Best RC cars for kids, by age

The best RC car for most children aged 5 to 8 is a small, slow-ish 4WD truck with a speed limiter and a Li-ion battery, such as the Blackzon Spryte at around £40 or the Maverick Atom at around £60. From about 8 to 12, a 1/16 brushed monster truck such as the Maverick Qbit MT or Blackzon Slyder MT is the sweet spot. Brushless cars that run on LiPo batteries are best kept for teenagers, with an adult in charge of charging.

What is the best RC car for a child under 5?

For a child under 5, the best RC car is a small, slow, simple car that an adult drives alongside them, rather than a fast hobby-grade model. At this age, children are still learning that pulling the trigger further makes the car go faster, and a car that does 25km/h will hit the skirting board before they let go.

If you want something better than a toy-shop car, the Blackzon Spryte is the one we would choose. It is a small 1/20 4WD truck with a speed switch on the controller and a listed top speed of around 23 to 24km/h on full. Put it on the low setting and let an adult handle charging. The Absima 1:24 2WD buggy at around £30 is another small, simple option with battery and charger in the box. Our small kids' RC car range and under 5 category are good places to browse.

What is the best RC car for a 5 to 8 year old?

The best RC car for a 5 to 8 year old is a small 4WD truck with a speed limiter, a Li-ion battery with a simple USB charger, and spare parts available. 4WD matters because it keeps the car moving on grass, which means less frustration and fewer trips to rescue it.

• [Maverick Atom AT1](/product/maverick-rc-atom-at1-1-18-4wd-electric-truck-red) (around £60): 1/18 4WD, 7.4V 1300mAh Li-ion battery, splashproof electronics and a throttle-trim speed limiter. Listed at up to 30km/h on full, which you can turn down while they learn. Maverick is part of HPI, so parts are easy to find.
• [Blackzon Spryte ST](/product/blackzon-spryte-st-1-20-4wd-electric-stadium-truck) (around £40): the same small chassis as the Spryte MT with lower stadium-truck wheels and body, suited to patios and hard floors.
• [Maverick Microbe](/product/maverick-rc-microbe-1-24th-buggy-yellow) (around £90): a tiny 1/24 buggy made for indoors and small gardens. It is pricier than its size suggests, but it is properly made.
• [Maverick Doha](/product/maverick-rc-maverick-doha-1-20-4wd-electric-truck-orange) (around £50): a 1/20 4WD entry-level truck for small spaces.

At this age, short runtimes are the main complaint, so a second battery is the best extra you can buy. Browse the 5 to 8 range for more.

What is the best RC car for an 8 to 12 year old?

For an 8 to 12 year old, a 1/16 brushed 4WD monster truck is the best choice: big enough for the garden and the park, fast enough to be exciting, and tough enough to survive kerbs and jumps. Brushed motors keep the speed manageable and the batteries simple.

• [Maverick Qbit MT](/product/maverick-rc-qbit-mt-1-16th-monster-truck-blue) (around £75): 390 brushed motor, 7.4V 1200mAh Li-ion pack and USB charger. Our first choice for this age because of Maverick's parts back-up.
• [Blackzon Slyder MT](/product/blackzon-slyder-mt-1-16-4wd-electric-monster-truck) (around £65): 390 brushed motor, Li-ion battery, waterproof electronics and a speed dial on the transmitter. Listed at around 30km/h.
• [FTX Tracer](/product/ftx-tracer-1-16-4wd-monster-truck-rtr-red) (around £75): 1/16 4WD with a 390 brushed motor and 2S Li-ion battery, listed at up to about 20mph.
• [MJX Hyper Go H16E with GPS](/product/mjx-hyper-go-h16e-116th-scale-truck-with-gps-speedometer-mobile-app) (around £90): a brushed 1/16 truck that logs speed and route in MJX's app, which older children love. Note that it uses a LiPo battery, so an adult should manage charging.
• [WL Toys 144018](/product/wl-toys-144018-brushed-rc-truck) (around £60): a bigger 1/14 brushed truck with oil-filled shocks. Good value, but softer plastics than Maverick or FTX.

What is the best RC car for a 12+ year old?

Over 12, most children are ready for a hobby-grade car with brushless power or a full 1/10 chassis, as long as an adult agrees the rules on LiPo charging and where it can be driven. This is the age when they start fixing and upgrading the car themselves, which is half the fun.

• [Maverick QByte XB Flux](/product/maverick-qbyte-xb-flux-1-12-brushless-rtr-off-road-buggy-blue-with-battery-charger) (around £149): 1/12 4WD brushless buggy, listed at up to 38km/h on the included 2S LiPo, with a charger in the box. Quick without being silly.
• [Maverick Qbit MT Flux](/product/maverick-rc-qbit-mt-flux-1-16th-monster-truck-blue) (around £125): the brushless version of the Qbit, a natural upgrade from the brushed one.
• [HPI Jumpshot ST V2](/product/hpi-racing-jumpshot-st-v2-red) (around £140): a full-size 1/10 2WD brushed stadium truck that takes NiMH or 2S LiPo packs. 2WD teaches throttle control. Check what battery and charger come in the box.
• [Maverick Quantum2 MT](/product/maverick-rc-quantum2-mt-1-10th-monster-truck-blue) (around £180): a big 1/10 brushed monster truck for teenagers with space to use it.

Very fast budget cars such as the WLtoys 144010 or Rlaarlo AM-X12 are tempting, but at 70km/h or more they are a lot of car for a young teenager and they break more often. See our best cheap RC cars guide if you want more speed.

How fast should a child's RC car be?

For children under 8, 20 to 30km/h is plenty, and a speed limiter matters more than top speed. Most of the cars we recommend for younger drivers have one: a speed switch on the Spryte, a dial on the Slyder, and throttle trim on the Atom. Start on the lowest setting and turn it up as their control improves.

• Keep fingers and hair away from wheels and gears when the car is switched on.
• Motors and speed controllers get hot after a run, so let the car cool before handling it.
• Never drive on roads or pavements. Gardens, private land and quiet open spaces are the places for it.
• Switch the transmitter on first and off last, so the car never runs without a signal.

Which battery is safest for kids: NiMH, Li-ion or LiPo?

NiMH batteries are the most forgiving for children, Li-ion packs with a USB charger are a sensible middle ground, and LiPo batteries should be charged by an adult. LiPo packs give the most power, but they can catch fire if they are punctured, over-discharged or charged with the wrong charger.

Whatever the chemistry, the rules are the same: use the charger that came with the car or a proper balance charger, never charge unattended or overnight, charge on a hard surface away from anything flammable, and stop using any pack that is swollen or damaged. A LiPo-safe bag is cheap and worth having. Our batteries and chargers guide has more detail.

How durable are kids' RC cars, and can you get parts?

Hobby-grade kids' RC cars are far more durable than toy cars, but every one will break eventually, so the deciding factor is whether you can get parts. Children crash more than adults, and the parts that go first are the front arms, steering links and the servo saver.

That is why we lean towards brands with a spares range: Maverick, FTX, Blackzon and MJX. A £60 car that can be fixed for a few pounds is cheaper than a £30 car you replace every Christmas. Slower brushed cars also break less, because there is less energy in every crash.

Should kids have a brushed or brushless RC car?

Most children under 12 are better off with a brushed RC car, because it is slower, cheaper to fix and usually runs on a simpler battery. Brushless is the upgrade for teenagers who have outgrown their first car. Our brushed vs brushless guide and first RC car guide go into more detail.