Those of us who are looking to get started in the RC world have to make a tough decision very early on: Electric vs. Gas powered RC cars. Since start up costs can be expensive, most people can’t afford to invest in both.

What many newcomers don’t realize is that gas powered RC cars should actually be sub-divided into two categories: Nitro, and Gas. Here are some of the key differences I gathered from wikipedia. Hopefully this helps you make an informed decision!

Electric:
Electric powered RC cars use high capacity compact batteries to drive brushed or brushless motors via an electronic speed control(ESC). Electric models tend to be lighter than Nitro models, due to having fewer components in the drive system. Electric cars have more consistent, and more torque than Nitro models. Also, they also have faster throttle response.

Electric batteries, however, take some time to charge; peak chargers can accomplish this in about fifteen to forty-five minutes. Stock top speeds for Electric models are around 30 mph, but depend greatly on the model and motor.

Nitro:
Nitro powered RC cars can reach moderate speeds unmodified. Maximum power is generally achieved at medium to high speeds, and a slightly slower throttle response than electrically powered vehicles is to be expected. Electric motors effectively produce instantaneous torque, where nitro engines, like full-sized gasoline engines, take time for the engine to spool up and for the clutch to engage. Nitro (and gas) powered cars may be refueled and returned to action in a few seconds, as opposed to electrics needing to remove the body shell and battery fasteners to replace a discharged battery.

Because of higher stock performance and their ability to be driven for longer periods of time, mechanical wear in nitro vehicles is generally greater than in electric vehicles. In addition, the increased speed and weight of fuel-powered vehicles generally lead to higher speed collisions, causing greater damage to the collided vehicles, and a greater degree of safety concern needs to be taken into account. However, nitro vehicles are more durable due to stronger components to sustain the greater stresses of more power.

Gas:
Gas powered RC cars, also known as “fuelies” or “gassers”, run on premixed gasoline and oil. They cost much more (usually $800-$3000 rtr) than nitro and electric cars. They are also much bigger and therefore require much more space to run. They don’t usually have high top end speeds (compared to nitro and some electrics) but have lots of power and don’t take a lot of fuel to run, and run times average 45 minutes. Over time the cost of a gas powered car can be less than some nitro powered vehicles, because of the high cost of nitro fuel and buying new nitro motors to replace worn out ones. In addition, gas powered motors rarely if ever require tuning and have a very long lifespan.

So, you can see there are definitely some major differences to consider.