FTX took its best-selling electric Carnage and gave it an engine. The result is a 1:10 4WD truck with the same tough platform and the noise, smell and fuel stops that make nitro what it is. Of the trucks we stock it is the cheapest way into running an engine.

Best for: bashers who want to find out whether nitro is for them without spending a fortune. Watch out for: the first few tanks. A new engine has to be run in gently before it gives its best, and the manual covers how.

The Banzai is FTX’s long-running on-road car, and the Nitro version adds a real engine note to the slides. It is a 1:10 4WD street car, happiest on a smooth car park or a tarmac track where the engine can rev.

Best for: on-road fans who want sound with their speed. For electric drift cars see our best RC drift cars guide. Watch out for: grass and gravel. It is a road car, and debris is not good for an engine’s air filter.

The Zorro mixes a desert trophy truck body with a .18 pull-start nitro engine. Pull start means no separate starter box, which keeps the kit list short, and the semi-scale looks make it one of the more realistic-looking nitro trucks at this price.

Best for: drivers who want realism and noise in equal measure. Watch out for: the pull start. It is simple, but a flooded engine needs clearing before it will fire, so read the starting section of the manual first.

The Hyper VS arrives 80% built, without an engine, servos or radio, so you choose and fit your own. That makes it the pick for anyone who wants a 1:8 race-style nitro buggy and wants to understand every part of it. HoBao’s chassis has a reputation for handling jumps well.

Best for: experienced drivers stepping up from ready-to-run cars. Watch out for: the total cost. Engine, servos, radio and starter equipment are all extra, so price the whole build before you start.

The Vorza has a long race record, and this version arrives ready to run with HPI’s Star F3.5 V2 engine fitted. Suspension and drivetrain are fully adjustable, so it can be set up for a club track as well as driven hard in a field.

Best for: drivers who want a race-capable nitro buggy without building one. Watch out for: the learning curve. A race buggy rewards tuning, and engine tuning takes patience.

Kyosho’s USA-1 is a licensed replica of a famous full-size monster truck, and this is the nitro Readyset with the KE25SP2 engine. It is a big, heavy 1:8 truck built for bashing, with the presence that only a large nitro truck has.

Best for: drivers who want the classic nitro monster truck experience. Our best RC monster trucks guide has the electric alternatives. Watch out for: space and noise. It needs room to run and somewhere you can make a racket.

The Savage has been the reference nitro monster truck for more than twenty years. The XL 5.9 has a 5.9cc engine, an extended twin-plate chassis and a long, wide stance that keeps it stable on rough ground. Parts support is as deep as it gets.

Best for: enthusiasts who want the truck everyone else is measured against. Watch out for: the kit version. We also stock the Savage XL Nitro SBK, a self-build kit; make sure you are buying the one you want.