With electric scooters now legal on UK roads, now is the time to start shopping for those must-have accessories.
With safety a primary concern, we have gathered up seven essentials to help protect you and make you visible to other traffic, as well as keep your electric scooter clean and secure.
These accessories include a stylish helmet available in a wide range of colours, a strap to make your -scooter easier to carry, a lock to stop it from being stolen, as well as lights and reflectors so that other traffic can see you clearly.
1. Helmet
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Safety first, kids. Although there are no rules about wearing a helmet while riding an e-scooter in the UK (it’s the same situation as with bicycles), we strongly advise you wear one. There’s a huge range of shapes, styles and prices to pick from. Some offer more protection, some are extremely light, while others collapse or fold up to make carrying them in your bag a doddle.
One of our favourites is the Heritage bike helmet range by Thousand Helmets. Inspired by the simple design of vintage motorbike helmets of the 1950s and ‘60s, the Heritage looks great while complying with CPSC, ASTM F1492 and CE EN1078 safety certification.
Available in three sizes and ten colours, there’s bound to be a model that fits you and suits your style perfectly. The helmet features a secret PopLock for securing it to your bike lock, a vegan leather strap, one-handed magnetic fastener, and seven vents to channel air and help keep you cool.
2. Lights
A good set of lights are another crucial accessory for your electric scooter. Not only do they help you see where you are going – so you can spot and dodge any large potholes or slippery drain covers – but they help other road users see you too.
Ideally, you want a set that includes a white or yellow forward-facing light, and a red rearward-facing light for maximum visibility. Hired scooters tend to already have lights, or reflector strips at the very least, but there’s no harm in strapping your own set to the front and back.
For this – and for strapping to your own scooter – recommend the Curve Light 3 by Bookman. Primarily designed for strapping to the handlebars and saddle column of a bicycle, this front-facing light can also be strapped to the handlebar of any e-scooter, thanks to its adjustable elastic silicone band.
The light shines with up to 220 lumens of brightness and has a run time of between one and 70 hours, depending on the mode and brightness used. There are four light modes available and the light is fully charged in two hours using an included USB cable. The light, which is resistant to rain and snow, is designed so that illumination spills around the sides, so you can see ahead, but traffic to your left and right can also see you.
3. More lights
Because you can’t have enough lights, here’s another option. Instead of attaching to the scooter itself, lights are available that attach to your bag or clothing. That way, you can hire a rented e-scooter and not worry about whether its own lights are bright enough; just bring your own and attach them, or wear them for additional visibility and illumination.
For this, we recommend the Block Light, also by Bookman. Available as a white front light and red rear light, the Block is a strong and compact light with up to 18 lumens of brightness and a battery life of between 1.5 and 25 hours. Available with a case finished in black or white and charged via USB, the Block can easily attach to your scooter or to your bag.
4. Reflectors
Lastly for lighting, you will want a set of wearable reflectors. While the lights mentioned above help you see the road ahead, reflectors are crucial for helping other road users see you, especially at night or on a foggy day. Most electric scooters already have their own reflectors, but there is no harm in doubling-down and adding more to your bag or clothing.
We recommend the Clip-on Reflectors by Bookman. These use magnets to quickly and securely clip onto your clothing, such as your jacket cuffs or the back of your hood. According to Bookman, these reflectors can be seen in a car’s headlights from up to 125 metres away, which is double the distance at which white clothing can be seen in the dark.
Because they clip to your clothing instead of your scooter, these reflectors can be used while out walking, running or cycling too.
5. Lock
Most e-scooters are designed to be folded up and taken inside when you reach your destination. But that might not always be possible or convenient. Sometimes you need to pop into a small shop where carrying a scooter around would be a nuisance.
To help offer peace of mind when leaving your scooter outside and unattended, you’re going to want a lock. But be careful in which lock you choose. You’ll want one that is strong and difficult to break, but also designed to work with the L-shaped frame of a scooter. In other words, it needs to close far more tightly than a conventional bike lock.
For this, we recommend the Master Lock Street Cuff. Resembling a pair of adjustable handcuffs, this lock closes tightly so it can wrap around the vertical handlebar step of your scooter. It is made from hardened and laminated steel, with a hardened pivot link design that its makers claim is virtually impossible to cut. The compact design folds in half, making it convenient to carry in your bag or pocket, and in total the lock is 12 inches long, weighing 1.5kg.
6. Carry Strap
Electric scooters are already convenient to carry, thanks to their folding design. But some of the larger models can be heavy, so you might want to invest in a shoulder strap. That way, the scooter is easy to carry, and you don’t have to constantly grip it with your hand.
We recommend the Hand Strap Belt by Zonsuse, thanks to its excellent value for money and simple, comfortable design. This strap uses a pair of generic clips to wrap around the front and rear wheels of your scooter, making it neatly balanced for resting on your shoulder while you walk to the office or get on public transport. The strap can be adjusted from 1.1 to 1.6 metres in length, can carry up to 35kg of weight, and folds up when not in use.
7. Muc-Off Cleaner
Finally, and especially once the weather turns after summer, you will want to keep your pride-and-joy clean. A lot of road grime will build up around the wheels, brakes and under the footplate of your scooter, so you’ll want a powerful cleaner to keep it in good condition and prevent any corrosion.
For this we recommend the industry-leading Muc-Off spray. Already a firm favourite among cyclists and bikers, Muc-off uses a ‘state-of-the-art Nano Tech’ formula to break down dirt and grime on a molecular level, ensuring a top-notch clean. The solution is free from harmful acids, solvents and CFCs, and is safe to use on all surfaces and components of your bike or scooter, including the brake disc.
All you have to do is rinse your scooter with water, spray Muc-Off onto the entire scooter, leave for three to five minutes, then begin agitating any stubborn bits of grim with a clean brush or sponge, and rinse clean with fresh water. Muc-Off is sold in bottles ranging from one to 25 litres.
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Alistair is a freelance automotive and technology journalist. He has bylines on esteemed sites such as the BBC, Forbes, TechRadar, and of best of all, T3, where he covers topics ranging from classic cars and men's lifestyle, to smart home technology, phones, electric cars, autonomy, Swiss watches, and much more besides. He is an experienced journalist, writing news, features, interviews and product reviews. If that didn't make him busy enough, he is also the co-host of the AutoChat podcast.