I've had quite a few inexpensive RC cars and this is the most powerful, fastest one I've had. The proportional speed and proportional steering set it apart from all the less controllable ones that are just off or on. The speed range can go from a slow crawl to what seems like faster than twenty mph. I was wondering whether it had enough power to go through grass the tie enough it needs mowed. I found that powers through just fine. On a flat surface is where you can exercise its speed. If your child is just learning, you can turn down the speed range knob on the remote and the max speed will be limited. That will minimize the severity of the crashes. When they get more experienced or an adult person wants to run it, just turn the knob up and you have the full speed available. The body style is very stable. It's very hard to roll it over. For me, an example of the power this has is how you can get these big, soft high traction tires to slide on dry concrete.I don't know how hard you can run it without possibly causing damage to the motor, but after about ten to fifteen minutes of hard full power running, I found the motor was too hot to touch. There is a large heat sink on the motor, so maybe the heat is anticipated and taken care of.In conclusion, this was supposed to be a gift for my grandson, but i'm not so sure whether i'm keeping it or giving it to him. I can imagine putting a camera on this and using it for inspections where I can't crawl. Maybe the answer is a little of both. We can race it together when he comes over.