Best Traxxas to start with
The best Traxxas for beginners
Slash, Rustler, Stampede, Bandit or LaTrax — which Traxxas to buy first, and the real cost of each.
Top pick: Traxxas Slash 4X4 BL-2s
Brand guide
Traxxas RC cars: which one, and is it worth it?
Traxxas is the brand most people end up buying, and the one most people ask about first. Here is which model fits which person — and where the money actually goes.
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Traxxas is the brand most people end up buying and the one most people ask about first. It is also the one with the widest range of similar-looking trucks, which makes choosing harder than it should be. This section is here to make that choice quickly.
What you are actually paying for
Traxxas is not the fastest brand at any given price, and it is not the toughest. What it has is the best parts ecosystem in the hobby: a published parts finder for every model it sells, spares stocked by hobby shops nationwide, a video for every repair, and strong resale value. For a household with nobody in it who enjoys researching a fix, that is worth real money.
It also has Training Mode — a setting on its VXL brushless speed controls that cuts throttle and reverse to 50%. On a truck Traxxas states will exceed 65 mph with a 3-cell battery and optional gearing, that is the difference between a gift a twelve-year-old can use and one they cannot. No other mainstream brand offers an equivalent, and it is the strongest single argument for buying Traxxas for a child.
The range, in one paragraph
The 1/10 trucks — Slash (short course, enclosed wheels, the most crash-tolerant), Rustler (stadium truck, very fast in VXL form), Stampede (monster truck, tall tires for rough ground) and Bandit (2WD buggy, the cheapest way in) — share most of their mechanical parts in different body shapes. Below them sit the 1/18 LaTrax models, which include a battery and charger and suit younger children. Above them are the Maxx and larger trucks, which are not first cars.
The cost nobody warns you about
Most Traxxas 1/10 models ship without a battery or a charger. Traxxas states that the Slash 4X4 BL-2s requires a single 2-cell LiPo or a 6-7 cell NiMH pack, and recommends its own EZ-Peak charger. Adding both takes the real cost well above the price on the box. The LaTrax Rally is the exception in the range — it includes a NiMH pack and a wall charger — and that is exactly why it is our pick for a first hobby car.
If that premium is the thing you are weighing, is Traxxas worth it answers it directly, including the three situations where our answer is no.
Which Traxxas, and for whom
Four pages covering the choice from both ends: which model suits a beginner, which suits a child, the model everyone asks about, and whether the premium is justified.
Best Traxxas for kids
Traxxas for kids: which model, and is it too fast?
How Training Mode limits the power, which model suits which age, and which Traxxas to avoid for a child.
Top pick: Traxxas LaTrax Rally
Model review
Traxxas Slash 4X4: a closer look
What the Slash 4X4 does well, what the sticker price hides, and the two cases where we would steer you elsewhere.
Top pick: Traxxas Slash 4X4 BL-2s
Verdict guide
Is Traxxas worth the money?
When the Traxxas premium is worth paying, when it clearly is not, and exactly what to buy instead.
Top pick: Traxxas Slash 4X4 BL-2s
Questions people ask
Which Traxxas should I buy first?
The Slash 4X4 for an adult or a confident older child — its short-course bodywork survives crashes. The LaTrax Rally for a younger child or a tighter budget, because it includes a battery and charger.
Is Traxxas worth the money?
When the car will be kept, driven hard and repaired, yes: the parts network is the best in the hobby. For a one-season gift, a tight budget or a household that will not repair anything, other brands offer more car for the money.
What is Traxxas Training Mode?
A setting on Traxxas' VXL speed controls that limits throttle and reverse to 50%, so a fast truck can be driven safely by a beginner and unlocked later as they improve.
Do Traxxas cars come with a battery?
Most 1/10 models do not — Traxxas lists a battery and charger as required extras. The 1/18 LaTrax Rally is the exception and includes a NiMH pack and a wall charger.
Are Traxxas cars waterproof?
Traxxas publishes waterproof electronics across much of its range, including the Rustler 4X4 VXL's waterproof receiver box and speed control and the LaTrax Rally's all-weather electronics. Waterproof means wet grass and rain, not submersion.