The best FPV drones let you fly as if you’re sitting in the pilot’s seat using goggles for a heads-up display
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1. Best overall 2. Best all-in-one kit 3. Best for cinematography 4. Best for freestyle 5. Best for kids 6. Best tiny drone 7. Best for DJI O3 FPV 8. Best powerful compact 9. Best for beginners 10. Best consumer drone with hint of FPV
FPV jargon explained How we test drones
First Person View, or FPV, simply means you can see as if you are inside the drone. In that respect, it's similar to the way the term is used in gaming. And, just as in gaming, some take the FPV concept a lot more literally. So much so, in fact, that FPV drone pilots are generally expected to be wearing video goggles. It is steeped in the history of the drone world. Even as a drone expert, it was a barrier I was nervous to cross – exciting and competitive – but I'm glad I gave it a go.
Some drone enthusiasts still build drones this way, placing a camera on the front of the ‘copter and piloting via a live view seen on video goggles. Additionally, the cameras that they use to record are still often just the best action cameras attached to the top. By piloting in this way, FPV fliers learn to master speed and dart through narrow gaps. FPV has always been popular with the hobby community, and even served as a spectator sport – everything from “Mini Air Shows” in 2015 to commercial TV events like Drone Racing League and Multi GP.
FPV pilots have also struck creative gold; eye-catching one-shot flights travel from the skies right into buildings, so everyone wants in on FPV. It is no longer the preserve of self-building enthusiasts; you can buy ready-made sets, and most drones have some kind of video relay.
We look at all the options and we look for speed, manoeuvrability, safety, latency (the responsiveness of the controls), and crash resistance (you will crash, but these drones should be built to handle it). Our best overall pick, the DJI Avata, handles all these in a balanced way, but the other options all have their merits...
It's fair to say Adam has long been into his gadgets, but when the chance to make them fly came along he grabbed his soldering iron and lept to the head of the queue. He built drones from wood, carbon fibre, and 3D-printed materials (as well as buying some off the shelf when the world caught up), and became a bestselling author of The Drone Pilot's Handbook.
Best FPV Drone Overall
Best overall The Avata 2 is a welcoming and capable FPV drone which boasts a brilliantly simple interface and a top-notch stabilized 4K camera (saving on strap-on GoPros). It's robust, and has great safety features like pause and return all of which mean almost anyone can fly it and get amazing footage.
Best Beginners FPV Kit
Best all-in-one FPV kit Taking a balance between fun and cost, this kit gives you everything you need to experience and understand FPV, with a few more options than the more child-friendly 'Lite' set. A brilliant start for any FPV novices.
Best for cinematography Arguably superseded by the Avata, the bigger, heavier, DJI FPV boasts collision sensors and the ability to go out shooting (and performing stunts) even against very strong breezes.
Best for freestyle Want acrobatic excellence and perfect flow? The Nazgul has the right balance to handle tight corners while pulling off some tricks that'll impress – plus support for the latest video systems. Nice.
Best FPV Kit for kids
Best FPV kit for kids This kit is the cheapest version of the successful Cetus series from BetaFPV; limited modes won't stop the kids having fun, especially indoors.
Best tiny FPV drone
Best tiny FPV drone A nano drone to start flying with a motor-to-motor measurement of just 75mm and a Ready To Fly (RTF) bundle means this is very giftable.
The DJI Avata 2 is a refinement of the already brilliant Avata. It's different from most FPV drones in that nearly everyone can fly it almost immediately out of the box, yet have access to top-of-the-line features high-resolution digital goggles. Why? Because of DJI's unique RC Motion 3 controller which lets you almost become part of the drone with a single 'floating joystick'. It's not as weird as it sounds, I promise.
Purists can buy a traditional RC controller with sticks if they prefer (in fact that is needed to unleash the full manual mode), but the fact this isn't part of the standard bundle speaks to how successfully DJI have replaced the 'traditional' FPV piloting method.
The Avata 2 is very robust – and believe me, I checked, with a tree branch and the ground! The ducted design, known as "cinewhoop" also makes the drone good at relatively smooth flights so capturing amazing video is easy. Stunts are also available, even with just the 'Motion controller' thanks to DJI's 'Easy Acro' feature.
The initial bundle price is a bit off-putting, and perhaps more so since I think you'd be crazy to buy with less than three batteries, but the built-in camera has excellent stabilization and 4K so there is no need for expensive extras like action cameras. You're also getting high-end digital goggles with OLED into that deal. Flying it hard and fun will eat the battery fast – you'll be lucky to get 10 minutes when you really push it – but that's still very good.
In terms of flaws, these are far fewer than the previous model. The Goggles 3 are very comfortable, and even have pass-through (dual cameras so you can look through without taking them off, though activating this could be a touch easier). The latency is as low as 24ms, too.
Read my full DJI Avata 2 review for more details
The Cetus is a small drone with the relatively unusual addition of an optical flow sensor. Not only does this offer drift-free hover, but a gentle automatic landing when the battery is failing – both huge boons for beginners.
First-time pilots can work their way up through three modes, including a full traditional FPV style. The same applies to the tech; the goggles and controller are of the same kind you can use with other real RF drones.
good fpv drone The controller, in fact, has an especially pleasing feel for ‘noobs’, with real RC-controller sticks surrounded by a more game-like housing. Indeed it can be used as a USB joystick when connected to drone simulators. It’s a shame that this is a live-view experience only – you’ll need to invest in pricier goggles for a record option – but this package is more about fun.