RC Batteries & Chargers: Power Made Simple
Most new RC cars ship without a battery or charger. Picking the right one takes four checks, and this page walks you through each of them.
Cells (2S, 3S, 4S): more cells means more voltage and more speed. Your car’s manual says the maximum it can take. Never go higher.
mAh: run time. 5000 mAh runs roughly twice as long as 2500.
C rating: punch. 25C to 50C is plenty for bashing.
Connector: must match your car. Traxxas uses iD. Arrma and Losi use IC3 or IC5. Most others use XT60, EC5, or Deans. When in doubt, bring the car in or ask us.
Completer Packs — Battery + Charger in One Box
The fastest way from "new car" to "driving." One box, one price, guaranteed to match. Traxxas packs fit any Traxxas iD car. Spektrum Smart packs fit Arrma and Losi. Pick the cell count your car allows.
Traxxas LiPo — iD Connector
Made for Traxxas cars and Traxxas chargers. The iD plug tells the charger what the battery is, so charging is one button. 2S for Slash, Rustler, and Stampede. 3S for VXL models. 4S for Maxx and X-Maxx.
Spektrum Smart LiPo — IC3 & IC5 Connector
The battery for Arrma, Losi, and other Horizon Hobby cars. Smart packs store their own charge history and the charger reads it. IC3 is the smaller plug for 1/10 cars. IC5 is the big plug for 6S and 8S monsters.
Lectron Pro LiPo — XT60, EC5 & Deans
The best value per pack. Same cells and capacity as the name brands, with the common plugs used by MST, Redcat, Corally, Kyosho, Tamiya upgrades, and most kits. Check your car's plug, then pick the matching pack.
Mini & Micro Batteries — 1/24, 1/18 & 1/16 Scale
Small cars use small packs with small plugs: PH2.0 for the SCX24 and Micro-B, IC2 for Losi Mini and Arrma Grom. A spare or two doubles your play time, because these charge slower than they run.
NiMH Batteries — Simple and Safe
The older chemistry. Heavier and slower than LiPo, but forgiving: no balance charging, no fire-safe bag, no fuss. Right for a child's first car, for Tamiya kits, and for the receiver pack in every nitro car.
Chargers
A LiPo needs a balance charger, and a good one lasts through many cars. Traxxas EZ-Peak chargers are one-button with iD packs. Spektrum S-series chargers do the same with Smart packs. A multi-chemistry charger like the Prodigy or Common Sense handles every plug and every brand. Note: the EZ-Peak USB-C charger needs the 45-watt USB-C adapter, sold separately.
Adapters & Charge Leads
Wrong plug? A two-dollar adapter fixes it. These let a Deans battery run an XT60 car, an IC3 pack charge on an IC2 charger, or any pack connect to a bench charger with banana plugs.
LiPo Safety in Four Lines
Charge on a balance charger, never a wall plug. Charge and store in a LiPo-safe bag, away from anything flammable. Store at half charge, not full, if the car will sit more than a few days. Retire any pack that puffs, swells, or gets hot at rest. Bring old packs to the store and we will recycle them.