Buyers Guide - Best Remote Control Cars Christmas 2024

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Looking to buy a remote control car as a present ? Then look no further than our buyers guide showcasing a range of RC cars suitable for all ages and budgets. This guide covers models suitable for driving indoors or out, along with some advice on scale and batteries for first-time buyers.

With so many models available, our editor has set about curating a list of the best models we sell, grouped by budget. Whatever you opt to purchase, you can be sure our recommendations will result in a great gift.

In a hurry? Just pick your budget!

Under £50 : Gift ideas

£50 to £100 : The sweet spot

£100 to £150 : Top quality RC cars

£150+ : The ultimate in RC

Gift ideas under £50

RCG Racing Rock Crawler

One of the huge surprise hits of last year, this tiny rock crawler has proven a gifting favourite. Customers loved the body detail and dual-drive-motors that make it perfect for kids to roll around the house with. 

RCG Racing 1/24 Mini Drift Car

Unleash your inner drifter with our 1/24 scale mini drift car designed for anyone who wants to have fun learning to drift indoors. Featuring a 2.4GHz proportional radio system, LED lights, hard drift-tyres and 6x yellow traffic cones in the box to use as obstacles, this mini drift car is the ultimate starter drift-car.

Fully ready-to-run, everything is included in the box such as battery and charger so you are ready to drift in no time. This makes the perfect drift package for any keen drifter who wants to slide around indoors!

Whether your in the kitchen, living room, or anywhere else with a hard-floor, the adjustable steering and fine-tuning features ensure precise control, making your drifting smooth and controlled.

Equipped with 4-wheel drive and special hard drift-patterned tyres, this car is built for fun. Included are replacement tyres for convenience, so you can switch out for different styles based on your drifting style. Bright front LED lights allow for night time adventures, ensuring your drift sessions never have to end.

Plus, you’ll receive 6x yellow road cones and 4 replacement tyres to enhance your drifting experience.

RCG Racing E30 1/16 Mini Drift Car

This Retro mini drift car is perfect for anyone wanting to drift indoors with a highly-detailed retro drift body. Featuring a high-quality 2.4Ghz transmitter, front and rear LED lights and hard drift-tyres this drifter is ready-to-drift right out the box.

Experience high-speed drifting in seconds as everything is included such as battery and charger. Perfect for running multiple cars simultaneously with friends. The detailed retro-drift body shell and spoke wheels give it a classic look, while front LED lights illuminate your way as you zoom drift your way in the dark.

Suitable for in the kitchen, living room, or any hard surface, this mini drifter is great for kids and teens of all ages! Super easy to control, this is a perfect entry into indoor drifting.

Featuring 4-wheel drive and a large 30-degree steering angle for accurate drifting, allowing precise control. With speeds reaching up to 15mph and a runtime of up to 30 minutes, you'll have plenty of time to show off your drifting skills.

RCG Racing E30 1/16 Mini Drift Car also comes in red colour and if you want the same performance but with a different look , you can go for RCG Racing Retro AE86 1/16 Mini Drift Car which captures the essence of the iconic Toyota AE86.

 

For a closer look at the RCG Racing E30 1/16 Mini Drift Car , you can check our Unboxing and First Impresion of the RCG Racing E30 Mini Drift Car article. This guide walks you through the key features and setup process, offering insights into the quality and performance of this stylish white drift car. It’s a perfect preview to help you decide if it’s the right fit for your collection! 

The sweet spot : £50 to £100

We sell more cars in this price range than any other and its easy to see why. Our most popular models are packed with fun and arrive ready-to-run, with model batteries and chargers, just requiring AA batteries for the transmitters. The market is currently so competitive in this price bracket, that you can even bag a buggy with brushless power!

RCG Racing MT-One 1/16 Monster Truck

The RCG Racing MT-One shares the same chassis and parts as the awesome FTX Tracer and Blackzon Slyder, these models are the most popular and best value hobby grade RC cars you can get in the UK and Europe!

Ready-to-run out of the box, including battery and charger, just add AA’s for the transmitter. Capable of speeds of up to 20mph, its fast, and super durable, suitable for driving off-road, over bumps, jumps and humps!

It features an awesome looking monster truck body. Super-cool, chunky off-road tyres. A 2.4Ghz interference-free radio system controls a powerful motor and splash-proof speed controller. The chassis uses aluminium spring shocks, and has great ground clearance and manoeuvrability. The MT-One includes LED lights which make it super-fun to use in darkness!

The MT-One is superb for all ages (above 6 years old), it’s a fantastic first (hobby grade) RC Car for kids and teenagers, and also great fun for adults!

RCG Racing Cyclone Lambo 1/18 4WD Drift Car

The Cyclone Lambo drift car is our most popular drifter! Featuring cool LED lights, which can be turned on and off from the controller, with working indicators as your turn, a brake light and reverse light that actually function like a real car! This vehicle is designed for high-speed drifting action.

The Cyclone is powered by a high-power motor, delivering high-torque for drifting. Its four-wheel-drive system ensures maximum stability and smooth handling, giving you full control as you navigate sharp corners and perform stunning drifts. Whether you're racing on the track or drifting through tight turns, this RC car offers precise manoeuvrability and responsive control that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Suitable for all ages who want to experience realistisc drifting. Built with high-quality PVC material, the Cyclone is designed to endure crashes and impacts while maintaining peak performance. The car's durable body and rugged structure make it suitable for both indoor and outdoor play, tackling any surface with ease.

Equipped with a 2.4GHz radio control system and featuring a superbly detailed scale body shell, this car looks as good as it performs. The controller features 2 speed modes for normal or super fast driving!

RCG Racing Swifter 1/18 4WD Drift Car

Unleash your inner drifter with the RCG Racing Swifter 1/18 4WD Drift Car – a truly advanced, high-end drift car. Featuring an LED light strip to give it that extra cool look. This vehicle is designed for high-speed drifting action. Whether you're a pro or a beginner, this RC car is perfect for anyone looking to experience the excitement of precision drifting.

The Swifter is powered by a high-power motor, delivering high-torque for drifting. Its four-wheel-drive system ensures maximum stability and smooth handling, giving you full control as you navigate sharp corners and perform stunning drifts. Whether you're racing on the track or drifting through tight turns, this RC car offers precise manoeuvrability and responsive control that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Built with high-quality PVC material, the Swifter is designed to endure crashes and impacts while maintaining peak performance. The car's durable body and rugged structure make it suitable for both indoor and outdoor play, tackling any surface with ease.

Equipped with a 2.4GHz radio control system and featuring a superbly detailed scale body shell, this car looks as good as it performs.

RCG Racing Wind Speed and Storm Rider Buggies

For a proper RC experience on a budget, look no further than these Wind Speed or Storm Rider buggies! One of our most popular sellers during the holiday season, this small  ready-to-run RC buggy offers hobby-grade performance at catalogue-shop prices. This zippy little buggy features a shaft driven 4WD system and sports a lightly detailed body with roll cage and roof rack, dependant on which model you opt for.

With good ground clearance, it can cut across a mown lawn or gravel carpark with ease. We love the stamina of this little buggy, thanks to the lightweight chassis and body it just keeps on going! Then thanks to the USB charger you can top the battery up from a powerbank or any USB port even when you are out and about.

Both the Wind Speed and Storm Rider are available on our webstore. They are ready-to-run but you will need 3x AA batteries for the controller to get driving. We now have a full catalogue of spares to keep these models running.

Blackzon Slyder

If you would prefer something similar to the Tracer but with a little more attitude, Blackzon have you covered with their Slyder models. The black bodies and coloured decals give way to a similar chassis and thus the same great performance.

The Slyders are available to purchase here. Note that they are compatible with T-plugged LiPo batteries used in the Tracer and thus you can extend your runtime with the same power bundles.

Top quality RC cars : £100 to £150

At this price point you are typically purchasing a high quality, expertly designed model from an established RC manufacturer. Please check the product page details as many of these models will require batteries and chargers.

FTX Banzai

Whilst UDI hold the mini drift crown, FTX has been the steadfast favourite for anyone looking to get drifting at 'full size' 1/10th scale. The Banzai offers admirable level of adjustment of suspension droop, camber and toe-in at what would be considered a bargain price for a normal tarmac touring car. The S15 style body features tinted windows and a big wing, all sat over chunky 6-spoke TE37 inspired black rims.

FTX's Banzai is available in green or red and includes the radio gear, charger, car battery and more. Shipped with special hard tyres already fitted, you'll only need four AA batteries for the transmitter to get drifting!

 FTX Carnage Truggy (brushed)

Rear wheel drive is cool, but on a loose surface AWD can be just as fun. Our most popular 4WD Truggy sold last year was this, the FTX Carnage. The budget shaft driven (open-diff) chassis features a slipper clutch, metal turnbuckles, oil-filled dampers, off-road tyres and much more.

Including a basic car battery and charger, the model is ready to run, yet requires 8x AA batteries for the transmitter. With a relatively short run-time, purchasing additional batteries for the buggy (such as this 5000Ah one) is in our opinion a must.

We also sell a brushless edition of this Truggy and recently compared the performance between it and the brushed model above. TLDR? You are getting an effective 25% performance increase for your higher initial outlay, certainly something to consider if your budget will stretch to it! Learn more from our comparison article. 

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You can pick up the brushed model in red or blue and the more powerful brushless model over on our webstore.

FTX Outlaw Ultra-4 Buggy (brushed)

Another beloved FTX model, the Outlaw is a 4WD off road buggy with a trailing rear arm and plenty of suspension travel. Its dampers and ride height make it ideal for anyone who is looking to tear around a root-filled forest floor or a pebble-covered beach.

The crazy amount of suspension articulation is reminiscent of some of our RC crawlers but the buggy is geared for speed. Much like the rear-mounted spare wheel/tyre, the roll-cage isn't just for show, you can unbolt the body panels for a naked baja buggy looking beast that can take some abuse. Buy the Outlaw here and take advantage of our combo deals to keep you running for longer.

The ultimate in RC : £150+

From here on up you can expect the highest quality RC models on the market, highly capable or monstrously powerful cars and trucks from the best brands. Note again, all of these models will require batteries and chargers.

Maverick Quantum XT Flux V2 80A 1/10 4WD Stadium Truck

So, in addition to the revised suspension arms, Maverick rolled out in all Quantum FLUX kits, they're also now upgrading the Driveshafts, Axle shafts and FLUX ESC!

With its beefed up driveshafts and 3300KV Brushless Motor, the Quantum FLUX , is capable of taking a thrilling 3S of LiPo power! Just pull the trigger for white knuckle speed runs, massive and jumps!!

The Maverick Quantum XT is a rugged 4WD Shaft-Driven, low slung dirt truck built to tear up any terrain and cause a splash in its super eye-catching livery! With independent Double Wishbone Suspension, Oil Filled Adjustable Coilover Shocks and Tough Metal 4-Gear Differentials Front & Rear, no amount of dirt or jumps will stand in your way!

 FTX Kanyon 4×4 Trail Crawler

Our budget crawler has made many fans. Beyond its passing resemblance to the Land Rover Defender, FTX’s crawler has a torquey 60T brushed motor, telescopic driveshafts, metal gears and a complex multi-link suspension giving it solid off-road ability.

The value for money is hard to argue with. The model features radio gear, wall charger, a 10.5kg waterproof servo, front, metal output, crown and differential gears, oil-filled adjustable coil-over suspension plus a detailed body with working LED lights!

Shipped with a slightly weedy 1800mAh NiMH, you will need to supply the 8x AA batteries for the transmitter to get crawling. Check out the Kanyon on our webstore here.

FTX Outlaw Brushless Buggy

Much like the Carnage (and indeed the Vantage) the Outlaw is available with a high-powered brushless power-train! Whilst the standard model isn't lacking power, this brushless model takes it to the next level better energy efficiency and a higher top speed.

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We particularly like that you can remove the body panels revealing the tubular roll-cage chassis underneath. When ‘naked’, this setup has a extreme-off-roader look and feel.

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We feel the more powerful and more efficient brushless electronics more than warrant the price hike and thoroughly recommend it. For those on a budget, the FTX Outlaw Ultra-4 Brushless buggy can be purchased on our webstore.

Just how big ARE these?

If you are unfamiliar with RC toys it can be difficult to visualise how large they are. For guidance most of our models are ‘scale‘ models, labelled with a fraction such as 1/8, 1/10, 1/18, 1/32, but what does this mean? In simple terms it is the size ratio compared to the ‘real-life’ full size vehicle.

For example the HPI Racing Ford Mustang classified as a 1/10th scale model (although it is on the long side) and measures 431mm, 127mm tall and 200mm wide. This is approximately 10% of the size of the actual production car which (according to Wikipedia) measures 4784mm long, 1381mm tall and 1916mm wide.

As you can see from our example, in practice there is some variation. This is a product of manufacturers taking artistic license to adjust the design due to limitations of their chassis, or pre-existing elements such as wheels and tyres, to produce a design that just ‘looks right‘. To avoid confusion, wherever possible we include the dimensions of the model in our listing.

Lost on what charger and battery to buy? Look no further

Its important to note that all of the models you see on this page are electric, powered by batteries. Whilst some include a battery for the model (and indeed some for the transmitter too) many do not. Further to this, some of the high-end models do not include a charger for the model battery either. Please take note of the ‘in the box’ section on our product listings to avoid disappointment on Christmas morning!

For the majority of the cars that include a battery, it will arrive at a ‘storage‘ level of charge, requiring a full charge before first use. Consider charging the model up a few days before wrapping and handing over the present to cover this off.

The batteries and chargers section of our webstore will have all the supporting products you need to get your RC car running. If you need assistance in selecting the correct parts to match your model, feel free to drop us a message.

Note that many model batteries are user removable (often without tools) allowing them to be ejected for charging, or replaced for batteries with larger capacity/higher burst rate for increased performance. Power systems can appear full of jargon and proprietary standards, so to address this we have put together this article to help beginners understand the basics and also guide you through the more difficult elements of charging.

Finally, here at RC Geeks, we’re often asked how fast a specific car will go. We’ve written this short article to help you understand the variables which will contribute to an RC cars top speed, and hopefully give you some idea how fast your RC car can go.

Spares and hop-ups

Accidents can occur, so its good to know that we have your back. Should the worst occur and you damage your model, we can provide the parts you need to get back on the track; Simply use our simple spares finder to find them.

Take your car further with our selection of RC equipment and RC accessories. We sell thousands of batteries every year and are on hand to help you find the right battery and charger for your model. Should you want to get more distance out of your model, we sell uprated transmitter and receivers. Many of these models are ripe for modification and we stock a wide range of  parts such as wheels & tyres, bodyshells, motors & ESC's and more to hop-up your car. Check the ‘hop ups’ section of a model for items that are suitable and feel free to contact our engineers to confirm compatibility.

RC Geeks – Quality Gifts and support

Gifting something so specialised can be complicated so feel free to drop us a message if you require buying guidance

We are proud of our car selection and are happy to stand behind it. Whilst there are many cheaper models available on the high-street and in catalogue shops, we prefer to provide cars of a quality that we are confident to support.