Best Racing Drones

Choosing the best racing drone depends on various factors such as price, speed, size, weight, agility, transmission speed, battery life, and motor power.

To help you find the perfect match, we've compiled a list of the top-rated racing drones on Amazon, complete with their features, pros, and cons. Whether you're a seasoned racer or a newcomer, considering these aspects will guide you to the drone that best fits your needs and maximizes your chances of success.

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Racing drones come in all shapes, sizes, and skill levels. There are a lot of options for racing drones and we did not have the opportunity to review them all.

But we did choose these five to showcase. As we begin the downhill slide toward the end of 2024, here are five racings drones you can grab on Amazon today:

Notable for: Overall features 

This 5-inch standard Freestyle drone redefines performance and value. Featuring an ATF435 flight controller, BLITZ 1.6W VTX, and BLITZ E55S 2-6S 55A ESC, the Nazgul XL5 ECO delivers unparalleled performance and reliability. Made for true racers looking to build a drone from the ground up, this model starts with a carbon fiber frame and an aluminum camera mount offering lightweight durability while ensuring it withstands rigorous flights and crashes. The included GoPro mount provides versatility for capturing your epic freestyle flights, making it perfect for both recreational and professional use. Take your flying experience to new heights with Nazgul XL5 ECO, the ultimate racing drone choice for those seeking a balance of performance, durability, and value.

Camera quality: Depends on the build

Flight time: Up to 18 minutes, depending on the build

Configuration: The pilot will need to build from the ground up.

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Notable for: Value

The EMAX Tinyhawk II Freestyle stands out as the best racing drone for value due to its optimized power system, featuring 1103 7000KV motors and AVAN Rush 2.5-inch propellers, which maximize flight time and efficiency. Its redesigned frame accommodates a higher-quality camera, enhancing the FPV experience with clear video transmission, eight times more powerful than its predecessor. Constructed from aerospace-grade 3K woven carbon fiber, the Tinyhawk II Freestyle offers exceptional durability and a stylish design. With speeds up to 120 km/h, it provides an unparalleled racing experience for its class. Additionally, EMAX offers a worry-free warranty, ensuring customer satisfaction and support.

Camera quality: Good, much better than its predecessor

Flight time: Four minutes

Configuration: Ready to fly

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Notable for: Best pocket design

The BETAFPV Cetus Pro stands out as the best pocket racing drone for several reasons. Designed with FPV beginners in mind, it features an auxiliary flight function that simplifies operation, making it accessible for new pilots. Its powerful brushless motors allow for fast flying, racing, and freestyle maneuvers, helping users quickly progress from novices to advanced pilots. The drone offers three flight modes—normal, sport, and manual—with three speed settings, catering to various pilot preferences and environments. Additionally, its altitude hold function ensures stable hovering, and the self-protection feature safeguards the drone by enabling emergency landings during control loss or low battery situations. The innovative turtle mode allows the drone to flip itself upright after landing upside down, eliminating the need for manual retrieval and enhancing the overall flying experience.

Camera quality: Good but not great

Flight time: Four to five minutes

Configuration: Ready to fly

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Notable for: Ease of use for all skill levels

The APEX VR70 is an excellent racing drone for all skill levels due to its immersive VR flight experience, providing real-time, smooth visuals through FPV goggles with a 120-degree field of view. Its manual flight capability, combined with low-latency goggles, allows experienced pilots to perform freestyle maneuvers with precision. For beginners, the altitude mode offers stable, easy-to-control flying, making it perfect for practice before advancing to manual mode. The drone comes with three batteries, extending the flying time to 15-18 minutes, ensuring longer sessions of enjoyment. Additionally, the APEX VR70 supports other 5.8G FPV goggles, enhancing the shared experience with friends, and its after-sales guarantee ensures any product issues are promptly addressed.

Camera quality: Good but not great

Flight time: 15-18 minutes

Configuration: Ready to fly

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Notable for: Overall design 

The DJI Avata 2 stands out as the best racing drone for overall design due to its immersive flying experience, providing real-time visual feedback through FPV goggles that make you feel like you’re in the cockpit. Its intuitive motion control system allows effortless maneuvering with natural hand movements, making it accessible even for beginners. The drone’s ability to perform acrobatics like flips, rolls, and drifts without extensive training elevates any pilot's flying skills. With a 155-degree FOV and a 1/1.3-inch image sensor, it captures stunning 4K/60fps footage, offering a unique visual experience. Additionally, the built-in propeller guard enhances safety and durability, allowing pilots to fly confidently in various environments.

Camera quality: Excellent

Flight time: 23 minutes

Configuration: Ready to fly

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A racing drone is designed for speed and agility as opposed to hovering, for which a hobby or professional drone is designed. Both can be FPV drones, but racing drone cameras are typically mounted on the front of the drone since the drone is usually moving forward. Racing drones also have faster transmitters, better antennas, and the ability to stop and accelerate faster than hobby drones.

Pilots of racing drones must maneuver over, under, and around obstacles throughout a designed course at speeds of up to 120 mph. Racing drones have the ability to test pilots’ skills, requiring them to pull off acrobatic feats at incredible speeds. Many pilots even like to design and build their own racing drones.

Here are several factors to consider when selecting a drone for racing, depending upon your skill level, budget amount, and desired features: 

Racing drones are available in different configurations. Most hobby drones or beginner drones come ready to fly (RTF), meaning they are functional right out of the box and require little to no assembly. 

Bind and fly (BNF) drones come without a radio controller, which you will have to supply and bind to your drone. Some enthusiasts prefer the range and capabilities of a purchased controller. 

DIY or almost ready to fly (ARF) are terms referring to kits that allow beginners or pros to build a custom drone. This type of racing drone allows pilots to understand the technology at a deeper level.

Beginners typically prefer to purchase RTF racing drones because they are cheaper and can sustain crashes, which will happen more frequently until your skill level builds. Racing drone pilots with higher skill levels often prefer DIY kits or building from scratch due to the ability to customize their drones. 

Beginners can also build their own drones, as DIY kits are less complex than in the past. However, keep in mind that the cost can exceed that of an RTF drone.

The weight and design of your racing drone will affect how it flies. Also, a sturdy frame will help minimize damage in a crash, and the weight of the frame will impact the control of your drone. 

If it’s too heavy, you will lack mobility, but if it’s too light, your drone will lack control. A standard, proven frame is recommended for your first build. Choosing a frame with enough space to fit your desired components is also important.

To view the flight path of your racing drone, you can use FPV goggles or an LCD screen located in the control unit. Using an LCD screen allows you to see the whole picture and see multiple views at once, and they are affordable. 

However, you will have to fight glare in brighter areas. FPV goggles are lighter and smaller, use less battery, and block sunlight, but they are costlier than LCD screens. You may also find FPV goggles slightly disorienting until you become used to using them.

It is important to have a camera with a clear image and high resolution. FPV cameras work on analog, so the resolution is measured in TVL, as opposed to the ratio measurement of digital resolution. 

A FPV camera can typically have a TVL of 420, 460, 700, or 800. It is recommended to have a camera with a resolution of 80 TVL, so you have clear image quality and minimum latency issues.

The transmitter sends the camera’s feedback to the receiver in real time, which is essential because you do not want to miss an obstacle causing a crash. To avoid this issue, you will require a transmitter and receiver that are powerful enough to get the job done. 

These will mitigate the risk of latency during the video transmission. You will need to ensure that your transmitter and receiver are compatible and that the power is sufficient for your desired range and transmission speed.

Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned pro, a DIY “drone engineer,” or a straight-out-of-the-box drone pilot, there is a perfect drone on the market for you. You now know what options exist for purchasing the best racing drone for you.

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How fast are drone races?

Skilled quadcopter pilots are capable of flying racing drones across three-dimensional courses at speeds of up to 120 mph.

Do racing drones break when they crash?

Racing drones are typically more expensive than hobby drones, and thus, more durable. Although, they can still break when they crash if the impact is hard enough. The propellers are the most vulnerable part and should be thoroughly checked if your racing drone crashes.

What makes a racing drone fast?

There are four components to a drone that create speed and make a racing drone faster—frame,  motor, propellers, and battery.