Buyers Guide For The Best Budget Racing Wheel In 2025

Sim racing has seen a huge boom over the past few years carrying through 2023 and into 2024 and 2025, with many turning to sim racing when other activities simply weren’t accessible. This boost in popularity has been great for the sim racing community, with a much larger spotlight being directed towards the sport.

But many gamers may look at sim racing as an expensive hobby or simply not accessible due to the price of racing wheels and other sim racing equipment. And this can result in many potential sim racers and motorsport fans never trying sim racing.

In this guide, I want to show you that sim racing doesn’t have to be expensive by showing you the best budget sim racing wheels on the market. Hopefully, this guide will showcase how accessible sim racing can be and help you decide which budget racing wheel to choose.

I’ll show you my favourite budget racing wheel, which is an absolute steal for the price. And I’ll also touch on a few alternatives, all within a reasonable budget. I’ll also show you the cheapest racing wheel money can buy, and tell you whether or not you should pick one up.

TL;DR Overview of the best budget racing wheels

Before I jump into a more detailed explanation of each budget racing wheel that I want to recommend, I’ll first show you the five best budget racing wheels. If you don’t have time to read our complete guide, you can go by our recommendations below.

	Racing wheel	Pros	Price
	MOZA R3	Cheapest direct drive racing wheel	£399/$399
	Logitech G923	Great build quality & compatibility	£350/$350
	Thrustmaster T128	Cheapest force feedback wheel	£140/$140
	Thrustmaster T248	Smooth force feedback at a great price	£299/$299
	Fanatec CSL DD	Incredible performance at a low price	€399/$399

Best budget complete racing wheel bundle

MOZA R3 racing wheel

Racing Wheel – MOZA R3
Compatibility – Xbox, PC
Price – £399/$399
Where to buy – Buy from MOZA

MOZA Racing has quickly become a big brand within sim racing. Although they may be a relatively new brand, they have released a wide range of sim racing products, from racing wheels to pedals, shifters, and more. This has elevated them into being one of the more popular sim racing brands in 2025.

Their cheapest racing wheel is the MOZA R3, which is available as a complete sim racing wheel bundle that is both PC and Xbox compatible. It is a small form-factor direct-drive racing wheel capable of up to 3.9Nm of peak torque.

The MOZA R3 bundle includes the wheel base (the box that is mounted to your sim racing cockpit or desk). This is a direct-drive wheel base that can produce up to 3.9Nm of torque. A desk clamp is also included, which makes mounting your racing wheel incredibly easy.

You also get an Xbox-branded steering wheel. This steering wheel features a metal faceplate with a range of push buttons, allowing you to control your car in-game from your steering wheel. Around the back are a set of paddle shifters that let you sim race with manual gears.

Finally, you get a set of pedals, which make this a complete sim racing bundle. This is a two-pedal set, which can be upgraded to include a third pedal if you want to use the clutch in-game.

In my time with the R3, I found that the force feedback power that this wheel produces easily beats other budget racing wheels such as the Logitech G923 and the Thrustmaster T248. By using direct drive technology, the MOZA R3 also benefits from increased force feedback fidelity and detail compared to belt or gear-driven wheels.

Read our guide on how direct drive racing wheels compare to belt and gear-driven racing wheels.

How much is the MOZA Racing R3?

When looking at the cost of the MOZA Racing R3, you have to remember that it includes everything to go racing with including pedals. The R3 bundle includes the wheel base, a steering wheel, pedal set and table clamp.

The current price of the entire R3 bundle is currently £/$399 (from MOZA Racing)

Why is the MOZA R3 the best budget racing wheel?

Within this price range, no other racing wheels offer direct drive technology. Direct drive is the term given to the way that the internal motor translates its force feedback to the steering wheel.

A direct drive racing wheel will always have better force feedback detail than gear or belt-driven wheels. This is because gear and belt-driven racing wheels transfer the force feedback from the motor to the wheel via belts or gears. And in this transfer, some detail is almost always lost.

The MOZA R3 delivers impressive force feedback detail and strength from such a small and budget-friendly wheel base. It also includes a high-quality steering wheel, pedal set, and table clamp.

Having all of these components in one sim racing bundle for such a low price makes the MOZA R3 a fantastic value.

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Best budget direct drive wheel

Fanatec CSL DD

Racing Wheel – Fanatec CSL DD
Compatibility – PC, Xbox Series X|S
Price – From €/$349.95
Where to buy – Buy from Fanatec EU / Buy from Fanatec US

If you are considering purchasing your sim racing equipment separately, you may be considering a wheel base, steering wheel, and pedals as individual items. If this is the case, then one of the best budget-friendly wheel base options is the new Fanatec CSL DD.

The CSL DD was recently released as the cheapest console-compatible direct drive wheel base on the market. And it’s the cheapest direct drive wheel base Fanatec have ever released.

How much is the Fanatec CSL DD?

Fanatec is a premium sim racing peripheral builder, so its price is higher than the Logitech G923. The CSL DD price starts from €349.95 for the base wheel base and can go up to €479.95 if you include the optional boost pack.

This price only includes the wheel base. To complete your setup, you will also need to purchase a compatible steering wheel and pedal set.

You can pick up a Fanatec steering wheel rim for around €100 and a pedal set for €100, meaning the true cost of a CSL DD sim racing setup would be around €550 at a minimum.

While €550 isn’t exactly cheap, it is remarkably good value for money for a true direct-drive racing wheel.

If you currently have a Fanatec sim racing setup and are looking to upgrade in the near future, the CSL DD would make a fantastic option due to its budget price tag for direct-drive technology.

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Overall best budget racing wheel

Logitech G923

Racing Wheel – Logitech G923
Compatibility – PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox Series X|S
Price – £379/$399
Where to buy – Buy Logitech G923 UK/EU / Buy Logitech G923 US

Above I have recommended the MOZA R3 as the best budget sim racing wheel bundle for both PC and Xbox due to its impressive inclusion of direct drive technology for such a low price. I’ve also recommended the Fanatec CSL DD as the best stand-alone budget racing wheel base which is also Xbox compatible.

However, my favourite pick for the best budget sim racing wheel is the Logitech G923, and I’m placing it as my overall winner. Logitech has been around sim racing for decades, producing legendary racing wheels such as the G25 and G27. They also offer a premium racing wheel, the Logitech Pro racing wheel.

The Logitech G923 is the latest budget racing wheel that Logitech has produced, and thanks to its incredibly high build quality, impressive pedals and new TrueForce technology, I still rate it as the best budget racing wheel.

Internally, the Logitech G923 isn’t as impressive as racing wheels from MOZA and Fanatec. It utilises gear-driven force feedback, which means there is a smaller motor that is connected to your steering wheel via a set of gears. You can occasionally feel these mechanical gears moving whilst racing, and by using gears, the force feedback isn’t as powerful as the MOZA R3 or Fanatec CSL DD.

Despite this, the force feedback feels nice during use, and the TrueForce technology elevates the force feedback by introducing additional vibrations. TrueForce utilises in-game audio and translates it into vibrations that can be felt through the steering wheel. This allows you to feel your car’s revs along with feeling as you approach the edge of grip.

It is also worth noting that the Logitech G923 includes a great set of budget racing pedals. The pedal set includes three pedals which means you can race using a manual clutch without any additional purchase.

Logitech has also improved the weight and feel of the brake pedal to make braking feel more realistic. The added weight to the brake pedal also lets you brake more consistently whilst racing and is a huge improvement over pedals available from MOZA and Thrustmaster in their budget sim racing bundles.

How much does the Logitech G923 cost?

The official RRP of the Logitech G923 is £379.99 or $399.99. However, the G923 racing wheel is available from a wide range of resellers as well as Logitech directly, and it can often be purchased for much less than this.

Currently, at the time of writing, there is a deal for the Logitech G923 on Amazon for just £289.99. This is a complete £100 discount, and prices similar to this are available year round from various retailers. You can keep track of the best Logitech G923 deals here.

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Best budget racing wheel PC, Xbox & PS5

One of the things to keep an eye out for when shopping for a new racing wheel, whether its a budget racing wheel or a premium one, is compatibility with the platform you are looking to sim race on. Most racing wheels are locked to specific platforms. For example, the Fanatec CSL DD is only PC and Xbox compatible, and many MOZA Racing wheels are only PC compatible.

Whichever console or platform you race on, there are budget racing wheels available to choose from. Below I will show you a table containing the best budget racing wheels for PC, Xbox and PS5.

	Wheel	Platform	Price
	Fanatec CSL DD	PC	€349.95
	MOZA Racing R3	Xbox	£399/$399
	Logitech G923	PS5	£350/$350

With some racing wheels like the Logitech G923 and the Thrustmaster T248, the racing wheel is compatible with both Xbox and PlayStation consoles. However, there are two versions of each of these wheels. One version is Xbox and PC compatible. And the other is PlayStation and PC compatible.

This means it is important to purchase the correct variation of the wheel that will work with your console. Unfortunatly, there isn’t a single version of the Logitech G923 racing wheel that is compatible with both Xbox and PlayStation consoles.

I have recommended the Fanatec CSL DD as the best PC budget racing wheel due to Fanatec’s wide range of additional peripherals. Fanatec sells one of the largest range of sim racing steering wheels, pedals and accessories, all of which are PC compatible. This means that if you are looking to expand your sim racing setup over time, choosing the Fanatec ecosystem when buying your budget racing wheel is a great choice.

For the best budget racing wheel for Xbox, the MOZA Racing R3 is my top pick. It offers performance that other wheels can’t deliver for the price range. Only the Fanatec CSL DD comes close to matching or beating the R3 within a similar price range.

Unfortunatly for those looking for a budget racing wheel for PlayStation and PS5 consoles, most PS5-compatible wheels come with a higher price tag attached. For example, the PlayStation equivalent of the Fanatec CSL DD, the GT DD Pro costs €599.95, which is a whopping €250 more than the base price of the 5Nm Xbox-compatible CSL DD.

Also, while MOZA Racing offer an Xbox-compatible budget racing wheel, the R3, they don’t currently offer any PS5-compatible racing wheels. This has led me to recommend the Logitech G923 as the best budget racing wheel for PS5 sim racers due to its high build quality.

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The cheapest racing wheels available

There are two racing wheels which fit the category of the cheapest on the market. These are the Hori Apex racing wheel and the Thrustmaster T80 Ferrari 488.

Hori Apex – From £74.99

The Hori Apex racing wheel is technically the cheaper of the two, priced from £74.99 (available to buy on Amazon).

That price includes the racing wheel and pedals, so much like the Logitech G923, the Apex is ready to race with as soon as you buy it.

The Hori Apex doesn’t utilise true force-feedback technology like the Logitech G923 or the Fanatec CSL DD. Instead, it uses vibration motors to give vibration-based force-feedback.

This works in much the same way as a controller vibrates when you hit a bump or a wall. The wheel itself will vibrate when forces are exerted through your car, but the wheel won’t have true force feedback.

Thrustmaster T80 Ferrari 488 – From £99.99

The Thrustmaster T80 is slightly more expensive than the Hori Apex (available to buy on Amazon), but features Ferrari branding and the well-known Thrustmaster badge.

Much like the Hori Apex, the T80 doesn’t feature true force-feedback. Instead, Thrustmaster uses a completely unique approach called the Thrustmaster® “Bungee Cord” system.

This system essentially provides a linear resistance style feedback via a bungee-cord like system inside the wheel base. This isn’t true force-feedback but does give some resistance when turning the wheel.

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Are budget racing wheels as good as premium wheels?

In the case of the Fanatec CSL DD, then absolutely. The CSL DD is one of the best sim racing wheel bases launched in a long time and goes a long way to proving that a budget racing wheel can be as good as premium options.

While it doesn’t have the same amount of torque that the premium direct drive wheel base such as the DD1 or DD2 has. It has more than enough for 90% of sim racers. And it brings some new tricks to the party.

The CSL DD features upgraded technology which improves the quality of the force feedback ensuring that there are new details felt in the force feedback that older direct drive wheels don’t produce. New and improved direct drive technology in a wheel base costing less than £400 is extremely good value!

Fanatec has also gone a long way towards making the CSL DD even more affordable by producing a series of Ready2Race bundles. These bundles include the CSL DD wheel base along with a steering wheel and set of pedals to form a complete bundle that can be plug and play.

Each Ready2Race bundle includes a different steering wheel and some also include upgraded pedals, and this causes the price of these budget racing wheel bundles to vary. However, the cheapest racing wheel bundles can be picked up from as low as €399.95. That price isn’t much more expensive than non direct drive options like the Logitech G923, making the CSL DD bundles incredible value.

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Is the Logitech G923 as good as direct drive wheels?

If you look at one of our other favourite picks for the best budget racing wheel, the Logitech G923, then you can argue that the technology used isn’t quite as good as premium technology. The G923 uses gears to transfer the force feedback from the motor to the steering wheel. And this is technically inferior to belt-driven or direct-drive force feedback.

However, the good news is that the inferior gear-driven force feedback technology doesn’t overly hurt the G923. You still get great force feedback for a very good price. Logitech also introduced TrueForce technology into the latest G923 racing wheel. This simulates engine vibration via vibration motors in the steering wheel itself which is pretty cool.

The addition of TrueForce makes this budget racing wheel feel more immersive than others in a similar price range. Being able to feel the car’s revs as additional vibrations is a really nice touch and adds to the good quality that Logitech already offered.

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How much should I spend on a budget racing wheel?

What your budget is for a sim racing wheel comes down to your own preference. At the cheapest end of budget racing wheels are non-force feedback options like the Hori Apex. This budget racing wheel comes in at a very cheap price, but it does have big limitations.

Below is a quick overview of the best budget sim racing wheels at each price point.

Category	Racing wheel	Price
Non force feedback wheel	Hori Apex	Under £/$100
Extreme budget with force feedback	Thrustmaster T128	£100-£200
Budget racing wheel	Logitech G923	£200-£400
Mid-range racing wheel	Fanatec CSL DD	£400+

In the case of the Hori Apex, it does not have force feedback, meaning you won’t be able to feel how your car is reacting in game. Instead, it features an internal rubber band system which adds some artificial weight to the steering wheel as you turn it.

Even if you have a low budget for a new racing wheel, I would advise steering clear of non force feedback racing wheels, and trying to step up to a better budget racing wheel. There are force feedback racing wheels available from as little as £/$150 such as the Thrustmaster T128.

Moving up the budget scale, you then have slightly more expensive racing wheels. These include the Logitech G923 and Thrustmaster T248 which both cost around £/$300. Within this price range, there really isn’t a racing wheel that offers better performance for the price.

Then, stepping up in price even further, you have the Fanatec CSL DD and its slightly more expensive sibling, the Fanatec GT DD Pro. While this is a more costly option than both the Hori Apex, Logitech G923 and Thrustmaster T248, it does provide extremely improved force-feedback thanks to its direct-drive technology. It also keeps its price rather low, especially considering the improvement to the force feedback.

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Frequently asked questions

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