The 4 Best Tricycles of 2025

The Joovy Tricycoo 4.1 Kids Tricycle (our previous pick in this guide) was loved by our kid testers, and it has a short, five-minute build time. It’s also adjustable, and it can be used by smaller kids (with the fabric harness) and older kids (just remove the insertable secure seat, which keeps little kids from crawling or sliding out of the chair). The materials are mostly plastic, which got dinged up after just a few weeks of testing. Many parents complain in reviews about losing pieces of the Joovy over time; the screws, the plastic basket, all tend to fall off. It’s also now significantly more expensive than our current top pick, and it’s not as stable; when Jenni’s kids played with the Joovy, it tipped over a number of times, causing small injuries. It also got stuck on any surface that wasn’t pavement.

The Doona Liki Trike S5 has some great features, such as the ability to fold down for travel (it’s designed to fit in overhead bins on airplanes). We enjoyed its three-second fold, padded straps, and sleek look. Like our top pick, this one converts to multiple stages. The sunshade is similar to that of our top pick, too. But this trike is more than triple the cost of our top pick. And the push bar is also more loosely attached than that of our runner-up pick; this made it difficult for an adult to push the Liki in a straight path, especially one-handed.

The shiny, steel Radio Flyer Classic Red Tricycle is a well-made trike for kids from 2½ years to about 4 or a small 5. The design replicates that of tricycles from decades ago, so this sturdy, metal tricycle has serious nostalgia appeal. We found that the controlled turning radius made it harder to tip than some of the other trikes. But it lacks a back support and adjusts only a bit to accommodate taller riders. In our tests, the Classic Red was harder to ride than any of our picks.

The Radio Flyer Deluxe Big Flyer is a decent version of the Big Wheel–style trike, and it’s intended for kids who are 3 to 7 years old. It has more heft and seems sturdier than today’s Big Wheel brand. Older kids will likely enjoy the speed and easy turns of a lightweight, low-slung trike, but Kate’s 3-year-old son had some trouble getting the 16-inch front wheel to move. When it comes to a low-rider-style trike, overall we think the Schwinn Roadster provides a better ride. For bigger kids, the Razor RipRider 360 is more fun and easier to use.

The SmarTrike 3-in-1 Breeze S Toddler Tricycle (now unavailable) felt flimsy, with plastic wheels and screws that are tough to tighten. And the harness didn’t tighten well; Jenni’s 15-month-old daughter kept nearly falling out. When an adult pushes this convertible trike, the handle (rather than the kid steering) directs the front wheel, which is ideal for younger kids. And it adapts well to older children. But our top pick and runner-up pick simply felt safer and more durable, and they were easier to build.

The XJD 5-in-1 Kids Tricycle is a trike that turns into a balance bike. It takes 10 minutes to build, and it’s easy to adapt from trike to bike by adjusting the two back wheels into one (they slide together) and removing the pedals. It’s sturdier than many of the trikes we tried, with hard rubber wheels instead of plastic. But it doesn’t have a warranty, and the kids in our test group avoided this bike like the plague, probably because the stand-over height for the balance bike configuration wasn’t low enough. This trike also doesn’t work for kids under age 2. If you want a balance bike, try one of our balance bike picks.

Nearly identical to the XJD trike, the Besrey 5-in-1 is a trike turned balance bike that takes 10 minutes to build. It’s also easy to adjust into a balance bike (by sliding the back wheels together and removing the pedals), and it has a two-year warranty. But as with the XJD trike, kids didn’t like the Besrey in trike or bike form during testing, because it was uncomfortable to ride. In trying to be a trike and a bike, it succeeds at neither. It also doesn’t work for kids under age 2, despite the ages listed on the product page.

The Bentley 6-in-1 Stroller Trike is heavy and large, requiring about 15 minutes of build time and a lot of tools. It transitions from a stroller to a tricycle, and it has a comfortable seat and harness (it should, considering it costs more than $500!). The ride is much smoother than with many of the trikes we tested because the wheels are made with rubber instead of plastic. The Bentley is also fairly easy to push and convert from stroller to trike, and your child can apparently start riding in it at 6 months old. But it’s missing key touches, for something with such a high price point: The storage bucket is small, with a Velcro lid that barely stays on, and the cupholder is made of cheap plastic. The harness is also hard to secure, and the canopy feels similar to that of our top pick, which is around one-fifth the price.

The Fisher-Price Harley-Davidson Tough Trike was a surprising amount of fun. Even though it’s small and low to the ground, Kate’s son enjoyed the trike’s big pedals, fat wheels, and super-large underseat storage container. However, we found that the plastic wheels provided a really rough ride, especially on hard surfaces and bumps. The trike also doesn’t adjust in any way, so it’s usable for only around a year or two before a child outgrows it. Fisher-Price makes a few versions of this trike, including one that’s “Barbie Tough.”

Many of today’s parents (and grandparents!) may have fond memories of rolling down the driveway—and perhaps over homemade jumps, definitely helmet-free—on an Original Big Wheel. The actual Original Big Wheel was manufactured in Pennsylvania by a company called Marx, which went out of business in the 1980s. Today’s Big Wheel (the name was sold) is lightweight, and the wheels slip a ton. It was difficult for Kate’s young son to get started on the trike, and he soon lost interest. Kate lost interest even sooner, when it took a whopping 54 minutes to assemble, mostly due to the number of decals. Jenni’s 3-year-old son also screamed in frustration while using the Big Wheel and found it didn’t move well across pavement or dirt. Like its namesake, the Big Wheel is better for bigger kids. It accommodates kids up to 70 pounds and 7 years old, and we’ve known older children who did, in fact, love it. But this trike is the most fun when it’s used to barrel down steep hillsides; even older, stronger pedalers will find it difficult to use for sidewalk travel. Plus, for what it is, this bike is really expensive. Overall, if you’re seeking a truly fun ride for older kids, we think the Razor RipRider 360 is the better choice.

This article was edited by Amy Miller Kravetz and Kalee Thompson.