Buggies and Truggys whiz through the terrain at a crazy pace. The guide shows how the high-speed models drive and what to look out for when buying one.
A joyride with a remote control car is great fun. A limitation of small and inexpensive RC cars is usually the maximum speed of 15 to 25 km/h. For this guide from the world of RC toys , we pushed hard and tried out RC cars with a crazy speed of up to 75 km/h.
Remote-controlled buggies offer great advantages over on-road cars because they can cope not only with asphalt but also with unpaved terrain such as gravel roads or meadows and are also robust. We show what makes this category so special and what you have to look out for in a high-speed car. The focus is on RTR models that have already been assembled (“ready to run”). We don’t cover kits from manufacturers like Tamiya here.
We show more on the subject of off-road vehicles in the guide to off-road RC cars: remote-controlled jeeps, monster trucks and buggies from 20 euros . The clear opposite of a fast buggy are crawlers. These crawl at a snail’s pace over almost any surface. We explain what this is all about in the article Remote-controlled crawlers from 30 euros: Now it’s the end of the terrain .
In principle, a buggy is an all-terrain and minimalist racing vehicle that is suitable for off-road use. The name goes back to the English word “bug” for “beetle”. That’s because in the early 1960s in the USA, vehicle hobbyists created their own beach vehicles based on the VW Beetle, which were supposed to get along well on dunes.
Californian Bruce Meyers is credited with inventing this category. In 1964 he used a shortened chassis from a VW Beetle to mount a minimalist and open plastic body. That was the birth of the Meyers-Manx buggy, which was later copied many times and achieved cult status among hippies. Targeted tuning without body elements resulted in small sports cars for desert races in California and Mexico. This trend spilled over to Europe a little later.
Typical are the shortened chassis, large wheels and often a much more powerful engine. This made the vehicles particularly manoeuvrable, light and torsion-resistant. In 1969, the body manufacturer Karmann from Osnabrück developed the Karmann GF, a buggy based on the VW Beetle. This fad ended in the 1980s because the vehicles no longer met current safety standards. In the 1990s, the Schlesser buggy gained a certain notoriety as a rally vehicle. But this is not based on a VW Beetle.
A buggy is therefore a light, agile and fast racing car for off-road use with large wheels and a pronounced suspension. Truggys are also popular as templates for remote-controlled cars – they are a hybrid of a buggy and a monster truck. Both variants are suitable for high speeds on unpaved ground, less for overcoming difficult terrain like a crawler (guide) . This makes them popular for racing. They are also called “bashers” – derived from the term “to bash”. We explain more about sporty off-road vehicles in the guide to off-road RC cars: remote-controlled jeeps, monster trucks and buggies from 20 euros .
Fast RC cars: what to look out for?
We must anticipate one thing: fast remote-controlled vehicles that reach top speeds in excess of 50 km/h are not for beginners and even less for small children. An accident with these fun devices can quickly cause property damage or personal injury. It is not without reason that the recommended age for most fast RC cars is 14 years.
Before you go on a jaunt, we recommend a place that offers enough space and run-off areas. A meadow is also suitable for an RC buggy, provided the grass is not too deep and the ground is not too uneven. A larger square would also be an option, as long as there aren’t crowds there. Sidewalks or public streets and squares in front of the house are not suitable. This is especially true if they are used a lot by cars or cycling.
Ideally one should choose a location where there are few or no obstacles in the way. With a speed of up to 75 km/h, a crash can quickly mean the end of an RC racing car – or worse. At this speed, the vehicle covers almost 20 meters per second. A collision with another person also carries the risk of injury. Unfortunately, we have to admit that we’ve already damaged three vehicles during our testing, so we know what we’re talking about.
Liability insurance is recommended if you use an RC racing car frequently . Before concluding, you should make sure that liability claims from the use of remote-controlled model vehicles are covered. This usually applies to land vehicles and boats – but not aircraft. If in doubt, you should contact the insurance company in advance. An alternative is membership in the German Minicar Club . The annual fee includes insurance cover that is exclusively related to RC sport.
technology and equipment
Most of the fast RC cars up to 200 euros are buggies, Truggys or Monster Trucks. In particular, the suspension and large wheels allow use on unpaved roads. All of the remote-controlled racing cars shown here have all-wheel drive. This increases the vehicle’s traction by distributing the power to all four wheels. This minimizes tire spin.
Both brush motors and brushless electric motors (“brushless”) serve as drives. The advantage of the brushless motor: it generates a lot of power, is lighter than a brushed motor and has almost no wear. The drive requires less energy to generate the rotary motion because it is more efficient. Less waste heat is generated here than with comparable motors with brushes. This also makes brushless units more energy-efficient during operation, which can ensure longer battery life. However, this drive is more likely to be found in more expensive RC vehicles in the three-digit range. But there are also fast RC buggies with brushed motors.
The high performance requires a lot of energy. The battery capacities usually range from 1200 mAh to over 2600 mAh. Lithium polymer batteries (LiPo) with two cells (2S), i.e. a voltage of 7.4 volts, are usually used. A pistol-shaped remote control with 2.4 GHz is usually used as the remote control. The advantage of this digital transmission: Several vehicles can drive at the same time without disturbing each other, the range is between 50 and 100 meters.
Proportional control for steering and acceleration is important for fast RC vehicles. If you operate the steering wheel on the remote control slightly, the wheels of the vehicle turn only minimally. The same applies to the gas regulator in order to meter the thrust as finely and precisely as possible. Proportional controls should be standard on a basher. With cheap RC cars, there are often only full deflections.
Inexpensive RC buggies for beginners
If you are completely inexperienced or would like to give the racing car into the hands of small children under supervision, you should first practice with an inexpensive entry-level model. You can get RTR models with a brush motor for just under 40 euros, which can reach speeds of up to 25 km/h on average. At around 700 mAh, the capacity of the primarily used NiMH batteries is not that generous. The radio frequency is already 2.4 GHz, only a few inexpensive RC cars still use analogue technology with 27 MHz or 40 MHz.
RC Buggies and Truggys for advanced and professionals
Those who are not that experienced and prefer to rely on European manufacturers can take a look at the “Profi RC” series from Carrera. All models a uniform chassis. The Carrera RC Profi Lime Star PX and Red Bull NX2 are both buggies, the Carrera RC Profi VW Beetle PX is based on the Beetle. There is also a pick-up with the Ford F-150 Raptor as a model for the body.
The Pro RC models cost less than 90 euros and, according to Carrera, reach around 50 km/h with a service life of around 15 minutes. However, the speedsters on a scale of 1:18 quickly get stuck in deeper grass. Practical: There is a separate compartment in the chassis for the battery, which can be charged in around 90 minutes using a USB-A charger.
The monster truck from S-Idea is quite fast at 70 km/h and still affordable. The Traxxas E-Revo VXL is also brutally fast at 80 km/h . The fastest vehicle known to us is the Traxxas Rustler VXL-3S for 429 euros at Amazon in 1:10 scale. This is supposed to drive up to 100 km/h fast – that’s really only for professionals.
Above 200 euros, most RTR models from Amewi, Absima, Carson or Jamara offer a brushless motor. Here you will mostly find larger RC cars on a scale of 1:10 or 1:12 with lovely details, such as a driver in the cockpit. The maximum speed usually ranges from 35 to 70 km/h.
Tried out: extremely fast buggies and Truggys
If you want to grab a really fast RC car, you can get the corresponding vehicles for as little as 100 euros. We tested four 1:18 to 1:14 scale RTR models from China, which according to the manufacturer can reach speeds of up to 75 km/h. Be careful: the risk of an accident is high, which often results in the racing car dying prematurely – which is particularly annoying when there are no spare parts.
DEERC 302E
The DEERC 302E has a scale of 1:18 and compact dimensions of 275 mm x 215 mm x 179 mm with a weight of almost 1.3 kg. This means that the speedster with all-wheel drive (4WD) still fits well in a backpack. Strictly speaking, the vehicle is a Truggy and its beefy look is reminiscent of a tuned monster truck with a rear spoiler. The design is really successful and gives the RC speedster a brute look. In addition, DEERC includes a transparent body that hobbyists can paint with an airbrush according to their own ideas.
In addition to the obligatory pistol-shaped 2.4 GHz remote control, a few spare parts are included. The scope of delivery includes two LiPo batteries with a capacity of 1200 mAh each and a USB charger. The heart is the brushless motor. A charging process takes about 2 hours. To insert the energy source, you remove the body, which is attached to the chassis with four clamps. There is a trough with a loop with a Velcro fastener for the battery. To turn it on, press the button next to the control. Then you reattach the body and turn on the remote control.
The DEERC 302E is damn fast and manoeuvrable. According to the manufacturer, the maximum speed is 60 km/h. We couldn’t measure that, our gut feeling tells us that it’s probably a little less fast. It is still not easy to drive the car straight ahead at full throttle, even if the proportional control is sensitive. Here it is advisable to practice with reduced thrust and to trim the controls precisely. The best way to reach top speed is on asphalt. But a jaunt on gravel or a meadow is much more fun.
On gravel, the speedster tends to spin when turning. This makes control more difficult, but is a lot of fun. The DEERC 302E also makes good progress over a mowed meadow, but as soon as the grass is deeper than about 10 cm, the Truggy quickly gets stuck. In the case of bumps, it can also happen that the vehicle rolls over. So far, however, it has not suffered any damage. The vehicle lasts around just over 20 minutes per battery.
Eachine EC30B
The Eachine EC30B is a true 4WD RC buggy. Visually, it is reminiscent of a mixture of Formula 1 and off-road vehicle. The appearance alone promises a fast ride here. The large wheels have four lush metal springs. There is a choice of two rear spoilers, a medium-sized and a particularly bulky rear wing. This is screwed on with the enclosed screwdriver. Some stickers are included for decoration. Measuring 305mm x 188mm x 120mm, it’s slightly larger than DEERC’s Truggy. The weight is 1.8 kg.
A brushless motor is used as the drive. Three LiPo batteries, each with 1500 mAh, are included along with a USB charger. This is placed under the body, which is secured with clamps, on the chassis in a tub with a Velcro fastener. This ensures that there are enough spare batteries. The buggy runs for about 15 minutes on one battery charge. A charging process is more than 3 hours. We particularly liked the power button. This is located on the side of the chassis, so you don’t have to remove the body to activate the speedster.
Eachine EC30 – photo gallery
The remote control lets you switch between two tempo settings: slow and fast. Eachine states a top speed of around 65 km/h. The steering is extremely precise thanks to proportional control. This is essential when driving at high speed. The car feels good on both gravel and grass. Compared to the DEERC car, it is a bit more stable on the slopes – which is probably due to the higher weight. In connection with the high speed, this ensures a lot of driving fun. Caution: Accidents are inevitable at this pace. We therefore advise only driving where there are no obstacles in the way. Unfortunately, the impact with a fence cost us the front suspension.
The Eachine EC30B is a bargain with a current price of 94 euros at Banggood. With the code BGtechstage8 buyers get an additional discount of 27 percent. The dispatch takes place within 2 to 3 weeks from China. There is also the variant Eachine EC30 only with a brushed motor for 72 euros , which reaches almost 50 km/h.
Eachine EAT14
The 1:14 scale Eachine EAT14 is almost identical to the EC30 from the same manufacturer. The dimensions are almost the same at 310 mm x 205 mm x 11 mm. But the rear spoiler has a different shape. But there are some differences under the hood. The processing leaves a solid impression, the underbody is reinforced with metal plates. The suspension is also made of metal. To insert the battery and start the engine you have to remove the body. The power button is under the body, which you have to remove to activate it. Now you have five minutes to really start driving before it switches off automatically.
A powerful brushless electric motor with 3400 kV is used. With an operating voltage of 7.4 volts, this corresponds to around 25,160 revolutions per minute. In addition, the engine has a separate cooler. According to the manufacturer, the drive accelerates the speedster to an insane 75 km/h. But we couldn’t measure the speed. The battery (LiPo) with 2800 mAh at 7.4 volts provides enough energy. The runabout lasts about 12 minutes. It easily takes 4 hours to charge via the USB charger. Of course, the racing car has a proportional control for gas and steering.
Eachine EAT14 – photo series
The EAT14 is really not for beginners. You should only drive where there is really a lot of space and no people. We took it to the Theresienwiese in Munich for a test drive. In no time at all, the buggy accelerates to a ridiculous speed where controlled driving is a real art. We started on asphalt, but unfortunately the car landed on grass while coasting and rolled over several times. The result was a broken steering axle. Luckily, there are spare parts on Banggood .
WL Toys High Speed Racing RC Car
The WL Toys High Speed Racing RC Car is almost identical in construction to the EAT14 . However, only a brushed 550 motor is used here. Two LiPo batteries, each with 2600 mAh, and a USB charger are included as an energy source. The charging time for the battery is also 4 hours. However, the included battery didn’t fit straight away into the intended tray on the underbody. Fortunately, there are numerous screws on the underside of the chassis that can be used to adjust the width of the battery mount. The fastening strap that was included was also a bit too short for the larger battery. We fixed it with a rubber band.
Drivers trim the steering and acceleration using two rotary controls on the 2.4 GHz remote control. A proportional control is of course available. If you still dare to steer hard at full throttle, you usually make a U-turn – which looks very spectacular and is a lot of fun. The RC car from WL Toys is not quite as fast as the EAT14. But the 60 km/h are not bad either. They provide thrills and require a high level of concentration when driving. Here, too, carelessness quickly leads to damage: a collision with a house wall cost us parts of the rear spoiler.
WL Toys High Speed Racing RC Car – Photo gallery
The racer gets along well on lawns, as long as the grass is not too high. Driving on gravel is also a lot of fun, even if you slide around a lot. The maximum speed can probably only be reached on asphalt. The usage time is just over 15 minutes. Before removing the body to remove the battery, you should wait a bit. Both the battery and especially the electric motor get very hot – there is a risk of burning your fingers. Spare parts are also available for purchase.
The WL Toys High Speed Racing RC Car currently costs just under 107 euros in the flash deal at Banggood . The dispatch takes place within 5 days from stocks in the Czech Republic. With other providers, the racing car costs 140 euros,
Conclusion
Fast RC buggies or Truggys are great fun. After that, a jaunt in a standard remote-controlled car seems like a boring drive. You can get RC speedsters with a speed of up to 50 km/h for as little as 60 euros. Even faster models are available for just under 100 euros. Due to the robustness and suspension, which also allows use on grass or gravel roads, buggies have an advantage over classic on-road cars.
However, you should really only go to suitable places with enough space and run-off zones so as not to endanger others. When buying, it is advisable to find out about possible spare parts. We recommend using liability insurance that also covers accidents involving a model vehicle. Beginners should be cautious at the beginning and take their time gradually getting used to the handling. Fast RC cars are not suitable for children.
We give a general overview of off-road vehicles in the guide to off-road RC cars: remote-controlled jeeps, monster trucks and buggies from 20 euros . If you prefer to use large models, take a look at the article The largest RC cars: buggy, monster truck or racing car . For fans of spectacular driving, we recommend the guide RC Drift Cars in the living room: remote-controlled speedsters from 25 euros .
