I’ve lost track of how many remote control cars I’ve owned in my life so far. Actually, the number has only been beaten by the number of remote control cars I’ve bought for my son! For some reason, I don’t feel so guilty doing it if it’s for him, I can justify that!
If you can’t quite afford a supercar just yet, this is the next best thing. I’m not just listing any old rubbish here – these are all remote control cars that are:
- Good quality – it’s no good if it’s going to fall apart after two days! Believe me, this is frustrating and I know as in the past I’ve spent a lot of money on a car that’s going to fall apart in 2 days.
- Performance – it’s also no good having a remote control supercar that only goes 5 mph, right? These are fine for kids but if you’re buying a supercar (remote control or otherwise) – then it needs to have decent performance!
- Cost – this is a bit of fun and it shouldn’t cost the Earth although with these types of toys you tend to get what you pay for!
- Public Opinion – just because I like it doesn’t mean I’m going to recommend it. I’ve got to like it and it has to have been well received by others too. So, if I like it and it gets rubbish reviews it won’t be in the below list!
So, with the above said – a simple criteria really, let me present you with the best remote control exotic cars!
Best Remote Control Supercars
Lamborghini Aventador (Kids Choice)
It was perhaps inevitable that I would have to start with a Lambo, it being my favorite supercar manufacturer. This happens to be in my favorite color also – Borealis Orange. There are several things I like about this Aventador though:
- Great for kids – this is very much in the ‘beginner’ zone and the quality and the price reflects this. Don’t discount it because of this though – there is a lot of fun to be had with this model.
- You’ll get it RTR (Ready To Run) so you won’t spend ages having to set it up.
- Functioning lights – the headlights come on when the car is moving forward and the rear lights illuminate when reversing.
- Looks great – well, it would as it’s a Lambo!
I’d recommend getting some rechargeable batteries though (AA) as it takes 4 for the car and 2 for the controller. It’s quite frustrating having to constantly buy new ones – if you need my recommendation for which ones to buy, I’ve got a link at the bottom of this post.
As for speed, it’ll go up to around 10 mph – which isn’t bad. It’s a lot faster than I can run, put it that way. You’ll be able to control the car using the supplied transmitter up to around 40m away, which actually isn’t bad at all.
It’s cheap, one of the cheapest here actually and represents great value for money. However, that’s not just my opinion – check out the reviews on the link below, this Aventador represents cracking value for money and is a great introduction into remote control supercars!
Ferrari LaFerrari (Kids Choice)
This partly goes against my recommendations as it’s certainly not the fastest remote control supercar so it’s aimed at kids. The reason I’m including it is there are so many positives it makes up for the somewhat slower performance (hence why it’s aimed at kids!)
Firstly, this thing looks great and is officially licensed by Ferrari and has a pretty high amount of detail. Even standing still this thing looks fast and is a reasonable size (1:14 scale and measures 13.3″ x 5.9″ x 3.3″)
The headlights are active and work really well. It has a working suspension and rubber tires (not always the case for these cars). It can be used outdoors as well as indoors and it won’t do anything much damage if it hits it…primarily because it won’t be going fast enough. Although the range is good (up to around 100 feet) you won’t get much more than 5 mph out of it so definitely a good starter car for your kids.
Talking of your kids, what they will love is the controller. I mean, just look at it – it looks like a steering wheel. It would be cool if you could control the direction of the car by moving it in a similar way but alas, control is via buttons. To be honest, they feel a bit cheap to me but then that’s the thing – it is cheap, very cheap.
You’ll need 5AA batteries for the car and one 9V for the controller. Again, check out the rechargeable options at the bottom of this page.
So, what exactly do you get with this? Well, you get a great looking car with a nice looking controller. You’ll get a car that’s fun for your kids and nice for you to look at. The other reviews are great and you shouldn’t have any problems with durability. Finally, it will cost you less than a decent lunch.
Traxxas Supercar (Adult)
You’ll struggle to get better than this. The Traxxas supercar is in another league and actually, for the cost of it, you could actually buy yourself an actual real car. It wouldn’t be a nice real car but it would be a real one. So, let’s just get that out there straight away – this is not cheap. In fact, it’s downright expensive but as I said in the introduction, with remote control cars you do tend to get what you pay for and boy, are you getting a lot with this.
The Traxxas is powered by a 25.2 Electronic Speed Controller (ESC) and has a large brushless motor that will make this thing shift like nothing else you have seen. How fast? Well, it will take just 2.3 seconds to get to 60 mph and will top out at over 100 mph. This isn’t a scaled-speed, this is actual speeds. I hope you live on an airport as you’ll need an airstrip to be able to actually enjoy those top speeds!
The Traxxas TSM (Traxxas Stability Management) makes things a lot easier to control than they would otherwise. This can be fine-tuned or turned off altogether but really, why would you?
The fact that this has all-wheel drive and steel-gear differentials means that you have all the kit to enable you to harness the incredible performance this thing has to offer. It’s not all about top speed with this, far from it – the cornering and ability to handle bumps (although perhaps not recommended at 100 mph) is managed effectively.
Although you will see a lot of remote control cars with massive wings on them – they really do nothing apart from making the car look good. Not the case with this though. The rear wing is designed to provide actual downforce to help control at higher speeds.
But how do you possibly know how fast you’re going? Well, that’s not a problem as you can easily access telemetry by adding the Traxxas Link Wireless Module. You can then use a phone to access that telemetry data and see all kinds of lovely data.
This is cutting edge technology and you will struggle to find anything in the same league. It may not be best suited for off-road but that’s not the reason you’re buying this.
Redcat Lightning Racing Drift Cat (Adult)
For those of us that prefer to go sideways than in a straight line, let me present to you something a bit different. The Redcat is well suited for those people that have access to land that may not be long but can be twisty. For it’s the twisty bits that this thing loves best.
This is a 1/10th scale car that’s been designed from the ground up for drifting. In each corner you’ll find ‘proper’ tires, rims and independent suspension. The shocks are oil-filled and the suspension can be tuned to your requirements. The ride height can be adjusted, as can the toe-angle and camber angle. You can tune the shocks and select different shock positions.
In summary, this car is designed for the enthusiast who knows what they are doing (or who wants to become an expert). The car is ready to run and comes with a battery (which many top-end cars do not) but it does still require a couple of AA batteries for the transmitter.
The chassis is lightweight, which is exactly what you need when you’re making delicate light adjustments to the steering within the corner.
In summary, the Redcat Lightning is all about fun, and that is exactly what you will get. With so many components easily adjustable this car will keep you occupied and tweaking for many years.
Traxxis Bandit (Adult and Teens)
It may not look like a supercar but it has all the qualities of one so I felt okay with including it. Also, this is my latest acquisition. Well, technically I paid 50% of it and my son, Joe paid 50% of it. What’s odd is that he seems to have been using it for 95% of the time. It’s funny how that works, right?
I have a lot of remote control cars and this is my favourite at the moment, let me tell you why.
- It looks great and is perfect for all terrain, even the flat or off-road.
- It’s fast – and I mean seriously fast. By default, without changing anything and using the stock battery and gearing it will do around 50 mph. However, changing these (a replacement gear comes with it) will push it past 70 mph. Take a look at my below video for how fast it is now, as stock.
- It’s upgradeable. This is what I like about these Traxxas systems, you can change and upgrade everything, easily.
- Despite being RWD, it works really well off-road. I think because it delivers so much power, nothing seems to get in its way.
What I didn’t know before I went ahead and bought this was that it has the Traxxas Stability Management system built-in. With so much power going through the rear wheels, it would quickly get out of shape. However, the front wheels of the Bandit steer into the opposite way of the skid. This is particularly noticeable when you apply full throttle from a standing start – the front wheels compensate for the rear-wheel drift.
It’s not expensive, goes fast, works on all-terrain and is easily upgradeable – what more could you want?
Here’s a little video of my son using the Traxxas Bandit shortly after getting it.
Rechargeable Batteries
For many of these cars, you will need AA batteries. Usually in the transmitter but sometimes (especially for the kids cars) in the actual remote control car itself. Rather than constantly buying new batteries, do yourself a favor and just get some rechargeables – they will quickly pay for themselves. If you want to know which ones I recommend – they are these.