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How to Lock Electric Scooter The Right Way

Do you want to know how to lock electric scooter the right way? We provide you with our best practices in 3 simple steps. Read on for more details.

Key Takeaways

  • To lock an electric scooter, identify a sturdy locking location on the scooter.
  • Purchase a high-quality scooter lock that fits the chosen locking location.
  • Lock the scooter to a robust fixture in a public place, ensuring it’s in a visible, high-traffic area.
  • Remember, no lock is theft-proof; always take extra precautions and consider using additional security measures.

My cousin owned the Kaabo Wolf King electric scooter for a year without any security concerns.

Until one day he entered a groceries shop and upon completing his errands, he returned to find that thieves had tried to cut his scooter’s lock. 

If he hadn’t locked his scooter properly with a high-quality lock, he would have absolutely gone home with a cab.

While you may have a good lock for your scooter, you need to ensure that you lock your ride in the best way to restrict any kind of access to it. 

Upon digging deeper, we can now review exactly how to lock electric scooter the best way possible. 

How to Lock Electric Scooter: 3 Simple Steps

If you want to know how to lock an electric scooter in the best way possible, identify a sturdy locking location on the scooter, get a high-quality scooter lock that can fit the chosen locking location, and find a robust fixture in a public place to lock the e scooter. 

1. Identify a Sturdy Locking Location on your Scooter

Since electric scooters are manufactured differently, the locking positions will also vary.

You will need to have a locking location that is strong enough to prevent the easy removing/cutting of the component holding the lock in place. 

Most electric scooter owners, prefer getting the shackle through the folding arm between the stem and the deck.

Unfortunately, e-scooters are different and not all of them will allow for this style. 

If your electric scooter has a dual and rear suspension, you may decide to use any of those as the ideal locking locations for your electric scooter. 

If your scooter has spoked wheels, you can also pass a long lock right there and secure your ride in place. 

For those who own scooters that have a loop on the frame, they can also pass their lock’s shackle as the frame is also a sturdy material. 

Lastly, some electric scooters such as the EVOLV Corsa have a convenient carrying handle that can comfortably accommodate scooter locks such as the cable type.

If your scooter comes in that design, then you can consider the carrying handle as another great locking place. 

2. Get a high-quality scooter lock

How to lock electric scooter the best way
Thieves tried to damage the scooter after failing to cut a high-quality Hiplok D-lock

Getting a high-quality scooter lock that will fit your preferred locking location will solve most of your concerns. 

You can get any lock, especially if you are on a budget but we would recommend that you won’t gamble about this since your expensive scooter deserves somewhat expensive security care. 

One of the best electric scooter locks we can recommend is the ABUS Bordo Alarm 6000A Lock.

The main highlights of this lock are that it’s fast-foldable, relatively light, and it has an audible alarm sound. 

Other locks such as the D or U-Locks are also perfect, especially when you want to place the shackle in the folding section between the stem and the deck.

U-Locks are relatively heavy and as such, it may be great if you get a backpack for carrying them. 

One of the best U-Locks we have seen so far is the Skunk Lock.

With the Skunk Lock, one of its primary characteristics is that it’s made of polished carbon steel to deter cutting it. 

Besides, the Skunk Lock comes with a standardized warning that it is pressurized with noxious chemicals, and should you ever try to cut it, the chemicals will explode.

If your laws allow you to own that kind of a lock, then it’s a great D-Lock for scooters. 

The other U-Lock you can consider using for your scooter is the Kryptonite New York LS Heavy Duty U-Lock.

What makes many scooter owners turn up to the New York LS U-Lock is that it offers an Anti-Theft Protection where you can be reimbursed for up to $4000. 

3. Find a robust fixture in a public place to lock your scooter

You should always lock your scooter on a permanent and strong fixture such as a bike rack.

If there isn’t a bike rack near you, steel and aluminum poles can come in handy for you.

Think of billboard poles or even stair rails. 

Whenever possible, ensure that where you lock your scooter, there is a constant movement of people.

That way, it gets harder for someone trying to cut your lock to be comfortable as they can’t keep in touch when you can come back for your ride. 

Another helpful factor you can consider is to lock your scooter at a place where you are convinced there are functional CCTV Cameras. 

How to use different locks to secure electric scooters

Since there are different types of locks that can fit in different scooter models, the exact way in which they hold the scooter in place varies from one scooter to the other.

Let’s review the different lock types and how exactly you can get the maximum security with them. 

1. U-Locks

Most scooter owners love U-Locks (D-Locks) since they are robust enough.

Featuring hardened shackles sometimes manufactured from carbon steel, U-Locks offer a better sense of security. 

Some U-Locks such as the ABUS Bordo Alarm 6000A have alarms that make cutting the scooter harder.

Most thieves, won’t continue trying to steal an electric scooter that has a 120dB alarm lock. 

The best place to fix a U-Lock on your scooter is in the frame and the folding mechanism, but this may depend on the frame/folding bar’s size. 

2. Chain Locks

Chain locks are often great for wrapping scooters to the fixtures.

One of the advantages of Chain Locks is that they make locked scooters tight since they can be wrapped around the frame and the forks, for scooters with a fork design. 

Electric scooter owners who prefer using chain locks for deterrent purposes often wrap them around the stems and posts or even big trees to prevent intruders from pulling the locks over the handlebars. 

For the chain lock, we recommend the VULCAN Security Chain Lock since it cannot be cut by any bolt cutter or even hand tools. 

3. Cable Locks

Cable locks are among the most affordable.

Some sellers give out the cable locks along with when one buys a U-Lock. 

We mostly don’t recommend using cable locks since they can get cut easily with an angle grinder or even a bolt cutter.

However, it sometimes is the best way you can use it since some scooters aren’t foldable. 

We recommend that you use a cable lock along with a U-Lock for supplementing the latter. 

To use the Cable lock, we find that tying it around a steel/aluminum frame and then around the carrying handle is a great choice.

Some scooter owners use the cable to go through the rear tires and then interlock them with a U-Lock. 

One of the best cable locks for scooters you will find out there is the Master Lock Python. 

4. Folding locks

A folding lock comes with a folding chain that gets used to be wrapped across different fixtures.

However, it’s great to buy a long folding lock as most have short chains, which makes it relatively hard to wrap the lock across different pole sizes. 

5. Ring Locks

Ring locks typically have a cable strategically positioned at the center.

The steel ring is sturdy enough to prevent hand tools from cutting the lock and it functions by holding an electric scooter rim in place such that the wheel can never rotate. 

How to lock electric scooter to bike rack

If you intend to always lock your electric scooter on bike racks, we recommend that you find a high-quality D-Lock as the primary lock.

Once you have acquired your perfect lock for an electric scooter and found a vacant bike rack, it’s now time to go about securing your ride. To do so:

  • Identify the sturdiest bike rack (yes, it happens sometimes that some bike racks have become old or even gotten rusted with time owing to old age). The bike rack needs to have been constructed from the ground and not just fixed on concrete using bolts
  • Select the ideal locking location on the scooter. If your scooter has a folding mechanism that can allow you to thread a lock, then we highly recommend using that fixture. If it doesn’t, look for another equally sturdy location on the scooter
  • Thread the lock around the scooter and ensure that you properly wrap it around the locking location and the bike rack.
  • Don’t forget to go with the keys. It happens sometimes that you may forget the keys on the ground and give thieves an easy opportunity to get away with your scooter.

Locks are not theft-proof

While you may have locked your electric scooter with the best lock ever created on the planet and even locked it the best way as per all the recommendations you have gone through, it’s important for you to note that locks are not theft-proof for most professional thieves.

While locks do a great job of deterring many lazy and unprepared thieves from accessing your scooter, some thieves can still lock pick even the hardest locks out there, specifically when armed with the appropriate lock picking powered tools.

As such, don’t leave your scooter for long without being attended.

Whenever possible, carry your scooter wherever it’s allowed or even request to wheel your ride inside stores.

Since in the worst-case scenario you will find getting your scooter inside your building is impossible, you can use other electric scooter theft prevention methods such as hiding an AirTag under the tag (for those who own Apple Devices), acquiring a reliable lock with an alarm, and if possible, looking for a tracker to supplement the lock.

Final Thoughts

To lock an electric scooter, you will need to begin by finding the best point on your scooter that can support threading a lock, buy a high-quality lock that fits your main point of locking, and always ensure that you have locked the scooter at a firm fixture. 

Importantly, noting how you lock your scooter plays a critical role in determining if you will find your ride or lose it. 

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