There’s also not much to do once you’ve driven him around a couple of times – there are limited challenges to complete in the app, but like many toys, he becomes boring all too quickly.

But based on our testing we'd recommend avoiding the main toy retailers such as Argos, Smyths Toys and Hamleys. Yes, the Christmas Day tradition of unwrapping your favourite present and then not being able to play with it right away is alive and well. However, controlling the car using the app feels cumbersome, and we longed for a proper remote control.If you had a physical controller, you’d be able to just feel these buttons in your hand instead, and not need to look down at the screen. When you first see him switched on, it’s impossible not to fall in love with the little guy – it’s like he’s been plucked from the movie and brought into the real world. But if you want to reverse, you have to both hold a button down AND push the virtual joystick up or down. Sphero’s BB-8 also used an app for controls, but it was less of an issue there because you didn’t need to be as accurate with a rolling ball. All of the RC cars we recommend also have an adjustable speed dial, which allows a parent to reduce the speed as they see fit.

All of these things combine to truly bring the character to life, and Cars fan or not, it’s impossible not to feel affection for the little guy. And they're so fast and substantial that they could cause damage to a child, or property, if in less experienced hands.However, in terms of actual controls, we found ourselves wishing we could just use a physical remote control instead. If your kids really love the Cars movie series, they’ll love Ultimate Lightning McQueen, but if they’re over eight years old, they’d probably prefer something you can take outside, or that has proper, accurate controls. Lightning will listen in and react to what’s happening on-screen, but we were unable to test this feature at review time. This remote control car does a phenomenal job of matching the physicality, mannerisms and movement style of the animated character.