Disney Cars RC Turbo Racer Lightning McQueen 1:24

Product Information

For this test each of our panel members drove the cars on gravel, long grass, short grass and tarmac. Each was then rated for how much fun it was to drive on each surface.

Ultimate Lightning McQueen makes a great first impression. He’s immaculately presented in a shiny foil-covered box, and looks more like a collector’s item than a children’s toy. Once you open it up, though, you’ll find there’s not much actually inside there, apart from the car, a manual and a charger. In this category, the five cars we tested were much faster and heavier than the cars that are suitable for kids. It’s clear, though, that this is a premium item as soon as you open it. The wheels are protected by small plastic clamps, and the accessories slide neatly out of a drawer underneath. Aside from looking like the animated character, Ultimate Lightning McQueen moves like him too. He leans into corners and performs drifts with ease, particularly if you’re racing on a hardwood floor. He’s slower on carpet though, and if you hadn’t guessed already for such an expensive and technologically advanced car, he’s unsuitable for use outdoors. He’s well built though, and didn’t take any cosmetic damage from the numberous bumps and crashes we put him through. The rubber fuel cap did break within the first 24 hours though, and it was generally fiddly to take in and out.The recommended age for the toy is 8+, so there’s a good chance those kids will have access to such a device, but it’s something parents need to bear in mind before buying. Fully functioning with innovative technology. Users get a premium decorated RC measuring approximately 12" Inspire your child’s imagination with our toy planes. From chunky helicopters for the little ones to detailed models for older children, our collection has everything your little pilot may need. Or if you’re on the hunt for something more versatile, explore the skies with our selection of drones. Suitable for photography and filmmaking, our collection features models from brands like DJI that are equipped with intelligent flight controllers and Hasselblad cameras for crystal-clear images. Your first interaction with Lightning McQueen is a frustrating one. Sphero tells you to plug in the car and wait 30 minutes for him to charge up. Yes, the Christmas Day tradition of unwrapping your favourite present and then not being able to play with it right away is alive and well.

First of all, you need to press a small button to orient the car when it’s facing away from you, just so when you press "up", it goes forward. There are no instructions in the box or on the app to do this though – it’s only because we met with Sphero that we were aware of this.

We recruited a mixed aged and mixed gender testing panel to assess each remote control car on how much fun it is to drive and determine which age group the car is suitable for. The panel included two mums, three dads and children aged four, six, 10 and 11.

It’s here that you discover Sphero’s first attention to detail though. The charging port is accessed by pulling on the car’s fuel cap. And when you plug him in, everything starts to light up and begin moving. Lightning doesn’t feel particularly fast, even when he gets up to 6mph in boost mode. We found Sphero’s stated range of 30m to be optimistic – racing him around our office, we got a disconnection warning on our iPhone 7 Plus at around 15m. He uses Bluetooth, so it could have been interference from other devices, but it still felt fairly limited. They're fun to drive, but they're also much more likely to break because of the higher crash forces. And they're so fast and substantial that they could cause damage to a child, or property, if in less experienced hands. Product comes ready to play out of the box. Simple and convenient recharging with USB technology. Battery's included for the remote controller.

There are some really nice features within the app itself though. You can queue up your favourite Lightning McQueen catchphrases and activate them as you’re cruising around your living room. There’s also a mini-game where you work in the pit stop during a race, equipping cars with the right oil and wheel changes within an allotted time. Only logged in Which? members can view the best RC cars for toddlers below. If you're not a member, you'll only see an alphabetised list of the cars we tested. Find out how each car compares in terms of top speed, run time, durability, ease of use, and how our testers - aged from three years old to 60 - rated each car after driving it on a variety of surfaces. This remote control car does a phenomenal job of matching the physicality, mannerisms and movement style of the animated character.

Whether you're a parent, that uncle or aunt, or you just want to relive your youth, a remote control car is a brilliant gift for a birthday or Christmas. Only logged in Which? members can view the best RC cars for adults below. If you're not a member, you'll only see an alphabetised list of the cars we tested. On top of that, you also need an Android or iOS device to control the car – there’s no remote included in the box.

It helps that the car has been voiced by Owen Wilson himself, but there’s also some incredibly smart technology under the hood. Sphero calls it the most advanced remote control car ever made, and it’s difficult to argue with that statement. Only logged in Which? members can view the best RC cars for kids below. If you're not a member, you'll only see an alphabetised list of the cars we tested. We tested some cars we think are too fast for very young children, and in the wrong hands could potentially cause injury or damage. All these on-screen buttons mean you have to constantly look down at the display to see what you’re pressing, so you’re constantly flitting your attention between two things at the same time. If you had a physical controller, you’d be able to just feel these buttons in your hand instead, and not need to look down at the screen. But based on our testing we'd recommend avoiding the main toy retailers such as Argos, Smyths Toys and Hamleys.