Best slot car sets 2023/2024
Hoping to gain the competitive edge with a slot car racing set? We find the best
Budding racers have long enjoyed slot car sets because they’re a great way to get high-octane driving excitement in your living room.
There is a wide variety of choices to suit all ages and abilities. Indeed, they range from hi-tech and high-end sets for serious aficionados all the way down to inexpensive and downsized versions aimed at children.
We’ve tested six options here, and concentrated more on the lower end of the market, because big, pricey slot car set-ups deliver plenty of fun, but often lend themselves more to semi-permanent installation than regular play.
How we tested them
We arranged each slot car set into a variety of tracks, seeing how many permutations we could make. Then, of course, we raced on them.
We liked sets that hit the right level of difficulty for their target group; nobody loves falling off the track every two seconds, but going round at full pelt with no consequences soon becomes boring.
High-quality track pieces and cars, plus sturdy boxes that could be easily stored away after play, were also factors in our ratings. The final element was price.
Reviews
Scalextric ARC Air World GT
- Price: around £240
- Contact: uk.scalextric.com
- Rating: 5 stars
We’ve always really enjoyed Scalextric’s App Race Control – it adds a brilliant competitive element to slot racing with pit stops, lap counters, tournaments and post-race statistics.
Used - available now
2018 Nissan
Qashqai
52,849 milesManualDiesel1.5L
Cash £10,900
2022 Peugeot
5008
46,225 milesManualDiesel1.5L
Cash £18,506
2023 Ford
Puma
67,042 milesManualPetrol1.0L
Cash £12,506
2023 Mercedes
EQC
21,307 milesAutomaticElectric
Cash £26,000This set has enough track for 12 layouts, with pieces that fit together smoothly and securely, while the racing is fast, fluid and just difficult enough. Special mention goes to the wireless controllers, which are fantastic and stop you being tethered to one side of the track.
Rexco 1:43 Slot Racing Set
- Price: around £47
- Contact: amazon.co.uk
- Rating: 4 stars
We weren’t expecting much from this set, which is made in China and sold on Amazon by a UK distributor, but we were surprised.
The track is fiddly to put together, but very sturdy once in place, and even the loop-the-loop worked. The provided layout is exciting and varied, although there’s no crossover piece, which means some layouts may give the inner track an advantage. We’d also recommend upgrading from the flimsy outer box.
Carrera GO! Mario Kart
- Price: around £70
- Rating: 3.5 stars
- Contact: carrera-toys.com
Small hands should ask an adult to help them set up the slightly fragile track, especially with its sharp-edged connectors.
Once set up, it’s good fun for kids, who’ll enjoy the loop section and the high-quality Mario and Luigi. The triggers have a Turbo button, which is fun, if difficult to modulate. Carrera offers a range of Go! tracks, so expansion should be reasonably priced and easy.
Glowtracks Ultimate Super Set
- Price: around £30
- Rating: 3 stars
- Contact: smythstoys.com
Glowtracks isn’t strictly a slot car set, and instead features battery-powered racers running on an endlessly expandable flexible track that glows under the light from the cars.
You could definitely set up a race if you created two circuits, and the nature of the endlessly adaptable track pieces means tight turns, changes in elevation and set-ups that use furniture for support are all within reach. It’s fantastic fun, but the real skill is in the building rather than the racing.
Micro Scalextric Law Enforcer
- Price: around £70
- Rating: 2.5 stars
- Contact: uk.scalextric.com
Considering the price, this set feels very cheap, with fragile cars. Still, the track goes together easily, which is good for young kids, and there’s a setting on the trigger you can use to limit the speed, so very young players don’t have to keep falling off the track.
Even at top speed it’s difficult to lose, and we found this lack of pace made the loop-the-loop fairly difficult. You would be better off going straight for a full-sized, upgradeable Scalextric set.
Atlasonix Slot Car Race Track
- Price: around £42
- Contact: amazon.co.uk
- Rating: 2 stars
This is one of the cheapest sets here, and it certainly feels like it. The box has no protection for the car’s brushes, while the track and racers themselves have unfinished edges and are made of nasty plastic.
There’s only enough track for one layout, and there’s no crossover piece in the box, which means that the inside track has a massive advantage. The racing experience itself isn’t actually that bad, but for just a few pounds more you can buy the far-superior Rexco set.
Verdict
Scalextric proves that, up to a point, you get what you pay for. The ARC Air World GT is the priciest and most grown-up set here but it’s futureproof, great quality and brilliant fun. For a budget offering we were impressed by the Rexco, while Carrera takes third – it’s inexpensive and good for kids.
- Scalextric ARC Air World GT
- Rexco 1:43 Slot Racing Set
- Carrera GO! Mario Kart
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