FPV Race drones are the ultimate adrenaline-fueled UAV experience. Travelling up to 120km/hr and able to turn on a dime, these drones will have you holding your breath and sweating bullets within seconds from take off.
If you’re new to the world of FPV racing drones, check out the article Race Drones Explained. In that article I go through how to get started on a budget, the difference between camera drones and race drones, and the different types to consider.
In this article, I’ll go through the top 5 FPV racing drones I recommend depending on your level of experience, where you plan to race and your budget.
The Best FPV Racing Drone Under 300
Emax TinyHawk 2 Freestyle
Coming in at first place, and also the most affordable FPV racing drone, is the EMAX TinyHawk 2 Freestyle. This ultralight nano drone was designed in California and can fly up to 120km/hr.
The TinyHawk 2 Freestyle is designed for short sharp races with a flight time of 4 minutes when fitted with a 1 cell battery.
Out of the box, this drone is set to rate mode which enables the angle of the drone body to be tilted with the controller. For beginners this will be too advanced so set the mode to with FPV or Line of Site mode.
If you’re brand new to flying drones, Line of Site mode is best. This mode is for flying the drone without FPV goggles while you get used to the controller. Then switch to FPV mode once you have the basics down and don’t need to look at the switches.
For more on his awesome racing drone by EMAX, check out TinyHawk: The Perfect Beginner to Expert FPV Drone.
The Fastest Woop Style FPV Racing Drone
iFlight Defender 25
Coming in at second place is the Defender 25 by iFlight. This is one of very few woop style FPV racing drones on the market. Woop type drones are better known for their stability than speed but this model can reach an impressive 100 km/hr in manual mode.
The iFlight Defender looks like a smaller version of the DJI Avatar. I compare the two in this article on iFlight. But, in a nutshell, the Defender is faster and lighter. It doesn’t need to be registered (as long as your only using it for fun). The DJI Avatar does have a longer flight time but it’s also much more expensive when you consider it needs to be flown with the DJI digital FPV goggles.
The flight time on this FPV racing drone ranges from 5-12 minutes depending on which size battery you choose. The larger batteries will give a longer flight time but the added weight slows down the drone and makes it less agile.
The Best FPV Racing Drone for Filming
Flywoo CineRace 20
The CineRace20 is a great option if you don’t want to compromise on video quality. Most FPV racing drones have a small, very basic, pinhole camera. These are designed to be used by the drone pilot to navigate the drone when speed is the top priority over camera quality.
The CineRace20 was designed by FreeZillion for Flywoo and released in 2023. They wanted to blend the benefits of a traditional cinewoop with a racing drone. While it’s not the fastest on the list, it still easily gets to 30km/hr in cruise mode with a 4s 750mAH battery. If you upgrade to the Explorer 4s HV 900mAh battery the Defender 25 gets about 12 minutes of flight time.
If you choose the model with the DJI 03 camera system the drone is slightly more expensive but has 4k resolution so there’s no need for an external camera. The original version is fitted with the Polar Nano camera system which is 720p but still captures really nice and clear, vibrant footage. Most racing drone footage looks washed out and grainy with the props showing in the field of view.
Being a woop design, this FPV racing drone is perfect for flying through tight spaces. The ducted props bounce off walls and the drone just keeps on flying. This combination of great quality camera footage captured at high speeds and the capability of handling confined tracks makes this an awesome FPV drone for recording race footage to share on social media or with friends.
The FPV Racing Drone I Recommend for Intermediate UAV Pilots
Flywoo Firefly Baby Nano
Flywoo Firefly are a really popular range of small FPV racing drones. Each is slightly different but the Nano Baby is one of the fastest. It maxes out at about 80km/hr. To achieve the fastest speeds go for the 450mAh battery.
Flywoo do an awesome job of making drones customisable to a range of variations like Deadcat or X-frame, digital or analogue. So, if you’ve already got some FPV experience and gear, Flywoo is a great option for ordering the drone to the exact specifications you want. However, the options might be a bit overwhelming for a total beginner.
To read more on the Firefly Baby Nano and the Flywoo range, check out Flywoo Firefly Drones: Which model is best? In that article, I also go through some helpful tips like analogue vs digital, battery types and frame types.
The Most Robust FPV Racing Drone for Flying Outdoors
iFlight Nazgul 5
Nazguls are generally a really good quality, reliable drone but one of the main reasons I wanted to include this model is because most FPV racing drones are very light weight. This means they are easily blown around by the wind and aren’t suitable to be flown outdoors.
The iFlight Nazgul 5 can reach speeds of 80km/hr which is impressive for its solid frame. This FPV drone can also get a pretty good range of up to 9.5km (6 miles) depending on your set up. In terms of flight control it’s still really responsive and while it doesn’t bounce off walls like a woop style drone, it’s 5” props tend to mow through fine branches rather than crash out.
For more info, also check out my other iFlight review article.
Wrap Up On the Top 5 FPV Racing Drones
When it comes to choosing the best FPV racing drone it’s impossible to pick just one. I put together this top 5 list with a wide range of readers in mind so here are my recommendations;
- Best all-inclusive kit for beginners (and also under $300): EMAX TinyHawk 2 Freestyle
- Woop-style FPV racing drone – Good for indoors and tight tracks: iFlight Defender 25
- FPV racing drone for filming: Flywoo CineRace 20
- Outdoors FPV drone racing: The iFlight Nazgul 5
Overall, my number 1 has to be the TinyHawk 2 Freestyle. It ticks all the boxes. It’s a good price and it’s the fastest of all the drones reviewed here. The Tinyhawk is also fantastic for taking you all the way from being a total beginner to more advanced FPV drone racing.
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