Best Budget/Mid-tier Street Longboards ($500-$750)

This price segment is the most competitive with new boards being released here frequently. It's really the sweet spot for most people where you get a great board without breaking the bank. In this guide, I'll break down the top choices in this price range and provide all of the important differences between the boards. They're all made by reputable companies with proven track records, have great flexy decks, OLED remotes, and large enough batteries for most riders. You really can't go wrong with any of the boards listed, they're all great!

• Exway Flex ($649/$699)
• Meepo NLS Pro ($649)
• Wowgo 3x ($749)
• Backfire Zealot ($699)
• Meepo NLS Belt ($699) - preorder

Exway Flex ($649/$699)

This board is my top pick because it checks just about every box as well as having some excellent features that are exclusive to this board. The Flex is well polished and really reminds me of my Boosted Stealth. My favorite features of this board are the swappable drivetrain and the phone app. With the swappable drivetrain, you can use the same board/battery with either a belt drive or a hub motor system. Switching costs around $300 so I would recommend getting the one you plan to use to begin with if possible. As for the phone app, it allows you track board mileage, update firmware, and change acceleration curves. Most users won't need these features but they're really nice for experienced riders.

Pros

• Great app (firmware updates & lots of customization)
• Swappable drivetrain (hub or belt)
• Wheel flares on deck allow for large wheels and keep feet centered
• Auto balancing battery (smart BMS)
• Auto turn on feature (kick board to turn it on)

Cons

• Supply issues (backordered)
• New and unproven board
• Some users have had issues with motor clearance on the belt system (fixed by adding a riser to the truck or flipping motors to the back)

Important Specs

Weight: 16.5 lbs (7.5 kg)
Battery: 259 Wh
Deck Length: 37in
Wheels: 85mm 76A

Meepo NLS Pro ($649)

The NLS Pro is my top choice for a hub motor board in this price range. It has a huge battery, very fast top speed as well as a great flexy deck. I got to ride this board a few months ago and had a blast! It provides a pretty smooth ride for a hub board with the large wheels and padded grip tape. It doesn't have the best acceleration but makes up for it with a scary-fast top speed and other great features.

Pros

• Thick padded grip tape and large wheels make for a smooth ride
• Huge battery combined with hub motors makes for excellent range
• Lots of accessories provided (extra set of bushings with different durometer)
• Auto turn on feature (kick board to turn it on)

Cons

• Worse acceleration than a belt driven board
• More bumpy, mitigated by thick urethane on hubs
• Heavy (18.7 lbs, 8.5 kg)
• Wheels aren't changeable (hub motors)

Important Specs

Weight: 18.7 lbs (8.5 kg)
Battery: 288 Wh
Deck Length: 38in
Wheels: 100mm 78A

Wowgo 3x ($749)

The Wowgo 3x is a bit overpriced at $749. While the parts on this board are all great, you can get a very similar (if not better) board with some of the other options listed here. The only reason to go with this board would be if you really liked the design.

The 3x has a great flexy deck as well as an official Paris v2 truck in the front (the back is a Paris clone). There aren't any flashy features here but the board certainly hits all of the important points and provides excellent performance and durability.

Pros

• Quality, proven parts combined into a well polished board
• Really good wheels included
• Iconic "Boosted" design/colors

Cons

• Enclosures are thicker than they need to be resulting in less ground clearance

Important Specs

Weight: 17.2 lbs (7.8 kg)
Battery: 259 Wh
Deck Length: 38in
Wheels: 90mm 78A

Backfire Zealot ($699)

The Zealot is a great board with key features being the huge battery, custom remote, and built in LED underglow. It uses the same great deck as other Backfire boards as well as the proven CaliberII truck in the front. People have just started receiving their orders and we've been seeing a lot of positive reviews.

Pros

• Cool and unique design (deck shape and wheel text)
• Biggest battery of the lot

Cons

• Less flexible deck than the others

Important Specs

Weight: 17.6 lbs (8 kg)
Battery: 311 Wh
Deck Length: 39in
Wheels: 96mm 78A

Meepo NLS Belt ($699)

The Meepo NLS Pro (mentioned earlier) is a great board if you want hub motors. Meepo announced the NLS Belt version on 9/15/2020. There isn't much information on it yet but we'll update this when we know more.

Here's a great overview video which includes most of these boards: