Brushless vs Brushed Electric RC Motors: Which Is Better?

If you’re new to radio control, or just haven’t kept up with the latest technology, you may not know the differences between a brushed and a brushless electric RC motor.

Below we’ll go over the similarities and differences between these two popular types of electric RC motor to help you decide which one is right for you.

Brushless vs brushed motor comparison

	Brushless	Brushed
Power and speed	Higher	Lower
Initial cost	Higher (more complex ESC, LiPo battery)	Lower (simpler wiring)
Efficiency	Higher (gives off little heat)	Lower (gives off a lot of heat)
Lifespan	Longer	Shorter
Maintenance	Low	Higher
Electrical noise while running	Lower	Higher
Size and weight	Smaller and lighter	Bigger and heavier

Electric RC motor basics

Both types are DC (direct current) motors, and they work on the same basic idea. The windings inside receive current and create an electromagnetic field that pushes against the magnets and makes the shaft spin.

As the shaft turns, that push is handed off from one set of windings to the next, so the motor’s shaft keeps spinning continuously.

In principle, a brushless RC motor delivers more power and higher efficiency than an equivalent brushed motor of the same size.

You’ll get longer run times and higher speeds from a brushless motor than from a brushed motor of the same physical size, and it needs less maintenance too.

Electric RC car technology has improved enormously in recent years thanks to the spread and improvement of lithium batteries. Its power now almost matches what you’ll find in nitro RC cars.

Brushed electric motors for RC cars

In a brushed RC motor, the windings are mounted on the central shaft inside the motor can and spin with the shaft when current is applied. The magnets don’t move; they’re fixed to the inside of the motor can.

Power reaches the windings through two brushes (positive and negative) that press against the commutator on the central shaft.

The friction between the brushes and the commutator is the reason this motor isn’t as efficient as a brushless motor.

On top of that, these parts wear out over time, so they need maintenance and replacement parts every so often. A more powerful brushed motor wears out faster than a slower one.

If you’ve ever owned an electric ready-to-run (RTR) RC car, chances are it used a brushed motor at some point.

Brushed motor characteristics

Because they’re affordable, brushed motors usually come with most entry-level to mid-range RC car kits. Tamiya’s hugely popular kits, for example, usually ship with a standard 540-size electric motor.

This type of DC motor dates back to the mid-1800s, and it was the motor used in the first radio-controlled car kits.

Advantages of brushed motors

Here are some of the most notable advantages of brushed motors for RC cars.

• Cheap: brushed motors cost less to make.
• Simple wiring: brushed motors only need two wires to power them and don’t need any electronic commutation. That makes brushed electronic speed controls (ESCs) relatively inexpensive.

Disadvantages of brushed electric motors

These motors can give you a lot of satisfaction, but they also have some drawbacks worth pointing out.

• The brushes and commutator wear out over time, although on some motors they can be serviced.
• They’re not very efficient compared with a brushless motor. More power is wasted as heat and through the friction of the brushes against the commutator, which means shorter run times.
• Less pushing power and a lower top speed.
• More electrical noise while running, which may make them unsuitable for some settings.

Brushless electric motors for RC

A brushless motor doesn’t need a physical commutator, and that’s one of the reasons they’re so popular.

Not having those parts means almost zero maintenance (the bearings will last a long time, but obviously not forever).

You’ll find brushless RC motors in the more expensive RTR cars, and serious racers will run this type wherever the rules allow it.

The technology was invented in the 1960s, but it didn’t really become available for RC cars until around 2003–2004 (it reached model airplanes earlier).

Advantages of brushless electric motors

We’ve already covered the general characteristics of brushless motors, but here are some of their advantages compared with other types of electric RC motor.

• Very low maintenance, with no brushes or commutator to wear out.
• Higher efficiency than brushed motors, so you get longer run times.
• They can reach higher speeds than brushed motors.

Disadvantages of brushless motors

Like every component on an RC car, they also have some drawbacks, such as the ones on this list.

• They require a bigger upfront investment and cost more.
• You need a more complex brushless ESC to control them.

Buying a brushless RC motor online

Some of the main brands on the market are Surpass, Leopard and X-Team. Besides being big names, they’ve been around for a long time, which helps you get good performance and durability from your next purchase.

Now that you know the difference between the two motors, it’ll be much easier to decide which one to go with, whether the deciding factor is price or power.

We hope this post about electric motors was useful. Feel free to leave your comments below, and keep enjoying our other articles.

Want to know how fast your motor will go? Try the RC car speed calculator, which uses the kV rating, the number of cells and the gear ratio.