I recommend the 5 best budget direct drive racing wheels that you can buy. We test all five wheels to see which cheap racing wheel is the best buy.
Disclaimer: Some of the links on this page may be affiliate links. We earn a commission from any sale after clicking an affiliate link. Find out more.
Buying a new direct drive wheel can be expensive. In years past, choosing direct drive meant spending up to and over £/$1000. However, in recent years, direct-drive racing wheels have become cheaper.
This is mainly due to Fanatec introducing the small CSL DD back in 2021 with a price tag of under $/€350. Since then, the sim racing hardware market has been flooded with smaller and cheaper direct-drive wheels.
If you want to upgrade from an entry-level Logitech G923 or Thrustmaster wheel to a more powerful direct drive wheel base, what is the best budget-friendly option? In this guide, I’ll look at my recommendations for the best cheap direct drive wheel you can currently buy in 2024.
Before I go into detail about each wheel and what you should be looking for, I want to share my recommendations for the best budget direct drive wheel. Each option has its pros and cons, which I’ve highlighted quickly below. I have used each of these wheels over the past 5 years that I’ve been sim racing, and each one is a great option.
| Components | Price | Pros |
|---|---|---|
| MOZA R3 | £399 / $399 | Xbox compatible, complete bundle |
| MOZA R5 | £539 / $539 | More power than R3, PC only bundle |
| Fanatec CSL DD | €349.95 / $349.95 | The original small DD wheel, often out of stock |
| Thrustmaster T818 | £599.99 / $649.99 | 10Nm of peak torque, more expensive than others |
| Simagic Alpha Mini | £539 / $539 | 10Nm of peak torque, premium feel |
| Cammus C5 | £389.99 / $249 | Very unique integration and solution |
Direct drive racing wheels are widely considered to be better than gear or belt driven wheels due to the larger motor and better integration. These racing wheels are called direct drive, because the motor is “directly” connected to the wheel shaft.
With older and more budget racing wheels, gears and belts often sat between a smaller motor and the wheel shaft to save costs. This led to force feedback that could sometimes feel clunky and washed out.
Reddit user Phydomir perfectly describes the difference between direct drive and belt wheels, making the point that direct drive wheels won’t necessarily improve your pace which is very true.
The introduction of direct drive racing wheels happened many years ago and was long seen as a premium technology. Only five years ago, the Fanatec Podium series and Simucube 2 wheels were some of the only direct drive wheels available, and they all cost up to and over £/$1000.
It wasn’t until Fanatec released the CSL DD, followed by MOZA with the R5 and R9 that direct drive wheels became much more affordable.
A good direct drive wheel combines performance, usually measured by peak torque and slew rate, with a solid build and good heat dissipation solution. This is because racing wheels can get hot, especially with the larger motors that direct drive wheels use.
Many DD racing wheels, such as those from MOZA, Simucube, and others, use the outer casing as a heat sink. This means there is no need for an internal fan to cool the motor, which saves on price while reducing potential issues as fewer components exist. Most DD wheels will have a metal outer casing to help dissipate heat, with only a few exceptions, such as the Thrustmaster T818.
One area to watch when purchasing a cheap direct drive wheel base is its compatibility. This is important as many DD racing wheels forgo console compatibility and are PC only. This applies to most MOZA Racing wheels and those from Simagic and Cammus.
It is also important to check compatibility with other products and the ecosystem of the brand you’re buying. Having a wide ecosystem of products to choose from will give you plenty of routes to upgrade or add to your wheel in the future.
This is an area where Logitech has struggled as it released a direct drive Pro wheel a few years ago and didn’t follow up with any additional accessories or wheel rims.
The first racing wheel I would recommend as one of the best cheap direct drive wheels is the MOZA R3. This is undoubtedly one of the cheapest and most accessible DD wheels available. It costs £399 or $399, but that includes a steering wheel, table clamp, and pedals.
The price of the R3 bundle is very similar to the price of a Logitech G923 bundle, which uses far inferior gear-driven technology. The MOZA R3 was first announced back in 2023, however wasn’t officially launched until June 2024. Since then it has been my favourite and one of the best cheap direct drive wheels for Xbox.
The wheel base is one of the smallest racing wheels on the market and is even smaller than the already tiny R5 and R9 wheels that MOZA already sold. It produces 3.9Nm of peak torque, which is respectable, and it beats similarly priced wheels from Logitech and Thrustmaster.
During my time reviewing the R3, I found it fantastic to have a plug-and-play Xbox-compatible direct drive racing wheel where everything just works. I found the force feedback to be great, with a nice kick and good fidelity and details. My main drawback and things that I didn’t like during use was the cheap feeling pedals. However, these can be upgraded to better MOZA pedals.
If the 3.9Nm of peak torque from the MOZA R3 just isn’t quite enough, my second recommendation would be the MOZA Racing R5. Once again, this comes as a complete bundle with the ES steering wheel and SR-P Lite pedals. My criticism of the pedals does carry over to this product, but once again, they can be improved and upgraded.
The MOZA R5 is a solid upgrade over the R3. The increase in peak torque to 5.5Nm is certainly noticeable, and it starts to bring the force feedback into a really respectable power range.
It is worth noting that the R5 is only PC compatible and doesn’t offer Xbox support as the smaller R3 does. The increase in power comes with a higher price of £539 or $539 when not in a sale.
It’s a price jump of over £/$100, which is pretty considerable. However, I found the force feedback to be a considerable improvement over the R3 despite the small torque increase on paper. On occasions the R3 did feel slightly underpowered, and that is something that is fixed with the R5.
The next cheap direct drive racing wheel that I’d recommend would be the Fanatec CSL DD. This is a direct competitor to the MOZA R5 and was the first small direct drive wheel to be launched. Releasing back in 2021, this wheel is now 4 years old, but it has stood the test of time.
Fanatec has recently released the more powerful (and more expensive) ClubSport DD and DD+ wheels, and while these improve on the force feedback, the CSL DD still impresses, even in 2024.
Much like the MOZA R3, the Fanatec CSL DD is Xbox-compatible which is a big selling point for console sim racers looking to buy a direct drive wheel.
The Fanatec CSL DD was one of the first direct drive wheels I purchased, and I have used it for the past 3 or 4 years regularly. It has held up well to punishment and still delivers great quality force feedback. Plus you do have the option to upgrade the power to 8Nm should you find that the base 5Nm of peak torque isn’t strong enough.
The main downside of currently buying a Fanatec racing wheel is the recent trouble that Fanatec and parent company Endor have found themselves in. They are struggling financially, which could impact your decision on whether to buy a Fanatec wheel, although Fanatec has issued a statement saying normal operations are continuing.
Thrustmaster is a sim racing and gaming brand that was long regarded as Fanatec’s main competitor and one of the best sim racing brands. Over the past 3 or 4 years, Thrustmaster has been battling with Logitech to be the best budget racing wheel, with their T248 and T128 wheels being incredibly popular choices within the sim racing community.
Both of these wheels are belt-driven and do lack power compared to the direct-drive wheels I’m recommending in this guide. Thankfully, in 2023, Thrustmaster did release their first direct drive wheel, the T818.
During my time testing the T818, I was using the incredible Ferrari SF1000 steering wheel. Any Formula 1 fan would love this wheel as I did, and this really swayed me into liking this wheel rim and wheel base combination.
The Thrustmaster produces the highest peak torque of any wheel I’m recommending in this budget DD wheel guide at 10Nm. And this does push it into a higher price range. At £599.99 or $649.99, this isn’t an overly cheap wheel anymore, sitting right at the top of the budget and mid-range price point.
The T818 itself does lack in some areas, being a little bulkier than some of its rivals with a plastic construction and a poor quick release. However, during my playtesting across the span of a few months, I found the force feedback performance to be impressive and close to what we’ve come to expect with good detail within the FFB.
Originating out of China, just like MOZA Racing, are Simagic. They’re a very well-regarded sim racing brand that tends to create some very special steering wheels and great wheel bases.
You won’t typically find Simagic on many budget-friendly guides as their products can sit more in the mid-range to premium category. However, the Simagic Alpha Mini wheel base just scrapes into a budget category, albeit right at the very top.
The Alpha Mini is the cheapest racing wheel that Simagic sells and offers the same 10Nm of peak torque that is available from the Thrustmaster T818, but at a lower price point.
We found the FFB detail and power to be very similar to those of the MOZA R9, which we loved at this price point. However, this is a PC-only racing wheel, which may rule it out for some sim racers.
My final recommendation is a raing wheel that really surprised me when I first used it. The Cammus C5 is a truly unique direct drive wheel that hides all of the internal motor in the steering wheel itself.
This results in a wheel that has no body and instead mounts to a table or cockpit via a unique table clamp. Despite its unusual shape and design, the 5Nm of peak torque is more than powerful enough within this price range and the lack of body does have some benefits.
By removing the large box that normally sits behind the steering wheel, the C5 allows a TV or monitor to be mounted very low behind the steering wheel producing a unique driving experience.
You can use the links below to shop for your favourite sim racing products, or for any products that we may have recommended. These links are affiliate links, and will earn us a small commission, with no additional cost for you.
Direct drive racing wheels are considered to be better than a gear or belt-driven wheel as the motor is normally larger and mounted directly to the steering shaft. This results in more powerful force feedback that has more detail and fidelity.
Upgrading to any direct drive wheel, be it cheap or premium, won’t necessarily make you faster. The added detail and information that a direct drive wheel provides can over time help you understand how your car is behaving better.
Rich is the founder, F1 car setup creator and content writer for SimRacingSetups. With over a decade of experience as a graphic designer, marketing director, competitive sim racer and avid motorsport fan, Rich founded SimRacingSetup.com to share his passion and knowledge of sim racing and Formula 1 with other sim racers. Regularly writes for sim racing website SimRaceReviews.com
View all articles written by Rich
View Best F1 24 Racing Wheels
Best PS5 Racing Wheels
The season finale of the 2024 Formula 1 season is Abu Dhabi, and this is a… Read More »F1 24 How To Be Faster At Abu Dhabi (Track Guide)
Simucube has released its second ActivePedal, this time called the Pro. The ActivePedal Pro is a… Read More »Watch our Simucube ActivePedal Pro Review
Every sim racing brand that is running a Black Friday sale event, has now started their… Read More »Which Sim Racing Brand Has The Best Black Friday Deals?
