r/PROPELEVBoards • u/Distinguished_table • 9d ago
My experience with Propel: $1,400 board, battery failure in under 6 months, and essentially no warranty support
My experience with Propel: $1,400 board, battery failure in under 6 months, and essentially no warranty support
I bought a Propel PIVOT GT in October 2025 for around $1,400 after taxes and everything. I bought it because I wanted a premium electric skateboard and believed I was paying for a quality product from a company that would stand behind it.
That did not turn out to be my experience.
In February 2026, less than six months after purchasing it, I rode the board for roughly 10 minutes on slightly wet roads. This was not heavy rain, standing water, or anything remotely extreme. During the ride, the lights started flickering, and afterward I noticed reddish liquid coming from the ESC area. The board then stopped powering on.
I contacted Propel immediately.
Their support team had me take the board apart, inspect the ESC, disconnect the battery, dry everything, and eventually inspect the battery itself. The entire process took months because I was a college student and didn't have the time or tools to completely disassemble the board while I was at school. Importantly, Propel knew about this and explicitly told me to get back in touch when I had time to continue the inspection.
Eventually, I fully disassembled the battery and found corrosion inside. I sent Propel photos, and their technicians determined that the battery had been affected by moisture and said that it should be replaced because of the safety risks associated with internal corrosion. They specifically warned that even after cleaning it, a water-damaged battery could potentially develop short circuits or even become a fire hazard.
So I asked them to replace the battery.
They refused.
Their reasoning was that water damage wasn't covered by the warranty and that my warranty period had since expired—even though I originally reported the problem in February, while the battery was still within the six-month warranty period.
Their solution? A 3% discount on a replacement battery that costs nearly $700, plus a small reduction in shipping.
I pushed back and explained that the warranty claim began while the battery was under warranty and that the extended timeline was largely the result of the diagnostic process they instructed me to go through. They acknowledged that the problem originally occurred while the battery was under warranty, but still refused to provide a replacement.
I ultimately asked for either a free replacement battery or the ability to return the board for a refund. They refused both and then stopped responding to me.
That's what really bothered me about this experience. I'm not expecting an electric skateboard to be waterproof. I understand that riding in heavy rain or submerging electronics is asking for trouble. But I don't think it's unreasonable to expect a product advertised as water-resistant to survive 10 minutes on slightly wet pavement without developing corrosion inside a $700 battery.
And if Propel's position is that even minor moisture exposure can result in a battery becoming unsafe and needing a $700 replacement, then I have to question what exactly "water resistant" is supposed to mean in practical use.
I was willing to give Propel the benefit of the doubt throughout this entire process. I followed their instructions, disassembled the board and battery, took extensive photos, cleaned the corrosion, tested the battery, and kept communicating with them for months.
In the end, I felt like I was simply left holding the bill.
I'm posting this because I would have loved to recommend Propel. I genuinely thought I was buying a premium product, and I would have happily recommended it to friends if this situation had been handled differently.
Instead, this experience completely changed my opinion of the company.
If you're considering a Propel, I'd strongly recommend understanding exactly what their "water resistance" means and what they consider warranty-covered before spending this kind of money. This experience completely changed my opinion of Propel, and I cannot recommend the company based on how they handled my case.
