By feature
The best RC cars with lights
Lights are the feature that doubles how often an RC car gets used in winter, because the hour after school stops being a problem.
By Ryder M. · Published November 10, 2026 · Last reviewed
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If you want an RC car with working lights, buy the [Traxxas TRX-4M](#traxxas-trx-4m). It is the only model here that pairs factory LED lighting with waterproof electronics, a battery and charger in the box, and a parts network that will still be supplying components in five years. The budget pick is the [ZIROKAY Spider car](#zirokay-spider-car) — a light-up novelty car for a three- or four-year-old, where the light show is most of the appeal and nobody is pretending otherwise.
Direct answer: the RC cars whose makers actually list lights are the Traxxas TRX-4M (LED lights plus waterproof electronics), two FPV camera trucks with chassis lighting and screen remotes, the DEERC 9312E and 9309E with LED headlights, and two toy-grade cars for very young children. Lights are almost never fitted to fast hobby-grade trucks, which is why this list looks different from the rest of the site's roundups.
Why lights matter more than they sound like they should
For a gift, lights do two things that no specification captures. The first is seasonal: in the months when it is dark by five, a car with headlights is a car that can still be driven on a weekday, and one without is a weekend-only toy. The second is that lights make an RC car legible from a distance. A small car at the far end of a yard is a dark shape; the same car with lit headlights has an obvious front, which genuinely helps a young driver work out which way it is pointed.
For a scale crawler the reason is different again. On a slow, detailed truck, lights are part of the model rather than a convenience — they are why a TRX-4M picking its way over a rockery after dark looks like something rather than like a toy with a torch strapped to it.
What the market actually offers
Honesty first: lights cluster at the two ends of this hobby and are nearly absent in the middle. Toy-grade cars for young children have them, because they are cheap to add and sell the box. Scale crawlers have them, because the whole point is realism. The fast brushless trucks in between almost never do, because a light bar is one more thing to break on the first roll and the people buying those trucks are not driving at night.
That is why there is no brushless basher on this page. We could have added one and written around the gap, and chose not to: if a manufacturer does not list lights, we do not claim them. The practical answer for a fast truck is an aftermarket light kit fitted later, which is a real option and a different purchase.
| Pick | What the maker lists | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Traxxas TRX-4M | LED lights, waterproof electronics, battery and charger | Anyone who wants a serious car with lights |
| 1:16 FPV camera truck | Chassis LED lighting, 2.8-inch screen in the remote | A child who wants a light show and a camera |
| DEERC 9312E | LED headlights, two LiPo packs, wheelie bar | Longest run time for the money |
| DEERC 9309E | LED headlights, IPX4 waterproof speed control | Monster-truck shape, wet grass included |
| ZIROKAY Spider car | Multi-color flashing lights | Three- and four-year-olds |
| Liberty Imports 2-pack | Headlights, music, two cars and two remotes | A first-ever remote, and siblings |
The cars, ranked
| # | Product | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Traxxas TRX-4MThe small Traxxas crawler that arrives complete: battery, charger, waterproof electronics and a licensed body. | Crawling, complete in box | 9.0 | $199.95View on Amazon #ad — how we earn · price as of November 12, 2026 |
| 2 |  A 1:16 FPV camera truck with chassis lightsThe same camera idea a size bigger, with a 2.8-inch screen in the controller and LED lighting under the chassis. | Camera plus light show | 7.4 | $89.99View on Amazon #ad — how we earn · price as of November 12, 2026 |
| 3 |  DEERC 9312EThe DEERC with the metal drivetrain and the longest stated run time — two packs for about fifty minutes between them. | Longest run time | 8.0 | $72.99$89.99(19% off)View on Amazon #ad — how we earn · price as of November 12, 2026 |
| 4 |  DEERC 9309EThe monster-truck shape in the DEERC range: taller tires, a wheelie bar, and the same metal drivetrain as the 9312E. | Monster-truck shape | 7.9 | $69.99View on Amazon #ad — how we earn · price as of November 12, 2026 |
| 5 |  ZIROKAY Spider Remote Control CarA light-up novelty car aimed at three- and four-year-olds who care more about the lights than the driving. | Lights and character | 7.4 | $22.99View on Amazon #ad — how we earn · price as of November 12, 2026 |
| 6 |  Liberty Imports Toddler RC Cars 2-PackTwo cartoon cars with steering-wheel remotes a two-year-old can actually hold — a race car and a police car in one box. | A first-ever remote | 8.2 | $28.94View on Amazon #ad — how we earn · price as of November 12, 2026 |
Product photo via Amazon.
#1 · Crawling, complete in box
Traxxas TRX-4M
The small Traxxas crawler that arrives complete: battery, charger, waterproof electronics and a licensed body.
9.0/10our score for this use
A 1/18 scale trail crawler eleven inches long, built on a steel ladder frame with solid axles and a four-link suspension — the layout of a real truck, shrunk. Traxxas fits its waterproof ECM-2.5 module with Sport, Trail and Crawl modes, and the box includes a 7.4 volt 750mAh LiPo and a 2-amp USB charger, so nothing else is needed on the day. It is sold under several licensed bodies; the one stocked here wears a 1979 Chevrolet K10 truck body.
- Size:
- 1/18 (11 inches long)
- Drive:
- Solid-axle 4WD
- Motor:
- brushed motor
What it does well
- Battery and USB charger are in the box, which almost nothing else in the Traxxas range can say
- Waterproof electronics and LED lights, so wet grass and after-dark driving are both fine
- Small enough for a living room, a rockery or a stack of books — no field required
What it does badly
- Crawlers are slow by design. If the recipient wants speed, this is the wrong shape entirely
- The 750mAh pack is small; a second battery is the first thing most owners buy
- The licensed bodies are ABS plastic and will scuff on rock
Specifications from the Traxxas TRX-4M range page.
#ad — how we earn · price as of November 12, 2026
Product photo via Amazon.
#2 · Camera plus light show
A 1:16 FPV camera truck with chassis lights
The same camera idea a size bigger, with a 2.8-inch screen in the controller and LED lighting under the chassis.
7.4/10our score for this use
A 1:16 all-terrain truck with an HD camera, a 2.8-inch screen built into the transmitter, and LED lighting on the chassis. The listing describes an alloy body, off-road tires, independent suspension, a reinforced front bumper, carbon-brush motors with a low and a high speed setting, and 3.7 volt 1200mAh batteries for up to 60 minutes of driving.
- Size:
- 1:16
- Drive:
- 4WD
- Motor:
- toy-grade motor
What it does well
- The chassis lighting does more for an eight-year-old than any specification on this page
- A 2.8-inch screen in the controller, so there is no phone or app involved
- A low speed setting for learning and a high one once they have it
What it does badly
- The same camera lag as every camera car in this class
- Toy-grade chassis: it will not survive being jumped off things
- Lights and camera together drain the battery faster than the quoted figure suggests
Specifications from the listing for this camera truck.
#ad — how we earn · price as of November 12, 2026
Product photo via Amazon.
#3 · Longest run time
DEERC 9312E
The DEERC with the metal drivetrain and the longest stated run time — two packs for about fifty minutes between them.
8.0/10our score for this use
A 1/18 off-road truck, about eleven inches long. DEERC lists a high-torque 390 brushed motor good for 42 km/h — roughly 26 mph — four-wheel drive, metal oil-filled shocks, a metal differential, a metal drive shaft and a metal-geared steering servo. Two 1200mAh LiPo packs give around fifty minutes of combined driving, and there is a wheelie bar, rollover protection and LED headlights.
- Size:
- 1/18 (about 11 inches long)
- Drive:
- 4WD
- Motor:
- toy-grade motor
What it does well
- A metal differential, drive shaft, shocks and steering servo, which is unusual at this price
- Two LiPo packs for about fifty minutes — the longest stated figure of any DEERC here
- An IPX4-rated speed control, so damp grass is not a problem
What it does badly
- Parts come from DEERC alone — nothing like a hobby brand's network
- 26 mph into a curb still breaks suspension parts, metal drivetrain or not
- The wheelie bar and rollover bar add height, and it rolls more readily for it
Specifications from DEERC's own store listing.
#ad — how we earn · price as of November 12, 2026
Product photo via Amazon.
#4 · Monster-truck shape
DEERC 9309E
The monster-truck shape in the DEERC range: taller tires, a wheelie bar, and the same metal drivetrain as the 9312E.
7.9/10our score for this use
A 1/16 monster truck with the ground clearance the shape implies. DEERC lists a 380 brushed motor good for 40 km/h — roughly 25 mph — four-wheel drive, an IPX4-rated waterproof speed control, metal oil-pressure shocks, a metal differential, a metal drive shaft and a metal-geared servo. Two 1200mAh LiPo packs give up to forty minutes, and it has LED headlights and a rear wheelie bar.
- Size:
- 1/16
- Drive:
- 4WD
- Motor:
- toy-grade motor
What it does well
- Tall tires and clearance for grass, gravel and mud rather than just a path
- An IPX4-rated speed control, so puddles and wet grass are genuinely fine
- Two LiPo packs in the box for up to forty minutes of driving
What it does badly
- Parts come from DEERC alone — nothing like a hobby brand's network
- Tall and tippy: it rolls in hard turns, which is what beginners do
- Toy-grade construction under the metal parts — it is not built to be jumped
Specifications from DEERC's own store listing.
#ad — how we earn · price as of November 12, 2026
Product photo via Amazon.
#5 · Lights and character
ZIROKAY Spider Remote Control Car
A light-up novelty car aimed at three- and four-year-olds who care more about the lights than the driving.
7.4/10our score for this use
A small novelty RC car with multi-color flashing lights, sold for ages three and up. It goes forward, backward, left and right and nothing else — which is the right amount of car for a preschooler.
- Motor:
- toy-grade motor
- Maker’s age guide:
- 3 years and up
What it does well
- The light show carries most of the appeal, so it holds interest even when the driving goes badly
- Simple four-direction control with no speed settings to get wrong
- Small enough for a living room without moving the furniture
What it does badly
- Plastic body with no replacement parts — a hard fall on a tile floor can end it
- Very short run time next to a hobby-grade car, and the battery is built in
- No real outdoor ability
#ad — how we earn · price as of November 12, 2026
Product photo via Amazon.
#6 · A first-ever remote
Liberty Imports Toddler RC Cars 2-Pack
Two cartoon cars with steering-wheel remotes a two-year-old can actually hold — a race car and a police car in one box.
8.2/10our score for this use
These are toys, not hobby cars, and that is the point. Each remote is shaped like a steering wheel with big buttons instead of a trigger and a wheel, so there is no fine control to learn. They honk, play music, light up their headlights, and come with removable driver figures. The box holds two cars and two remotes, which solves the sharing problem on the day.
- Motor:
- toy-grade motor
- Maker’s age guide:
- 18 months and up
What it does well
- Button control is about as simple as remote control gets — no trigger technique, no proportional steering
- Light and slow enough that hitting a baseboard is a non-event
- Two cars and two remotes in the box, so siblings are not taking turns
What it does badly
- It is toy-grade: when a wheel or the gearbox goes, there is no spare part and the car is finished
- Indoor and smooth surfaces only — the small wheels stop dead in grass
- Children grow out of them quickly. Expect a year, not five
#ad — how we earn · price as of November 12, 2026
Driving after dark, practically
- Headlights light the car, not the ground. Even the best factory LEDs are a marker rather than a floodlight. Drive somewhere you already know in daylight.
- Lights cost run time. They draw from the same pack the motor does. On a small battery the effect is noticeable, which is one more argument for a second pack.
- Cold shortens a run badly. A LiPo in near-freezing weather delivers less than the same pack indoors. How long do RC car batteries last covers what to expect.
- Keep it off the street. A lit RC car is still almost invisible to a driver. Where to drive RC cars is the practical guide.
- Wet and dark go together in winter. Sealed electronics matter more after dark than they do at noon — two of the picks here have them.
Which one to buy
- Best overall: the Traxxas TRX-4M — lights, sealing, complete in the box, with real parts support.
- A light show plus a camera: the 1:16 FPV truck with chassis lighting and a screen in the remote.
- Longest run time with headlights: the DEERC 9312E, with two packs included.
- Monster-truck shape and wet grass: the DEERC 9309E.
- The budget pick, for a preschooler: the ZIROKAY light-up car.
- Two children, one gift: the Liberty Imports two-pack, with headlights on both cars.
How we ranked these
The entry condition was that the manufacturer or the product listing states that the car has lights — no inferred light kits, no "it looks like it has headlights". Ranking then went on everything other than the lights: parts support, sealing, what is in the box, and how well the car suits the age it is sold to. Each pick's weakness is stated on its own card, including the one that matters most here — the toy-grade cars have no replacement parts at all. We do not test these products first-hand and publish no test results; our methodology page explains what we do.