The Splat Buggy is one of the three additional vehicle bodies in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe not present in the original game. It is one of the two All-Terrain Vehicles based on the Splatoon series, meaning that it is one of the Inklings' signature vehicles, the other being the Inkstriker. The vehicle looks nearly identical to the Standard ATV, but with a different frontal styling, a slimmer body, and equipped with a tank of ink on the back. The emblem is located on the right side of the ATV. Much like the Inkstriker, the exhaust pipes spray ink when getting a speed boost. The ink colors differ depending on the color of the Inkling. For every other character, it uses the pink Inkling Girl's color scheme, with the Mario franchise Super Mushroom emblem embedded instead of the Splatoon-themed arrows and a Blooper on the front left fin; however Link, the Male and Female Villagers and Isabelle also have the Mario symbols on their versions of the Splat Buggy, despite them coming from a different series. It is available from the start.
The Splat Buggy shares its stats with the Blue Falcon. It boosts speed, while reducing the weight, acceleration and handling stats. The stat changes are mostly minor, with the biggest change being the reduction in weight.
CPU-controlled Inkling Boys and Inkling Girls occasionally use this vehicle body paired with Standard tires. The 200cc staff ghost in Dragon Driftway plays as Inkling Boy with the Splat Buggy and Blue Standard tires.
* - Indicates downloadable content in Mario Kart 8 • ** - Indicates content available in version 1.6.0 of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe • *** - Indicates content available in the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass • - Indicates exclusivity to Mario Kart 8 • - Indicates exclusivity to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe