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Consumer Reports said it no longer recommends electric scooters after testing 13 models, citing safety concerns about higher speeds and rising injuries.
Data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission shows e-scooter injuries increased from 10,600 in 2017 to nearly 80,000 in 2024. Children account for 45% of e-scooter-related injuries, according to a recent Johns Hopkins Medicine study. Still, micromobility devices like e-bikes and e-scooters are becoming increasingly popular as cheaper, greener and quicker forms of transportation.
Consumer Reports first tested e-scooters in 2022, when most had a top speed of about 15.5 mph. Now, most go up to 20 mph, and one model Consumer Reports tested reached 28 mph. A Consumer Reports engineer said he considers this speed dangerous.
Some e-scooter models, known as hyperscooters, can reach speeds up to 75 mph.
Even at lower speeds, e-scooter riders stand, making headfirst falls more likely than in vehicles, where riders sit. Consumer Reports said e-scooters’ small wheels also make them more difficult to use on irregular or wet terrain. The report also noted that two Consumer Reports employees were involved in accidents while testing the e-scooters.
Because e-scooters are not currently defined under Pennsylvania law, it is illegal to operate them on public roads and highways, although they are legal to purchase. State Rep. Joe McAndrew, D-Allegheny County, has proposed legislation that would define e-scooters, making them street legal, while regulating speed, age of driver and where the vehicles can be driven.
E-bikes are legal to ride in Pennsylvania if they do not exceed 20 mph and have motors smaller than 750 watts.
