Electric skateboards are so much fun but sometimes it can be annoying that we are limited to sleek roads and pavement for our rides. Eskate companies are also producing all-terrain electric skateboard models. I am in the industry for 3 years now, I’ve conducted a lot of research and compiled a list of the most interesting and compelling off road electric skateboards. If you have a look on other websites they often have outdated models on their list. In this article, I will take a look at all the latest and most trustworthy all-terrain electric skateboards on the market. I don’t want to keep you in suspense, so let’s get right to the juicy stuff. Here is my list of the best off road and all-terrain electric skateboards on the market:
Best All-Terrain and Off-Road Electric Skateboards:
Image | Model | Link to Vendor |
Best Budget | WowGo AT2 | |
Meepo Hurricane | ||
Backfire Hammer | ||
Best Hub | Backfire Ranger X3 |
Pros and Cons of Off-Road and All-Terrain Electric Skateboards
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Ridable on many surfaces | Weight – These boards are often very heavy |
City rides also get smoother | Size – Off-roads ebaords are often very big and bulky: hard to stow |
Better carving ability | Less top speed – Due to the drag of the pneumatic tires |
Most powerful boards on the market | Reduced range – Due to the drag of the pneumatic tires |
Best Off-Road and All-Terrain Electric Skateboards
BajaBoards
I’m going to discuss three different electric skateboards here. Bajaboard is the name of the company and they offer 3 different off-road electric skateboard models all of which are very powerful. The models are:
- Bajaboard S2 (dual motor)
- Bajaboard G4 (dual motor)
- Bajaboard G4X (4 motors)
- Bajaboard Pantera (4 even more powerful motors)
The company is placed in Australia and its boards enjoy great credit. They have great reviews. The first thing you will notice is the big wheels and the unusual suspension system. These eboards are made for all-terrain or off-road adventures as well. They are named after the famous race Baja 100 and Baja 500. This off-road race has developed into a sort of a mix between Mad Max and the Dakar Rally but placed on the Baja peninsula. The Baja California Peninsula is a peninsula in Northwestern Mexico. It separates the Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of California. The conditions there are truly unusual and every vehicle which wants to finish this race and adventure has to be built to last. The Bajaboard electric skateboard took the off road buggies which win these races as role models for their boards.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
off-Road beast | high price |
very powerful motors | due to the sophisticated suspension and drive train repairs are more demanding |
It has a special suspension system with shock absorbers which gives their boards their trademark look. The remote controller is the most advanced and best-designed controller I’ve ever seen. You can customize every setting you can think of and it also has a vibration warning. The controller will warn you when you’re low on battery or you’re going too fast using vibration. The board has, as accessories, integrated headlights and taillights. One drawback of bajaboard is that they are heavy! So heavy that it is not designed to be pushed by foot, hence if your battery is empty you have to carry it. The BajaBoard has been made water resistant, so you can certainly ride on wet surfaces. However, it is not waterproof, so we recommend not riding into deep puddles or heavy rain. Basically, don’t let water wash over your board. If you buy a G4, you can upgrade it to a G4X at a later date. This is a good way to go if you don’t have all the money upfront to get top of the line. When upgrading, the company will either send you a kit to upgrade yourself or you can send the board back to them. You will likely use the BajaBoard in much rougher and dirtier environments than your average e-skateboard. Remember that the production volume is not very high hens manufacturing and shipping will take quite some time.
BajaBoard S2 is a unique electric “skateboard” based on BajaBoard’s new and patented mono-shock suspension system design. A lighter and smaller alternative to the G4 and G4X, the S2 still offers plenty of power and speed where it counts. With a top speed of 37 mph (60km/h) and range up to 37 miles (60km), it is truly a performance machine in a tight package.
Whilst the BajaBoard is designed for full off-road riding, it can easily handle tarmac. Other e-boards are not designed to be taken off-road unless you consider short lawn grass “off-road”.
Specs
Top Speed | Pantera: 45 mph (72 km/h) G4X: 37 mph (60 km/h) G4: 34 mph (55 km/h) S2: 37 mph (60km/h) |
Range | Pantera: 28 miles (45 km) G4X: 21 miles (34 km) G4: 24 miles (39 km) S2: 37 miles (60km) |
Battery Size | Pantera: 1100 Wh G4X: 550 Wh or 900 Wh G4: 550 Wh or 900 Wh S2: 600 Wh or 1000 Wh |
Weight | Pantera: 57 lbs (26 kg) G4X: 55 lbs (25 kg) G4: 44 lbs (20 kg) S2: 34 lbs (15.5 lg) |
Max weight capacity | 350 lbs (160 kg) |
Hill climb | Pantera: no info G4X: 45% G4: 35% S2: 45% |
Wheel / Tyre Size | 10 inch | 254mm 8 inch | 203mm |
Warranty | 1 year |
Link to website | bajaboard.com.au |
Price | Pantera: only on request G4X: $ 3699 – 5099 G4: $ 2949 – 4349 S2: $ 2500 |
Onewheel
It took the Founder, Kyle Doerksen 8 years of tinkering, lots of coffee, and a handful of prototypes, but by the end of 2013, Kyle had created the first riding experience of OneWheel. Kyle quit his day job, hired a team of like-minded individuals, launched Onewheel in 2014.
The one wheel is not a usual electric skateboard. As the name suggests, it has not four but one wheel. It’s more or less like a horizontal unicycle. You ride the board like you would ride a normal electric skateboard or snowboard standing sideways. But the big difference is that you control the speed with your weight shifting. So lean forward to accelerate and lean backward to brake with the one wheel.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
super agile | high price |
very fun to ride | low top speed |
futuristic appearance | nosedives are not rare |
not the biggest rnage |
This gives the one-wheel a big advantage. You can make very sharp turns. It’s more versatile and agile compared to every other electric skateboard on the market. With the Onewheel, it is no big problem cruising through a crowd of people while still standing on your board. Try that with an electric skateboard it is impossible! You have the freedom of not having a remote control, hence you can use both your hands carrying something or just enjoying the freedom while riding. Without a Remote you will not have remote control disconnects which can lead to dangerous crashes, hence in this regard, it is safer than many e-skates. Another very safe advantage of the Onehweel is its smooth braking curve. It’s pretty much impossible to get thrown off a Onewheel while braking. But is unfortunately very common on other electric skateboards, sudden braking is the cause of a lot of accidents.
The disadvantages of the Onewheel is its price, its heavy weight and that it is not very fast and hard to maneuver and control when trying riding fast. Additionally, its hill climb and downhill ride abilities are not the smoothest. You have to lean backward for braking so riding steep hills downhill is not very comfortable. Sometimes it’s even impossible to ride steep hills downhill with the one-wheel because the backside of the board will touch the tarmac beneath you if you want to brake.
Specs
Top Speed | Onewheel + XR: 19 mph (30 km/h) Onewheel Pint: 16 mph (26 km/h) |
Range | + XR: 15 miles (24 km) Pint: 7 miles (11 km) |
Battery Size | + XR: 324 Wh Pint: 148 Wh |
Weight | + XR: 27 lbs (12,5 kg) Pint: 23 lbs (10,4 kg) |
Max weight capacity | 275 lbs (125 kg) |
Wheel / Tyre Size | 11.5 x 6.0 inch | 29 x 15 cm |
Warranty | 1 year |
Link to Website | onewheel.com |
Price | Onewheel + XR: $ 1799 Onewheel Pint: $ 950 |
WowGo AT2
The WowGo AT2, is a trustworthy board with pretty positive reviews. The WowGo At2 sells at $1099 which is a great deal considering what you get. The WowGo AT2 is beside the Verreal RS AT the only Budget All-Terrain Board which comes with pneumatic and not air-less rubber wheels. This is a great advantage because numerous riders claim that pneumatic wheels are more responsive and comfortable. Which results in a much smoother riding experience compared to rubber AT wheels.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Powerful belt motors for a budget board | AT Wheels wobble a bit |
Smooth controls | Meh customer support |
Many wheel options, including pneumatic ATs | Double kingpin trucks take time to get used to |
Smart Turn-On feature | Not the most powerful on the list |
The boards have a Flexy deck made out of fiberglass, bamboo, and maple wood, double kingpin trucks and two powerful 1500 Watt Belt motors. Let’s put it this way, everything about Wowgo AT 2 felt really premium. Another board in this price range, with similar specs, would be the Evolve GTR which costs $600 more. Hence it’s a no-brainer why this board is getting hyped a lot right now. Make sure to check out our WOWGO AT2 review.
Normally, you have to power the board and remote separately. But the WowGo AT2 board has a “Smart Turn-On” feature, meaning you can turn on the board by just turning on the remote control. This board also claims to be highly water-resistant, which helps in many different scenarios.
If you’re willing to put up with average after-sale service and the unpredictable shipping time during this pandemic, the WowGo AT2 will be one of the best choices.
Specs
Top Speed | 25 mph (40 km/h) |
Range | 22 miles (35 km) |
Weight | 30 lbs (13.6 kg) |
Battery Size | 504 Wh |
Max weight capacity | 280 lbs (127 kg) |
Hill climb | 30 % |
Wheel Size/ Tyre Size | 7 inch or 120mm |
Warranty | 9 months |
Link to Website | wowgoboard.com/at-2 |
Price | $1099 (AT or Cloudwheels) $1219 (AT and Cloudwheels) |
Backfire Ranger X3
The Backfire Ranger X3 is the first hub motor board on our list. Hub motors have less torque than belt motors and are therefore not perfect for off-roading. However, Backfire uses the most powerful hub motors (1500 watts each) on the market. In addition, hub motors are very robust and not susceptible to foreign interference (no dirt or stones can get into the motor). For this reason, boards with powerful hub motors have become more and more interesting for off-road use.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Most powerful hub motors on the market | wheels are not pneumatic |
12 months warranty | hub motors have less torque |
hub motors need less maintenance | heavy board |
smart turn-on feature | |
good customer support |
The Ranger X3 is manufactured by Backfire skateboards, a Chinese company. It was founded in 2009 by Randy and Jerry, two Chinese skateboard enthusiasts. First, the company only built regular skateboards but in 2011 they jumped into the electric skateboard market as well. In 2017, Backfire introduced the G2, which was very popular and successful. Of all the Chinese manufacturers, Backfire may have the richest operating history. They are a 11-year-old company, having sustained the ups and downs of the esk8 industry. In 2018 they successfully raised $330.000 USD for their all-terrain eboard model, the Backfire Ranger X1. It was very popular, that’s why Backfire tries to constantly improve it. Recently they introduced the new version the Backfire Ranger X3.
The board reaches up to 24 mph and has a range of 15 – 21 miles. The deck is a so-called “drop down” deck, so the center of gravity is closer to the road. To avoid any scrapes from off-road riding, the battery housing was kept as flat as possible and still has a good 5 inches distance to the ground.
The Backfire Ranger X3 also has a “Smart-Turn-On” feature, which means you can turn on the board by simply turning on the remote (normally you would have to turn on both separately). For a chinese Eskate company, Backfire has good support. However, you should be patient and attach lots of pictures or videos to your support request.
The product doesn’t have many reviews, though every review I read was extremely positive. The website offers a plethora of pictures to view the board from all angles, giving another opportunity to show off some of its accessories and features. The website offers live chat support as well, so if you find yourself with more question you can utilize their customer service.
If you’re looking for a board that’s built tough and has the most powerful hub motors on the market, the Backfire Ranger X3 is your next board!
Specs
Top Speed | 24 mph | 38 km/h |
Range | 21 mi | 35 km |
Battery Size | 504 Wh |
Weight | 28 lbs | 12,7 kg |
Max weight capacity | 265 lbs (120 kg) |
Hill climb | 30 % – Street |
Wheel / Tyre Size | 6.5 inch | 16,5 cm |
Warranty | 12 months |
Link to Website | (Global) backfireboards.com/ranger-x3 (US-Stock) backfireboardsusa.com/ranger-x3 |
Price | $1499 – |
Metroboard X
The company Metroboard has probably the longest history off all, designing and manufacturing electric skateboards. I mean they built their first eboard in 2004! In 2004! Hardly any other company was even thinking about e-skateboards at this time. Metroboard is known for its high quality and long-range boards. In the last years If the question came up which board to get when a large range is the most essential factor, a lot of people has recommended Metroboards. The boards have proven to be quality built and to last. Metroboards doesn’t boggle using top-quality parts, like very powerful motors, a great battery, integrated head and taillight, and even Abec Flywheels – one of the best wheels out there.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
high end quality | high price |
made in the US | big and bulky |
company has a lot of experience | |
top-notch customer support | |
12 month warranty |
Now, the Metrobaord X is out and it looks fantastic! It has a deck made out of carbon fiber with built-in head, tail und underground lights. The deck has a “dropped platform” design (like the Ranger X3, Kaly NYC, and AEboards AT) and a drop-through mount for a lower center of gravity for increased stability and riding experience. The Metrobaord X is cleverly designed! You don’t have to flip over the board over to turn it on, plug the charger in or check the battery status!
One thing to notice is that each Metroboard X Electric Skateboard is built to order. It will take around 3-4 weeks until you get your board. Metroboard ships worldwide!
Specs
Top Speed | 31 mph | 50 km/h – All Terrain Tyres 36 mph | 58 km/h – Street Wheels |
Range | 20 mi | 32 km – All terrain 30 mi | 48 km – Street Wheels |
Battery Size | 576 Wh |
Weight | 29 lbs | 13 kg – All terrain 28 lbs | 12,7 kg – Street |
Max weight capacity | 300 lbs | 135 kg |
Wheel / Tyre Size | 7.5 inch | 19 cm |
Warranty | 12 months |
Link to Website: | metro-board.com |
Price | $ 2499 – Metroboard X |
Lacroix Boards
Lacroix Jaws, Nazare, and Nazare Lonestar – the new models
Let’s get ready for maybe the best electric skateboards out there. The Lacroix Jaws and especially the Lacroix Nazare. Lacroix is based in Montreal, Canada. Alex, one co-founder, even quit his job as a lawyer to go full time into manufacturing these insane electric skateboards. These boards are – together with Bajaboards – the top-notch of preassembled electric skateboards. (I am excluding DIY boards here because some of them are also very, very good!) The founders are surfers and snowboarders and like many other founders wanted to create their street board experience as well. The company dedicated itself to build the best carving experience you can get on asphalt.
Lacroix Jaws Lacroix Nazare Lacroix Nazare Lonestar
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
arguably the best electric skateboards out there | high price |
extremely powerful and fast | very big and bulky |
has the most range | only 3 months of warranty |
high-end customer support |
Their first production boards, the DSS60 and DSS50+ have been probably the most hyped eboards on the internet. The two different models, the DSS50+ and the DSS60, only differentiate in battery capacity. If you search on the big electric skateboard communities, the “electric-skateboard.builders” forum and on Reddit on “r/electricskateboarding”, you will read many very positive reviews about these boards. Users love the smoothness, the power, and performance but also the customer service and support of LaCroix. It has a very long-range, some users even say that they couldn’t even test the range because before the battery was empty their legs couldn’t stand eboarding anymore. On the companies website, they state that carving with the Lacroix can actually be a great Core workout. However, the DSS60 and DSS50+ are not available anymore, you only can buy them secondhand.
The Lacroix Jaws, an upgraded DSS50+, the Lacroix Nazare, their dream, and the Lacroix Nazare Lonestar, a model with even longer range. The Nazare and Nazare Lonestar come with newly designed trucks. The Lacroix Hypertrucks, these trucks are built to correct speed wobbles. The deck is also newly designed. It is now asymmetrical and has lower angled back concave feet “pockets”, and a triaxial fiberglass layer under each foot and tab to make the riding experience better. The Nazare and Nazare Lonestar share the same specs except for the battery size. Nazare has a big 1089 Watt-hour battery, but Lonestar has an incredible 2178 Watt-hour battery. This is massive!
Finally, we come to the grand finale of all Lacroix electric skateboards. In November 2020, Lacroix announced its “Supersport” lineup. Designed for racing, the Supersport combines the most powerful Stormcore 100D motor controller with an insanely large battery pack. The battery has a capacity of 2582Wh, making it the largest currently installed in a production board. Riders can travel up to 160 kilometers on one battery charge.
Specs
Top Speed | 45+ mph |
Range | 24 – 99 miles |
Battery Size | 726 – 2582 Wh |
Max weight capacity | 350 lbs (160 kg) |
Wheel / Tyre Size | 8 inch (20 cm) |
Warranty | 3 months |
Link to Website | lacroixboards.com |
Price | $2499 – $6000+ |
Link to our Reviews | Lacroix Jaws Review Lacroix Nazaré Lonestar Review |
Kaly NYC
The Kaly NYC is an electric skateboard designed by Ernesto Clark. Ernesto is well known in the DIY electric skateboard scene and noted as one of the best (if not the best) electric skateboard builders on this planet. Ernesto designs almost every part (except motor and battery) himself. The trucks are 16 inches CNC precision-machined. The Deck is made of carbon fiber, fiberglass, and basalt. The remote controller is the Unity by enertion – the same as the Raptor 2.1. You can customize the flex of the board. The board is available in four colors: red, black, gold and blue. Kaly NYC offers three different off-road models:
- XL2.0 (standard model)
- XL40 (bigger battery)
- XL50+ (even bigger battery)
The XL2.0 has a 700 watt-hours battery pack, the XL40 1300 Wh and the XL50+ a 1736 Wh battery pack. What also important to know is that the remote control can be customized via an Android App or your computer. Out of the box, this board also comes with one-speed mode. (and let me tell you this mode is not very beginner-friendly) The acceleration and braking curve ist pretty aggressive and for experienced riders.
Kaly NYC XL50+ Kaly NYC XL40
Specs
Top Speed | no info, but they are fast |
Range | 24 miles (38 km) – Kaly NYC XL2.0 42 miles (68 km) – Kaly NYC XL40 55 miles (88 km) – Kaly NYC XL50+ |
Battery Size | 700 Wh – XL2.0 1300 Wh – XL40 1732 Wh – XL50+ |
Wheel / Tyre Size | 8 inch | 20 cm |
Link to Website | kaly.nyc |
Price | Kaly NYC XL2.0: $ 2650 Kaly NYC XL40: $ 3500 Kaly NYC XL50+: $ 3800 |
Link to our Review | Kaly NYC 2.0 Review |
AEBoard ATs
Like Backfire AEBoard is a company based in China. The Aeboard GT and AT2 are solidly built budget all-terrain electric skateboards from a company called AEboard. They are located in China and have various boards which are decent and all in all recommendable. A good friend of mine bought his Aeboard AT1 and had no problems with it. I can tell you something about the AT1 but not the newer and more interesting models the GT and AT2. However, of all the eboards from my list, I am most skeptical about these. I could not find a lot about these boards. Again, the company seems to be a trustworthy one. I will give my best and try to tell you more about these all-terrain boards:
AEboard GT AEboard AT2 AEboard AT1
I will start with the GT model, their flagship all-terrain model. It comes with two 650 Watt in-wheel hub motors, although all wheels look like hub motors. It appears like two motors are just not connected to the battery – weird. The GT has double kingpin trucks for a better turning radius. It can be purchased with a 504 Watt-hour battery or an extended range battery with 612 watt-hours.
The AT2 is pretty similar to the GT except for its normal trucks (no kingpin truck), its less powerful hub motors (two 360 Watts motors), its front wheels (look like normal wheels) and its different battery options. You can choose out of more variations of batteries. From a 288 Watt-hour battery all the way up to a 576 Watt-hour battery.
The AT1 has a different deck – which I like even more than the newer one because it has a “dropped” design. Different and smaller battery options and different and less flexible battery enclosure. As I said, a good friend of mine purchased one and is pretty pleased with it. I have ridden the board myself too and liked it! One drawback is that the battery has a little delay, so if you push the trigger the throttle on the remote the board will accelerate 0,2 or so later. Same with braking. For the money, it is really a good board but you can’t expect high-end quality and riding experience form it.
(If you own a GT or an AT2 and can tell us more about, please let us know in the comment section below)
Specs
Top Speed | 23.6 mph (38 km/h) – AT1 23 mph (37 km/h) – AT2 22 mph (35 km/h) – GT |
Range | 9 – 20 miles (15 – 32 km) – AT1 10 – 28 mi (16 – 45 km) – AT2 17 – 25 miles (27 – 40 km) – GT |
Battery Size | 227 – 454 Wh – AT1 288 – 576 Wh – AT2 504 or 612 Wh – GT |
Max weight capacity | 330 lbs (150 kg) |
Wheel / Tyre Size | 6 inch (15 cm) |
Warranty | No info |
Link to Website | aeboarder.com |
Price | $ 639 – 869 – Aeboard AT1 $ 689 – 929 Aeboard AT2 $ 899 – 999 Aeboard GT |
Off-Road Electric Skateboard Conversion Kits
If you want to build your own off-road electric skateboard off-road and all-terrain conversion kits are the most convenient way to go. First off, fitting these kits to an existing deck is interesting, but they don’t offer much of a cost-saving over buying a complete e-board. If you want an off-road electric skateboard, the easiest option is to purchase a complete board. With eboard conversion kits, however, you have options for customization and personalization. You can add-on a modular electric kit to your pre-chosen, personal deck.
Trampaboard Kits
On the website of Trampaboards, you can get everything to build your own off-road mountain electric skateboard. If you are interested in “Do It Yourself – DIY” building your eboard than Trampa and some forums are a good place to start. But just be warned: Trampas Website looks a bit outdated and cluttered with products and options – definitely overwhelming at first!
L-faster E-Board Motor Kit
This conversion kit uses off-road pneumatic tires, has two N63 1650 Watts belt-driven motors. The max speed is 40 km/h.
This kit uses N63 motor, it is 36V 1650W brushless motor, very powerful and max speed can be 40km/h.
AEboard AT Set
The AEbaord AT set is made of two wide trucks, big 6inch rubber wheels and two (in wheel) hub motors with 300 Watts of power each. You will need all the rest, battery, ESC, remote control yourself.
Other Best Electric Skateboards
If you’ve found this article useful make sure to check out my new articles:
Why use all-terrain electric skateboards?
All-terrain and off-road electric skateboards are often pretty big and expensive. Why would anyone buy these boards?
Like the name says off-road electric skateboards have the ability to be ridden off the road, giving you much more variety in your options of places to ride. They don’t limit you to urban use only, but you can go to the countryside and have the satisfaction of skateboarding. Who doesn’t want to have the freedom to drive anywhere you would like? I think most of us do. Driving everywhere is clearly impossible, but with all-terrain e-boards, the choice and variety where to ride get bigger.
You obviously can ride on rough asphalt, but also on gravel paths, dirt tracks, grasslands, the beach and even forest trails won’t stop you anymore. Imagine thinking about riding your mountain bike through forest trails, now you can switch your board for your bike. Doesn’t eboarding through the forest and mountains sound awesome? It is just so much fun rushing down – and up – mountains with your board. With off-road eboards, you can snowboard all year long!
One of the biggest advantages of off-road electric skateboards is that they make the rides on normal pavement and tarmac even smoother! Changing from the sidewalk to the road, riding over rails, getting up the pavement, just getting up curbstones, is just so much easier and smoother with all-terrain eboards. Hence with all-terrain eboards, you can get off the road and still shred and also own the road and urban terrain. City rides are much more convenient and relaxed flat out smoother with off-road electric skateboards.
What to consider when deciding on an off-road electric skateboard
With the ability to go off-road the, boards have to provide more than normal electric skateboards do. All-terrain boards are basically the monster trucks of skateboarding. To get up steep hills and overcome rocky obstacles these boards need power! They will need bigger wheels, bigger trucks, a larger battery, more powerful motors, maybe even a suspension system, and a larger deck to accommodate all this extra power.
On top of that, electric skateboards which can be taken off roads have to be built very consciously and with great quality. When riding in rough terrain many parts of eboards experience a high temperature due to the required power, physical stress, and severe vibrations. They clearly need excellent brakes too! Off-road boards just have to be stronger to stand up to the potential forces involved. Hence they have to be designed and manufactured diligently and with high-quality parts. These reasons also lead to high prices. So be warned: if you want to purchase an all-terrain electric skateboard you probably have to dig deep into your pocket. Let me tell you though, it really is worth it!
- Wheels and wheel size: When wanting to ride off roads we need big tires that can handle the rough ground. The normal longboard urethane wheels are just not made for rocky paths. This is the most essential difference between regular and Off-Road electric skateboards. But clearly not the only one. If an e-board has big tires that obviously doesn’t mean that it is an all-terrain board as well. Off-Road wheels are normally pneumatic wheels, so these can be inflated as well. Tire pressure and wheel setup are important factors when it comes down to riding comfort and even range. All-terrain wheels will add a lot of riding comfort but also have a decreased top speed and significantly lower range cause its friction and drag.
In general: bigger wheels have a higher top speed but slower acceleration and less torque. Smaller wheels have lower top speed but quicker acceleration and more torque. - Trucks: It is important that the trucks are wide and robust. You want to have good maneuverability but also a stable truck. The trucks are one of the most tricky parts to build right on an off-road electric skateboard. If the manufacturer makes them maneuverable and “turny” the chance that they get speed wobbles at higher speeds is unfortunately increased. But if they make them too stiff you can’t make tight turns. Hence, it will always be a compromise.
- Motor power: To manage rocky grounds we unquestionably need powerful motors. The more power a motor has, the better the hill climb ability, acceleration, torque and the higher the top speed. If you want to get an electric skateboard which can handle many grounds, you need to take one with powerful motors. Check out my comparison table featuring the best eboards and their hill-climbing abilities.
- Battery: The battery size and battery quality (yes there are huge differences) is clearly the most crucial factor when it comes to e-skate range, weight, and cost. You want a big battery if you are planning to make trips off the roads. It is not fun to ride on a mountain or forest trail an then being out of battery. Most off roads eboards are pretty heavy and hard to carry, hence we always want to have juice in our battery. The battery is the most expensive part of an electric skateboard. The bigger and the better the battery the more range you get and the more expensive your board will be. It’s also important to distinguish between different battery brands, types, and setups. Battery capacity is usually measured in Watt-hrs. Watt-hrs = volts x amp-hrs. Some eboard companies try to hide the real size of the battery and therefore just display a range or the battery size with ampere-hours or voltage numbers on their website. But I did research and evaluated the Watt-hours (Wh) for every all-terrain eclectic skateboard in my article. If you want to know how long electric skateboard batteries regularly last, check out my article I have written about it.
- Riders weight: While electric skateboards alone have a tremendous power-to-weight ratio comparable to the fastest Tesla, eboards with the rider on it only produce power-to-weight ratios of a Toyota Prius. The bigger and the heavier a rider is the slower an eboard will be. This means the heavier you are, the less torque, acceleration, hill climbing power and top speed you get. If you are on the heavier side and you want to shred your board off the roads pick one with a lot of power. If you want to know more about why riders weight matters check out my article about it.
- Remote control (RC): One factor a lot of beginners don’t know is the importance of the design of the remote control (RC). If an RC is poorly designed we will have a hard time to really enjoy our rides. When it comes down to control the acceleration and braking precisely the RC is essential. So make sure to think about the remote control too when buying an all-terrain e-skate.
- Electric speed controller (ESC) The ESC is the brain and main computational unit in an electric skateboard. It is an electronic part and mechanism that regulates the drive and the speed of the motor. The ESC supplies the motor with the ideal amount of electric power, and controls the acceleration and braking curve. The ESC is an essential part when it comes to how smooth the ride of your off-road eboard is.
- Customer support: If we purchase products customer support is always important. Even though off-road boards are mostly built like tanks, if we ride off-road the parts will wear off faster and the chance that something brakes is clearly increased. If any part breaks, we have problems with the assembly we will wish we have someone to go to. Customer support can make the difference between being frustrated or happily pleased.
Make sure to check out our Post on the Best Electric Skateboards in General
Disadvantages of off-road and all-terrain electric skateboards
- Weight – These boards are often very heavy
- Size – Off-roads ebaords are often very big and bulky: hard to stow
- Less top speed – Due to the drag of the pneumatic tires
- Reduced range – Due to the drag of the pneumatic tires
Advantages of off-road and all-terrain electric skateboards
- Ridable on many surfaces
- City rides also get smoother
- Better carving ability
What else to consider when buying an off-road or all-terrain electric skateboard
Riding skills
Many of the boards on my list are not well suited for beginners. Some companies even advertise their boards as not amateur friendly. I don’t want to destroy the fun but you should have decent riding skills if you want to go off roads as. Almost all of the electric skateboards have different speeds and riding settings so you don’t have to ride fast if you don’t want to.
Safety concerns
When riding off-roads the likelihood of crashing is increased. Due to the rough ground, obstacle count and needed level of concentration and skillset when riding on rocky paths.
The kinetic energy of a moving object increases in proportion to the square of the speed. In other words, if you are traveling at 20mph (32 km/h) will get 4 times the damage (do 4 times the damage too) to someone riding 10mph (16 km/h). At 40mph (64 km/h) (and yes there are eboards out there that can reach this speed) you will have 16 times higher impact energy!
Protective gear
If we crash we don’t have a thick protection layer out of metal as we have in cars. All we have is our protective gear (helmet, gloves, knee and elbow pads), our clothes and ultimately our skin to shield us. Please ride with reasonable speed and always wear your protective gear!
Check out my articles on the best protective gear for electric skateboarding:
- Best Helmets
- Best Gloves and Wristguards
- Best Knee and Elbow Pads
- Best Lights
- Overview of the best electric skateboard Protective gear
How to ride safely when riding off roads
- Always wear your helmet!
- Wearing additional protective gear (gloves, knee and elbow pads, good shoes) is highly recommended
- Know your paths
- Practice and master your board’s braking
- Train emergency braking techniques and to “fall right”
- Make sure your batteries are charged (remote control too)
- Make sure you’re being seen – (nighttime = light time)
- Don’t ride beyond your skill level
To really know how to ride more safely check out my article with 17 insanely reliable safety tips!
Last Words – now it’s your turn
Electric skateboards are great. They have many of the advantages compared to standard longboards but you can get around faster or further with less effort.
With off-road and all-terrain electric skateboard kits, we have the possibility to go off the road (I love this freedom!) and have even smoother rides on the streets. They are simply more powerful and capable than regular electric skateboards
Now I want to hear from you:
Which off-road board do you like the most? I would also love to know why you like this particular board the most.
Let me know by leaving a quick comment.
How well do the Panterra and G4x carve on pavement?
I am considering one of those 2 or the Nazare……I love to carve but also like to go offroad some. Probably would get the Nazare if it is head and shoulders a better carver than the Bajas.
What do you suggest?
The larger Bajaboards, G4 and G4x are not really for carving. I dont know about the S2, however. I own a G4x and it’s amazing, but the turning capabilities are limited because of the size and weight. Bajaboards are unlike anything else I have ridden. Like a dune buggy with a skateboard on top of it. I have 2 Evolves and they’re great for carving but I wouldn’t recommend that brand to anyone because of all the issues I’ve had with it and lack of customer service.
In short, I would say you’re probably best off going with the Nazare if carving is what you’re after.
Thanks for your input!
Great website, thanks for the info. I’m gonna get a Bajaboard Pantera because of this visit. You should get a referral fee from Bajaboard.
I’m not sure if I should go with the Ownboard Bamboo or the Backfire Ranger X2. What are their pros and cons compares to each other?
The larger Bajaboards, G4 and G4x are not really for carving. I dont know about the S2, however. I own a G4x and it’s amazing, but the turning capabilities are limited because of the size and weight. Bajaboards are unlike anything else I have ridden. Like a dune buggy with a skateboard on top of it. I have 2 Evolves and they’re great for carving but I wouldn’t recommend that brand to anyone because of all the issues I’ve had with it and lack of customer service.
In short, I would say you’re probably best off going with the Nazare if carving is what you’re after.
I am new to this hobby and started 2 months ago with mototec 1600w off road skateboard. Thought it was good for the price tho bit heavy but got the feel and want more lol. After reading reviews and watching videos decided to try and so just purchased the wowgo AT2. Does anyone have any knowledge of these E-boards?
very useful this website.
You asked for more information in the comments about the AE board At2 or GT.
I picked up a AT2 because I travel for work and needed to get around town when not working. Most places I end up don’t have good infrastructure. So I needed to know it could handle almost any terrain and have a decent distance ability.
I choose the lower wattage motor At2 with dual motors over the 4×4 model to conserve the batteries. The main downside to the weaker motors is that it doesn’t take off to well with my 225lbs on top of it. Push starting extends battery life in regular electric board setups, so, it is a practice that I actually prefer. Once it gets moving it’s fast. I also paid for the upgraded batteries to get the most range.
As far as the deck, I have mixed feelings… I would like the lower center of gravity on the street but I also like the extra clearance when off road. The way it’s designed you you have a nice riding stance and can get a pretty decent turn radius without having it bite.
It handled the gravel roads in back country Alaska effortlessly, it has even managed to make its way through a few 4 wheeler trails as long as you stick to the harder packed ruts, keep your momentum up, and don’t try to go through sand or thick mud(the narrow wheels can dig in.) I did notice a huge drop in range on days I took on 4 wheeler trails, something to factor into your route planning.
When it comes down to it with the upgraded battery pack and off road capabilities. This allowed me to get the most range and versatility for the money spent.
My only regret is not ordering from aeboarder directly. I had to change the address it was being shipped to because the order was extremely delayed due to the initial Covid lockdown. They have some of the best customer service I’ve experienced in awhile. The vender I ordered through basically told me to pound sand, and when I contacted AE board directly they went out of their way to accommodate me.
Great article! When someone tells me I’m not fit for the sport, I’ll most likely throw my skateboarding dreams into the trash. But skateboarding requires practice and not a weight limit
This is pretty much the most comprehensive analysis blog I’ve ever seen on all-terrain electric skateboards! This will be extremely informative for skateboarders. I started getting into electric skateboards about two years ago. So I have some understanding of electric skateboards. I would like to share it here. The longboard is my first electric skateboard, it is a moderately priced and very good electric longboard. It is more friendly to newbies than shortboards and all-terrain boards. First of all, in terms of stability, it’s a great test for newbies. Maintaining stability is the foundation of driving an electric skateboard, and the longboard is significantly better than the shortboard in this regard because it’s longer, so you have more span between your feet, and it becomes easier to maintain stability. Secondly in terms of price, as the blogger keeps mentioning, most all-terrain electric skateboards are very well equipped, so it has enough power and range to support you whether you are on a long trip or off-road in the mountains. But because of this, the price of all-terrain electric skateboards for newcomers is a bit over budget.
I recently bought my first electric longboard. That was Metroboard X. Now I see your article and find this board in the list. I am happy to see this. Thanks
Great article!
When someone tells me I’m not fit for the sport, I’ll most likely throw my skateboarding dreams into the trash. But skateboarding requires practice and not a weight limit