These days, the modern toddler is likely to have their own set of wheels before they can even walk.
There’s a wide range of ride-on toys on the market that will take them from cruising to whizzing around the neighbourhood, and keep them entertained for hours in the process. From aesthetically pleasing wooden animals to multifunctional toys and sets of wheels that will grow with your child, there’s no shortage of choice out there.
How do you choose the best ride on toys?
With so many different options available, narrowing down your options to find the perfect ride-on toy for your child can be tricky.
- Indoor or out?: First, think about where you want the toy to live. Are you looking for an outdoor ride-on option, or one that can happily coexist in your living room?
- Cost: Next, make sure to put a budget in place – some ride-on toys are extremely affordable, while others are on the pricier side, but may be usable for a longer period of time.
- Function: It’s worth deciding what sort of ride-on toy you’re looking for before you start your search. If you want one that’s multifunctional and comes with lots of bells and whistles, you’ll likely be looking for something that requires batteries. If you want one that will blend harmoniously with your interiors, you’ll probably be after a well-designed wooden option. If your child is particularly outdoorsy, you might want one that doubles up as a scooter as they grow, or a portable option that can be stashed underneath the buggy for park days.
Here we’ve rounded up the best ride-on toys to buy now.
Best ride-on toys at a glance:
- Best overall: Llama Ride On - £69.62, Amazon
- Best multifunctional toy: 4-in-1 Alphabet Train - £79.99, Amazon
- Best for growing with your child: Highway Kick 1 scooter - £103, Amazon
- Best for improving hand-eye coordination: Whizzy Dizzy - £119.99, Edx Education
- Best nursery addition: Bugsy Rocking Horse - £95, Mamas & Papas
- Best for musical fun: 3-in-1 Sit, Walk & Ride Unicorn - £40, Argos
- Best for 360-degree manoeuvres: Wheelybug Bee - £65.99, Amazon
- Best for outdoor fun: Cozy Coupe - £62.99, Amazon
- Best dual mode toy: Air Hopper - £44.95, Micro Scooter
- Best value: Scuttlebug Ladybird - £22, Argos
Shop now
Janod Llama Ride On
Best: Overall
French brand Janod is known for making beautiful, thoughtfully designed toys, and this ride-on llama ticks all those boxes. Painted with a range of bright, visually appealing colours, it will capture your little ones’ imaginations without becoming an eyesore in your living room. This is a particularly good option for younger children, as it grows with them as they move from crawling to cruising and walking. Our one-year-old tester loved being able to perch on the seat (with a bit of adult assistance) and then hold onto the handle at the back to help with cruising around the room – the anti-tip system ensures it’s reassuringly sturdy.
Slightly older toddlers, meanwhile, will love being pushed around on it, or can propel themselves along with their feet. As well as being a great ride-on toy, the llama also comes with a selection of six wooden pieces which can be pushed through the shape-sorting boxes on the side – great for improving motor skills and hand-eye coordination. The seat lifts up to retrieve the shapes, and also provides a spot for other toddler essentials to be stored while on the go.
Buy now £69.62, Janod
VTech 4-in-1 Alphabet Train
Best: Multifunctional toy
Looking for a ride-on toy that comes with plenty of bells and whistles? This VTech option could be a great fit. The four-in-one function means it grows with your child from baby to toddler age, with different modes for sit-down play, walker, pull-along wagon and ride-on. As well as being a fun way to zoom around the living room, it also has plenty of educational elements, including double-sided letter blocks for stacking, a removable activity panel, a light-up number pad, a turning book and manipulative gears.
Our tiny tester loved playing with all the interactive buttons and pushing the train around the room on his own. He was also a big fan of the built-in sing-along songs that come with it (though parents may be less thrilled by this element). Brightly coloured and highly durable, it’s guaranteed to keep them entertained for hours as babies and long into their toddlerhood.
Buy now £79.99, Amazon
Scoot & Ride Highway Kick 1 Scooter
Best for: Growing with your child
If you’re worried a ride-on toy will become redundant as soon as your child grows out of their toddler years, you might want to consider investing in one of Scoot & Ride’s clever scooters. They’ve been designed to suit children from ages one to five, thanks to the scooter’s innovative design, which allows it to move from a sit-on scooter to a kickboard version without using any tools (it’s the first kids’ scooter in the world to be able to do so).
Little ones will love using it as a ride-on toy at home or outdoors (the padded seat is by far the comfiest option compared to other ride-on scooters on the market) before graduating to the scooter option. The fact that you’ll get several years out of it more than justifies the price tag, plus its beautiful design means it’s very easy on the eye.
Buy now £103.01, Amazon
Edx Education Whizzy Dizzy
Best for: Improving hand-eye coordination
While this ride-on toy may not come with any wheels, it still provides serious fun for little and big kids alike. The spinning toy comes with a sturdy swivelling platform for children to sit on, as they use the central rotating steering wheel to spin themselves around – either slow and steady or fast for maximum excitement.
The Whizzy Dizzy is great for improving hand-eye coordination and gross motor skills, as well as strengthening hand, arm and core muscles. Perfect for both indoor and outdoor use, it’s also a wonderful toy for children with autism, as the spinning sensation has a calming effect during sensory overload moments. The spinning motion, meanwhile, stimulates the vestibular system, which helps with balance and visual tracking.
Buy now £119.99, Edx Education
Mamas & Papas Bugsy Rocking Horse
Best: Nursery addition
If you’re looking for a sweet ride-on toy to add to your nursery, this option from Mamas & Papas is a no-brainer. Suitable from 12 months onwards, the adorable design draws on the classic rocking horse style, but is updated to be ultra-comfortable with the addition of super soft faux fur fabric and an integrated saddle.
With a sturdy base, it’s also solid enough that you won’t have to worry about it tipping over when your little one starts using it to cruise around the room. As well as being a gorgeous piece for any nursery, the rocking horse also comes with a few little extras to keep kids entertained, including a hidden bell in one ear and a rattle in the other.
Buy now £95.00, Mamas & Papas
Infantino 3-in-1 Sit, Walk & Ride Unicorn
Best for: Musical fun
This fun ride-on from Infantino is a firm favourite among my friends with toddlers, who love how brilliantly interactive it is. Babies can sit alongside it and explore the colourful buttons and songs – there are nine melodies, three light effects and 30 sound effects to choose from. When they’re ready to start walking, the seat pops up into a handle to transform it into a walker. Once they’ve mastered that, they’re ready to use it as a ride-on.
But the most entertaining element has to be the Pop and Scoop ball play, which allows little ones to pop out and scoop up balls as they roll along. An attachable basket makes scooping them up super easy, and they can then be stored under the seat later. Trying to get pre-walkers to chase after the balls is a great way to encourage their first steps, while the toy also comes with adjustable speed controls on the wheels for beginners and more advanced walkers.
Buy now £40.00, Argos
Wheelybug Bee
Best for: 360-degree manoeuvres
While these beautifully designed ride-on toys – which come in a range of different animal styles, from ladybirds and tigers to plush dogs and pandas – are guaranteed to appeal to littles on their looks alone, the real genius comes in their clever design. Wheelybugs are some of the only ride-on toys to feature 360° rotating castor wheels, meaning they can spin around in all directions, offering hours of fun.
They come in two sizes – Small for one year plus, and Large for three to five years – and are particularly nippy on wooden floors, though they can be used outdoors too. They’ve been designed with practicality in mind – crafted from a sturdy plywood base, the seat is made from a comfy layer of padded sponge and then covered with a virtually indestructible layer of faux leather. The best bit? It can be wiped clean.
Buy now £86.40, Wheelybug
Little Tikes Cozy Coupe
Best for: Outdoor fun
This ride-on toy from Little Tikes is an absolute classic, and with good reason. At any playdate I take my toddler daughter on, this is always the toy the kids fight over, and once she’s in there it’s almost impossible to get her out again. The simple yet effective design encourages hours of imaginative play. With a working door, horn, clicking ignition switch, fuel cap and cup holders, they can pretend they’re driving a real car.
The removable floorboard and built-in grip handle let kids move on their own, while the spinning front wheels provide plenty of manoeuvrability. While it can be used both indoors and outdoors, we’d definitely say this works better as an outdoor toy. Also, it’s worth noting that it can be notoriously difficult to put together – though it’s more than worth the effort for how much playtime your little one will get out of it.
Buy now £62.99, Smyths Toys
Micro Scooter Air Hopper
Best: Dual-mode toy
Micro Scooter might be best known for its hugely popular range of scooters, but this ride-on toy has also been a big hit with kids and parents alike. Designed to look like a cute bug, it works in two ways. First, as an inflatable bouncy hopper, where the antennae are used as handles. The second as a nippy ride-on toy via the detachable wheeled chassis.
The wheels turn 360° and are non-marking (as well as being incredibly quiet), making this toy ideal for indoor use. Available in bright pink or blue, it’s very easy to assemble or disassemble, meaning it can be popped in the back of the car whenever you need to transport it somewhere. And while the toy is safe to use from 18 months, it’s likely little ones will get a good few years of use out of it.
Buy now £44.95, Micro Scooter
Scuttlebug Ladybird
Best: Value
When it comes to value, nothing beats the Scuttlebug range. These dinky ride-ons are by far the cheapest on the market and are also one of the most portable, with a simple three-step folding system allowing it to be folded and unfolded in seconds. That means it’s easier than ever to stash in the back of the car or under the buggy for trips to the park.
Available in four fun designs – ladybird, bee, butterfly and grasshopper – the bright colours and sweet faces instantly appeal to little ones, while the cleverly designed wheels allow for a smooth ride inside or out. Durable and lightweight, this is a great no-frills ride-on toy that kids will love.
Buy now £22.00, Argos
Verdict
If you’re looking for a fun, visually appealing ride-on toy, you can’t go wrong with the Janod llama. Kids will love zooming around the living room on it, or using it as a walker, while the wooden design will appeal to parents who are trying to limit the amount of plastic in their home.
