Magic Kingdom · Tomorrowland
Tomorrowland Speedway
Gas-powered cars on a guide rail — loud, slow, hot, and the only place a small child can drive.
Ride facts
- Type
- Train
- Height
- 32in (81cm)32in to ride with an adult, 54in to drive alone
- Intensity
- Gentle
- Motion sickness
- Low motion risk
- Getting wet
- Stay dry
- Indoor / outdoor
- Outdoor
- Air conditioned
- No
- Rider Switch
- Available
Last verified July 2026
What it is
The Speedway is a set of gas-powered two-seat cars running on a half-mile track with a steel guide rail down the center of each lane. You steer, but the rail limits how far off course you can get; you control the accelerator, and top speed is around seven miles per hour. It has run essentially unchanged since 1971.
It is loud, it smells of exhaust, the queue is exposed to the sun, and the ride itself takes five minutes at a crawl. On any objective measure it is the weakest major attraction at Magic Kingdom and it consistently posts waits of forty minutes or more.
It stays because of one thing. At 32 inches a child can ride with an adult, and at 54 inches they can drive alone — and for a certain kind of seven-year-old, holding a real steering wheel and pressing a real accelerator is the highlight of the entire trip. If that describes a child in your party, the wait is worth it. If not, this is the easiest skip in the park.
What riding it is actually like
The queue runs alongside the track under partial cover, and it is loud enough that conversation is difficult. In summer this is one of the worst waits at Magic Kingdom — hot, noisy, and the exhaust smell carries.
Cars are two-seaters with a bench, a steering wheel, and a floor accelerator. An adult riding with a small child typically operates the pedal while the child steers, because the pedal requires steady pressure for five minutes and a child's leg will not hold it. Children driving alone must be 54 inches.
The lap is a five-minute crawl around a landscaped track with a guide rail keeping you roughly in lane. Steering does something — you bounce off the rail if you oversteer — but you cannot leave the lane. The car behind you will hit you at least twice; this is normal and unavoidable, and it is the part small kids find most exciting.
Is Tomorrowland Speedway scary?
Not frightening, but loud and jarring. The cars are gas-powered and the engine noise plus exhaust fumes bothers some children, and rear-end collisions from the car behind are constant and abrupt. The rail-guided steering means a child cannot actually crash, but the bumps feel real.
Scores are editorial, on a 1–5 scale, judged against what frightens a typical four- to seven-year-old rather than an adult.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair
- Must transfer to the ride vehicle
- Audio description
- Not offered
- Handheld captioning
- Not offered
- Assistive listening
- Not offered
- Sign language
- Not offered
- Service animals
- Must use a kennel or wait with a companion
Transfer into a low two-seat car with a step over the side; the accelerator requires foot pressure for the full lap, which is a genuine barrier for guests with limited leg strength. There is no hand-control vehicle.
Tips that actually help
- Ride it in the first hour or skip it. A forty-five-minute midday wait for five minutes of exhaust fumes at seven miles per hour is the worst trade at Magic Kingdom, and the queue offers no shade worth the name.
- The adult should work the pedal and let the child steer. A five-year-old cannot hold the accelerator down for a full lap, and the ride stopping halfway through is the standard rookie outcome.
- 54 inches to drive alone is the number that matters to older kids, and it is one of the few requirements at Disney where the taller child gets the better experience rather than just access.
- Rider Switch is available, which is worth knowing because plenty of parents assume a 32-inch ride does not need it.
- If your child is under 54 inches and desperate to drive solo, the honest answer is that no other attraction on Walt Disney World property offers it. Manage expectations before you queue rather than at the loading gate.
Timing
- Best time to ride
- The first hour after opening; the queue is unbearable in midday summer heat.
- Typical wait
- 30 to 60 minutes for most of the day, which is out of proportion to what it delivers.
- Lightning Lane
- Lightning Lane Multi Pass
Tomorrowland Speedway: common questions
What is the height requirement for Tomorrowland Speedway?
32 inches to ride with an adult, and 54 inches to drive alone. That 54-inch mark is one of the highest solo requirements at Walt Disney World and is the number most families are actually asking about.
Can kids really drive the cars at Tomorrowland Speedway?
They steer, within limits. A steel guide rail runs down the center of each lane, so the car cannot leave the track no matter what the driver does. Steering input moves the car within the lane and produces a bump off the rail if you oversteer, which most children find satisfying.
Is Tomorrowland Speedway worth the wait?
Honestly, only if you have a child who specifically wants to drive. It is loud, it smells of exhaust, the queue has almost no shade, and the ride is a five-minute crawl. For that one child it can be the best thing they do all trip; for everyone else it is the clearest skip at Magic Kingdom.
How fast do the cars go on Tomorrowland Speedway?
About seven miles per hour at full throttle. The perception of speed is much higher for a child holding the wheel, which is the entire point of the attraction.