They’ve mastered walking, now you’re looking for something to keep them active, and play independently while developing other skills.
Coming in all different shapes and sizes, from fire engines to feline friends, there’s a whole host of child-friendly ride-on toys to choose from. We found that most ride-on toys are suitable from around the 12-month mark, but many can be adapted to be used for years to come.
Parents will be pleased to hear that ride-on toys don’t have to mean more plastic, though – there’s a large range of wooden options giving us all the nostalgic feels which are easy on the eye and kinder to the environment. When making your choice, it’s best to consider where most of the playing is going to take place, as some ride-ons are designed for indoor use and won’t be able to handle grass or outside terrain, while others may be too bulky for inside your home.
You’ll want to look at the weight of the toys too, as they don’t tidy themselves away and may need to be carried from time to time. But a big factor is the wheels. Older toddlers will want to go at speed and steer, so 360-degree rotating wheels offer a lot more manoeuvrability, meanwhile rubber wheels keep playtime noise to a minimum and protect objects in the home.
From sit-on cars, to dogs with wagging tails, by choosing the right ride-on chum, your toddler will be captivated for hours on end. Here, we round up our favourite finds.
How we tested
With the help of our enthusiastic 15-month-old and three-year-old, we put a range of ride-on toys through the mill. We tested them both indoors, mainly on smooth kitchen flooring, and outdoors over the course of two weeks.
The best kids’ ride-on toys for 2022 are:
- Best overall – Brio baby-30281 dachshund ride-on toy: £85.95, Woodentoystore.co.uk
- Best for role-play – Little Tikes cozy coupe classic: £38.99, Smythstoys.com
- Best fun design – Air hopper blue: £44.95, Microscooters.co.uk
- Best for longevity – Scoot & Ride highway kick 1, steel: £114.99, Scandiborn.co.uk
- Best for manoeuvrability – Wheelybug toddler ride on animal large: £79.95, Amazon.co.uk
- Best lightweight toy – BabyScooti cat ride on by Djeco: £64.95, Ticketyboo.co.uk
- Best wooden toy – Vilac ride on firetruck: £100, Hippychick.com
- Best detailed toy – Janod ride on tractor: £90, Kidly.co.uk
- Best compact toy – MamaToyz mini bike, £80: Mamatoyzuk.com
- Best multifunctional toy – Infantino 217023 walker, multicoloured: £65.98, Amazon.co.uk