The 4 Best 50cc Go-Karts For Kids (Plus Top Speeds)

It can be tough to choose the best 50cc go-kart for your kids, as there are so many different options out there. It therefore helps to get an idea of what kinds of things you should be looking for, so that you are better able to pick the right 50cc kart for your child.

The 4 best 50cc go-karts for kids are:

1. Birel ART B-25 Baby Kart
2. Top Kart Kid Kart
3. Praga Baby Kart
4. Margay Racing Wildcat

Below, I’ll take a closer look at the 4 different karts that I think are solid rigs, no matter your child’s experience level. For each kart, I’ll talk about price ranges, top speeds, weight, build quality, and other general points that could make or break it as the kart for you. I’ll also discuss what to look for when buying a 50cc go-kart.

The 4 Best 50cc Go-Karts For Kids

1. Birel ART B-25 Baby Kart

Top Speed: 30-40 mph (50-65 kph)

Racing red and striking, the Birel Baby karts are a cool-looking rig that every kid would be proud to drive in! Birel themselves describe this model to be a great starting kart for kids due to its reliable 2-stroke Comer C50 engine and easily repairable chassis.

This isn’t to say that more experienced kids will find the kart boring by any means, as the Comer can hit between 30 and 40 mph (50-65 kph), which gives it a real zip. But if I were to personally suggest anything, I would look at this Birel as something to start with as a kid’s first kart.

Brand new, Birel are asking around $2,500, which includes the engine and tires, putting this kart in the realms of very affordable for something brand new.

If your child is just dipping their toes into the sport, it’s a good idea to look at ‘pre-loved’ karts, especially since they’ll be getting a feel for how to drive and as such, and many scrapes and bumps can happen. This B-25 model with a Comer C50 engine can often be found pre-owned for as low as $1,000.

Ease Of Operation

As far as ease of operation, go-karts are all very similar in this regard. There’s a gas pedal and a brake pedal, which keeps it very simple indeed. This B-25 model specifically has a mechanical brake system with a 200 mm disc, making it very accessible and easily fixed/maintained. Think about a smaller version of your standard car brake systems minus the hydraulics.

Because the chassis is made with 25 mm tubes and is overall composed of aluminum, you can expect this beauty of a rig to be light and easy to maneuver. It’ll make your kids’ days at the track that much easier, that’s for sure.

Longevity & Distribution

In spite of its lightweight composition, Birel recommend this kart model for new karters for a very simple reason: this build can take some punishment! It’s safe to say that the quality of the kart’s construction is up there with the best in terms of overall longevity.

In terms of engines on kid karts, the most common one distributed with most chassis is the Comer C50 or C51. If you want, you can swap out the Comer for any other common engine brand, provided it’s of the same power output.

It also depends on where you’re situated, because Comers are common throughout the East Coast of the United States, but engines such as Rotax and Vortex have caught on big-time in the West. Keep this in mind when choosing an engine for your Birel because you’ll want to pick something that you can get parts for, after all. Note that I’ll talk more about engine choice later in this article.

2. Top Kart Kid Kart

Top Speed: 30-40 mph (50-65 kph)

Ah, Top Kart. If you’ve done some research on karting for your child already, you’ll have likely come across this kart manufacturer at least once. In the United States, Top Kart are very popular and widely distributed. As a result, a lot of people choose them in the youth karting scene.

Parts & Adjustments

There’s nothing better than having reliable access to parts in the early days of karting, especially if your mini racing driver is learning the ropes!

This Top Kart Kid Kart with its Comer C51 is a standard setup and enjoys the latest innovations. As I mentioned previously, the C51 and C50 are actually one and the same, with the C51 being the newer rendition which is in far wider production than the slightly older C50.

As you can imagine, finding parts for C51s is a simpler process than shopping around for replacements of the older model. In terms of top speed, it’s almost identical to the C50 variants, between 30 and 40 mph (50-65 kph).

A nice boon of owning a Top Kart chassis is how you can make adjustments and tweaks to it. Things such as shortening or lengthening parts of the chassis tubing can help tune the kart properly to your child’s needs. In races where most competitors are running the same rig, these tiny adjustments can equate to a lot of gained time!

A Roller Build

Unlike the previously mentioned Birel, which comes with its engine and tires as standard, Top Kart offers this build as a ‘roller.’ What this means is that you’ll receive the chassis itself with the engine mounted, but with no tires included.

While this isn’t the end of the world (a lot of manufacturers do this as standard practice), it does make the overall build more expensive. Brand new, this kart in its roller state goes for around $3,000. New tires aren’t a huge expense of course, but I find it preferable to get a near-race-ready setup from the get-go.

Overview

Considering how widely available Top Kart is, I’m sure that your local karting scene will probably swear by these karts and many kids will have their own on the race track. You won’t have to worry about this rig being built poorly, as Top Kart have a winning reputation.

Similar to the Birel model I discussed above, this rig is lightweight because of its aluminum tubing as the chassis build material.

It is a fairly affordable option, but it’s not on the budget end of things. This kart will be viable for a kid with any level of experience, and because of the fine-tuning you can do with this model, you can expect to get a nice edge on competition with your mini karting pro!

3. Praga Baby Kart

Top Speed: 30-40 mph (50-65 kph)

Speaking of pedigree, I wanted to include a kart that might be considered a little off-the-wall for most, constructed by one of my most idolized kart companies.

Praga Karts is a brand based out of Italy, but they’re rapidly growing into a worldwide kart manufacturer, taking their experience in working alongside companies such as Ferrari and distilling it into go-karts. Pretty cool, right?

For kids, the Praga Baby with its commonplace Comer C51 engine isn’t revolutionary by way of parts, nor does it break the mold of what we see in karting across the United States. Most kids will have a typical chassis with a C51, after all.

It will output your standard range of speeds between 30 and 40 mph (50-65 kph) courtesy of its decent engine. Praga’s main goal with this kart specifically, was to make a maintenance-friendly machine that is easy to work on and fix when things go wrong or need replacing.

Brake Discs

They’ve implemented a vented 150 mm rear brake disc, which is not only easy to work on, due to it being mechanical and easy to reach, but the ventilation allows the brakes to stay cooler.

Cooler brake discs and pads means less wear and less potential for brake failure. It may be a small component, but all of the tiny differences can add up to make a kart very competitive in races.

Price

This isn’t typically sold as a roller setup, and instead includes a set of tires and complete engine package which means that you can get straight to a track and drive!

As with all of the karts I’ll be talking about here, it’s definitely worth checking out price points for their used counterparts. You can easily knock $1,000 off the price of brand new to make the purchase more budget-friendly, and get first-hand feedback from the previous owner about how the kart was to own.

Transport & Overview

However, compared to other karts in this lineup, this baby isn’t easy to transport. Weighing in at almost 100 lbs (43 kg), it isn’t heavy by any means, but it’ll definitely weigh in heavier than many karts that others will be using.

This is because Praga dedicated this model to not only being easily fixed/repaired, but they also implemented sturdier bodywork to make the kart safer. So, unlike brands like Top Kart, the Praga is probably the best rig for a child learning to drive, as it’ll put up with all the likely accidents that can happen during this time.

Because it’s a heavier rig, it might be worth looking at tuning your engine for a slightly higher power output to make sure that it won’t be a detriment on the track when racing.

4. Margay Racing Wildcat

Top Speed: 30-40 mph (50-65 kph)

From international to home-grown, let’s take a look at Margay Racing. They make all of their karts on United States soil and they’re definitely regarded as one of the most competitive manufacturers in the country.

Their Wildcat model comes with a Honda GXH50 engine as standard, which is great for any of you readers on the West coast! Margay are based in St Louis, MO, but they don’t offer alternatives to the Honda for this model. If anything, having a Honda is a huge benefit if you’re looking for an engine that’s very reliable and exceedingly low-maintenance.

The Wildcat build offers varied price points depending on how much assembly you want to be included, going from around $3,000 for the chassis alone all the way up to around $4,000 for the ‘race ready’ package (engine installed & tuned with Bridgestone tires mounted).

Model Features & Customization

Although Margay made this build of kart for beginners, there are various features of this model that make it a force to be reckoned with in the hands of more experienced kids.

You can expect fully hydraulic brakes as standard on these models, which provides amazing stopping power to be absolutely competitive in your racing. Between that and the 73 pound (33 kg) build (yes, that includes the engine and all!), you’ll find that this rig is an absolute racing machine.

If you have a Margay dealer local to you, they may even offer customization options, offering to measure and weigh your child to fine-tune the final build to their exact specifications. That is if you’re buying brand-new of course!

Price, Speed, & Maintenance

As with anything, you can find good discounted prices on older models and when buying pre-owned karts. At the moment, older Wildcat rigs are selling for around $2,000 in this category, so they can certainly be affordable if you shop around.

Of the four karts that I recommend here, it goes without saying that Margay is the priciest brand. To compensate for this, you have a lot of customization options that aren’t offered with other brands.

Speeds achieved are typically in the standard 30 to 40 mph range (50-65 kph), as with the whole 50cc karting category, but the lightweight composition of this rig means that you can likely exceed that on a long straight.

In terms of maintenance, this rig is a bit more complex than some other brands because of the hydraulic brakes. If this isn’t your first rodeo, the Wildcat is the perfect kart to help push boundaries and become more competitive in the karting spheres.

How Fast Does A 50cc Go-Kart Go?

A 50cc go-kart can reach a top speed of around 30-40 mph, or 50-65 kph. This is because the engine is not strong enough to power the weight of the kart beyond that speed, so it’s naturally limited to these lower numbers. 50cc go-karts are designed for kids, so their main focus is on safety rather than maximizing top speed.

This makes these karts ideal for the Bambino class, which is reserved for drivers between the ages of 5 and 9 years old. While this top speed might not seem all that fast to everyone, it’s incredibly fast for kids in the Bambino class age range, and they’ll have a ton of fun racing these little machines.

How To Choose A 50cc Go-Kart For Kids

While 50cc karts might be smaller and slightly cheaper than bigger karts, they can still be pricey. There are four main things to keep in mind when buying a 50cc kart for kids, and I’ll explore them further below.

Hobby Or Racing?

First of all, you need to determine whether you’re going to be buying a kart for professional racing, or just for your kids to drive around in as a hobby. There’s a huge difference when it comes to buying a kart for racing and buying a hobby kart.

If you’re buying a kart that’s just going to be driven around a track for fun, you don’t need to spend a lot of money on it. It’ll still be pricey of course, but far less so than if you plan to race with it every weekend. Racing requires you to have a better kart and better equipment, and even at the 50cc level that comes with a big price hike.

Choosing A Chassis

You’re going to need a small and light chassis when buying a 50cc kart for your child. This leaves you with the Bambino class chassis, which is designed for kids between the ages of 5 and 9. In general, you’ll likely have the same options as you would with the larger chassis in terms of the manufacturers.

Top Tip: Always choose a reputable brand, as this will typically mean a better quality experience overall and a more reliable kart

Choosing An Engine

Finally, you need to choose your engine. There are three main engines to choose from in the 50cc class, but the most powerful one isn’t always the right option to go for. You need to make sure that the engine you choose is allowed in the series you want to race in.

It’s always a good idea to head down to your local race track and ask around about the engine manufacturers that are allowed in the local series. In the majority of cases, there will be a single make series, such as Rotax-only for example. Keep this in mind when looking for an engine. As for the best 50cc go-kart engine, I’ll cover that in the next section.

What Is The Best Engine For A 50cc Go-Kart?

There are three main manufacturers of 50cc go-kart engines. When you buy your kart, you will need to choose between one of these manufacturers. I’ll explore the pros and cons of each engine to help make sure you find the one that suits your needs best.

Rok Kid

The

The Rok Kid is the 50cc engine from Vortex. It is an incredibly popular choice among young kart drivers mainly because of the multitude of Vortex single-make championships that are out there for kids to take part in. The benefits of this engine is that it’s affordable and easy to maintain, which are two more reasons for its growing popularity.

Micro Max

The Micro Max is Rotax’s version of the Bambino class engine. While it’s technically a 125cc engine, it has been limited to 50cc. This allows the owner to upgrade to Micro Max later down the line without having to buy a new engine. This is one of the biggest benefits of the Rotax engine, and it’s also a popular choice for championships too.

Comer 50cc

Finally, the Comer 50cc engine is also 2-stroke like the other models, but it doesn’t feature a TaG (Tough and Go) start system. It needs to be started by a second person, similar to a rental kart or lawn mower. This engine produces the same level of performance as the other two, but its quality might be a little lower and sometimes spares are hard to find.

How Much Maintenance Does A 50cc Go-Kart Need?

50cc karts don’t need much maintenance, only requiring a regular oil change every 25 hours, a spark plug inspection and clean, checks to ensure the tires are in good condition, and checks for the brake pads and the discs. This limited maintenance routine is due to the sealed engine of the vehicle.

A typical 50cc kart maintenance checklist is as follows:

• Change the oil: every 25 hours ideally, especially when racing
• Inspect the spark plug: clean the electrodes after removing, use graphite grease to put it back on, replace every year
• Tire management: keep at least two sets spare, preferably more for different weather conditions
• Check brake pads and discs (for mechanical brake karts): before they reach their max wear limit, replace them!

Thankfully, 50cc karts are all designed with simplicity in mind (albeit to varying degrees depending on the manufacturer). Unlike karts for older kids, like when you get into the Cadet and later Adult categories, 50cc engines are almost always sealed.

There won’t be any exposed chains to worry about and so you’ll only need to worry about keeping a regular oil-change routine. Include brake checks into your daily maintenance routine by making sure that the pads and discs aren’t worn to their limits, and keep a healthy stock of both parts on hand specific to your kart build.

Tires are another concern, of course, but when your child is just getting started, you can easily keep a couple of sets handy every race weekend as opposed to five or six when they get into bigger karts with more power.

Final Thoughts

The Birel, Top Kart, Praga, and Margay models above are the best 50cc go-karts available on the market, due to their range of price points and the fact they are very easy to maintain. The right one to go for will depend on your kid’s preferences, but by bearing in mind my tips above, you’ll be able to choose the right 50cc kart for your child.