Buying your first kart

Choose the class first

The Association of Racing Kart Schools (ARKS) advice is blunt: before you buy anything, visit your local club and see which classes are popular, and read the class rules in the Karting Yearbook. A cheap kart for a class nobody races near you is a bad buy.

You don't need a kart to learn: ARKS schools supply karts and racewear for training. The classes are laid out in kart classes explained.

New or used?

A complete new senior Rotax kart costs £7,440–£7,920 in 2026, and ABKC puts a typical new senior kart at around £6,000. Prices drop quickly second-hand, which is why most first-timers buy used.

Buy from a kart trader, someone still racing or someone retiring from the sport. ARKS warns that karts from general motoring sites or auctions are often old or unsuitable. Browse karts and gear on AllKart or UK kart shops and builders.

What to check on a used kart

• Is the chassis legal for your class? Bambino, Cadet and Inter need a Motorsport UK homologated chassis and brakes. A cadet chassis model stays valid for about nine years (three homologation periods; the current one began on 1 January 2025). X30 and Rotax junior/senior accept any chassis that meets the technical rules. Tillotson T4 uses one specified chassis, and KZ2 needs a current CIK-FIA homologation.
• Are the engine seals and paperwork right? A Rotax must carry official seals that match its engine identity card, signed by an authorised dealer. A Honda Cadet GX200 must be sealed as authorised by Anderson-CSK. Water Swift engines are normally unsealed.
• Are the safety parts there? A chain guard, a secondary brake cable and a brake disc protector where the class requires one. Novices also need black number plates.
• Ask about the history. When was the engine last rebuilt, and by whom? Has the chassis been in a big crash? Get it in writing.

What else you'll need

• A transponder for timing. The Yearbook expects every driver to own one, and some clubs (Dunkeswell, for example) don't hire them out. A MYLAPS TR2 starts at £145 plus a subscription from £55; clubs that do hire charge £15–£20 a weekend.
• Tyres: slicks and wets (Bambino runs one all-weather tyre). A set of slicks is £165–£220.
• Racewear: a Motorsport UK-stickered helmet, a CIK-FIA suit, full gloves and boots. See karting for kids for the youth helmet rules.
• Licence and club membership. See the ARKS test explained.
• The practical kit: a kart stand, a trolley, tools, fuel cans, and a van or trailer to get it all to the track.

All the prices in one place: what karting really costs.