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Can a 2 year old drive power wheels?
Our 2-year-old driving Power Wheels Dune Racer.

So you're thinking of buying your kid a Power Wheels for their next birthday, but they're only going to be two years old, and you're not quite sure if it's the best idea. You then decided to come to the internet to see what the consensus is on 2-year-olds driving Power Wheels. If that sounds like you, you've come to the right place.

2-year-olds can drive Power Wheels. They have usually developed the motor and coordination skills necessary for driving a battery-powered vehicle by that age. One important factor will be choosing a vehicle that fits their size so they can reach the pedals. Power Wheels have been designed for young children to use, so they have many safety features that will help keep your child safe.

In this article, I'll answer the question of whether a 2-year-old can drive a Power Wheels, whether they should, and the features you should look for when purchasing one. I've also compiled a list of the best Power Wheel models for your 2-year-old child if you don't know where to start your search. Check out other power wheels ages here. Now let's get started!

Why Can a 2-Year-Old Already Drive a Power Wheels?

Giving a kid a Power Wheels is probably one of the most exciting things you could do for them in their young life unless they're not interested in cars at all. They'll be able to spend endless days zooming around in your backyard or on a quiet street; needless to say, it's not a toy they'll tire of quickly. However, now that you know that they indeed can drive Power Wheels, the question now is why?

2-year-olds have usually developed quite a bit already and will have pretty good motor skills and coordination. These are essential skills necessary for driving a battery-powered vehicle like a Power Wheels. They will be able to accelerate and steer their Power Wheels with no difficulty whatsoever.

Don't believe us? Watch our 2-year-old driving a Power Wheels Dune Racer Extreme, even though this particular car is too big for her and she can barely reach the pedals.

Or, watch this 2-year-old riding his 24-volt Power Wheels quad bike (a better choice for a 2-year-old):

Of course, not every kid is a virtuoso from the very beginning. All kids mature and develop at different paces, so you'll need to consider your child's development level when deciding whether to buy them Power Wheels or not.

Should a 2-Year-Old Be Driving a Power Wheels?

We can do virtually anything we want in this world, but that doesn't always mean that we should. So the real question here is whether a two-year-old should be driving a Power Wheels.

Unfortunately, there's no real clear-cut answer to this question, as every child is different. As long as your child has well-functioning motor skills and good coordination, it should be fine for them to drive Power Wheels. However, in the end, you'll need to be the one to decide whether you're comfortable letting your child drive one.

Is It Safe for a 2-Year-Old To Drive a Power Wheels?

If you're wondering whether it is safe for a two-year-old child to drive a Power Wheels, the answer would be yes, to an extent. Power Wheels have many built-in features to help keep your child as safe as possible, and even the most powerful of the bunch can only speed up to about 6 miles per hour (9.65 km/h).

Realistically, your child's safety while driving a Power Wheels is directly linked to how safely or recklessly they drive it. So while the design of the vehicle itself makes it very safe, your child's driving could be the reason they or someone else gets injured. 

Be cautious when there’s a child on Power Wheels around. You should never leave your child unsupervised when driving a Power Wheel, even just for a minute. Make sure you teach them how to accelerate and steer properly before letting them do it all on their own, and that either you or someone you trust to keep an eye on them whenever they’re taking their Power Wheels for a spin.

Features To Look For When Buying a Power Wheels

Next up, let's talk about some of the features you should look for in a power wheel when considering buying it to ensure that your child will be as safe as possible while driving it.

Parental Override

This feature will allow you to take control of the vehicle whenever you feel your child is getting into an unsafe situation or they lose control of their Power Wheels for any reason. Power Wheels with this feature come with remote control with which parents can control the vehicle from a distance.

High-Speed Lockout

High-speed lockout is a feature through which parents can give or restrict access to the actual maximum speed at which a Power Wheel can drive. This is helpful for children who are just learning to use their Power Wheels or are beginner drivers. So when you feel confident that your child can handle the Power Wheels' full speed, you can always disable this feature.

Power-Lock Brakes

The power lock brake feature is definitely one of the most important features that a Power Wheel has. This feature is automatically enabled whenever your child takes their foot off of the acceleration pedal. It isn't realistic to expect a two-year-old to be able to learn how to accelerate and brake when they're just trying to have fun with their new toy.

This feature ensures that as soon as your child removes their foot from the “gas” pedal, the car slows down and stops. This can come in handy if your child is driving down a steep hill and loses control of the car's speed or panics when they get into a scary situation.

Steady Acceleration

You’ll also want to make sure your child's Power Wheels have steady or gradual acceleration. When you drive your car, it doesn't lurch forward and reaches its maximum speed the second you touch the gas, so your kid's Power Wheels shouldn't either. This is what the gradual acceleration feature does; it allows the vehicle to speed up steadily to its maximum speed, just like a regular car would do.

Seat Belt(s)

Another important thing that may often be overlooked in a toy car is whether it has seat belts. They can help keep your child safely in the vehicle if they are driving on a particularly bumpy surface or stop them from bumping their head if they happen to collide with a wall or a tree.

Forward and Reverse Modes

While this is not a must-have feature in Power Wheels, it will make the driving experience a lot more fun for your child.

The Best Power Wheels for a 2-Year-Old

Now that we've discussed the features you should be on the lookout for when considering buying a Power Wheel, here's a quick list we've compiled of the best Power Wheels available for two-year-olds:

Conclusion

While a two-year-old may still be too young for a bicycle, they can have just as much fun (if not even more) driving Power Wheels around the backyard. So long as you're making sure that the Power Wheels you buy have the necessary safety features to keep your child safe and keep you at ease, there's no reason why your kid can't drive one. Just make sure to keep an eye on them while they zoom around on their new toy.