The Best Off-Road RC Trucks For Serious Fun
If you’ve ever been to a monster truck show, you know the thrill that goes along with the sound of roaring engines and watching huge vehicles soar over jumps. Perhaps you’ve fantasized about taking the wheel of one of these wild machines, and then considered the realities of buying, fueling, maintaining, and storing a vehicle the size of a small house.
If you’re looking for a more accessible way to enjoy driving a larger-than-life vehicle, consider an RC—or radio control—truck. The best RC trucks come in all shapes and sizes, so you can live your fantasy, whether that be piloting a monster truck over jumps or operating a construction or military vehicle.
That’s the kind of variety you’ll find on this list of the best RC off-road trucks. All of these products are battery-powered, so they’re relatively inexpensive to buy, and all you need to do to “refuel” is plug a charger into the wall. Some of these RC trucks are toys designed for your kids to play with, while others are more advanced models better suited for you to play with once the kids have gone to bed.
If we discovered one thing while researching this list, it’s that you will be spoiled for choice when you start shopping for the RC truck of your dreams. Some models are built for straight-line speed, others excel at crawling over rough terrain, and a few can do sweet tricks for endless entertainment.
For more information on the best RC off-road trucks, refer to our table of contents.
Table of contents
- 1. Editor’s Pick: LAEGENDARY 1:10-Scale RC Monster Truck
- 2. Best Starter RC Truck: Bezgar 1:14-Scale 2WD All-Terrain Truck
- 5. HAIBOXING 1:18-Scale All-Terrain RC Truck
- 6. Fisca RC Stunt Truck
- Can I drive my RC truck through puddles and mud?
- Are all RC trucks toys?
- If I buy two or more RC trucks, can I race them against each other?
1. Editor’s Pick: LAEGENDARY 1:10-Scale RC Monster Truck
There are a lot of things that make an RC truck fun, but if speed tops your list, then LAEGENDARY’s 1:10-scale monster truck has lots of it. The company says this truck can reach 30 mph, which means it could keep up with traffic on some residential streets! It accomplishes that feat thanks to two lithium polymer (Li-Po) batteries, each of which packs 7.4V and 1,600 mAh of juice; together, they promise 40 minutes of fun before they need to be recharged. The batteries power two motors—one at each axle—for 4x4 traction.
And while going 30 mph on flat pavement is fun, this monster truck is also made for clawing through sand or climbing over rocks with its oil-filled shock suspension and two inches of ground clearance. LAEGENDARY says its RC truck is water-resistant, too, so you don’t have to pack up your toys and go indoors if it starts raining.
The remote control has low- and high-speed settings so you can get used to the way this truck handles before you try a top-speed run. The kit includes the remote, two batteries, two USB charging cables, and a wall charger.
Pros | Great top speed, four-wheel drive, water-resistant |
Cons | Not waterproof so it cannot be submerged in water, some durability issues depending on use |
2. Best Starter RC Truck: Bezgar 1:14-Scale 2WD All-Terrain Truck
If you’re new to the RC truck world and want to try one out before you spend a lot of money, here’s a good option to consider. This BEZGAR 1:14-scale RC truck is a good starting point for a couple of reasons: First, its top speed is a relatively modest 20 km/h, which is quick enough to have fun but not so quick that you’re likely to lose control the first time you drive it; second, this truck is 2WD, which keeps things simpler mechanically.
However, like other RC trucks, this one has four-wheel suspension to let it tackle some rugged terrain. It also has an LED light bar at the front for night driving. BEZGAR says each of its RC truck’s rechargeable nickel metal hydride batteries boasts 6V and 800 mAh of output, and takes about three hours to charge fully. Once charged, you can drive this truck for about 20 minutes before the battery runs out of power. The kit also includes a USB battery charger and a screwdriver so you can access the battery compartment.
Pros | Affordable price for a first-time RC truck buyer, good top speed |
Cons | Two-wheel drive limits off-road traction, long charging time, some buyers report low-quality parts |
3. HAIBOXING 1:18-Scale All-Terrain RC Truck
Another option for a more conventional RC truck design is this speedy all-terrain model from HAIBOXING. This 1:18-scale truck is compact, measuring less than 10-inches long and about eight-inches wide. With 4WD and an RC 380 motor, you’ll reach a top speed of just over 22 mph on flat surfaces. When the going gets rough, big, knobby tires will help you get over and through almost any type of terrain.
This is one of the more technically advanced RC trucks on our list: it comes with durable metal driveshafts, front and rear differentials, and shocks you can adjust for a firmer or softer ride depending on where you want to drive. This RC truck is also waterproof to IPX4 standards to protect its electronic components when you drive through mud or water.
HAIBOXING says this truck’s remote has a long 280-foot control range and has low- and high-speed settings, steering trim, and steering reverse controls. Your purchase also includes two 7.4V lithium polymer batteries, a USB charging cable, and a selection of stickers so you can dress up the truck’s body.
Pros | Adjustable suspension, long control range |
Cons | Some buyers say the remote control is unreliable, another says the axles can get clogged with dirt |
4. Fisca RC Stunt Truck
Here’s a fun alternative to traditional RC trucks from Fisca. While this stunt truck can tackle all-terrain driving with its bright green tires, it’s intended more to pull off fun tricks on smooth surfaces. At first glance, Fisca’s 4WD stunt truck is pretty straightforward mechanically, with no steering mechanism or suspension system. However, it is a sophisticated little machine that uses skid steering to respond to your inputs and even does on-the-spot 360-degree "tank" turns.
The wheels on each side are mounted on a pivot, and you can use that clever construction to do flips and 180s, and even send this stunt truck tumbling down steps and up against walls. The best part is it’s basically impossible to damage the body of this truck because the soft, oversized tires double as bumpers. Because it’s made for tricks rather than speed, this stunt truck only hits about 4.5 mph when driving in a straight line. However, we think you’ll agree this truck makes up for that with its other abilities.
Fisca supplies its stunt truck with a 3.7V, 400 mAh battery that provides 10 to 15 minutes of playtime before charging. If you want more driving time, Fisca sells extra battery packs separately.
Pros | Looks like great fun, unconventional styling, responsive customer service |
Cons | Short drive time on a full charge, a few buyers said their trucks didn’t last long, but the seller replaced them promptly |
Can I drive my RC truck through puddles and mud?
Some of the RC trucks on our list are waterproof or water-resistant. You can drive one of these models in wet conditions, but only a handful are built to be submerged as opposed to splashing through puddles.
We know that all of these trucks look ready to drive over almost any kind of terrain. However, you should be just as cautious when it comes to driving through deep mud as you would with water. Dirt and dust can contaminate the axles on some of these trucks and cause them to seize up so that they won’t drive anymore. You’ll have to spend serious money—more than the cost of the trucks on this list—to get an RC truck that is completely sealed against water and dirt.
Are all RC trucks considered toys?
Definitely not. Based on the models we’ve included on our list, we’d suggest that the higher an RC truck’s price is, the more you should consider it a hobby vehicle instead of a toy. Of course, price isn’t the only consideration here. An RC truck with a high top speed is not well-suited to a young child who may not have much experience driving a remote-controlled vehicle. Not only do you risk the truck being damaged from crashing into things, but a truck capable of going 30 mph could injure someone, including the child at the controls.
If you’re in the market for a toy, look at the RC truck models closer to the bottom of our list. They are generally slower and smaller and, in case you need or want to replace a truck that sustains serious damage in a crash, less expensive to buy.
That said, while some of the faster trucks on our list are not what we would call toys, they are also not competition-type RC trucks on which you can install upgraded parts. On these RC trucks, what you see is what you get. As we mentioned above, if you want to get really serious about RC truck racing, you have to spend more money.
Can I race my RC trucks against each other?
In many cases, yes, and this is thanks to more recent development in RC truck technology. In the past, if you tried to race two remote-controlled vehicles whose transmitters used the same radio frequency, the controllers would interfere with each other, resulting in havoc.
Nowadays, while RC trucks still use radio waves to communicate with the handheld controller, you can pair each truck with its controller and then compete against your friends even if they’re driving exactly the same truck.
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More by Chris Chase
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