Electric RC cars and buggies

Electric rc cars are a perfect introduction to rc driving because they're simpler than nitro models, and not too much can go wrong! Also, a nitro car needs more equipment to start it and has to be tuned to run properly, and maintained to a higher degree.

An RTR ('Ready To Run') electric car (we'll include 'buggies' under the general term 'rc car', for convenience) is the best choice for your first rc car, simply because they need very little or no final assembly; you just charge the batteries and go.

Really, the only thing you definitely need with an electric powered car is a field charger for the motor battery pack, unless of course you're driving the car close to home and you can pop back easily to charge the motor batteries. An extra battery pack is always a good idea, so you can charge and drive at the same time.

Browse electric rc cars, if you're looking to buy.

On-road and off-road electric RC cars

RTRs essentially come in two basic categories; on-road for track racing and off-road for uneven surface / all-terrain driving. Whether you want to drive on or off road really comes down to personal preference.

If you're looking for a general 'all-round' electric car then a simple 2-wheel drive 'buggy' type is an excellent choice, because these can be driven on and off road, whereas something like a model touring car will limit you to only driving on the smoothest of surfaces.

RC buggies are very popular and a lot of fun; a very popular buggy is shown below, the Evader from Duratrax:

This particular buggy is fairly typical of most electric rc buggies that make excellent entry level models; the Evader comes RTR and so it's just a case of charging the batteries and driving it!

However, if you're looking for a true on-road racer then a car like this HPI Sprint 2 Flux could be a sound choice:

This particular electric car, Ford Mustang based, boasts some of the best features available with powerful brushless motor and belt-driven 4-wheel drive transmission - it's an ideal introduction to club racing or is just a lot of fun to blast around a smooth track.

Driving your electric RC car for the first time

Electric rc cars don't take much time to master, because of their simplicity. But always take the car to a large open area for your first proper drive. For example, this could be a park, or a parking lot or just a good sized backyard.

Drive the car slowly at first - don't just blast the motor onto full power as soon as you've put the car on the ground! It's important to get used to the way the car handles, and also get used to reversing so you can get yourself out of 'dead-end' situations easily.
In no time at all, you'll get to learn how your car operates, and then you can start adding the speed!

Browse electric rc cars, if you're looking to buy.

RC trucks - for more serious off-road driving.