The automotive and motorcycle enthusiast community is so large, it’s hard to pigeonhole it into a single list: overlanders and off-roaders, garage tinkerers and car hackers, electric car enthusiasts and coal rollers, easy riders and superbike nuts, and so on.
If you’re not into any part of that space, though, it can all seem like one giant monster that’s hard to wrap your head around. Luckily, we’re here to help. If caring about cars and motorcycles seems utterly alien to you but you have somebody that you need to buy a holiday gift for who eats, sleeps and breathes motoring culture, take heart. We’ve pulled together a list of great gifts for the car lover in your life.
1. Front Runner Ready to Roll Patch
Price: $5
From: frontrunneroutfitters.com
Does the car lover in your life prefer his or her rigs lifted and ready to crawl over rough terrain? Help them show off their love of off-roading with this sturdy Front Runner velcro patch.
2. Sports Team License Plate Frame
Price: $12–23
From: target.com
There’s a decent chance any auto enthusiast is passionate about more than just cars. Let ’em show off their team pride on their favorite ride.
3. Mechanix Wear Work Gloves
Price: $16
From: amazon.com
Whether they’re advanced enough to tear down their engine or just learning how to change their own oil, every car lover needs a sturdy pair of work gloves. These original Mechanix gloves provide better grip and protection then you’d get by hand — and wear their trusted name proudly.
4. Foval 200W Power Inverter 3-Prong Outlet
Price: $21
From: amazon.com
You can never have too many electrical outlets — yet most cars don’t even offer one. Elevate any ride’s accessory-charging capability with this power inverter that plugs into the ubiquitous 12-volt port once known as the cigarette lighter. Plus, it’s small enough that you can slip it in your pocket and carry it from car to car.
5. Jeep Baseball Cap
Price: $22
From: amazon.com
If someone you know has ever posted a meme with the phrase “It’s a Jeep Thing, You Wouldn’t Understand,” get them this hat.
Gear Patrol Magazine Subscription
Price: $39
From: store.gearpatrol.com
Gear Patrol Magazine is a deep dive into product culture. Inside each issue, you’ll find seasonal buying guides, rich maker profiles and long-form dispatches from the front lines of product design. Get four print magazines — delivered quarterly — with an annual subscription.
6. Ford GT40 11″ x 14″ Photograph
Price: $29
From: store.gearpatrol.com
We at Gear Patrol count quite a few car lovers amongst our own ranks, so it’s probably no surprise that we take a lot of pictures of fine automobiles. Some of those pictures look awfully fine mounted on the wall, too.
7. Triumph Logo T-Shirt
Price: $35
From: triumphbrklyn.com
Triumph is one of the best-known motorcycle manufacturers in the world, counting millions of people amongst its riders and fans. If someone in your life has ever so much as taken a long, lingering look at a Speed Triple, they’ll probably love this shirt.
8. Puma Ferrari Sling Bag
Price: $35
From: urbanoutfitters.com
Few brands epitomize sexiness, speed and style like Ferrari. This compact sling bag lets the wearer subtly show off his or her (greatly justified) love for the Prancing Horse.
9. Fast & Furious 8-Movie Collection on Blu-Ray
Price: $38
From: amazon.com
With all eight Fast & Furious films united in one Blu-Ray collection, that auto enthusiast in your life who loves the adventures of Dom, Brian and the rest will never be subject to the whims of streaming services again.
10. Eluto Waterproof / Scratch-Proof Car Cover
Price: $38
From: amazon.com
Help your car-loving friend or family member protect their ride with this sturdy, all-weather car cover. The silver exterior keeps the sun’s harsh rays from damaging the paint, tie-down straps prevent it from flying off in the wind and reflective stripes help other drivers avoid it at night.
11. Forza Horizon 4
Price: $48
From: amazon.com
Odds are good the car lover in your life doesn’t have the budget for a stable of supercars. Why not let them pretend they do — and can drive them on some of the best roads in the world?
12. Mud River Back Seat Pet Cover
Price: $60
From: amazon.com
Pets and cars aren’t always a winning combination. Help the car lover in your life keep his or her ride from being soiled by from Fido’s paws (or drool) with this padded cover specifically made to easily slide over the back seat.
13. 1/18-Scale Shelby Cobra 427 Model Car
Price: $70
From: amazon.com
Inside every grown-up who loves cars, there’s a wide-eyed little kid who fell in love with them in the first place. Odds are good that kid would have killed for a model car as awesome as this super-detailed Shelby Cobra.
14. Pruveeo D30H Dash Cam
Price: $80
From: amazon.com
A dash cam is a dynamite way to safeguard your ride — something most enthusiasts should be looking to do. This integrated dash camera can record everything that happens in high definition, and is easy to use; the cam turns on with the car and automatically overwrites old footage until you need to save it. Which, hopefully, you never will.
15. Rampage Products Trail Can Tool Box
Price: $80
From: amazon.com
Odds are good the car lover in your life has a fair amount of tools lying around. Why not give them a handy place to keep them that also shows off their love for all things automotive with this jerry can-esque tool box?
16. Dents Silverstone Touchscreen Leather Driving Gloves
Price: $90
From: mrporter.com
Admittedly, few of us really need driving gloves in this day and age. But damn, do they make you feel cool when you slide ’em on and wrap your hands around the wheel. These ones have the bonus of touchscreen functionality, so you can still interact with 21st Century tech even if you look like you’re the coolest guy of the 20th.
17. Sparco Molecule Driving Shoes
Price: $100
From: amazon.com
Trust us: snapping off shifts and finessing throttle and brakes is more rewarding in a pair of driving shoes. Sparco has been cranking out racing gear for decades, so you can trust that these shoes will earn the respect of enthusiast — and deliver the comfort and fit car lovers are counting on.
18. Warby Parker Raider Sunglasses
Price: $145
From: warbyparker.com
There’s a reason many cars have built-in sunglasses holders: shades and driving go together like apple pie and ice cream. Warby Parker’s Raider shades deliver timeless aviator style in a variety of colors; plus, their pricetag means that enthusiast you’re buying for can leave them in the car as their go-to motoring pair.
19. GoPro Max
Price: $500
From: amazon.com
These days, part of the fun of driving or riding is recording your experiences — slicing up a track, cruising along the shore, tackling a trail — for posterity. GoPro’s Max lets you record in 360 degrees at once, giving car lovers the chance to relive their good times over and over from more angles than ever before.
20. Escort Max360C Radar/Laser Detector
Price: $650
From: amazon.com
Perhaps no one has ever summed up the appeal of driving quite as succinctly as Ricky Bobby: “I wanna go fast.” Of course, doing so can mean courting an unfortunate (and potentially expensive) encounter with the police. If your special someone has a lead foot, there’s no better gift than Escort’s top-of-the-line radar and laser detector.
Velomacchi Speedway Tool Roll
Price: $75
From: store.gearpatrol.com
The Speedway Tool Roll is designed for quick access to your most essential tools while offering maximum stash-ability. It abounds with storage capacity and the main flap doubles as a work tray; it even has a built-in magnet for preventing nuts and bolts from wandering off.
