Guides

Everything we have written about choosing an electric ride-on, running it, and the one thing about them that Australian buyers almost never get told before they buy.

Before you buy

• Where these can legally be ridden in Australia. Not the footpath, and not the park. Why the Australian Road Rules put a powered ride-on outside the wheeled toy definition, and what that leaves.
• 12V, 24V or 36V: what voltage actually means. What each tier can pull, and the number listings leave out.
• What age is a ride-on right for? Age bands are about judgement more often than size.
• Weight limits and outgrowing one. Why the limit is a braking number, and why a two seater counts both children.
• Balance bike or electric ride-on? For a child under five these are not the same purchase.

Running one

• Grass, gravel and slopes. Why a machine that flies on concrete bogs down on a back lawn, and what to buy if your yard is not flat.
• Battery life and how to not destroy it. Four habits that kill a lithium pack, and the one that kills most of them.
• Why your ride-on stopped charging. Work through this before buying a replacement pack.
• Safety and certification. What the standards cover, and how to set a new rider up.