Once upon a time, little robotic helicopters and paper planes were just silly flying toys for kids. But these days, there are some intense flying machines that adults drop hundreds if not thousands of dollars on to fly around their neighborhood.
Some may call these drones toys, but the price is nothing to play with. Who wouldn't want to fly like Superman in a passenger-carrying drone? With the best drone, you can feel like you're above the clouds, capture some insanely aerial photography, or just play pranks on your neighbors.
(Careful with that last one, though, or they may call the cops!)
Whether you're a fan of these drones or just want to know how much money people drop on these machines, read about the world's most expensive drone and some pricey runner-ups.
The Most Expensive Drone in the World
Without further ado, the most expensive drone in the world!
EHang 184
The EHang 184 carrying drone is the most expensive drone on the market right now.
When many people think of drones, they picture tiny little remote control machines. But this drone is designed to carry a passenger with a weight capacity of up to 220 pounds.
So if you want to feel like Iron Man buzzing around in the sky, you can do that with this drone.
You control this drone with an app on your phone, but there are also controls within the drone that you can use in case something goes wrong with your phone, the connection, or the application.
The manufacturers have added several redundancies to increase safety and made fail-safes to ensure the passenger returns to the ground safely!
Surprisingly, the EHang 184 lacks the fancy features that you may expect from the most expensive drone in the world, but that's because it focuses on safety first.
The drone has computers and sensors to assist in safe take-offs and landings. This kind of safety tech sends the price tag sky high, pun intended. But it can be yours if you have a few hundred thousand dollars lying around!
Specs
- Price: $300,000
- Weight: 440 lbs
- Speed: 81 mph
- Range: 9.9 miles
- Max Height: 1,600 feet
- Flight Time: 23 Minutes
Runner-Ups
If $300k is just slightly out of your price range, there are some less expensive options. But you'll still need a fat bank account or generous credit card to make them yours. These three drones made it into the top five most expensive drones in the world right now.
Augmented Aerigon
The first runner-up to the EHang 184 is the Augmented Aerigon, the perfect name for a six-armed drone that resembles something out of a sci-fi movie.
This drone takes incredible photographs, but isn't built to carry passengers or cargo. So if you want to fly high above the clouds, you'll have to spend that extra $50k for the EHang 184.
But for people that want to capture some super expensive photos, this drone features a 4K camera that captures truly stunning aerial footage if you know what you're doing.
The fifteen-minute flight time here is a bit generous, as some users state that the higher you fly, the faster you lose the charge. So it's only good for quick flights to snap a few pictures of a landscape or video a property.
It functions with any Android or Apple IOS device, so you can control your aircraft from your phone or laptop.
The Augmented Aerigon is primarily for mapping landscapes from different angles for topographic reasons. The mapping technology is one of the priciest aspects of this product. However, it also operates in a way that uses less energy that's harmful to the environment, like gas.
The entire purpose of this design, including the mapping technology, is to promote more sustainable living and consumption habits that preserve landscapes and the environment. But also, it's just fun to fly around and snap aerial photos if you have a cold $250k on hand.
Specs
- Price: $250,000
- Weight: 15 pounds
- Speed: 62 mph
- Range: 3,300 feet
- Max Height: 400 feet
- Flight Time: 15 minutes
Volocopter X2
The Volocopter X2, a pretty enticing name, is another passenger drone helicopter, but it isn't as easy to fly as the EHang 184.
The Volocopter X2 is a massive drone weighing over 600 pounds and can carry just over 350 pounds of weight, including a drone pilot, passenger, and additional cargo.
The versatility of this drone is impressive. The body is made of polyamide, a super lightweight material that allows it to fly with little wind resistance while carrying two people of average weight.
It also uses other lightweight materials like carbon fiber and more that the manufacturer keeps under wraps so as not to expose all of its engineering secrets.
It can fly over any terrain, from the ocean to the Rocky Mountains. Many wealthy individuals use it for small business trips or to show off this incredible feat of engineering.
However, compared to the Augmented Aerion, this is a plague upon the environment, using lead-acid batteries for charging.
Specs
- Price: $250,000
- Weight: 639 lbs
- Speed: 62 mph
- Range: 16.5 miles
- Max Height: 6,500 feet
- Flight Time: 27 minutes
XactSense Titan
The XactSense Titan drone is a cargo-carrying drone with lots of fancy features, but it comes in at a price point less than half of the other drones on this list.
While it doesn't have a camera to help you fly it, it does have excellent mobile and remote control technology, making it one of the easier drones for newbies to fly. It doesn't take pretty pictures, but it also has mapping technology, piloting itself as it tracks the terrain.
This commercial drone helps with search and rescue in natural disasters and brings aid to those in war zones and other humanitarian efforts. Businesses also use this drone technology for architectural renderings, civil engineering, forestry, and drone delivery.
While most people don't have $120k to spare, this is one of the less expensive drones with high-end mapping technology. So many companies see it as an investment, such as building developers or businesses in the oil industry surveying land.
Specs
- Price: $120,000
- Weight: 288 lbs
- Speed: 62 mph
- Range: 9.9 miles
- Max Height: 180 feet
- Flight Time: 30 minutes
What Makes a Drone Expensive?
The main technology that raises the price point of a drone is safety. Passenger drones that can carry one or more people have top-notch safety sensors, cutting-edge tech and excellent auto-piloting.
The last thing a drone manufacturer wants is a death due to a malfunction or other incident. So they pour thousands of dollars into ensuring every passenger trip has a happy ending.
Sadly, the most expensive drones usually don't have the coolest features, like 4K cameras, lasers, or whatever one may expect a $300,000 mini-helicopter to have.
Conclusion
If you're a drone enthusiast, you can probably find a way to justify spending $300k on the best and most expensive products on the drone market. You could sell your car, cancel your plane tickets and just float around in the EHang 184.
Unfortunately, this isn't realistic. But everyone can dream of drone racing and collecting amazing aerial footage with the best drone on the market. And if you happen to have an extra hundred thousand dollars burning a hole in your back pocket, go nuts!
FAQs
Below is some more information about drones that people commonly ask.
What's the average price of a drone?
It depends on what kind of drone and what you plan to use it for, but the average price of a drone for someone with experience is around $2,000. But you can find drones for as little as $50, and they have drones anywhere between $50 and the top mark of $300,000.
How hard is it to fly a drone?
It can be more difficult to fly a drone than most people think. But if you have any experience with flight simulations or other remote-controlled flights, you'll be able to pick it up fairly quickly. Some drones are much more user-friendly than others, so there are starter drones that almost anyone can operate with a bit of practice.
How long do drones last?
Drones that experience consistent use usually have a life expectancy of about two years with no repairs or part replacement. But most of the drones on this list should last at least four or five years before needing replacement.
