This is the cheapest genuine hobby-grade car on our shelves, and it’s the one we point complete beginners towards, especially if there’s a table or garden rather than open ground to run on. Being 1/28 scale it’s small, light and genuinely fine to run indoors on a hard floor, which most of the bigger cars on this list aren’t.

Best for: first-time buyers, kids’ first proper RC car, indoor use. Watch out for: it’s still a small brushed car — don’t expect the speed or toughness of the bigger models further down this list, and grass or gravel will slow it right down.

Under £100 and genuinely built for rougher ground, the 12427 sits somewhere between a desert truck and a crawler, with 4WD and the kind of ground clearance that shrugs off ruts and loose stone. It’s a brushed motor rather than brushless, so it’s not fast, but that’s part of why it’s forgiving to learn on.

Best for: gardens, parks, rough terrain, learners who want durability over speed. Watch out for: brushed motors wear over time and top speed is modest — this is a car for exploring terrain, not for racing.

This is the point where brushless power becomes genuinely affordable, and it shows — a claimed 45km/h from a 1/16 scale car is proper pace for the money. MJX’s Hyper Go range has built a decent reputation for parts availability, which matters more than the headline speed figure once you’ve had a few offs.

Best for: buyers who want real speed without stepping past £100. Watch out for: smaller scale means smaller, more delicate suspension components at speed — a smooth surface suits this car better than heavy rough ground.

A claimed 75km/h is a big number for anything under £150, let alone under £120, and the 184016 backs it up with proper 4WD brushless hardware rather than a single fast gear. It’s a car that rewards open space — a car park or field rather than a back garden.

Best for: speed-focused buyers with room to run it properly. Watch out for: that kind of pace punishes a poor battery and needs an open runway — this isn’t the right choice for tight, obstacle-strewn spaces.

Sitting between the smaller 16207 and the bigger buggies here, the 14303 is the sensible middle ground — a step up in scale and chassis stiffness without pushing much past the £100 mark. It’s the one we’d suggest if you genuinely don’t know yet whether you want speed, bashing or handling and want a car that does all three reasonably well.

Best for: buyers who want one car to do everything decently. Watch out for: it’s a jack-of-all-trades rather than the outright fastest or toughest option on this list.

The truggy body style gives it more ground clearance and a beefier look than the buggies on this list, and 1/12 scale means bigger, tougher components throughout. LED lights are a nice touch for early evening runs, and the brushless motor gives it real pace for a truck-shaped car.

Best for: rougher ground and buyers who prefer a truck look over a low-slung buggy. Watch out for: the taller stance means slightly less cornering grip than a dedicated buggy at similar speed.

The 124017 V2 is built with actual driving dynamics in mind rather than just top speed — lower stance, wider track, and a chassis that’s been revised from the original 124017 based on owner feedback. If you’ve driven a toy-grade buggy before and found it vague and skittish, this is the car that shows what a proper hobby-grade chassis feels like by comparison.

Best for: buyers who care about how a car handles as much as how fast it goes. Watch out for: at the top of our £150 bracket, so it’s worth deciding whether handling or raw speed (see the 184016 above) matters more to you.