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Best Battery For RC Car: LiPo Vs. NiMH

Batteries make everything go in an RC car. Even in nitro-powered models, the engine burns fuel, but you aren’t going anywhere without a battery on board to power the receiver and servos. 

As with so many aspects of this amazing hobby/sport, you can go super-deep into battery tech if it really interests you, but it’s not necessary. All you really need to know is what the best battery for your RC car is. 

LiPo batteries are the best batteries that you can use in an Rc car. They have a larger capacity and charge faster while being the same size as NiMH batteries. 

There are two essential types of batteries used to power electric models: Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) and Lithium Polymer batteries (LiPo). The chemistry-class names refer to the essential materials within the battery that react to store and release energy as electricity, and each has its pros and cons.

If you purchased a ready-to-run (RTR) model with an included battery, chances are it’s a NiMH. Nickel-metal packs are rugged, inexpensive, and don’t require much in the way of special care. 

These will often be found with cheaper remote control cars and drones or ones designed specifically for kids.

However, they’re heavier than a LiPo battery and their voltage decreases steadily as the pack is discharged. Once you start driving, your RC car goes slower with each passing minute. Not noticeably at first, but steadily.

LiPo batteries are generally sold as accessories, but there are RTR models that include them. A LiPo battery is lighter than a NiMH of similar voltage and capacity, which helps your model feel more powerful. 

Also contributing to that “feeling of power” (often called “punch”) is the LiPo’s ability to maintain its voltage longer as the pack is depleted. Instead of delivering less and less voltage throughout your run, a LiPo will hold a steady voltage for most of your run, then fall off quickly at the end of the charge.

Hobbyists will often have LiPo batteries in their RC cars, trucks, and drones because not only will they help to increase the top speed of your RC vehicle but they will also last for many more discharge cycles (which means the battery will last far longer).

To get the most out of their RC car an RC car hobbyist will normally make sure to get a vehicle that has a brushless motor (rather than a brushed motor) and a LiPo battery (rather than NiMH or NiCD batteries). LiPo battery packs are a better choice than NiMH batteries because of the increased speed, battery life, and increased battery capacity (the more MAHs the better).

To see the most popular RC batteries just click here

How To Know What Battery Your RC Car Needs

The easiest way to understand how this battery will make your car long-lasting is to consider which factors go into controlling battery life. There are several key factors that determine how long this excellent battery will last.

The first thing to consider is the motor ratings of your electric car. Factors in this category include metrics such as rotations per minute or RPM. Generally, a higher RPM will mean more power production/consumption and a faster vehicle. 

To understand the context of RPM it’s important to note KV which measures RPM per volt supplied. While a higher KV means higher speed, it may also mean lower torque. Factors like torque and acceleration will depend on the capacity of the servo motors inside your vehicle. 

A car that has more power, speed, and torque needs a better battery. How do you know what battery your RC car needs?

The size of battery that your RC car needs will be on the package of the RC car, or be included with the RC car. Never use a larger battery than your RC car is designed to work with. 

For anyone even considering using their RC car for serious stock racing, this battery is a must. It delivers the highest power without sacrificing battery life. It is the best RC car battery because it provides the highest power while still maintaining the requirements of any modified racing rules.

What Factors Should You Consider For Your RC Battery?

There are many other factors that make this the best RC car battery. Besides being produced by automated and precision machines from high-quality materials, this battery also has several great features.

One of the largest problems with batteries is that their external features are made of poor quality. When external features like wires and sockets are made poorly, they add significant resistance that keeps the electricity from transferring to its maximum potential.

The most important factors to consider for your battery are rechargeability, energy density, power density, and shelf life. You should also consider safety and how easy a battery is to store between uses. 

Another factor to consider when purchasing a battery is the C-Ratings. The C-rating is a measure of how much current can be discharged by the battery. 

The more powerful a motor is, the more current it will need to access. Many batteries only have a 20 or 30 C rating. Because a higher C rating is always better, you will want to look for this when buying a battery. 

What Charger Do You Need For RC Batteries?

Now that you’re set up with batteries, let’s talk about chargers. First and foremost, make certain that you get a NiMH charger if you have NiMH RC batteries and get a LiPo charger if you have a LiPo battery.

If you use both types of batteries, there are chargers that can be set for either battery type. If you go that route, be sure to set the charger for the correct battery type before you hit the “start” button. 

If you have NiMH batteries you need a NiMH charger, and a LiPo charger if you have LiPo batteries. No matter what battery you have, you need to make sure you have the right charger. 

As for charger features to look for, the most important feature is amperage. The higher the charger’s amp output, the faster it can charge your pack.

If your RC car or truck came with a “wall wart” charger, you’ll notice its label shows its output in milliamps; for example, 300mA. If you had a 300mAh battery, that charger would juice it up in an hour. 

You probably have a 3000mAh (or higher) pack, and that means you’re looking at 10 hours of charging before you get to play again (3000 ÷ 300 = 10). If you have a 4-amp charger, that 3000mAh battery will be charged in about 45 minutes.

How To Safely Charge Your RC Batteries

There are 3 rules you should follow when charging your batteries to stay safe. Staying safe is important no matter how many batteries you are charging. 

You can injure yourself if you are charging one battery, or if you are charging ten. You should follow these rules to safely charge your battery. 

Follow these rules to safely charge your batteries.

1: Never Leave Batteries Unattended While Charging

2: Use the Right Charger

3: Use the Right Connectors

While the charger does its thing, you can work on your car, vacuum, watch TV, or anything, but don’t leave the room for the duration of charging, and never leave the house. 99.999% of the time, batteries charge without a hitch, but if you’re in the 0.0001%, being by the charger is what will prevent damage to your RC gear and other property.

NEVER USE A NIMH CHARGER WITH LIPO BATTERIES.

Yep, all caps, because LiPo batteries tend to catch on fire if you try it. So don’t. You MUST use a LiPo charger (or a LiPo charge mode, if you have a multi-mode charger) when charging LiPo batteries.

If your charger and batteries don’t have the same type of connector, purchase the appropriate adapter, or install the correct connector (or have one installed for you). Never jerry-rig connections with exposed wires or clips, as these may cause a short circuit that could damage your charger, or battery, or even start a fire.