Razor Dune Buggy Review

Al Landes Avatar

Written by:

Updated 3:56 pm

Expert Rating

84

So your child wants to get out into nature and away from video games by riding a 4 wheeler. That’s a victory for parents in this day and age. But as a parent (aka grown adult) it virtually impossible for you to test a kid’s or children’s sized dune buddy yourself. It also ain’t easy finding test models so that your kid can try them all out. So that’s why you’re here. We know all about the best 4 wheelers for kids. If you’re looking for a Kawasaki bike, then you need to read our best motorcycles list.

You and your child are looking at the battery-powered Razor Dune Buggy, but you have a ton of questions. I’m here to answer them with this review since I recently teamed up with nephew and tested this ride-on toy thoroughly. If you’re looking to keep your driveway clear during the winter, take a look at the best ATV snow plow too. If you’re worried about getting stuck while you’re on the road, take a look at the best ATV winch too.

I’m also too big to test this one myself, so I enlisted the help of a young relative, and together we put this battery operated vehicle through its paces. He was more than happy to help out and I scored some sweet uncle-points because who else has an uncle that says, “Okay kid, get in this awesome 4-wheeler so we can have fun and test it out!” Yeah, I’m awesome like that. If you want something electric, take a look at our Gadget Review: The Automoto 3 wheeled scooter exclusive video.

Is the Razor Dune Buggy One of the Best Dune Buggies or a Buggy Bud?

Sale

Razor Dune Buggy Review

This is the perfect dune buggy for any child who is just getting to know 4 wheel vehicles.

The good news is that the Razor Dune Buggy is a fun and more importantly SAFE dune buggy that is easy to ride and has some great features. Your child will be safe thanks to:

Key Features

  • A built-in safety belt
  • A speed of only 10 mph
  • And a durable tubular steel frame.
  • Some of the Razor Dune Buggy’s features include:
  • Powerful 350 W motor
  • 10 mph maximum speed
  • 8-inch knobby pneumatic tires
  • Strong tubular steel frame
  • Padded bucket seat with a seatbelt
  • Hand throttle and brake controls
  • Adjustable speed
  • 120-pound weight limit
  • Safety flag
  • Age range of 8 and older

The manufacturer, Razor is a top-selling brand that makes hoverboards, scooters and even mini ATVs for kids. They have a reputation for making fun vehicles that are safe, durable and loved by kids everywhere. They make scooters like the Razor e100 and Razor e200. Some of their coolest dune buggies include the Force Drifter and Ground Force Drifter.

So how does this dune buggy go kart stack up? Is it up to their usual quality?

Read on for our Razor dune buggy review and buying guide.

Pros:

  • Durable Steel Frame
  • Terrain Following Rear Suspension
  • Powerful 350watt Electric Motor

Cons:

  • Charge Time Is 5 Hours
  • Ground Clearance Is A Bit Too Low
  • Low Max Speed

Razor Dune Buggy Build Quality

Let’s be honest, kids are not gentle with their toys. So a vehicle like this one is going to get abused and handled roughly with every ride. So I was very happy to see that the Razor Dune Buggy has a very solid and rugged tubular steel frame. Your kids will have a hard time damaging this heavy duty 65 lb frame. At that weight, the frame also helps to keep the vehicle upright during tight turns. The design of the frame is sort of a half roll cage design that keeps your kid from falling out during those turns but also lets them get in and out of the driver’s seat easily. If you’re looking for a high-performance battery, then you need to check out our Pirate Battery YTX5L BS Performance Sports review.

The quality of the construction here is very impressive and one of the best I’ve seen in a child’s electric vehicle. Many go karts and 4 wheelers have cheap plastic frames that crack after so many hours of playtime. This frame is going to stand up to just about anything. The quality here is something that you normally see in more expensive dune racers.

Razor Dune Buggy Design

When it comes to design, what Razor delivers for kids can be hit or miss. For instance, some of their electric scooters are just plain ugly, while others are very sleek and modern. In this case, the  Razor Dune Buggy is very well designed. It has the style of the classic dune buggies or go-karts that you know and love and the shape seats your child comfortably. For a nice motorcross bike, read our Razor MX500 review.

It’s very minimal in design, but every part here looks good and is quality made.  It’s a ride that is low to the ground and heavy enough that the large 8-inch pneumatic tires hug the terrain nicely no matter if it is sand, grass, rocks or when zipping across the driveway.

Paying special attention to safety with this model, they have also included a safety flag so that this vehicle is more easily seen. That not only helps other vehicles see it more clearly, but it also helps parents to easily see where their child is at all times. Both the speed throttle and rear disc brakes are easily accessible on the steering wheel as well. It also has quality plate floorboards. Considering all of these design factors, I have to say that I was really impressed by how much thought went into safety.

This is probably the safest buggy for kids I have seen for this age group, so it gets extra points for that. If you feel like the speed is too fast for your kid, you can adjust the top speed by using the supplied Allen wrench. This lets you limit the speed and adjust braking controls.  Then when they are ready for higher speeds, you can adjust it again to speed things up. It’s nice being able to have variable speed in this way.

I kind of wish it had a remote control so that you could set features like this more easily, but it’s pretty quick to do it with the Allen wrench anyway.

How Powerful Is The Razor Dune Buggy?

The 350 W engine provides plenty of power for your child’s off-road adventures, with a top speed of 10 miles per hour. That’s plenty of speed for any daredevil, but not so fast that it puts them in serious danger. It performs like a champ on asphalt, grass, gravel and other terrains. Even with kids riding it in wet conditions, it didn’t seem to slow it down.

The throttle responds well and the brakes are also very responsive so that you can be sure the vehicle will stop when you need it to stop. Forget kids dirt bikes and other gas-powered vehicles. This is a ride that’s perfect for kids and teens. A great little dirt rocket.

Battery Life

When you first get your Razor Electric Dune Buggy you will have to charge it for a longer period the first time since it has been sitting on the warehouse shelf. Razor recommends an 18 hour charge time for this first charge. Other models have a shorter initial charge time, like 12 hours, so this was my only real gripe about this model. That way your battery will be fully charged and ready to go after that.

Each battery charging will give you about an hour of run time and it takes about 5 hours to fully charge the batteries at that point. That’s a better run time than many competitors, which usually give you about 40 minutes or so. Again, it’s beating the competition’s ride on toys in that department. This youth ATV operates on a 24V rechargeable battery system that consists of two 12V batteries.

Bottom Line and Razor Dune Buggy Review Wrap Up

This kids electric dune buggy is worth every penny. Razor has built another quality kids vehicle in this 4 wheeler. It’s very similar to the Razor Ground Force model. Parents will appreciate the extra attention to safety thanks to key features like the safety flag, a solid steel frame, seat belt and a respectable speed of 10 miles per hour. Your kids will love how it performs. This is an electric toy that will keep them outdoors and away from video games.

Visually, the design looks great, but more importantly, it is designed to make sure that your kids have a fun time and don’t get hurt. This dune buggy’s best features are a powerful motor, large pneumatic tires, comfortable padded bucket seat,  thumb trigger accelerator, and a hand-operated rear disk braking system. The end result of all of these features is a 4 wheeler that that is comfortable for your child and easy to use.

It’s a great performer on nearly any terrain with those large knobby tires and if you have flat terrain they will speed around even faster. Between the low center of gravity and that half roll cage, it is very unlikely that your child will fall out, even when taking tight turns. The tires and the terrain seem to work together in fact, so it’s a fun ride.

With a weight limit of 120 pounds, some older kids can ride too. If you are looking for a special gift for your kid and are considering a dune buggy type racer, you can’t go wrong with this one. It’s one of the best karts for kids out there and it’s a great first vehicle. After they master this they will want to move up to a Razor Dirt Quad.

Sale

Razor Dune Buggy Review

This is the perfect dune buggy for any child who is just getting to know 4 wheel vehicles.
Al Landes Avatar