Drone buying guides

Not sure where to start? These curated shortlists pick the best drones for a job — and tell you what it takes to fly each one legally.

• Best budget drone: honest picks (and the licence you'll need)

  Three honest budget picks — HoverAir X1, DJI Neo and Mini 5 Pro. All under 250 g and exam-free, but the camera means all of them need registration.

• Best first drone: honest picks for beginners (and the licence you'll need)

  Three honest first-drone picks — DJI Neo, Mini 5 Pro and Air 3S. The C0 models skip the exam but still need registration; the Air 3S requires the A1/A3 certificate.

• Best drone for photo and video: honest picks (and the licence you'll need)

  Three honest photo-and-video picks — DJI Mavic 4 Pro, Air 3S and Mini 5 Pro. The Mavic 4 Pro and Air 3S require the A1/A3 certificate; the Mini 5 Pro skips the exam, but all three need registration.

• Best drone for travel: light, compact and the rules that travel with you

  Three travel drones — DJI Mini 5 Pro, Neo and Air 3S. The sub-250 g C0 models are the easiest travel companions; the rules, including registration, apply across the EU.

• Best FPV drone: honest picks (and the licence you'll need)

  Two honest FPV picks — DJI Avata 2 and Neo. The Avata 2 (C1) requires the A1/A3 certificate, the Neo (C0) skips the exam, but both need registration.