I have three boys, so cars are a bit of a hit around my house. Especially remote control cars, which capture most boys’ attention immediately. The older my boys got, the more advanced the features of the remote control cars got.
While there are a LOT of options out there, I love the ALTAIR All Terrain RC Truck as the best remote control car for 8, 9 and 10-year-olds! It’s rugged, fast, and can run for 30 minutes continuously!
Best Remote Control Cars for 8-Year-Olds
The Monster Vehicle Remote Control Car is perfect for off roading, speeding up to 12-15 mph versus the KidiRace Remote Control Police Car that drives better on flat services and drives 7-10 mph.
Monster Vehicle Remote Control Car
The Monster Vehicle Remote Control Car is a highly-rated remote control car for kids. It features shock absorption and durable gripping tires for off-roading.
My favorite feature – headlights! You would think with the “monster” size of this car, it would run slow, but this BEZGAR car runs 20-25 km/h or 12-15 mph.
As for charging, this remote control car comes with two rechargeable battery packs that plug conveniently into a USB port (the wireless controller needs batteries). Charging time is about 3 hours for 20-25 minutes of run time depending on how fast it’s going.
Customers love how durable and impressive the BEZCAR remote control car is. It can even go out as far as 164 feet!
Growsland RC Sport Racing Car
This Growsland RC Sport Racing Car features a slim aerodynamic profile just like a real racing car. In addition, this car has functional headlights that make driving it in the dark even more fun! A two-joystick remote makes operating this car easy which could be good for a first-time remote control car user.
Because the Growsland car is more for show and less for performance, you won’t find any high speeds (max is 8-10 mph), nor will this car work well on all terrains. With smooth race car like tires, you’ll want to drive this on smooth surfaces and not grass, dirt, etc.
Both the remote control car and the wireless controller require batteries which are not included. Beyond that, customers say this a great car, especially for new drivers, and the functional headlights are an extra fun feature.
KidiRace RC Remote Control Police Car
The KidiRace RC Remote Control Police Car is great for kids who enjoy playing cops and robbers, or would love to have a realistic looking and sounding police cruiser.
It has working lights and sounds, such as horn, siren, and revving engine.
The Police car is suitable for flat surfaces such as driveway, but does okay on carpet as well. It attains speeds of about 7-10 mph and will last 30 minutes on a full charge.
Best Remote Control Cars for 9-Year-Olds
The SainSmart Jr. Remote Control Car is a car that transforms into a robot but needs to drive on flat services, however, the Zero Gravity Race Car follows a laser light and can drive up walls and the ceilings.
Amicool RC 360° Stunt Car
The Amicool RC Stunt Car is one that will captivate your 8-10 year old immediately. This is an off-road remote control car that has anti-crash tires and can maneuver, flip, and tumble for lots of fun.
Parents love how durable this remote control car is and how fun it is for their kids (and for themselves)!
A downfall we see to this Amicool RC car is that it is purely battery-operated and does not take a rechargeable battery pack like most remote control cars. For as fun as this looks, you may be flying through batteries pretty quickly as your child plays with it over and over. Batteries are not included for car or remote.
Haven’t found what you’re looking for yet? Here are some more cool options:
Zero Gravity Wall Climbing Car
If you would rather have tricks instead of speed, this Zero Gravity Wall Climbing Car is every boy’s dream! It can climb walls and ceilings, do gravity-defying stunts, and comes with an LED light controller. And the best part of all, it’s very affordable so you’re not breaking the bank for something that will break in a week.
This car is so cool for a boy, age 8 and up! It is lightweight and has a powerful suction fan, which allows it to climb smooth walls or the ceiling. If you get two for the low price, boys can race them all over the house, even on the ceiling! There is no cooler thing in a boy’s world than this gravity-defying car, guaranteed!
However, do note that the car can only work on smooth surfaces, so textured walls or ceilings are not going to work. it also has a rechargeable battery to race over and over again.
The RC car can do anything a regular race car can do, like race on the floor. It can also climb walls, windows, and ceilings. However, it does not go backward or do any fun tricks, but climbing is cool all on its own. The climbing race car has a remote control with an LED “Laser” Light, which the car chases just point the beam, and the car will follow for up to 6 feet!
SainSmart Jr. Remote Control Car
The SainSmart Jr. Remote Control Car is a cool choice if you want nifty features like turning into a transformer with one button. The transformer even talks!
It’s a full-fledged race car that looks sleek and has working LED lights. The car has multiple sound effects, even a realistic engine revving sound.
Of course, it is not meant for any terrain other than smooth surface since it has smooth tires. The charge time on this is about an hour for a 20-30 minute playtime.
Double E Dual Motor RC Car
The Double E Dual Motor RC Car is a shockproof 4WD remote control car with powerful twin motors. The body itself is waterproof and features a unique artistic graffiti design. Even the interior is designed with detail and a driver.
There are two rechargeable battery packs that come with the Double E car which is super convenient; charge one pack while using the other and then switch them out! The wireless controller takes 2 AA batteries.
As for speed and charging time, Double E doesn’t easily provide this info but customers are very happy with this purchase, especially for the price.
Best Remote Control Cars for 10-Year-Olds
If you are looking for a rough and tumble monster truck, then the ALTAIR All Terrain RC Truck is the remote controlled truck for you, while the SYMA Remote Control Drone & Car combines a drone and race car for air and land fun.
Altair All Terrain
![ALTAIR 1:16 Scale All Terrain 4WD RC Truck [36+ km/h High Speed] Rechargeable 20 Minute Battery Included | Free Priority Shipping | 2.4 GHz Remote Control Off Road Car (Lincoln, NE USA Company)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/5103kbh+CjL._SL500_.jpg)
Boys love monster trucks, and your own remote-controlled monster truck is even better! If I was in the market for a remote control car and could only pick one, it would be the ALTAIR All Terrain RC Truck. This is not the lowest cost recommendation on this list, but it is the highest quality and does the coolest things with great durability and long-lasting performance.
This is a good gift choice for 10-year-old boys.
High-performance design
The ALTAIR All Terrain RC Truck is designed for performance. It has a wide wheelbase (11 inches) that lets it go places most vehicles just won’t go. That means it is less likely to flip over, get caught, or lose traction, like many of the RC trucks out there.
The independent suspension lets the wheels crawl up on uneven rocks.
Pistol grip controller
The pistol grip controller is a popular feature of modern remote control cars, especially high-speed ones. It makes it easier for a young child to maneuver the vehicle versus the standard two-handed controller. The placement and operation of the buttons is intuitive. The monster truck can go forward, reverse, left, right, and stop.
Fast
The Altair All Terrain will actually get up to 25 MPH. That is a lot faster than you want to go on a regular basis, but it is awesome for jumping starts and flying on wide-open flat surfaces. While it can go fast on any surface, you have to slow down on bumpy terrain, or it will literally be flying.
Rugged
This truck has a rugged body that can take the punishment where it counts. The top is plastic and feels thin, but that is intentional. No extra weight where it isn’t needed. The frame and tires are heavy and solid to take all the shock and pressure. It is water resistant but cannot be submerged under water.
Long-lasting drive time with double rechargeable batteries
The All Terrain offers a whopping 30 minutes of continuous drive time! Two of the 7.4V 1600 MAh batteries are included with each providing 15 minutes of drive time. Attach the included battery adapter and you’re ready to go for a total of 30 minutes! No more waiting for the battery to charge before you can hit the road again.
The controller needs 3 AA batteries, which are not included.
Highly Rated
The All Terrain is a great product with amazing remote control drive time. Altair has a lot of experience with remote control toys and hobby level devices. It is an American brand with world-class customer service.
Larvey High-speed Remote Control Car
The Larvey High Speed Remote Control Car is great for a high speed, on or off-road racing experience. It’s also sturdy, fast, absorbs shock, and is reasonably priced for the quality and features of the car.
The Larvey RC car has top speeds of 9-15 miles per hour. This is not the fastest on the market, but it’s plenty fast for a 10-year-old to have fun with. It’s also the fastest of the three RC cars reviewed in this article, so if you’re getting a car for speed, this would be your best bet.
For the Larvey RC car itself, charge time is 4-6 hours, and a full charge will get you about 20-30 minutes of playtime. This car comes with two rechargeable battery packs so that you can rotate them out. In general, I prefer rechargeable toys to battery-operated ones, as that tends to get pretty expensive to keep them operational. The controller is battery operated and batteries are not included for that.
Remote control range is about 40-50 meters or about 131-164 feet, which is a considerable amount of distance. It should definitely be enough for a young boy who is having fun with his remote car.
The 4WD on this remote control car is worth the purchase. It works very well running through the grass without losing its speed. Customers have said this car has lasted quite a long time after a few crashes and hits. It’s also worth noting (again) how much customers love receiving two rechargeable battery packs with this car!
SZJJX 4WD Off-Road Climbing RC Crawler
The SZJJX 4WD Off-Road Climbing RC Rock Crawler is a very heavy-duty, all-terrain remote control vehicle that can tackle just about anything.
Kids get a kick out of watching this truck climb and conquer obstacles. It has what you would expect a rugged vehicle to have – the heavy-duty tires, shockproof body, and full suspension. It does take 2-3 hours to charge for a 20-minute playtime.
Happy customers give this an almost 5-star rating!
Syma Remote Control Car & RC Drone
This toy allows you to give your kiddo the best of the drone and RC car worlds. The Syma Remote Control Car & RC Drone has both a land mode and a fly mode.
In fly mode, the drone can do a 360-degree flip. It can fly very high and fully move left/right/up/down.
When it lands, it will automatically kick into land mode, where it can speed along and drift around corners.
There is a rechargeable battery that works via USB. Unfortunately, there is only 1 battery, so you might have a whiny kid waiting for a battery to charge for 60 mins!
Once charged, you get about 5 to 7 minutes of fly time and/or 15 minutes of drive time. Seeing as to how that’s about the attention span of most little boys, it works well for a few minutes of playtime per day.
This isn’t the most expensive or highest quality drone/flying car out there, but it works well and will survive a few crashes until your kiddo learns how to fly really well.
Comparing Remote Control Cars
The table below compares only the recommended products on this page. A low or high Price means it is low or high compared to the other products listed. The Popularity Score reflects how often readers click on and buy the product. The Quality Score is our assessment of the overall performance and satisfaction with the product compared to others in the table.
| Syma Remote Control Car & RC Drone | 8.7 | 8.4 | 72.99 |
| Double E Dual Motor RC Car | 9.7 | - | 54.98 |
| KidiRace RC Remote Control Police Car | 9.5 | 8.8 | 49.99 |
| Larvey High-speed Remote Control Car | 9.5 | - | 49.99 |
| Monster Vehicle Remote Control Car | 9.9 | 8.6 | 44.99 |
| Zero Gravity Wall Climbing Car | 9.9 | - | 30.99 |
| SainSmart Jr. Remote Control Car | 8.8 | 8.8 | 24.99 |
| Growsland RC Sport Racing Car | 9.7 | 8.4 | 14.99 |
| Amicool RC 360° Stunt Car | 7.7 | 8.6 | - |
| Altair All Terrain | 3.9 | - | - |
| SZJJX 4WD Off-Road Climbing RC Crawler | 5.7 | 8.8 | - |
FAQs About Remote Control Cars
How do I pick the right remote control car?
There are a few factors to consider when choosing a car for your child. You will want to consider if they will be using it indoors, outdoors, driveway, rough terrain, grass, sand, etc as that will make a difference for which car you want to purchase. If you plan to off road with it, pick a heavy duty all terrain vehicle whereas if it will be used on flat services only, then a car with smooth tires will be a good choice. Also decide on the battery life. Some run longer than others on a single battery charge so choose one that will work for your child. Finally your child’s personality should play into the decision. If they are a child who loves police work, then maybe the KidiRace Remote Control Police Car may be a perfect choice versus if they are into flipping and tumbling you may want to consider the RC Stunt Car.
How much driving time should I expect from one battery charge?
Most toy remote control cars offer approximately 15 – 30 minutes drive time which isn’t very long but usually is enough for a young child’s attention span. Often it takes at least 60 minutes to recharge the battery for another chance to drive.
Will my child lose interest in a remote control car?
Kids are always into a certain toy for awhile before they move onto another toy. But remote controlled cars are a timeless toy that every kid loves to play with, either inside or outside. And these cars can grow with your child since even adults love to drive a remote control car. Just find one that has qualities that will interest your child for a long time so that it is a go to toy for years. And even better, if they have siblings, get more than one so they can race or drive them together.
