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Rain. It is the time of the season and there is no avoiding it.  And it is a controversial subject when it comes to electric scooters!

Unfortunately, electric scooters are manufactured in China, a long way away from British winter streets.  Manufacturers have been slow to appreciate that we need scooters that can cope with a little bit of weather.  We are starting to see a few new models with IP ratings but the majority of electric scooters void their warranties in the rain.

 
 

A more important issue than the reliability of your scooter is personal safety.  For many reasons, riding in bad weather should be avoided if possible but sometimes you may not have a choice.  British weather is never boring and always unpredictable – getting caught out in the rain is always a possibility. So what do you do if you get caught in the rain on your scooter?
Let’s deal with your safety first.  As always, the best way to stay safe while riding is to assume the worst-case scenario in all situations.  For example, that child on the pavement – assume he is about to run out in front of you.  Ditto any dogs and cat (squirrels and foxes) that might be in your eye line!  And cars, trucks and busses?  Unless you make eye-contact, assume they have not seen you.

In the wet, all these potential risks should be ratcheted-up and much more care taken.  Why?  Firstly, because your visibility and the visibility of other road users drops significantly in the wet.  Dodgy wipers, steamed up glasses, visors and goggles (not to mention windscreens) all play a part in wet-weather accidents.  Then we move on to lack of grip, especially on two wheels but also on four wheels.  Slipping and sliding on wet, greasy British roads complete with low-quality surfacing is a fact of life on these islands.

So if you do get caught in the wet, you need to obey some simple rules:

  • Assume you are invisible to other road users
  • Give yourself more time and space to stop or react to potential hazards
  • Slow down in the turns
  • Do not apply power in the turns as you may lose grip and fall
Whether your scooter will survive the bad whether or not depends on how water resistant it is.  You can use various forums to discover how well (or not) your own particular model will cope.  For example, Kaabo scooters are well known to be vulnerable to water ingress, especially the Mantis and effectively cannot ride in the rain.  Other scooters, especially those based on rideshare models like the Inmotion L9 and the Ninebot G30 fare considerably better.

Here are some guidelines:

    • Never leave your scooter outside where it is exposed to rain, damp and moisture
    • If you get caught in the rain, dry off the scooter after use
    • Always store your scooter somewhere warm and dry
It is also worth checking with resellers before you buy your scooter, what their policy is should your scooter suffer damage from water ingress. At PET, we understand that getting wet cannot be completely avoided in the UK.  We do everything we can to honour warranties and to explain exactly what is covered and what is not.  We sometimes offer repairs at cost price to fix problems after customers have been caught out in bad weather.

Simply put, riding in the rain can be deeply unpleasant, more dangerous and risk damaging your scooter.  So, if you can wait a few minutes until things dry out a little, you might want to grab that cup of tea!  However, if you do get caught out, acknowledge the risks and take a little more care.  Then dry off your scooter and leave it by a radiator if you can so the water can evaporate before moisture causes damage to components.

electric scooter drying by radiator

We hope this blog post has been useful for your scooter care. If you have any questions, please do contact us at hello@personalelectrictransport.co.uk or give us a call on +44 (0) 20 3318 2254 .

Ride safe,

⚡️ Team PET


Here are some related articles we think you’ll find useful:

Using & Storing Electric Scooters in Winter

Winter Battery Care