Oi! Marty McFly...!

Thinking of getting one of these hoverboards as a Christmas present - for yourself, or someone else? If so, you should be aware that, like the Segway, it is illegal to use them anywhere other than on private land with the landowner's permission.  Because they're powered, they're classed as a "carriage", so the Highways Act of 1835 prohibits their use on the pavement, and equally they can't be used on the road without them, and the person using them, being licensed and registered and complying with all the same regulations as those using cars, vans and lorries.  And before you ask, mobility scooters and invalid carriages are covered by separate legislation.  If you use them in a shopping mall or somesuch, then it's down to the owner of mall as to whether this is OK or not.  If their use becomes really widespread, it may be that the government will have to reconsider the current situation. Interestingly, many other countries take a rather more relaxed view of their use - treating them more like bicycles.