VTech Go! Go! Smart Wheels Review: Adorable, Affordable, Unbreakable

A Look at VTech Go! Go! Smart Wheels

Disclaimer: I was not paid to write a VTech Go! Go! Smart Wheels review. This opinion is completely my own and based on my experience with these toys. (And my son’s. It’d be weird if it were just me playing with them. Granted, I do love the VTech cars and probably play with them more than my son…)

Before becoming a parent, I thought VTech only made phones. Part of this was from my experience as a Best Buy employee. Part of this was having no excuse to go to the toy section until now. (I buy my desk toys online in shame.)

Shortly after our son was born we received a lovable little singing fire truck. Imagine my surprise when I flipped it over and saw VTech stamped on the bottom of it. I remember turning to my wife and exclaiming, “That explains the great audio quality on this thing!”

Dad jokes came naturally to me very early on.

Great children’s toys are usually expensive and the cheap ones are usually garbage. At several dollars a piece the VTech Go! Go! Smart Wheels are somewhere in between. This begs the question…

Are VTech Go! Go! Smart Wheels Worth It?

On the surface VTech Go! Go! Smart Wheels look a lot like other toy cars. They’re bright, the plastic is shiny, and they have cute little faces plastered on them. There are firetrucks, police cars, ambulances, helicopters, and more.

Upon closer inspection you’ll notice their faces are actually giant buttons. But wait, what’s this? The face isn’t just a button – it’s a giant light! Have we stumbled upon some magical children’s toy that transcends your typical plastic car?

VTech Go! Go! Smart Wheels Features

Every VTech Go! Go! Smart Wheels toy is similar in a few ways.

• They’re some kind of vehicle
• They all have happy little faces on them
• All of them take AAA batteries
• They have wheels (Smart wheels, might I add.)
• Each one lights up when you press on it
• They sing incredibly catchy and sometimes obnoxious tunes when you smash their face

The last bullet point is what really sets these things apart from the many other plastic cars and trucks and planes. VTech has done a great job writing really catchy tunes for each of their Smart Wheels. The songs often describe what the vehicle is used for, and assigns them a fitting name as well.

While our son is too young to fully grasp the songs, my wife and I have spent the past year singing these catchy tunes at random. (Send help.)

Now, let’s take a look at the most important feature of any toddler toy: durability.

VTech Go! Go! Smart Wheels Durability Test

I haven’t done any official durability test with these, but my son certainly has.

His poor little fire truck is more than a year old. I’ve watched it get thrown, smashed, thrown again, and smeared with spaghetti. If you told me “The Little Engine That Could” was written about the Smart Wheels fire truck, I’d believe you.

These things are seriously tough. Where other toys have cracked or shattered, the VTech Smart Wheels bounces along with grace. The plastic doesn’t chip, the color doesn’t flake off, and the little guys sing just fine after landing.

If you have a particularly destructive toddler, know the Smart Wheels will likely survive any crash landing into the floor. I mean it when I say VTech cars seem more durable than real cars.

The only one of these toys to break was due to submersion in liquid. Ironically it was the ambulance, which we couldn’t save no matter how hard we tried. For those of you wondering, it was dunked in applesauce. Water would be too easy.

Battery Life of the Smart Wheels

Each of the Smart Wheels takes 2 AAA batteries. I hate buying batteries, so I always dread having a ton of battery-operated toys floating around. As our VTech Go! Go! Smart Wheels collection continued to go I couldn’t help imagining all the batteries we’d be tearing through.

It’s been more than a year since our son received his first Smart Wheels truck and it’s still going. No battery change, ever.

If I had to guess I’d say the fire truck has sung its song upwards of a few hundred times, and it shows no signs of going silent. The Press and Race models that drive forward when pressed down might drain batteries faster, but the standard Smart Wheels are total troopers.

Quick Look: VTech Go! Go! Smart Wheels Press and Race

As if there weren’t enough options already, there are also the Press and Race Smart Wheels variants. These look like a beefier version of their standard counterparts, and rocket forward when pressed down or rolled backward on the ground.

I find the Press and Race functionality is pretty underwhelming, as they barely move forward after being pressed down. They also function pretty poorly as a pull back car, not even competing with the awesome pull back cars I had as a child.

I can’t help thinking the Press and Race version looks like Frank the fire truck on steroids. It’s just unnatural.

The aesthetic of them is also a little wonky compared to the regular Smart Wheels, due to them being taller and having a gap where they can be pushed down.  All things considered, our little guy still likes to play with them, and they’re still really durable. At a few dollars more a piece, you’re probably better off getting the standard cars.

VTech Cars: Something for Everyone

The beauty of VTech smart cars is that there’s a boatload of them. Is your child more interested in race cars than firetrucks? You’re in luck – there’s a VTech race car! Is your little one into trains? There’s a VTech motorized train! For those of you who find yourselves with a million VTech smart wheels cars, there’s even a VTech car garage. (Believe me when I say, you will wind up with a ton of the little buggers.)

If you’re looking to take your VTech game to the next level there’s also a VTech cars track, and a VTech Go Go Smart Wheels car carrier for taking your toys on the go. We’ve tried to stay away from the larger accessories, but we’ve found ourselves with one of the giant ramps that latches onto the VTech car track.

VTech Go! Go! Smart Wheels Are a Go!

It was roughly one year ago when our son received his Go! Go! Smart Wheels fire truck. He now has a small armada of these things and I see no end in sight. They’re cheap, they’re indestructible, and he loves them. Also, he’s actually learned various words from hearing their songs so many times.

“VTech: From making phones to raising our children.”

Kidding aside, I can’t give these things enough praise. VTech’s seriously knocked it out of the park with these things. The life of an average parent is hard enough. Don’t complicate it by buying a ton of horrible, cheap, toys. Do yourself a favor and pick some VTech cars up for your little one. Boy, girl, it doesn’t matter: garbage trucks and helicopters are a kickass toy for any kid.
For those of you looking for a great gift idea for a toddler, Smart Wheels can’t steer you wrong. If you don’t feel like waiting on an Amazon shipment of them, there are Walmart VTech cars available, VTech cars at Target, and the other usual suspects.