If you have kids, then you’ve probably heard them mention they want one of those Power Wheels ride on toys that other kids in the neighborhood. If not, perhaps you’ve seen a commercial for one or even may have had one of your own back when you were a kid.
Power Wheels for kids has been around for many years now, and they’ve continued to grow in popularity and are considered to be one of the top high-end toys on the market today.
If your children have asked you for a Power Wheels ride on, you may have a few questions like:
- What type of Power Wheels for kids should I get?
- Which model of Ride on Power Wheels is the fastest?
- What are the target age groups?
- How safe are these toys?
- Which model of Power Wheels is the best?
Needless to say, we are going to cover a lot of ground in this article, and by the end of it, you should feel confident enough to make the best choice when trying to choose the best Power Wheels for your little one.
The History Of Power Wheels For Kids
Power Wheels is well-known and loved the brand of toys that your child can ride on. They were originally created by Kransco in 1984. The toys didn’t get their official “Power Wheels” name until two years later. The toys were so popular, in 1990, they had reached 1 million units sold per year.
In 1994, the Power Wheels line was purchased by Mattel and quickly came part of Fisher-Price toys. Over the years, there have been many different models of Power Wheels. When the Harley-Davidson teamed up with the company to release a Power Wheels Motorcycle in 1999, the company achieved record sales for the entire line.
What Are The Different Types Of Power Wheels
In the entire line of Power Wheels, there are over 100 models available—many of them replicate adult vehicles, so you could have a Dodge Charger, and your child could have a Power Wheels Charger parked beside yours. If you work on the farm, your little one could pretend to work on their Power Wheels tractor while you are tinkering around with your John Deere.
Maybe you’re a fireman, and you want to bring your kid to work, you can have them play on their own Power Wheels fire truck and cruise around in the firehouse. Heck, they even have a Power Wheels police car!
Many of the models are available in different colors too. For example, you can find a Power Wheels Jeep in a variety of colors and designs. There are some Jeeps that are designed after your child’s favorite cartoons. The Power Wheels Mustang model is available in 10 color options, but the Power Wheels truck usually just in the darker “boy” colors like black, blue, red, and gray.
When it comes to the size of the Power Wheels, it really depends on what model you get. The smaller Power Wheels, any that are part of the Lil’ Quads line, for example, measures 12.8 x 16.2 x 26.2 inches and it can fit in the house. However, larger Power Wheels can be twice, sometimes three times that size. For those, you’ll need to store them in a garage, or a garden shed.
Of course, we can’t talk about Power Wheels without discussing the different types of seating, too. If you have more than one child and would rather not buy two of these, you can opt for a 2 seater Power Wheels. With a 2 seater, both children can have fun with the toy and take turns. But, if you only have one child, you can do just as well with a toy that is only meant for one. We do want to point out that a 2 seater toy car is going to be slightly more expensive.
Which Model Of Ride On Power Wheels Is The Fastest
Naturally, when you’re going to but any kind of Power Wheels for kids, you’re going to be concerned about how fast the toy is going to go—it is carrying precious cargo after all. There is no “fastest” Power Wheel because they all work on one of two types of batteries: a 6V and 12V.
Models with 6V, like the Lil Quad cars that go 2MPH or the Lil F-150 that goes about 3.5MPH, are going to be slower and smaller than larger Power Wheels that use 12V batteries.
Larger Power Wheels like the Power Wheels Corvette use 12V batteries, and they have two-speed options, 2.5MPH and 5MPH. Not only can they go forward at those speeds, but these cars can go in reverse at 2.5MPH.
How Safe Are These Toys
Safety encompasses much more than just the speed of the toy, so it’s understandable that you may be worried about the overall safety of these toys. So, let’s talk about the model build first.
Most parents who have purchased Power Wheels for kids in the past agree that these toys are built really well, as you would expect from such a notable name in the children’s toy business like Fisher-Price is. The company goes to extensive lengths to ensure each model is safe before they make the product available to the public.
Each model goes through extensive tests like:
- Climbing hills for 8,840 feet, which is about 6xs the height of the Empire State Building
- The engines are switched on and off 200,000 times
- The batteries are tested to ensure they are able to travel 500 miles
- The gears have switched between forward and reverse about 4,000 times
- Each car design runs a specially made track with over 88,000 bumps!
Another feature all Power Wheels toys have included are energy absorbing reinforcements which will keep your child safe if there’s ever a fender bender between them and anything else.
The toys also go through a test to ensure that the car is stable and won’t tip over when they are driving up or down a hill. You could say that Fisher-Price has gone to great lengths to think of tests that could mimic the type of driving actions your child could possibly put the car through—all in the name of safety.
So, long story short, these toys are safe. In the history of Power Wheels, there have only been three recalls; the last one being back in 2000. You can say that Fisher-Price has increased their safety requirements on all of their Power Wheels, and that is a relief to many parents!
What Are The Target Age Groups
When you’re looking at Power Wheels for kids, you are going to want to choose a model that is going to be best suited for your child. When you look at the Fisher-Price website and go through the age groups for a ride on toys, you’ll see that there are several Power Wheels ride on toys you could choose from for children as young as 12 months old.
These include:
- Power Wheels Volkswagen
- Power Wheels Kawasaki Mini Quad
- Power Wheels Lawn Tractor
- Power Wheels Thomas & Friends Thomas with Track
When your child hits 2 to 3 years old, they can graduate to larger Power Wheels with a bit more oomph. Some examples of these toys include:
- Power Wheels Ford F-150
- Power Wheels Dora and Friends Jeep Wrangler
- Power Wheels Hot Wheels Kawasaki
- Power Wheels Kawasaki Brute Force
- Power Wheels Harley-Davidson Cruiser
…and more
For older children, they get to choose replicas of adult cars like:
- Power Wheels Harley-Davidson Rocker
- Power Wheels Smart Drive Ford Mustang
- Power Wheels Deluxe Jeep Wrangler
- Power Wheels Baja Extreme
- Power Wheels Dune Racer
There is quite a bit of overlap between the 2-3 year range and the older children, so we recommend that you are always watching your children when using one of these toys—just as a safety precaution.
Now, just because there is a recommended age group of these toys, that isn’t the only thing that you should go by. You want to choose a toy that is going to accommodate their height and weight as well. Some children are bigger than others, and while your little one may be 3 years old, they could be too big for the smaller ride ons that are listed in the 2-3-year-old range.
Which Model Of Power Wheels Is The Best
Trying to figure out which Power Wheels for kids are the best is like asking which brand of ice cream is the best. It’s all subjective. Some children enjoy playing make believe with the job-themed Power Wheels like the fire truck or police car, or they may want to imagine that they are Princess Anna and she’s racing to save Queen Elsa in her very own Power Wheels Frozen Jeep Wrangler.
If you’re trying to figure out which model your child will enjoy the most, you’ll want to consider:
- where they are going to be playing with the toy
- how many people are going to be riding with them
- how old they are.
The Four Most Popular Models
|
Product Name |
Features |
|---|---|
|
Power Wheels Jeep Wrangler |
|
| Power Wheels Ford Mustang |
|
|
Power Wheels Kawasaki KFX |
|
| Power Wheels Lil’ Quad |
|
Wrap Up
Your kids know that when their birthday or the holidays are approaching, it is the best time to ask for a big gift like a Power Wheels. As parents, we want to be able to give them whatever they want (within reason, of course), and if they’ve been good, you may not mind splurging on the Power Wheels that they’ve asked for.
However, it’s normal to want to do a bit of research first. After all, you don’t want to get them a toy where they could get hurt for playing with it, right?
As you’ve learned in this article, there are many models of Power Wheels to choose from, and there is a lot to consider when choosing one. You want to think about how old your child is and the type of toy they want. If your child is small, you may not want to get them a Kawasaki ride on if they cannot reach the handlebars comfortably. Nor do you want to get a toddler a Mustang because 5 MPH is probably going to be too fast for them to handle safely.
However, when you do your homework and research the toy in question, you can best decide if it is appropriate for your child. We believe that Power Wheels can be a fantastic toy to help with your child’s development, but it can also be a nice bonding experience when you are going out for a jog and your little one is cruising right alongside you in their Power Wheels Harley.
Heck, if you’ve always wanted a police officer in the family, you could encourage them with a police car! Just like Barbies, Power Wheels can open a whole world of possibility to your children! You just have to make that leap and purchase one.