How to get into karting: a UK guide for kids and adults

Picture a karting family and you probably see a van, a trailer and a kart they bought and work on themselves. The owner of Club100 told Motor Sport magazine in April 2025 that under 2% of UK karters own their kart. Around 98% race on an arrive-and-drive basis, in karts someone else owns and looks after.

That is worth knowing before you work out how to get into karting, because you can go a long way without buying anything. There is a clear route from a first rental session to club racing, and you can stop at whichever step suits your budget. The route is the same for children and adults.

Start with a rental session

Motorsport UK's own advice on how to start karting is to begin at an arrive-and-drive centre. There are more than 150 kart circuits in the UK. A 15-minute session in a four-stroke corporate kart is enough to tell whether you enjoy it.

For children, look for junior or cadet sessions. AllKart's 2026 price guide gives two examples. Whilton Mill runs Bambino and Cadet sessions at £30, and Three Sisters runs a 20-minute session for 8 to 15 year olds at £25.99.

Try several sessions at different tracks. You are watching for two things. Does the driver want to keep going? And are their lap times getting better from one session to the next?

Minimum ages for junior karting

Motorsport UK sets the ages, and they vary a little by class and championship. This table draws on Motorsport UK's start karting guidance and its National Competition Rules.

The ages come from Motorsport UK's Start Karting leaflet, its how-to-start page and the 2025 National Competition Rules. Each championship also sets its own bands. At Club100, Cadet runs from the year of the 8th birthday to the year of the 13th, and drivers must be at least 125cm tall. Always check the class rules before you buy anything.

Rental racing or your own kart

There are two ways to race. Most people should start with the first.

Arrive-and-drive racing

The organiser supplies the kart and maintains it. You turn up with your kit and race.

The British Indoor Karting Championship (BIKC) is organised by Motorsport UK with TeamSport at indoor venues. According to its Wikipedia entry, it has Cadet (8+), Junior (12 to 16) and Adult (16+) classes, and you need a Motorsport UK K-I licence and a TeamSport membership. Motorsport UK's licence fees page put the K-I licence at £34.99 in 2026.

Club100 runs two-stroke arrive-and-drive racing at 14 circuits, with Cadet, Junior and Senior championships. AllKart found rounds costing about £265 to £285 in 2026, and the K-X licence you need is free. If you are moving up from four-stroke rental karts, you have to pass a test before you race.

With around 98% of UK karters racing this way, by the Club100 owner's estimate, arrive-and-drive is a proper form of racing in its own right.

Owner-driver club racing

Here you buy a kart, join a kart club registered with Motorsport UK and race in a recognised class. It costs more and takes more of your time. In return you get more track time, more choice of class and a route into national championships. For budgets, see how much karting costs.

The licence and the ARKS test

To race your own kart at a Motorsport UK club, you need a competition licence. In 2026 the process runs like this:

1. Buy the Motorsport UK karting starter pack, also called the "Go Karting" pack. It costs about £75 to £78, lasts two years and includes your first competition licence. Motorsport UK's starter pack page shows £75, and AllKart found £78.
2. Choose an ARKS school. Motorsport UK lists 11 accredited members of the Association of Racing Kart Schools.
3. Book the ARKS test, the novice driver training course. It has a written part on rules and flags and a practical driving assessment. Motorsport UK says it usually costs around £120, while AllKart quotes up to £100 including VAT, plus kart hire if you do not bring your own.
4. Complete a vision test or medical if one is required.
5. Apply for your Kart Inter Club licence within 12 months of passing.

Under-18s cannot enter races themselves. Under the National Competition Rules, a parent or guardian countersigns entries and attends the event, and in karting must hold a PG Entrant's licence.

Moving up to a National licence

Some national championship classes need a Kart National licence. To upgrade from Kart Inter Club, the National Competition Rules ask for ten steward signatures from Inter Club races, from at least three different venues. Passing the ARKS course counts as one of them. In practice that means a season of club racing at more than one circuit.

Choosing a club and a class

Motorsport UK's Start Karting leaflet says that visiting your local circuit to see which classes are popular is "the best advice in all cases". Before you buy a kart, go and see for yourself:

• Go to a club race meeting as a spectator. Walk the paddock, count the karts in each class and talk to parents.
• Pick a class with a healthy grid at the track where you will race most. Close racing in a full class teaches more than leading a thin one.
• Ask the club whether anyone hires out karts or runs a novice class.
• Check what practice days cost and how often the track is open.
• Ask which licence the club championship needs, and whether there is a novice or rookie category.

While you are there, ask about chassis, engines and which used karts are worth buying.

The kit you will need

For Motorsport UK events, Demon Tweeks' guide to kartwear for beginners sets out the basics. The race suit must carry CIK homologation, which means it has been approved to a recognised karting safety standard. Gloves must be complete, without open backs, and boots must cover and support the ankles. You also need an approved helmet.

Demon Tweeks covers rib protectors too, and describes a neck brace as an essential item of driver protection, although neither is listed as a Motorsport UK requirement. Buy the helmet new and have it fitted in person. Second-hand suits and boots are fine for growing children.

A plan for the first season

For a new junior or adult driver who has decided to race, a realistic first year runs like this:

1. Months 1 to 2: do several rental sessions at two or three tracks, and visit a club race meeting.
2. Month 3: choose arrive-and-drive or owner-driver. If you go owner-driver, pick the club and class, and buy a used kart with advice from someone who races in that class.
3. Months 3 to 4: buy the starter pack and kit, and book the ARKS test.
4. Months 4 to 6: do practice days at your home track. Aim for consistency before outright pace. Learn the basic maintenance jobs, such as the chain, tyre pressures and sprocket changes.
5. Months 6 to 12: race the club championship. If money is tight, do not chase every round. Four or five well-prepared meetings beat ten rushed ones.
6. End of season: compare your lap times with the class leaders, count the signatures on your upgrade card and decide whether to do another club season or step up.

Because the Kart National upgrade needs ten signatures from at least three venues, most drivers need a full season of club racing before they move to national championships.

Karting for adults

Everything above applies to adults too. Senior karting starts at 16, and the same Motor Sport article notes that Club100's senior championships have included drivers over 70. Club100 says each of its championships has ability and weighted categories, and BIKC splits adults into light, mid and heavy weight classes.

Adults usually have more control over the budget and less spare time, and arrive-and-drive suits that well. If you want to race cars later, karting is still the cheapest place to learn racecraft. Our guide to how to become a racing driver covers that next step.

Paying for a season

Once you are racing a club season, a local sponsor who covers tyres or entry fees makes a real difference. GridFuel helps you build a driver profile with your results and calendar, then suggests local companies that fit and drafts the outreach. For under-18s, a linked guardian approves anything before it is sent. The karting sponsorship guide for parents explains what to offer in return.

If your child is already talking about Formula 1, read how to become an F1 driver together for an honest view of that path. Then book the first rental session.