Best RC Brands in Australia

The best RC car brands you can buy in Australia are Traxxas and ARRMA for ready-to-run trucks, Tamiya for kits you build yourself, and Axial for rock crawlers. Those four cover most buyers. The other six in this top ten each do one job well, from 1/5 scale petrol buggies to race kits. A good RC car brand is one that makes the kind of car you want and has spare parts you can get, so that is how this list is judged.

How we chose: nobody here ran these brands against each other for this list. The order follows how much of each brand we carry, cars and spare parts together, because parts are what keep an RC car running after its first crash.

1. Traxxas

Traxxas has the largest range of any RC car brand we stock, cars and parts combined. That is the reason to buy one. Aaron, who writes most of this blog, put it this way in 2022: "any halfway-decent Hobby Shop on the planet has Traxxas spare parts". The cars come ready to run, and several have a training mode that halves the power for a new driver.

For: a truck you'll keep running for years. Not for: the tightest budget. Start with the TRX-4M Defender, a 1/18 scale crawler (you add four AAs), or read our Traxxas guide.

2. ARRMA

ARRMA builds bashers: trucks made to be driven hard and jumped. The range runs from 1/16 scale Groms up to 1/5 scale. The Gorgon Grom is the way in: a 1/16 scale 4WD monster truck with the battery, a USB-C charger and AAs in the box. You add a USB power adaptor and a LiPo bag.

For: speed and jumps. Not for: anyone who wants to build a kit or crawl slowly. See the ARRMA guide, or Traxxas vs ARRMA if you're stuck between the two.

3. Tamiya

What a classic. Tamiya specialises in plastic models and still sells its line-up of RC cars and trucks, nearly all of them as kits. Building is the point. The TT-02 BMW M4 GT3 EVO is a 1/10 scale 4WD on-road kit with the motor, speed controller and a clear body in the box. You add a battery, charger, steering servo, radio, paint and AAs.

For: people who want to build, paint and understand their car. Not for: anyone who wants to be driving the day it arrives.

4. Axial

Axial is known for scale rock crawlers, and that is nearly all it makes: 1/30, 1/24, 1/10 and 1/6 scale trucks that look like real 4WDs and climb slowly over things. The SCX10 III 1987 Toyota SR5 is the 1/10 scale one. It comes with the radio and transmitter batteries. You add a 2S or 3S LiPo with an IC3 plug, a charger and a LiPo bag.

For: trail driving and scale looks. Not for: speed.

5. Losi

Losi works at both ends of the size chart: large-scale trucks that are raced around the world, and pocket-sized cars. The Micro-B is a 1/24 scale 2WD buggy with its battery and USB-C charger included. You add four AAs. TLR, Team Losi Racing, makes race cars. As the 2018 version of this list put it, you won't find many TLR cars at your local BMX track.

For: a small second car, or going big. Not for: a mid-size first truck, where Traxxas and ARRMA have more choice.

6. Rovan

Rovan made its name cloning the HPI Baja 5B, and has since been designing more and more of its own cars. It is the affordable way into 1/5 scale petrol. The 29cc Baja V2 5B comes built with its radio. You add unleaded, 2-stroke oil, threadlock and AAs.

For: a big petrol buggy without the big-brand price. Not for: anyone who won't go over the screws and adjustments before the first run. Read HPI vs clone first.

7. HPI

HPI makes the original Baja 5B, along with rally cars, on-road cars and small-scale trucks and crawlers. The Baja 5B is sold as a kit, and it is a serious build: you supply the engine, radio, two servos, receiver battery, charger and paint.

For: the buyer who wants the original and will build it. Not for: a first car.

8. Kyosho

Kyosho covers classic buggy kits, on-road and drift cars, and the tiny 1/28 scale Mini-Z. The Fazer D2 is a rear-wheel-drive drift chassis kit with oil shocks and ball bearings included. It needs almost everything else: body, wheels, tyres, gyro, motor, speed controller, servo, radio, battery and charger. Our drift car guide has easier ways to start.

For: builders and drifters. Not for: backyard bashing.

9. Team Associated

Team Associated is a racing brand first: most of what it sells are kits such as the RC10 buggy. It also makes ready-to-run trucks. The MT10 Rival V2 is a 1/10 scale brushless 4WD monster truck. You add a 2S or 3S LiPo, a charger and four AAs.

For: club racers, and bashers who want something different. Not for: anyone expecting the battery in the box.

10. Atrek

Atrek is our own brand, so weigh this entry how you like. Its cars are ready to run with everything included. The Peak is a 1/10 scale 4WD monster truck with the battery, USB charger and AAs in the box, a half-speed switch on the remote and a six-month local warranty.

For: a first car with nothing else to buy. Not for: buyers who want a brand with decades behind it: that's Traxxas or Tamiya.

Check the parts before you pick a brand

Whatever you buy will break something eventually. Before you order, look the model up in the Part Finder and see what's there. If you're choosing a first car and not a brand, start with the best RC car to start with. For adults, see RC cars for adults.