Typically, 4WD cars are more expensive but deliver better handling in low grip conditions. However, 2WD vehicles generally are more durable, easier to maintain (as they have less moving parts) and have a longer run time.

Go electric unless you want a 1/5 scale car (in which case, petrol is a viable option). Nitro cars have too many cons that outway their pros unless you're a true nitro enthusiast.

Read our Electric, Nitro or Petrol - Which RC Car Should I Buy? blog post for more information.

This is referring to the motor type. In short, brushless motors are superior to brushed motors in every way apart from cost.

• Are more efficient
• Are more powerful
• Require less maintenance

If you want to go fast and you can afford a bit extra, go brushless when you purchase the car as to upgrade a brushed car to brushless can be expensive.

The top speed of each model is listed in the description. However, this is roughly what you should expect.

• Beginner - about 20-40kph
• Intermediate - about 40-70kph
• Expert - about 70+kph

Tip: if you're looking to buy your first RC car, it's common to buy an intermediate level RC car first and limit the speed through Traxxas' training mode (limits power to 50%) or getting these throttle limiters (available for most HSP RC cars).

Things to consider:

Here are a few things that you should think about when buying an RC car for someone else.

• Where will they drive it?
• If they live on a farm for example, they might want to drive it in the paddock or in long grass so you should look at getting an RC truck with large wheels
• Have they had an RC car before?
• If so, they might want something better, or different to what that have currently
• If not, it might be best to get them a beginner level RC car
• Make sure you have everything
• Many cars need a battery (or fuel), charger and AA batteries for the remote controller. To check, scroll down to the bottom of the product page and see the "Required Items (Not Included)" section.
• Packaging:
• Most RC cars will come in either a blank cardboard box or in black plastic (no branding)
• Most Axial cars will come packaged in the original Axial box (which has Axial's logo on the side)
• Most Rovan vehicles come in a blank box with the words "RC CAR" on the side

Tip: Unless they've specifically asked or expressed interest in on-road RC cars, off-road vehicles are a safer bet as they are more versatile as they can drive on the road and off-road.

• VIC
• Express Post: 1-2 business days
• Parcel Post: 2-4 business days
• Parcel Post Dangerous Goods: 2-4 business days
• Toll iPEC: 1-3 business days
• NSW
• Express Post: 1-2 business days
• Parcel Post: 3-7 business days
• Parcel Post Dangerous Goods: 4-8 business days
• Toll iPEC: 3-5 business days
• QLD
• Express Post: 1-2 business days
• Parcel Post: 5-8 business days
• Parcel Post Dangerous Goods: 4-10 business days
• Toll iPEC: 4-6 business days
• SA
• Express Post: 1-2 business days
• Parcel Post: 3-6 business days
• Parcel Post Dangerous Goods: 4-8 business days
• Toll iPEC: 2-5 business days
• WA
• Express Post: 1-3 business days
• Parcel Post: 5-9 business days
• Parcel Post Dangerous Goods: 5-12 business days
• Toll iPEC: 5-8 business days
• NT
• Express Post: 1-3 business days
• Parcel Post: 5-9 business days
• Parcel Post Dangerous Goods: 5-12 business days
• Toll iPEC: 4-8 business days

Some RC cars are classified as dangerous goods because they include a LiPo battery. You can tell an RC car is dangerous goods if it has a warning note like this one:

If you need your RC car sent by express post ensure it doesn't have this warning and you select the option during checkout.

Beginner setup #1:

• HSP Mongoose BL - hands down the best value for money setup available
• We recommend purchasing the throttle limiters for beginners
• There are three other models in this range:
• Crusher BL
• Storm BL
• Viper BL

Beginner setup #2:

• Traxxas Rustler - arguably the most popular RC car in the world
• There are three other models in this range:
• Slash
• Stampede
• Bandit

We recommend also getting the AC power supply for this model as otherwise you're limited to charging from a 12v cigarette lighter port (commonly found in automotive cars).

Note: There's no need to get a throttle limiter as Traxxas models have a training mode which limits the power to 50%.

More options:

Don't like either of the options above? No worries, there's heaps more to choose from. For more recommendations and information read our best RC cars for a beginner blog post.

RC cars put up with a lot of jumps, roll-overs, crashes and sometimes even abuse without a problem. However, regardless of how strong the RC car is, it's a matter of when it will break, not if it will break. That's why parts support is essential - we stock parts for all the cars we sell so you can purchase your RC car with confidence that we'll have your back when you crash into that tree that came out of nowhere!

The answer to this question is very subjective as it's difficult to measure the 'durability' of an RC car.

Electric: Most electric RC cars are waterproof* - just double check in the description of the RC car you're looking at.

Fuel powered: As all fuel powered engines need air to operate there's no truly 'waterproof' fuel powered RC cars, however, there's some that have waterproof electronics which essentially makes the car 'splash proof' - never submerge a fuel powered RC car.

*Note: if you drive in water (especially salt water) make sure you clean it thouroughly. Driving in wet conditions will increase the wear and tear on components such as bearings, tyres (they can fill up with water and overload your electrics and damage the foam inserts) and various metal parts. Even if your car's electronics are waterproof, it's best to stay away from water.