Quick Answer: Before buying a used electric scooter, run its serial number through Bike Index (bikeindex.org) and Project 529 Garage — both are free registries that cover e-scooters, not just bicycles, and return a match within seconds if the scooter was reported stolen or found. Where the serial actually is depends on the brand: Segway-Ninebot stamps it on the deck’s underside (also visible in the Segway-Ninebot app), Xiaomi puts it on a sticker beside the charging port or inside the Mi Home app, and older Xiaomi M365 units carry it on the right side above an “SN” barcode. A clean registry result isn’t proof the scooter is clean — most stolen scooters are never registered in the first place — so pair the check with a receipt request and an in-person meetup.
A used electric scooter is one of the easiest stolen goods to resell, because almost nobody checks before buying. There’s no DMV-style title transfer, no VIN database like cars have, and most buyers never think to ask for a serial number at all. The good news: two free registries built originally for bicycles — Bike Index and Project 529 Garage — have quietly extended coverage to e-scooters, and running a serial through either takes less time than negotiating the price. Here’s where to find the number on the brands we cover most, how the lookup actually works, and what a clean result does and doesn’t tell you.
Where to find the serial number, by brand
Scooter brands don’t standardize where they print this, so check your specific model’s manual if your scooter isn’t listed here.
| Brand | Where to look | Format / notes |
|---|---|---|
| Segway-Ninebot | Underside of the deck, the original box, or the Segway-Ninebot app's device info screen | N2G-style code; on recalled P100S units the 6th-7th digits encode the manufacture year |
| Xiaomi (newer models, e.g. 4 Lite 2nd Gen) | Small sticker next to the charging port on the frame; also under the device's basic info in the Mi Home / Xiaomi Home app | Column of 13-digit codes |
| Xiaomi Mi Electric Scooter M365 (older) | Right side of the deck, above an "SN" label and barcode | Printed barcode sticker |
| Most other brands (NIU, Hiboy, Gotrax, etc.) | Check the companion app's device/pairing screen first, then the printed manual | No universal sticker location confirmed — varies by model year |
If you’re buying used and the seller can’t find a serial anywhere — no sticker, no app pairing, no mention in the manual — that’s worth treating as a caution flag rather than a shrug, especially on a scooter priced well under what our used electric scooter buying guide suggests is typical for the model.
How the actual lookup works
Bike Index (bikeindex.org) is a free registry originally built for bicycles that now explicitly accepts e-scooters and other “personal mobility devices” as a registration category. Anyone can search a serial number on the site in seconds, and the database is also shared with police departments and bike shops, which is part of why Bike Index markets itself as making stolen bikes “harder to sell” — the same logic extends to scooters. If the scooter has no visible serial at all, Bike Index still lets you register or search by photos and description instead, though that’s a weaker match than an exact serial.
Project 529 Garage is the second major registry, and it’s the one more often deployed through institutions — university transportation departments and police agencies (including Richmond RCMP) have run 529-based registration programs that explicitly cover e-bikes and e-scooters alongside bicycles, not just pedal bikes. Searching or registering works the same way: enter the serial, get a record.
Running the free check before you hand over cash costs nothing and takes under a minute — grab a GPS tracker at the same time if you’re buying new and want insurance against ever needing this guide again.
While you’re waiting on a seller to dig out a receipt or unlock their app, start a free Audible trial — a decent way to pass the time on a used-scooter meetup that’s running late.
What a clean result actually means (and doesn’t)
This is the part worth being honest about: a clean Bike Index or Project 529 search is reassuring, not conclusive. Both registries only know about scooters that someone actively registered — either the original owner logging it preemptively, or a theft victim reporting it after the fact. A meaningful share of stolen bikes and scooters are never reported to any registry at all, which means a scooter can be stolen and still return a clean result simply because the real owner never filed a record anywhere. Treat the registry check as one layer, not a guarantee, and combine it with:
- Ask for the original receipt or order confirmation. A legitimate seller usually still has it, especially on a scooter under a year or two old.
- Have the seller unlock the companion app in front of you. Pairing to the manufacturer’s app usually requires account access tied to the original purchase — a seller who can’t do this on the spot is a red flag.
- Meet in a public place. Standard used-marketplace advice applies here as much as it does to any other high-value item sold peer-to-peer.
- Check our electric scooter laws guide if you’re buying across state lines — registration and insurance requirements for scooters vary enough by state that it’s worth a quick check regardless of where the scooter came from.
Register your own scooter before you ever need this
The cheapest theft deterrent on this page isn’t a product — it’s spending five minutes registering your own scooter’s serial number on Bike Index or Project 529 the day you buy it, before anything happens. A registered serial means a future buyer (or a recovering police department) can actually find your ownership record if the scooter is ever stolen and resurfaces. Pair that with a hardened lock — see our best electric scooter lock picks — and you’ve covered both the deterrence and the recovery side of scooter theft for less than the cost of a tank of gas.
The bottom line
A used electric scooter has none of the paperwork trail a used car does, which is exactly why a thirty-second Bike Index or Project 529 Garage serial check is worth running every time, on every brand. Know where your model actually prints the number — deck underside and the app for Segway-Ninebot, the charging-port sticker or Mi Home app for Xiaomi — and don’t treat a clean result as more certain than it is. If the deal still looks right after the check, our used electric scooter buying guide covers pricing, warranty transfer, and what to inspect before you pay.