Start Your Engines! We Tested and Chose the 10 Best Remote-Controlled Cars for All Ages

Little kids, big kids and adults all like to make electronic remote-controlled cars and vehicles careen through the house or around a yard or park, testing how far and fast they'll go and whether they can overcome obstacles and turn on a dime. So if you find yourself browsing for holiday gifts, or you need a kid's birthday present, or you just want to treat the whole family to some fun, consider a zippy but sturdy RC vehicle.

At the Good Housekeeping Institute, we've put hundreds of remote-controlled cars through their paces over the past 10 years, with family testers and our own engineers. We want to be sure that an RC car is going to stay charged for more than just a few laps around the living room (we're looking for at least 15 minutes of go time) and that the controls are easy and intuitive. To that end, we've sent samples to homes to get real-life feedback and also tested many remote-controlled cars in our Lab. Admittedly, we don't place a lot of emphasis on pure speed; we leave that to the hard-core hobbyists, though we do have some fast racers among our picks. We do check to see if an RC vehicle leaves marks on walls or if it's awkward to juice up a vehicle's rechargeable batteries. We place a premium on RC cars that can do fun tricks, like wheelies and spins, since that's a big part of their appeal. Our list is practical for the young (there's even a first RC for toddlers!) — and for the young at heart.

Our top picks:

And that's not all: At the end of this guide, read more about how we test remote-controlled cars in our Lab, including why we purposely drop toys from up high and take note of the results. (The reason is more important than you might think.)