10 of the best scooters for kids in 2023, as recommended by real parents

Kids’ scooters have sky-rocketed in popularity over the last decade, and for good reason. The best scooters provide a fun way to exercise outdoors, improve balance, steering and gross motor skills while children are growing - plus they’ll even get you to school or nursery much quicker than on foot.

As parents ourselves, we know that it can be hard to get kids outdoors sometimes, and that investing in outdoor play equipment can really help get them out in the fresh air. Whether it's choosing the best trampoline for your garden, a paddling pool to cool off in or the best balance bike to get your toddler from A to B, the right purchase can be worth its weight in gold. 

The global kids’ scooter market is expected to be worth almost £57 million by 2025. The market ranges from transitional ride-on scooters for toddlers, to two- and three-wheelers for younger and older children, and specialised scooters for stunts. Inevitably, choosing a kick scooter means navigating a bewildering variety of sizes, specialisms and prices.

Whether you're looking for the ideal birthday present for your child or it’s time to upgrade their scooter, it's important to select the right one. To help you work out which one is best, we’ve reviewed some of the best scooters currently on the market, as well as researching other models that stand out from the rest. This includes scouring our Mumsnet forums for tips from users who’ve already thoroughly put them to the test at home and know what makes a good scooter.

Here are the best scooters for kids, as recommended and tested by parents.

Do I need a kids’ scooter?

If you’re able to walk to school, nursery, the library or the shops, it’s likely that a kids' scooter would add speed and enjoyment to those journeys, encouraging children to be outdoors for longer.

For younger children, the process of learning to ride a kick scooter involves the mastering of several useful skills: grip, balance, leaning to turn, powering the scooter with one leg, and standing on one foot to brake with the other. Several of these skills are transferable to biking later, whether it’s a balance bike or pedal bike.

As your children get older, they might also enjoy using a scooter at a skatepark or just as a quick and easy way to get around, so you should get plenty of use out of it.

How do I choose a scooter for my child?

These are the main things to consider when choosing the right scooter for your child:

1. Age of your child
2. Type of scooter – different types offer different experiences (more below)
3. Assembly – how easy is it to put together?
4. Brakes – some scooters have no brakes, while others have a rear brake or handbrake
5. Wheels – two wheels or three? Big wheels offer more stability, but are harder to push, while smaller wheels may struggle on bumpier terrain
6. Handlebars and steering – most scooters have a T-bar system, but can the handlebar be adjusted for various heights? This makes it more comfortable to steer and it can grow with the child. Most three wheeled scooters are lean-to-steer which can be easier for younger children to master, whereas those with two-wheels are turn-to-steer.
7. Weight – how easy is it for your child to lift? They may need to pick it up if it falls on the ground and the weight will also be important to you if you need to carry it around.
8. Folding – does the scooter fold? How easy is it to do? This may be something to think about if you’re short on space or you need to carry it back from the school run. If so, you may also want to look for a scooter with a carry strap.

What age is appropriate for a scooter?

Transitional scooters are designed to get toddlers scooting early, from around 12 to 15 months. Most three-year-olds should have developed enough steadiness on their own feet to try scooting on a three-wheeled model, especially one designed with extra stability for their age group.

Metal-framed, two-wheelers need more weight and agility to control, and are usually appropriate from the age of seven or eight. Stunt scooters are designed for ages eight and over.

How do I know if the scooter is the right size?

As the Royal Society For the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) says, the best way to familiarise yourself with scooters is to see and handle some in person: “Try some scooters out. Go to your local retailer, look for fit and see how robust the equipment is”.

When standing next to the scooter on the ground, the handlebars should be around chest height. This means that when standing on the scooter, your child should be able to stand up with their back straight, and extend their arms to the hand grips with slightly bent elbows.

They should also be able to fit one foot comfortably on the baseboard, and touch the brake with one foot, without straining to reach it – if they’re new to scooting, you might need to hold it still for them while they try this.

All children’s scooters have a suggested age range and maximum weight, and almost all will list the T-bar height positions. If ordering online, you can use this height measurement against your child to see if it’s a good fit.

Don’t be tempted to buy a scooter that’s too big for your child in order for them to ‘grow into it’ – a model too large and heavy for them will be impossible to control safely.

What type of scooters are available?

Transitional scooter

If you want to start your child scooting early, transitional scooters are intended for very young toddlers. They begin in ride-on mode usually from around 15 months, but as soon as you feel they can sit on it without toppling off. The ride-on is comprised of a sprung seat on wheels, with handles for your toddler to hold, and a footrest for their feet. The parent pushes from behind with a long handle. This stage is to learn grip.

Once they’re a little more confident, you can remove the parent handle and they can push the seat along with their feet, leaning to turn as they gather speed. This stage helps them to learn balance, powering with the feet, and the lean-to-turn mechanism. Finally, the seat is removed and a T-bar is inserted to make a three-wheeled scooter (around age three). This is where they learn balancing on one foot, and braking.

Plastic/fibreglass three-wheeler

Three-wheel scooters tend to come in two broad age categories: a first scooter for three- to five-year-olds, and a follow-on scooter for five- to 12-year-olds.

They have two large, shockproof wheels at the front and one at the back, with a footbrake fender covering the back wheel. Baseboards are usually wide for stability, often covered in non-slip material. The aluminium T-bar can be extended to different heights as your child grows, and the hand grips are encased in comfortable rubber.

Three-wheeled scooters with plastic or fibreglass frames are lightweight, resilient and stable on all kinds of hard surfaces, whether broken asphalt or bumpy cobbles. Watch out for the front wheels getting caught as the scooter can tip suddenly forwards, pitching an unwary rider to the ground.

Most three-wheelers use a lean-to-turn mechanism. If they’re intended for the three- to five-year-old crowd, they’ll often have a locking button to disable it while they practice kicking off. Some three-wheelers use a steering mechanism similar to a bike. These, in our experience, are harder for a small child to master and flimsier at speed.

Metal-framed two-wheeler

Designed for an older or more confident rider, two-wheelers are faster and more agile than three-wheelers, but require some skill to stabilise. Children familiar with riding a bike are likely to be more adept at using these, since the steering mechanism is similar.

Though some two-wheelers retain the plastic decks of the younger models, most have all-metal frames. This adds to the momentum of the scooter in motion and its durability over time, but makes it heavier, noisier and unforgiving on the ankles.

Metal-framed two-wheeled scooters are often less expensive than their three-wheeled, younger counterparts, as they’re a simpler design.

Stunt scooter

These are the ones you’ll see whizzing around your local skate park. Built with a high level of structural integrity and top-notch materials, stunt scooters are light and hard-wearing. They have wide, low handlebars for stability and grip in the air, and wheel bearings designed to take repeated impact without damage.

Electric scooter

These are intended for older children (aged eight and above) using them to get from A to B. They’re powered by a slimline battery that sits underneath the baseboard and will need regular recharging, and can reach top speeds of around 10mph.

It’s important to emphasise that, as our contact at RoSPA explains, “Scooters should NOT be used on the road, as motorists will not be expecting to see them in traffic. Most scooter users seem to ride on the pavement, though the legal position about riding scooters on pavements seems to be unclear.” This applies to electric scooters just as much as kick scooters. Just because they have a motor doesn’t mean they’re any safer on the road.

How to be safe on a scooter

Safety is the primary concern of most parents considering new scooters. Here are some important things to remember:

1. Make sure it complies with safety laws

Scooters are classified as toys, as far as safety directives are concerned. The relevant law for a younger-age scooter is EN:71; for the older age group the relevant law is EN:14619. These should be listed on the box, the instruction manual or the manufacturer’s website. If you can’t see it anywhere, do ask! We’ve confirmed safety compliance with any of the models we tested.

2. Wear protective gear

Protective equipment is a must and RoSPA recommends a helmet (a cycle helmet is best), knee and elbow pads and wrist protectors. They also emphasise the importance of wearing helmets as adults when out together as a family: “It’s important for adults to set a good example for kids.”

3. Make sure protective gear fits properly

It’s vital that helmets fit properly, so make sure you measure your child’s head before you buy. Micro Scooters has a video on measuring for a helmet and another on checking for the correct fit, both here.

4. Be careful about where you ride

Finally, consider where and when you’re riding for maximum safety. RoSPA says, “Scooters should not be used where they will cause danger, fear or inconvenience to other people, or danger to the scooter user. Riders should be particularly careful on hills as scooters can pick up speed quickly. And scooter users should avoid using them in the dark as they do not have lights or reflectors and are difficult to see.”

For further information and advice, see RoSPA’s pages on toy safety and preventing accidents while out and about with the kids.

What is the best kids scooter to buy?

The Mini Micro LED Deluxe Light Up Scooter is a scooter that gets recommended time and time again on our Mumsnet forums. Durable, lightweight and foldable, it’s a high quality scooter designed to get young children confident on three wheels. We also love the range of colours on offer and children will love whizzing about on the LED light-up wheels. It’s expensive but as it is built to last, you’ll get a lot of scooting for your money.

How we chose our recommendations

Recommendations from real parents

Whenever we begin our research, we know that the best place to get recommendations is from other parents who’ve already been there. Our forums have over 7 million users each month so we know that each product they suggest has already been tried and tested. This means it can withstand the needs of a family, whilst also catering for a range of different needs, budgets and lifestyles.

Expert advice 

We also consult experts in the field to find out what we should be looking out for and to make sure each product stands up to scrutiny. For our scooter reviews, we spoke to the Royal Society For the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) to get their expert safety advice. 

Our trusted and experienced parenting journalists always make sure to research each category thoroughly, using a variety of sources, including independent review sites, such as Which?, to ensure we are bringing you the best products on the market right now.

Reviews

To help us find the best scooters currently on the market, we consulted our own reviews, in which we’ve thoroughly tested some of the top scooters around, scoring them on how they performed in six areas: purchase and assembly, safety and stability, day-to-day use, cleanliness, aesthetics, and value for money.

We then also check online consumer reviews, taking into account both positive and negative feedback, to help us pick a product. This involves scouring the internet, on websites such as John Lewis, Amazon and Argos, to see which ones are well-rated when they are put to the test at home by the consumer. 

Celebrated best products 

Finally, during our research, we also look out for any products that have received industry awards. This, combined with real parent recommendations, reviews and expert advice, helped us recommend a variety of scooters in a range of prices and styles that we’re sure your child will love.

Why you should trust us

Mumsnet has been helping parents make their lives easier since 2000, and, in that time, we've investigated, tried and reviewed thousands of products. We work hard to provide unbiased, independent advice you can trust. We do sometimes earn revenue through affiliate (click-to-buy) links in our articles. This helps us fund more helpful articles like this one.

With two young children who have been whizzing around on scooters since they were two, our writer Gemma used her experience and knowledge to help her research the best scooters to make sure we recommend the best on the market.

All prices on this page correct at time of writing.