Have fun zooming around the track with the leading RC cars

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People today are more and more often looking for ways to reduce their screen time and get out and do something productive. RC cars (also known as radio-controlled cars) are a fantastic way to bond with your friends and family away from the screen. Modern-day RC cars are nothing like their forefathers– they come with ultimate connectivity and management features that let you enjoy a fun and stable experience on the track.

From Wi-Fi connectivity to radio transmission, there’s a lot to explore in the world of RC cars. Picking a suitable model can be challenging, though, and that’s why we’ve reviewed the most popular RC cars that can provide you with countless hours of fun. Our guide can help you choose a top-quality product in no time at all, so read on to learn more!

Contents

Top RC cars worth considering in 2022

SZJJX Off-Road RC Car: Our pick

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This SZJJX RC car is a 4×4 off-road crawler that provides you with ultimate control and ensures a realistic off-road experience. It’s equipped with two 4.8V/700 milliampere/hour (mAh) batteries that offer 40 minutes of non-stop fun, and it also comes with a 2.4 GHz frequency remote control that offers a stable signal and avoids interference with other signals. The RC car’s wheels feature anti-slip tires and shock absorbers that protect the vehicle’s body from suffering any damage on sand, rock, or concrete road. This RC car has a USB charging cable that allows you to recharge the car and avoid overcharging or short-circuiting, and it’s available in five different color and style combinations.

Pros

Rechargeable batteries included
Anti-crash, anti-slip design
Tires offer maximum friction

Cons

Extra batteries are required for longer use

DEERC High Speed RC Car: Another great option

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This DEERC RC car boasts a high-speed, upgraded design that can help you lead all your races. The car features large tires with newly designed tire threads that provide a firm grip, and it comes with a brush and drawstring bag that can help keep the car clean and in great condition when you’re not using it. This RC car has two batteries that can give you over 40 minutes of use, a nylon polyamide (PA) chassis, and an independent suspension on both the front and rear of the vehicle to facilitate spring tension. This car has a 380 motor that offers 21,500 revolutions per minute, which allows the vehicle to reach speeds of up to 25 mph, and it comes with a 2.4 GHz remote control system that can proportionally control both throttle and speed.

Pros

Added suspension for better stability
High-speed motor
Heavy-duty design

Cons

The battery charge could be more

HAIBOXING All-Terrain RC Car: Also consider

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This HAIBOXING RC car features a powerful 380 motor for an all-around solid driving experience. It’s a four-wheel-drive vehicle with a max speed of up to 22 mph, allowing you to enjoy driving it on both rough terrain and the smooth surface of the track. This RC car also comes with a 2.4GHZ fully-functional remote control that provides a stable control range of up to 280 feet, and its Li-Po battery packs are easy to recharge and reuse. This car also has a waterproof polyvinyl chloride (PVC) truck body with a high grip, so if you’re considering picking this RC car up, just know that if you do you’ll have a long-lasting, flexible product to enjoy.

Pros

Durable, waterproof design
Stable, long-range remote control connection
Easy and efficient to charge

Cons

SGILE Drift RC Car: Another great option

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This SGILE RC car offers a battery life of 50 minutes, which you might have noticed is significantly longer than some of the other RC cars on our list. With this RC car, you can have more fun for a longer time, and its powerful motor lets you drift with the vehicle and reach speeds of over 10 mph with no issue. You can also have fun driving RC cars with others, as this car helps avoid signal interference, and its body is made from high-quality acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and PA material that ensures toughness and maximum durability. This RC car’s remote control is also easy-to-learn, with quick and precise responses, making it a great option for RC enthusiasts of all ages.

Pros

Long battery life
Free from signal interference
Tough, durable design

Cons

Quite slow in terms of speed

PHYWESS High Speed Racing RC Car: Also try

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This PHYWESS RC car is a 4×4 high-speed racer with a high-quality build that promotes long-lasting use. It’s designed with anti-crash, durable tires, and metal shock absorbers that provide support in the event of unexpected falls, and has a 2.4GHz remote control that powers your vehicle and avoids interference, letting you enjoy yourself without having to worry about losing control. This RC car comes with four batteries for extra use– two 7.4-volt 1,000 mAh batteries for the vehicle itself and two 1.5-volt AA batteries for the remote control–, and it also comes with bright LED headlights that can cut through darkness during late-night use and set your vehicle apart from your friends’. This RC car can make an excellent present for RC car fans, and we have to say that its overall design is pretty cool too.

Pros

Built for maximum stability and durability
The anti-crash design comes with shock absorbers
Headlights for both function and style

Cons

Springs might rust with time

Buying guide: RC cars

Looking to pick up an RC car for yourself or a loved one? Check out our detailed RC car buying guide, in which we’ve covered everything that’s worth knowing about RC cars to help you make a great purchase.

How to choose an RC car

Here’s a list of some things you’ll have to consider when buying an RC car:

Budget

Your budget is the first thing to consider when buying RC cars. RC cars are available in different sizes and with different motors, and these are things that can considerably impact the cost. Set a maximum budget and don’t exceed that. Think about the features included in RC cars in your budget range, and see whether these are satisfying enough for you. If you’re looking for a top-performing vehicle, be on the lookout for speed. If you instead want a heavy-duty motor, find out which vehicle models suit your budget.

Type

The two main types of RC cars are electric and nitro RC cars. These cars differ in terms of battery, engine, and chassis, and the type of car you ultimately choose should match the power requirements you’re looking for.

Size

Another important thing to consider is the size of your RC car. 1/10th scale cars are trendy among RC car enthusiasts of all ages, but there are also 1/8 scale cars and even smaller models too. Just make sure that the size of your vehicle is compatible with where you plan to drive it and you should be good to go.

Operation

Once you’ve decided whether an electric or nitro RC car is right for you, you’ll need to choose between a car that’s ready to operate right out of the box and a kit that you’ll need to build entirely from scratch. Ready-to-run cars are considerably easier for newcomers that are eager to get their RC car out onto the track, while build-your-own kits help you to better understand precisely how RC cars work, as you’ll be assembling your vehicle from the ground up. If you’re still hesitant, keep in mind that most ready-to-run products also provide detailed instructions.

Location

You may want to plan out exactly where you’ll be driving your RC car, and make sure you choose the appropriate RC car for the sort of driving you’ll be doing. If you’re planning on using your vehicle for road use (like in a neighborhood or city, for instance), it might be a good idea not to choose an RC truck. On-road RC cars are geared for speed, so if racing and road running are your interests you should stick with lightweight, faster cars. If you want to zoom around in rough terrain and launch your vehicle off jumps, a more durable off-road RC car will probably be right for you.

What is the chassis of an RC car made of?

The chassis is the main platform that provides your car with stability, and there are a couple of different kinds:

Metallic RC car chassis

A metallic RC car chassis refers to the lightweight anodized aluminum chassis of the nitro and small gas-engine RC chassis. Nitro and gas engines generate a lot of heat that would undoubtedly melt any form of plastic chassis, and this is what makes a metal chassis essential. A nitro or small gas engine RC car’s aluminum chassis serves as a heat dissipator, as aluminum is a metal well-known for its ability to reduce heat. The engine of the car is mounted on aluminum motor mounts that are directly attached to the chassis, which help to keep the engine cool and your vehicle running smoothly.

Plastic RC car chassis

Plastic RC chassis are typically regular-quality plastic for toy-grade RCs and high-grade plastic for hobby-grade RCs. Plastic RC chassis now include carbon-fiber components in hobby-grade RCs to improve overall chassis efficiency, and these strengthen the chassis while also reducing vehicle weight. Other chassis-attached components, like shock towers, are also carbon fiber, and this decreases the total weight of the hobby-grade electric RC even more.

Different RC car styles

There have been many different RC car styles over the years, and they’re now divided into two main categories– off-road and on-road.

Off-road RC cars

Off-road RC cars come with larger tires, travel suspensions, ground clearance, and heavy-duty shock absorbers. These vehicles are specifically designed for tough off-road activities like dirt racing and jumping. An off-road vehicle can easily navigate rough spaces with little to no issue, and they can even break certain barriers that you might place in front of them. Most off-road RC cars are 1/10 scale or 15 inches long, which is a key component of their strength. Trucks, monster trucks, truggies, and buggies are some common examples of off-road RC cars, and they can come in either two- or four-wheel drive.

On-road RC cars

These RC cars are designed to look like the real cars you see on the road every day. Depending on battery size, these RC cars can sometimes reach up to 60 miles per hour. On-road RC cars have a minimal design with a sleek finish and very high speed, and they can be raced on large, smooth surfaces without any issues. Most on-road RC cars now come with a four-wheel drive that promotes an effortless driving experience and compared to off-road RC cars, they’re much easier to control and manage. On-road RC cars aren’t designed to withstand heavy weights and barriers, however, so keep that in mind during use.

RC cars and center of gravity

The center of gravity is a major factor when it comes to RC cars, as this affects how your car withstands high speed and maintains balance on bumpy tracks. Lower cars (like an on-road sedan) have a better center of gravity, require a lot less precision when moving and the chances of such a car flipping are much lower. Off-road cars are usually higher, requiring more stability and a controlled speed when passing them through turns. Toy RC cars are often made from low-grade materials and have pretty generic features, making their center of gravity rather questionable. Regardless of the car type, you should pick an RC car with a center of gravity that ensures stability on the track you intend to use it on.

Have fun zooming around the track with the leading RC cars