, changes colour or shape, gets very hot, or makes popping or hissing sounds. Those are the signs Victorian safety authorities list for stopping use immediately (Geelong Independent, 2025).

Small packs and handheld toys fit our flat laptop and battery bag for storage, and a 2 m x 2 m fire blanket suits a hoverboard or kids' scooter. Our Homeowners guide covers the rest of the house.

General guidance only. Fire blankets and containment bags contain a fire and buy time; they do not extinguish thermal runaway. In any battery fire, get clear and call Triple Zero (000). Our extinguishers are certified to EN 3-7:2004+A1:2007 and are supplementary to your statutory fire safety equipment.