With 50 characters to choose from and over 40 vehicles to drive, narrowing down just which ones are the very best can be overwhelming. Thankfully, we've compiled all the available visual statistics and tested some of the best world record kart combos to determine which karts and characters we believe are best suited for every situation. This guide provides a list of the best recommended kart combos in Mario Kart World, including popular kart combinations used to earn world records on every track.

Looking for a particular kart combo that suits your play style? Click the links below to jump to:

• Vehicle Stats Explained
  • Are There Hidden Stats in Mario Kart World?
• Best Kart Combo for Racing and Acceleration
• Best All-Rounder Kart Combo for Racing
• Best Kart Combo for Speed and Time Trials

Vehicle Stats Explained

Before you can begin selecting a kart combo, it's important to first understand how stats work. In total, there are four key visual stats to consider when playing Mario Kart World and selecting your racer. These are speed, acceleration, weight, and handling. Below, you'll find a breakdown of what each of these actually means for each vehicle.

• Speed:
  • When talking about speed in Mario Kart World, this references the top speed that a kart, bike, or ATV can reach. So, if you're looking for a speedier vehicle, you'll want to choose one with a higher number under this category.
• Acceleration:
  • Acceleration goes hand in hand with speed, indicating how quickly a vehicle can reach its top speed. This applies to karts, bikes, and ATVs. The higher the number for acceleration, the quicker the vehicle can reach the top speed and get back to top speed if, for any reason, you're slowed down during the course of the race.
• Weight:
  • Like any Mario Kart game, you can expect collisions to occur during races. Weight directly relates to collisions, specifically those involving other drivers. The higher the weight, the better the vehicle can withstand bumping tires with other racers.
• Handling:
  • The handling statistics will indicate how easily a vehicle can navigate tight turns, which is particularly useful on courses with numerous twists and turns. Again, you're looking for the highest number if you want a vehicle that's capable of handling these tight turns with more ease.

Are There Hidden Stats in Mario Kart World

Like previous entries in the Mario Kart series, Mario Kart World also appears to feature hidden stats that are not visually represented via the vehicle stat bars. Following launch, the Mario Kart World Reddit Community has been actively testing whether or not there are invisible factors that need to be considered when determining the best overall kart combos.

YouTuber, Austin John Plays, even speculates that Mini Turbo is a potential hidden stat that matches your Acceleration and ultimately affects the duration of your Rainbow Mini Turbo effect. It is also believed that certain characters have terrain advantages, such as Cow performing better on dirt, Wario performing better on established roads, and Pianta performing better on water.

Until Mario Kart World can be data-mined for these hidden stats, there's currently no way to provide detailed stats without rigorous testing. For this reason, we have not factored speculated hidden stats into our kart combos and are relying on the data provided by the vehicle stat bars, which you can view in detail here.

Best Kart Combo for Racing and Acceleration

• Best Kart Combo for Racing and Acceleration: Para-Biddybud + W-Twin Chopper, Para-Biddybud + Baby Blooper, or Toadette + Baby Blooper

If you're planning to race in Cups, Knockout Tours, or Online, you're going to want a reliable kart combo that has a focus on Acceleration, while still maintaining high Speed and Handling, as races can typically land you in unpredictable situations, especially when competing against others online that like to take full advantage of using every item they can get their hands on.

For this reason, we recommend pairing Para-Biddybud (or any Baby Character) with the W-Twin Chopper, as the build features impressove stats across Acceleration, Handling, and Speed, which allows you to not only recover quicker when hit by other players' items but also adequately handle challenging tracks that offer lots of tight corners and shortcuts.

Alternatively, another recommendation would be to pair the Para-Biddybud with the Baby Blooper. This build offers a significant increase in Acceleration and a very slight improvement in handling, but it fares slightly slower than the W-Twin Chopper.

Additionally, it weighs considerably less, making it more susceptible to collisions. However, with that said, if acceleration and handling are your top priorities, this could be a great alternative, especially if the track you're racing features lots of twists and turns and minimal straightaways.

Now, it may be track-dependent, but we've also had considerable success when pairing Toadette with the Baby Blooper, especially on the Desert Hills track, which features plenty of tight turns, rails, and shortcuts. In terms of statistics, this particular build boasts great Acceleration and Handling, which are only slightly better than the W-Twin Chopper build above, but it falls short in terms of Speed.

With that said, we've tested all three builds on the likes of Desert Hill, and Toadette with the Baby Blooper always came out on top, even after several attempts.

Best All-Rounder Kart Combo for Racing

• Best All-Rounder Kart Combo for Racing: Toadette + Reel Racer

If you're in the market for something that's a little more balanced and performs well in most situations, whether it's recovering to top speed or catching up to heavy speedsters like Bowser and Wario, we may have a potential build to suit you.

For the best all-around kart combo, we recommend pairing Toadette with the Reel Racer, as it offers well-balanced stats across Speed, Acceleration, and Handling. While it doesn't offer super high Weight, it's more than enough for what we consider acceptable to avoid being bullied on track. Additionally, you can also use any other lightweight-type character with this build, as long as they maintain the same stats, such as Toad and Lakitu.

It is essential to note that this build doesn't necessarily excel in any particular stat, and we suspect it'll mostly be utilized by those seeking a more casual and all-around experience, without having to worry about a lack of acceleration or speed, as its stats are balanced across the board.

Best Kart Combo for Speed and Time Trials

• Best Kart Combo for Speed and Time Trials: Bowser + Reel Racer or Wario + Reel Racer

When competing in Time Trials, your main focus when building the best optimal kart combination will be Speed and Handling, as there's usually little need for acceleration, as you'll ideally be avoiding sharp turns that slow you down, and you won't be falling victim to other players' items.

For this reason, we believe the best kart and character combination for those chasing high speeds in time trials is Bowser paired with the Reel Racer, as it offers the highest speed while still maintaining decent Handling and acceptable Acceleration, despite Bowser's weight.

Alongside this build, you'll also find that Wario paired with the Reel Racer is a nice alternate, as Wario is lighter, which slightly drops your Speed in exchange for some Handling and Acceleration, which some might find helpful--despite only a very minimal difference.

Ultimately, the combination you choose will come down to personal preference, as both builds are frequently seen holding world records across several tracks.

Best Kart Combo For Speed Trials

Listed below are the best kart combo builds for every track, based on world record holders following the launch. It's also important to note that these kart combinations are based around Speed Trials and do not account for acceleration dips that are often seen in cup races or online competitions, due to players tossing speed-reducing items, such as Shells, Boomerangs, and more.

• Acorn Heights: Para-Biddybud + W-Twin Chopper and Para-Biddybud + Reel Racer
• Airship Fortress: Nabbit + Mach Rocket and Toadette + Mach Rocket
• Boo Cinema: Wario + Baby Blooper
• Bowser's Castle: Bowser Jr + Reel Racer
• Cheep Cheep Falls: Bowser + Reel Racer
• Choco Mountain: Bowser + Reel Racer
• Crown City: Wario + Hot Rod
• Dandelion Depths: Bowser + Reel Racer
• Desert Hills: Bowser + Reel Racer
• Dino Dino Jungle: Cow + Bowser Bruiser
• DK Pass: Bowser + Reel Racer
• DK Spaceport: Wario + Baby Blooper
• Dry Bones Burnout: Wario + Baby Blooper
• Faraway Oasis: Penguin + Reel Racer
• Great ? Block Ruins: Para-Biddybud + Mach Rocket
• Koopa Troopa Beach: Bowser + Chargin' Truck
• Mario Bros. Circuit: Nabbit + W-Twin Chopper and Para-Biddybud + Baby Blooper
• Mario Circuit: Toadette + Baby Blooper
• Moo Meadows: Cow + Bowser Bruiser
• Peach Beach: Bowser + Reel Racer
• Peach Stadium: Bowser + Roadster Royale
• Rainbow Road: Bowser + B Dasher
• Salty Salty Speedway: Bowser + Stellar Sled
• Shy Guy Bazaar: Toadette + Baby Blooper
• Sky-High Sundae: Toadette + Mach Rocket
• Starview Peak: Bowser + Reel Racer
• Toad's Factory: Bowser/Wario + Baby Blooper
• Wario Stadium: Nabbit + Mach Rocket and Toadette + Mach Rocket
• Wario's Galleon: Pianta + Reel Racer and Bowser + Reel Racer
• Whistlestop Summit: Para-Biddybud + Mach Rocket