8 best toy cars for school kids that still captivate them
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school children are often too old for the “ordinary” toys cars. Sometimes they may still play with it, but most of the time they want something different.
Yet there is a lot to find for this age group. This Jada Toys kit for example, which allows you to create your own model auto can make. Not as difficult as real model cars, but more one for school children that you can also play with when it is finished.
But there are more options. In this guide I look at the 8 best toy cars for school children and what you should pay attention to when buying.
Let's take a quick look at the top options. Then I'll go into more detail about each of these choices.
Overall best toy car for school kids
The quality is very good and just like the regular cars from Jada Toys completely die-cast. With this kit you can only build it yourself.
Best toy car with opening doors
This car is 1:24 and therefore very big, about 7-1/2″ long (19 cm). It is a great diecast replica and very detailed.
Best Lego car for school kids
It is a real Ford Mustang GT from the 60s and the doors of the car really open. The trunk and hood can also be opened.
Best robot car
This Ranger is actually 3 robots in one. That also makes building a bit more replayable than the other sets, always changing parts.
Best toy car with elastic
A nice educational set to learn how stored energy works and a good introduction to physics.
Overall best RC car
[Hobby Grade] A low and sleek body that reduces drag and allows you to reach top speed, with tires built to grip the pavement.
Best electric car for child 8 years
Razor's 24V battery powered mini quad is capable of reaching an impressive top speed of up to 13 km/h.
Best race track for 8+
The gameplay goes way beyond just faster and overtaking, each supercar has special abilities and weapons that allow it to literally blow the opponent off the track.
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Toy cars for school kids buying guide
What should you pay attention to when buying toy cars for school children?
The first, of course, is age. You can't get away with a simple die-cast car from Hot Wheels anymore.
Die-cast cars are still possible, but only if children are specifically interested in cars and then one with more detail and doors that can open, such as Maisto.
Sustainability
There are quite a few differences in quality between toy car brands. Just look at the difference between Maisto and Hot Wheels, you can clearly feel the quality.
In any case, almost nothing can go wrong with a complete diecast car. That is what I paid extra attention to when assessing the durability of the cars.
Quality of driving
With toy cars you want them to be able to drive well. Some may be for display only, not for play. But you still want them to roll well.
A few things to watch out for are:
- the distance from the wheels to the chassis: some toy cars run into problems so they don't drive very well
- the rigidity of the shaft: some toy cars are very wobbly so the wheels can move far in and out, and still rub
- the quality of the wheels: is it plastic or are there really rubber wheels on the tires? Rubber rolls a lot better
- the weight of the car: you may not realize this right away, but the weight of the car plays a very large role in how well it rolls. A heavier car made of diecast or wood rolls a lot better and further than a plastic car
Replayability
Much of the car's replayability is in how well it drives, but there are other factors that determine how often they return to it.
Age also plays a part. Is it a car that stays on the left after toddlerhood or can it last longer because it is also suitable for older children?
The number of extra functions also plays a role, such as programming with mBot or Arrma's RC. A race track is often not interesting anymore, but Anki's special one really keeps the kids busy.
I rated each of the cars on this list on these parts on a 5-point scale.
Top 8 toy cars for school kids reviewed
Jada Toys Fast & Furious Brian Toyota Supra, Build n' Collect
- Simple kit with enough parts
- Fun for older schoolchildren to teenagers
- Very small screws require some patience
This car is just the right size with 1:24 scale and not too difficult. This way, 8-year-olds can get started with it and maybe even a little earlier with your help.
It's the Toyota Supra from Fast & Furious and although it's quite detailed, it comes across more as a toy than a model car.
The quality is very good and just like the regular cars from Jada Toys completely die-cast. With this kit you can only build it yourself.
Everything you need is included. No glue is needed, just the small screwdriver that comes in the kit.
The screws are very small so screwing them together should definitely help if your child is not yet a teenager.
Maisto Dodge Challenger SRT8
- 1:24 is nice and big
- All doors and hood can be opened
- Trunk cannot open
This car is 1:24 and therefore very big, about 7-1/2″ long (19 cm). It is a great diecast replica and very detailed.
All doors can open so there is plenty to discover or to display it beautifully. Only the trunk can not open so that is a pity.
Maisto has been making diecast cars for a while now and they aren't always of the best quality. But with this model they have created a very good car that is large and affordable and with which you can open a lot.
LEGO Creator Expert Ford Mustang 10265
- Very very large building set
- Huge amount of detail in the interior and engine
- Very pricey
- Harder to play with
Although these Lego Creator sets are aimed at adults, teenagers can of course also play with them. With 1471 pieces, it is quite a construction kit that will keep you busy for a while.
The nice thing about Lego is that you can combine it endlessly. This way you can pimp your Ford Mustang with different types of Lego pieces. The possibilities are endless.
Lego has also responded to this by making some adjustments such as the supercharger, ducktail rear spoiler, sturdy exhaust pipes, and nitrous oxide tank.
Make it a post-apocalyptic car with a laser turret, or just give it a wider bumper.
It is a real Ford Mustang GT from the 60s and the doors of the car really open. The trunk and hood can also be opened.
It is also quite large at 10 cm (3″) high, 34 cm (13″) long and 14 cm (5″) wide. He is very expensive though. Part of it is in the amount of Lego pieces, but also partly in the fact that it is an official Ford Mustang.
Playing with it is a bit more difficult than with other cars because you don't want pieces falling off, although it is very solidly built. The pieces on the outside keep the whole thing together very well.
Makeblock mBot Ranger
- Very replayable with different sets
- Fully expandable with other kits
- Batteries are difficult to charge
- Interface is sometimes difficult to follow
This one falls between the Jada Toys and Wood Trick in terms of age, a great building kit to set up together.
But in the end, this toy is more about the robot you built. This Ranger is actually 3 robots in one.
That also makes building a bit more replayable than the other sets. You can always swap parts and make it back to another version.
- Land Raider is a tracked robot that can run over just about anything
- Nervous Bird is a balance robot that can balance itself
- Dashing Raptor is a three-wheeled racing car
It is remotely controllable through the app and it is also suitable for outdoor use.
It also teaches coding basics in that you can use Scratch to program it, the Makeblock app can help with some suggestions.
This is of course STEM toys par excellence with robotics, engineering and coding in one toy and they can get started with it from the age of 8.
In addition, mBot is expandable with different kits so that you can build and experiment even more.
We've also written about mBot before in our article on the best robot toys.
The batteries are a bit of an issue. They are difficult to charge and you cannot reach them when building the cars. To charge them you first have to take the robot apart again.
Thames & Kosmos Elastic Racers
- Educational set
- Car and boats work well
- Can only build one thing at a time
- Airplanes don't work very well
A nice educational set to learn how stored energy works and a good introduction to physics.
You can build a number of different vehicles with the sets, but each must be taken apart to build the next.
They are all elastic powered and the car and boats work very well.
The flying constructions work a little less. In itself you can see exactly how it works so that's nice, but they don't really stay in the air very well.
Armma Granite 1:10 Scale Monster Truck
- cool look
- Water resistant
- 95+ km / h out of the box
- Only one color available
- Not for newbies
- Pricey
Type: Hobby Grade
While Traxxas seems to dominate the RC market, I wouldn't forget the Arrma RC cars - they are top quality.
While I am deeply saddened by the discontinuation of the Nero 6S, their Granite is a great replacement that is a ton of fun.
This little car can go fast!
It can go up to 95+ mph straight out of the box, and with tweaks, we have no doubt you could get it even higher.
It has a low and slim body that reduces drag and allows you to hit top speed, with tires built to grip the pavement.
In addition, it works very well on dirt and snow.
It's one of the coolest little RC cars on sale right now.
It's waterproof and it comes from RTR. It also has a great 2 year limited warranty.
Razor Quad
- 13 km / h top speed
- Can support 120lb (54kg).
- Good suspension and tires for off road
- Battery life of 40 minutes is a bit less
Razor's 24V battery powered mini quad is capable of reaching an impressive top speed of up to 13 km/h.
This will give your child a lot of speed to drive around and have fun.
This is almost already a real quad and suitable for children from 8 years. They can really enjoy themselves here.
We also liked how children can play with this quad, nice outside in the open air. It gives them more freedom to be outside to get some fresh air.
What makes these toys stand out?
With a top speed of 13 km/h, children will have a lot of fun driving this quad.
Anki OVERDRIVE starter kit
- Time Magazine's 25 Best Inventions of the Year
- Play together or with an AI opponent
- More of a game than a race track
Seriously WOW!
Named in Time Magazine's 25 Best Inventions of the Year, the Anki OVERDRIVE takes toy racing tracks to an incredible new level.
More computer game than racetrack. You can take out your friends with powerups and even play against an AI opponent.
Via smartphones, players operate their robotic supercars as they fly across the track.
The gameplay goes way beyond just faster and overtaking, each supercar has special abilities and weapons that allow it to literally blow the opponent off the track.
It looks more like a real-life computer game!
Players can even choose to play against an AI-controlled opponent.
And with more cars and track extensions available, this is a set that can keep growing and you can keep expanding.
Remark: Each player must have compatible iOS or Android device to play, such as one of these children's tablets.
Best for: Advanced Gameplay, AI, Battle Racing, Mobile Device, Upgradeable
Ages: 8 years +
Conclusion
There are a lot of toy cars that are also fun for school children. This list has something for every kind of interest.
Also read: these are the best toy cars for all ages
Always something to do for the holidays or rainy day?
Play Choice now has the ultimate activity book collection, with over 60 pages of fun coloring pages and educational puzzles.
Joost Nusselder, the founder of Speelkeuze.nl is a content marketer, father and loves trying out new toys. As a child he came into contact with everything related to games when his mother started the Tinnen Soldaat in Ede. Now he and his team create helpful blog articles to help loyal readers with fun play ideas.