Best cheap RC cars in the UK (2026)

The best cheap RC car for most people in the UK is a small 4WD electric truck from a brand that sells spare parts, such as the Maverick Atom or Blackzon Slyder MT at around £60 to £65. Spend around £120 to £150 and you can get brushless speed and a proper hobby-grade chassis, such as the Rlaarlo AM-X12 or Maverick QByte XB Flux. Below £40 you are buying something closer to a toy, which is fine for indoors and younger drivers but will not cope with long grass or big jumps.

Quick picks

What makes a cheap RC car worth buying?

A cheap RC car is worth buying if it has a 2.4GHz radio, proportional steering and throttle, a rechargeable battery and, above all, spare parts you can actually get hold of. Every car crashes. The difference between a £60 hobby-grade truck and a £30 toy is that the truck can be fixed for a few pounds when an arm or a steering link snaps, while the toy usually goes in the bin.

• Proportional controls: the car goes faster the further you pull the trigger. Cheap toys are often on or off, which makes them hard to drive.
• Parts support: brands like Maverick, HPI, FTX, MJX and Blackzon have spares lines. Check before you buy, not after the first crash.
• Battery and charger in the box: most cars here include both, but a few use a separate pack. We flag those.
• Scale that suits where you drive: 1/20 to 1/18 for indoors and patios, 1/16 to 1/12 for gardens and parks, 1/10 if you have real space and rough ground. See our scales guide.

Best RC cars under £50

Under £50, the best buys are small brushed 4WD trucks and buggies that are happy indoors and on short grass. Do not expect big jumps or long runtimes, but these are proper proportional cars with rechargeable batteries rather than throwaway toys.

Blackzon Spryte MT and ST (around £40)

Why: the Spryte is a 1/20 4WD truck with independent suspension and geared differentials, so it handles far better than a toy-shop car. It runs on a 7.4V Li-ion pack with a USB charger, and the controller has a speed switch for learners. Blackzon's distributors list the top speed at around 23 to 24km/h. Trade-off: it is small, so it struggles in long grass, and the transmitter needs AA batteries that are not included. Suits: indoor driving, patios, and a first car for a younger child. The ST is the lower stadium-truck version.

WL Toys 144016 (around £45)

Why: the 144016 is a 1/14 brushed 4WD buggy with oil-filled shocks, which is a lot of chassis for the money and noticeably bigger than most cars at this price. Trade-off: WLtoys parts are cheap but the plastics are softer than Maverick or HPI, and spares support can be patchy, so buy a couple of spare arms early. Suits: a teenager or adult who wants the most car under £50 for a garden or car park. The 144018 is the truck version at around £60.

WLtoys 284131 (around £35)

Why: a 1/28 4WD drift truck for a kitchen floor or smooth driveway. Trade-off: useless on grass and gravel. Suits: trying drifting indoors for very little.

Best RC cars from £50 to £100

From £50 to £100 is where proper hobby-grade cars start, and it is the band we would point most first-time buyers at. You get sturdier chassis, better radios and real spare-parts support, and from around £100 you can get brushless speed if you want it.

Maverick Atom AT1 (around £60): best first hobby-grade car

Why: the Atom is a 1/18 4WD shaft-driven truck from Maverick, the budget arm of HPI Racing. It comes with a 7.4V 1300mAh Li-ion battery, a 380-size brushed motor, splashproof electronics and a 2.4GHz radio whose throttle trim works as a speed limiter for learners. Top speed is listed at up to 30km/h. Trade-off: it is small for long grass, and splashproof means puddles, not rivers. Suits: anyone from about eight upwards, and parents who want a car they can get parts for.

Blackzon Slyder MT (around £65)

Why: a 1/16 4WD monster truck with a 390 brushed motor, 7.4V Li-ion battery, USB charger and waterproof electronics. Listed top speed is around 30km/h, and a dial on the transmitter turns it down. Trade-off: the USB charger is slow, and runtime is quoted at roughly 12 to 14 minutes, so a spare battery is a good idea. Suits: garden bashing for kids and adults. The Slyder ST Turbo is the brushless upgrade at around £100.

Maverick Qbit MT (around £75)

Why: a 1/16 4WD mini monster truck with a 390 brushed motor and a 7.4V 1200mAh Li-ion pack with USB charger. It shares the Maverick parts back-up of the Atom but is bigger, so it copes better with lawns. Trade-off: brushed and modest on speed; if you want fast, look at the Qbit MT Flux brushless version at around £125. Suits: families who want one truck that several people can drive.

FTX Tracer (around £75)

Why: another strong 1/16 4WD option, with a 390 brushed motor, 2S Li-ion battery, coil-sprung shocks and a choice of monster truck or truggy bodies. UK retailers list it at up to about 20mph. FTX parts are widely stocked in the UK. Trade-off: similar performance to the Qbit, so pick on looks and price. Suits: a first off-roader for the garden.

MJX Hyper Go H16E (around £65)

Why: a 1/16 brushed truck with a metal transmission and a GPS module that logs speed through MJX's app, which kids and gadget fans love. Trade-off: runtime is short on the standard battery and MJX's speed claims vary between listings, so treat the numbers as marketing. Suits: someone who wants an app-connected car. Our MJX Hyper Go buying guide covers the whole range.

WLtoys 144010 (around £100): cheapest serious speed

Why: a 1/14 brushless 4WD buggy with a 2S LiPo battery and a claimed 75km/h. Independent GPS tests on 2S have come in close to 70km/h, which is a lot of speed for the money. Trade-off: at that speed the plastic parts break more often, the stock battery is small, and you need to look after the LiPo properly. Suits: a teenager or adult who wants speed first and does not mind fixing things. The MJX Hyper Go 16207 is the rival here and comes with a 3S LiPo.

Maverick Scout-24 (around £90): best cheap crawler

Why: a 1/24 rock crawler with a low-ratio gear for slow climbing, LED lights, battery and USB charger included. Crawling is slow and technical, so it suits small gardens, rockeries and even the living room. Trade-off: it is not a basher and will not jump. Suits: anyone who prefers precision to speed.

Best RC cars from £100 to £150

From £100 to £150 you can choose between brushless speed in a smaller car or a bigger 1/10 brushed car. Both are good; the question is whether you want quick or tough.

Rlaarlo AM-X12 (around £117): speed for the money

Why: a 1/12 4WD brushless buggy with a 2847 3200KV motor and a 45A ESC that accepts 2S or 3S LiPo. Rlaarlo quotes up to 80km/h on the included 2S battery and more on 3S. Trade-off: that is manufacturer speed, and at those speeds crashes are expensive, so you will be buying parts. It is best treated as a car for experienced or careful drivers. Suits: adults who want a fast car without paying for a big brand name. Our Rlaarlo buying guide goes into the range in detail.

Maverick QByte XB Flux (around £149): best all-rounder

Why: a 1/12 4WD brushless buggy with 8.5mm aluminium shock towers, oil-filled coilovers, steel diffs, and a 7.4V 1600mAh LiPo and charger in the box. It is listed at up to 38km/h on 2S, which is fast enough to be exciting without wrecking itself on every landing. Trade-off: slower than the Rlaarlo on paper, but better made and backed by Maverick's UK parts supply. It also qualifies for free UK delivery. Suits: a first brushless car for a teenager or adult.

HPI Jumpshot ST V2 (around £140): best 1/10 for under £150

Why: a full 1/10 2WD stadium truck from HPI with a 550 brushed motor and a waterproof, LiPo-ready ESC. It takes standard 7.2V NiMH or 2S LiPo packs through a hinged battery door, and 2WD teaches proper throttle control. Trade-off: check the listing for what is in the box; budget for a charger and possibly a battery, and the transmitter needs four AA batteries. Suits: someone who wants a big car with long-term HPI parts support.

Best RC cars from £150 to £250

From £150 to £250 is where budget RC overlaps with entry-level big brands, and you get 1/10 trucks that will survive years of garden and park use. If you can stretch to this band, a 1/10 truck from a brand with good UK parts is usually the cheapest car in the long run.

Maverick Quantum2 MT (around £180)

Why: a 1/10 4WD monster truck with an MM-550 12T brushed motor and a waterproof 60A ESC rated up to 2S LiPo. Big tyres and long suspension make it happy on bumpy lawns and gravel. Trade-off: check whether your listing includes a battery and charger, and the transmitter needs four AA batteries. Suits: families and first-timers who want a proper size truck.

Maverick Quantum2 MT Flux (around £250)

Why: the brushless version of the same truck, with a 3500KV motor and a 3S-capable ESC. It is a big step up in speed with the same parts back-up. Trade-off: the extra power wears driveline parts faster and needs LiPo batteries. Suits: a driver who already knows they want brushless.

Maverick QByte SC Flux (around £164)

Why: a 1/12 4WD short course truck with 2S brushless power and a battery and charger included. The wheel-covering body makes it tougher in a crash than a buggy. Trade-off: not for long grass. Suits: mixed-ground bashing with friends.

Also worth a look: the FTX Ramraider, a 1/10 brushed monster truck with a 15T 550 motor at around £190, and the Maverick Phantom XB, the cheapest way into a 1/10 Maverick buggy at around £110.

Best cheap RC car by type

The best type of RC car depends on where you will drive it. Monster trucks are the most forgiving, buggies are the fastest off-road, crawlers suit small spaces, and drift and rally cars need smooth tarmac.

For drift and rally on a budget, the UDIRC 1601 Pro at around £80 and the MJX Hyper Go 14304 at around £116 both come with extra wheel sets so you can switch between grip and drift. Browse the full monster truck, crawler and buggy ranges for more.

Is it worth paying more for brushless?

Brushless is worth paying for if you want speed and longer motor life, but a brushed car is the better first buy for most children and for anyone who mostly drives in a garden. Brushless cars are much faster for the money, and that extra speed means more broken parts and more care with LiPo batteries. Our brushed vs brushless guide explains the difference in detail.

What are the weak points of budget RC cars?

The usual weak points on budget RC cars are small batteries, slow USB chargers, soft plastic parts, and steering servos that strip their gears. None of these are deal-breakers if you know about them.

• Runtime: many cheap cars run for 10 to 15 minutes. A second battery doubles your fun for a small outlay.
• Charging: USB chargers can take an hour or more. A better charger is the first upgrade we recommend; see our batteries and chargers guide.
• Plastics: front arms, steering knuckles and the servo saver break first. Keep a spare set from the Maverick, Blackzon, MJX or FTX parts ranges.
• Water: "waterproof" usually means the electronics can take splashes and wet grass. Bearings and screws still rust, so dry the car after a wet run.

Where to buy a cheap RC car in the UK

Buying from a UK stockist means your car and its parts are already in the country, so you are not waiting weeks for a replacement arm from overseas. Everything in this guide is UK stock dispatched from the UK, and orders over £129.99 get free UK delivery. See our delivery information, browse every ready-to-run car, or shop by budget: under £50, £50 to £100 and £100 to £150.