Rollplay Nighthawk Electric Racing Kart REVIEW

Ethan was sent an Electric Racing Kart to review from Rollplay. The new Rollplay Nighthawk!

The Rollplay Nighthawk

The Nighthawk is a unique electric racing kart for children aged 6 and up and weighing a maximum of 50 kg. It comes equipped with a revolutionary steering system that uses your body weight to shift from side to side.

The Nighthawk drives comfortably and safely in a seated position. It has two foot pedals used for braking and accelerating. The large rear wheel and smaller front wheel drive the vehicle. The two side-mounted wheels with 360° radius provide stability when turning. They also allow a turning circle of up to 2 meters. It can reach speeds of up to 12 km/h.

Safety Equipment

Rollplay sent Ethan the correct safety equipment to wear whilst driving the Nighthawk. This includes a helmet, knee, elbow and wrist guards. These must always be worn to prevent injury.

PLEASE NOTE – Ethan was happy to wear his safety equipment during his first time on the Nighthawk. He decided that he didn’t want his shoes on to drive! During the second time driving the arm protection caused Ethan great distress. We will always try to get Ethan to wear the safety gear where possible. We also advise that all children should wear this safety equipment when driving a Nighthawk.

What Does Ethan Love About The Rollplay Nighthawk?

Being a thrill seeker Ethan loves the speed of the Nighthawk and how it turns. He calls it his roller-coaster and is looking forward to taking it out over the warmer months.

Ethan’s 1st Time Driving The Nighthawk

Ethan has needed support when driving pedal operated cars in the past. When he drives the cars at Legoland Windsor we always request support. When Darren first saw the Nighthawk he did wonder if Ethan would be capable of driving it on his own. This meant the first time Ethan drove his Nighthawk Darren made sure he was at his side giving him support. This also meant he kept Ethan safe and any other people and cars around.

Ethan very slowly drove his Nighthawk up and down in guided straight lines. Balance is also a big issue for people with autism so we did wonder if Ethan would be able to get used to the way the Nighthawk is controlled.

Ethan’s 2nd Time Driving The Nighthawk

The second time Ethan took his Nighthawk out he was with me. As I wanted to film him for the review I had to let him get on with driving himself. He struggled with this a bit, removing his arm protection and his shoes. After a little while, he soon got the hang of driving his Nighthawk.

Ethan mastered turning which he really enjoyed. He started to tell me he was on a roller coaster and had so much fun going around in circles.

The hardest manoeuvre for him was going straight. You have to balance your body in the middle of the Nighthawk. Balance is something Ethan struggles with. After a little while, Ethan had just about worked it out.

I captured Ethan’s time on the Rollplay Nighthawk in the below video…

What Do I Love About The Rollplay Nighthawk?

Being that there are so many electric powered vehicles for younger children. It’s nice that there is now one available for older children. To be honest I was worried how fast it would go and how stable it would be. But Ethan has had no problems with it. Even with how unstable Ethan can be we haven’t had any moments where we have felt that the Nighthawk might topple over.

When you first get the Nighthawk out of the box you will have to charge it for roughly 12 hours. A full battery should give you about an hours worth of use.

This really is a toy for Ethan. As much as Little E really wants to have a go on it. We think we should wait until she reaches the recommended age of 6 to use it.

We do really think the Rollplay Nighthawk is a great piece of kit and will give your children endless hours of fun.

The Rollplay Nighthawk has an RRP of £149.99