Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for insider tips and product reviews from our shopping experts
Sign up for our free IndyBest email
Sign up for our free IndyBest email
Remote control (RC) cars have been thrilling children and adults for decades and regularly feature on birthday and Christmas gift lists. The market for these popular toys has exploded, with many familiar brands getting in on the action and selling toy cars (or other wheeled vehicles) to suit petrolheads young and old.
There are so many appealing features to remote control cars. Many children love the fact they can do stunts and crash into everything (and everyone). Others may enjoy trying to be more technical when driving and try to race against friends. For some, the best remote control cars provide the opportunity to get their hands on a much smaller version of their favourite sports car.
Using a handheld remote control is a great way for young children and toddlers to develop their fine motor skills and spatial awareness, too. There’s a huge range of products suitable for those aged 18 months old and above.
Another plus point is that some remote control cars are all-weather and all-terrain vehicles, so, you can take them to the park, come rain or shine, to share the fun with friends.
We’ve chosen a range of autos to suit children of all ages, covering all driving abilities and levels of thrill-seeking – keep scrolling for our full review.
How we tested
Our tester has three young boys – one aged eight and twins who are five. Cars and trucks have always been popular in our house but, as they’ve grown older, remote control cars have really started to appeal to their competitive and energetic personalities.
The boys could barely contain their excitement when they saw some of the remote control cars in their packaging. Although, this soon changed to frustration when they realised they needed to wait for the right batteries to be found.
The cars were put to the test around our tester’s house (on carpet and wooden floors). The key criteria the boys looked for was obviously how fast the cars would go, how well they could withstand a crash and how easy they were to control. Us adults were interested in how long the charge or battery lasted for, the price and the quality.
The best remote control cars for 2024 are:
- Best overall – Hot Wheels monster trucks mega-wrex alive RC vehicle: £45.99, Argos
- Best budget buy – Monster Jam megalodon 1:24 radio controlled truck: £15.33, Argos.co.uk
- Best for imaginative play – Barbie remote controlled convertible dream car: £29.99, Smythstoys.com
- Best for a special gift – Lego Technic Porsche GT4 e-performance race car toy: £109.09, Amazon
- Best first remote control car – Sgile remote control police car: £16.14, Amazon
