29 of the best Christmas gifts for car lovers 2024
It’s beginning to look a lot like car gifts
It can be difficult to pick a thoughtful Christmas gift for the car lover in your life because not all car enthusiasts are the same. Car fans are young and old, and of all persuasions with varying automotive passions.
But there’s absolutely no reason to panic because if you need ideas for car-themed gifts, we’ve got you covered. Whether it’s toys, clothes, gadgets, books, video games or stocking fillers, below you’ll find our round-up of the best automotive-inspired gifts for Christmas 2024.
The prices are mostly the recommended retail prices but are subject to change and many might be discounted before or after Black Friday, so don’t miss out. Happy shopping!
• This article contains affiliate links that can earn us revenue
- Toys and games
- Video games and consoles
- Books
- Experiences
- Tech and tools
- Clothing and apparel
- Car cleaning and accessories
Toys and games
1. Lego Icons Lamborghini Countach 5000 Quadrivalvular
Lego’s Icons series is aimed at adult fans of the ingenious plastic bricks, as the buildings, landmarks, classic vehicles and more involved advanced builds for the experienced Lego connoisseur. The latest automotive addition to the oeuvre is this Lamborghini Countach 5000 Quadrivalvular, which celebrates a true icon of 1980s supercars.
The 1,506-piece set comes complete with a detailed cockpit, working steering, scissor doors, front luggage compartment and opening engine cover, which reveals a blocky V12 engine.
- Price £159.99
- Buy it at Lego.com
2. Hot Wheels Action 4-Loop Crash Out
No Christmas gift list would be complete without a Hot Wheels set, and one of the big ones introduced in 2024 is the 4-Loop Crash Out. A motorized booster send cars (one included) speeding through four loops and into a three-way crash zone, then back round to the start. If you already have a collection of Hot Wheels cars, adding extra vehicles increases the chaos.
It’s also easy to pack away, as it folds in half and includes a handle for easy storage and transport.
- Price £53.99
- Buy it at Amazon.co.uk
3. Carrera Hybrid Devil Drivers
There’s slot racing… and then there’s hybrid racing from Carrera, which does away with the slots completely and allows racers to compete against each other freely around the tracks. A dedicated app for smartphones and tablets allows players to control their cars, overtaking to the left or right anywhere on track. They can even spin off the track… then the cars rejoin automatically without anyone having to run over and place the cars back in the game by hand.
The set features two exclusive models of Porsche 911 GT3 R – dubbed “Black Devil” and “Red Devil” – which can also be tuned via the bespoke app, including the top speed, tyre grip and brake action. The cars contain batteries that last for around 30 minutes, then can be recharged via the included USB-C cables in 20 minutes. They even have what Carrera describes as “realistic motor sounds” to enhance the experience, and the 6.09m track is fairly substantial, with four straights, eight right turns and two lefts.
- Price €164.99 (£138) plus €9.99 (£8.36) shipping to the UK
- Buy it at Conrad.com
Video games and consoles
1. PlayStation 5 Pro
Sony released its latest generation games console, the PS5, in 2020, but at the beginning of November 2024 introduced an even more powerful version called PS5 Pro.
The regular PS5 comes with or without a disc drive (we’re at the point where most games are downloaded rather than ordered by post), and the original still packs a punch with an ultra-high-speed hard drive, 4K graphics, 8K HDR, 120 fps and ray tracing.
The PS5 Pro, though, comes with an uprated GPU, “enhanced spectral resolution”, a more advanced ray tracing system and 2Tb of built-in storage space. The price, though, is hefty indeed, at around £700.
For car enthusiasts, the big launch title (though heavily delayed) for PS5 was Gran Turismo 7, and that’s still a great game. However, we highly recommend F1 24 and, for something a bit different, Pacific Drive.
PS5 Pro price: From £699.99
Buy it at Playstation Store
PS5 Digital Edition price: From £389.99
Buy it at Playstation Store
2. Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S
The latest Xbox models possess top-line graphics and ridiculously quick processing power. For the ultimate experience, you need the Series X, which comes with a large 1Tb hard drive and a slot for games discs – this is retro-compatible with titles from older Xbox consoles, so your library of games amassed over the years doesn’t need to be declared obsolete.
If you need something a little cheaper, the entry Series S has a smaller hard drive (512Gb) and slightly detuned hardware, plus it doesn’t come with a disc drive, but it’s still capable of running some of the best games available for the Microsoft platform. There’s also now a 1Tb Xbox Series S if you need more storage space for games.
The latest racing games for Xbox? Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown, F1 24, F1 Manager 2024 and #Drive Rally.
- Xbox Series X price: £459.99
- Buy it at Argos
- Xbox Series S 1Tb price: £299
- Buy it at Argos
3. Nintendo Switch OLED
The Nintendo Switch is starting to offer more options for racing game fans, including remasters of Burnout Paradise and Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit, and the WRC Generations rally sim. Plus is has a few cracking titles for younger gamers, such as Lego 2K Drive and the Switch exclusive Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which is brilliant fun.
The latest and most powerful version of the Switch is the OLED (organic light-emitting diode) version, with a larger (7in), more vibrant screen and double the internal storage (64Gb) compared with the regular Nintendo Switch.
The real beauty of the Switch is that you can play it away from home, using the screen on the controller, making it ideal for car journeys and visits to friends’ houses, as well as home entertainment.
4. Pacific Drive
This weird first-person narrative-driven game reimagines a Pacific Northwest in which players must survive supernatural dangers by modifying a classic estate car with all kinds of car parts and modifications and then explore the region to collect resources. Odd but intriguing, and we love the idea that a tricked out car is essential for surviving a surreal, apocalyptic landscape. The bad news? It’s not available yet for Xbox.
5. F1 2024
The F1 games have not only become more realistic in recent years, they’ve added depth with driver career upgrades. story modes and interesting challenges. That means there’s more to F1 2024 than just driving the 24 circuits on the calendar, and it’s a game players will enjoy coming back to as they climb the ranks from F2 rookie to F1 world champion alongside all the official teams and drivers.
The game tracks your achievements across multiple seasons, and includes contract negotiations, multi-season rivalries, new cut-scenes and recordings of real drivers taken from official F1 broadcasts.
F1 2024 is also a step up from F1 2023, with a big physics upgrade for improved handling, as well as new tyre degradation models, engine mapping tweaks and more realistic aerodynamics adjustments.
- Price ~£30
- Buy it at Argos PS4 / PS5 / Xbox / Steam (PC)
6. Art of Rally game
There are more realistic rallying games certainly, but Art of Rally is far more charming than all of them. The game, made by Funselektor Labs, has a hazy, dream-like quality and eighties-influenced soundtrack and allows players to race rally cars from the 1960s to 1980s around sixty stages loosely — very loosely — inspired by real-world rallies.
Yes, the cars have been renamed for legal reasons but they’re still very clearly modelled on Minis, Porsche 911s, Audi Quattros, Ford RS200s, BMW M3s and Mazda RX-7s.
It’s a wonderfully arty, strangely meditative take on the arcade racing game and is available across Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch platforms.
Price £19.99
Buy it at Playstation store (PS4 & PS5) / Microsoft Store (Xbox) / Steam (PC)
7. Forza Motorsport
Forza Horizon, with its free-roaming environments, has perhaps eroded some of the gloss that the Forza Motorsport sister series has built up over the years, but the latest entry to the latter has aimed to redress the balance.
Actually the eighth game in the Motorsport series, the 2023 title drops the titular numbers because it is considered a reboot. As the Xbox’s flagship racing franchise, the newest Forza makes the most of the Series X’s mighty processing power, with the visuals seriously upgraded from the already decent FM7 predecessor.
There’s also an enhanced online racing experience and a career mode, allowing for better car upgrades if you drive with the ultimate of precision. It’ll keep serious gamers hooked for hours in a cycle of incremental self-improvement on the beautifully rendered tracks.
- Price Currently discounted to £18 at Game, but can cost up to £69.99
- Buy it at Game (Xbox Series X) Xbox.com (Xbox/ PC), Argos (Xbox/ PC)
8. EA Sports WRC
If you prefer your motorsport action more rugged and muddy than whizzing round and round super-clean racing circuits, then the newly launched WRC game from EA Sports should suffice. It’s only available for the current-gen consoles, namely the Xbox Series X and PS5, because it’s such a comprehensively massive game.
This is the first time that the world-renowned Codemasters team — part of EA Sports — has had the official licence for the World Rally Championship. There are more than 370 miles of official stages from the real thing rendered in the game, plus an enthralling career mode.
But what will keep dedicated car lovers coming back is that WRC has no fewer than 78 legendary rally machines, from the distant past right up to the present-day Hybrid competitors. So whether you want to drive a Hillman Avenger, a Ford RS200 or Colin McRae’s legendary Subaru through the woods at breakneck speed, WRC can provide. There’s even a Vauxhall Nova in there. Really.
What’s more, last Christmas this game cost nearly 50 quid…this Christmas availability seems to be limited but we found it at Argos for just £15.49, with a review score of 4.8 out of 5. Don’t delay!
- Price From £15.49
- Buy it at Argos: PS5
9. Gran Turismo 7
The legendary Gran Turismo franchise was revitalised last March with this latest effort. Driving.co.uk’s editor Will Dron described GT7 as a triumphant return to form following 2017’s lacklustre GT Sport.
GT7 does what we had hoped GT Sport would do, but failed: blend the latest cutting-edge physics and graphics with a good old-fashioned dose of fun. With a lot more cars and loads of new features, GT7 is miles more entertaining than several of its predecessors in the franchise.
Importantly, it offers a lot to the Gran Turismo newbie without being too intimidating, while still retaining enough of its old character to appeal to the experienced racer. The mix of cars is rich, allowing players to drive everything from near-priceless classic supercars such as the Ferrari F40 to the utterly mundane: 2014 Honda Jazz anybody? And there are new cars and features being added all the time.
As ever, GT7 is a PlayStation-exclusive release and is available on PS4 and PS5.
Books
1. Prodrive: 40 Years of Success by Ian Wagstaff
For motorsport fans, Prodrive will need no introduction. The Banbury-based racing and rally car preparation specialist’s most famous competition cars are probably the 555-liveried Subaru Imprezas, especially the one driven to WRC championship victory by Colin McRae in 1995.
But the company is also renowned for success in a broad range of disciplines, with class wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, titles in the British Touring Car Championship and its Formula One venture with the BAR-Honda F1 team (which went on to become Honda Racing F1, then Brawn GP and now Mercedes F1). Bringing it right up to date, there’s also a section on Prodrive’s own Dakar Rally challenger, the Hunter.
Prodrive: 40 Years of Success is a glossy celebration of Prodrive’s achievements over four decades, and includes input from the big and lesser-known names who have been a part of the story.
- Price £39.99 (RRP)
- Buy it at Amazon.co.uk
2. Autocourse Faces of Formula One – The Sixties
For some, the 1960s was the golden era of Formula One. It was the era in which downforce began to emerge, with wings being added to aid grip. But it was also the drivers of the Sixties that many people still idolise, including Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Jochen Rindt and Jack Brabham. Autocourse Faces of Formula One – The Sixties brings together in one volume all the major F1 drivers of the decade, with “highly personal” biographies of each by Hartmut Lehbrink, a veteran of 500 grands prix.
These are complemented by stunning photography from Benno Müller in a beautiful portrait of a time when the people behind the wheel far too often lost their lives in the pursuit of glory.
- Price £70
- Buy it at Amazon.co.uk
3. Variable Valve Timings by Chris Harris
One third of the final (for now?) line-up of the BBC’s phenomenally successful Top Gear TV show, which came to a sticky end following an accident involving cricketer Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff, Chris Harris has been a motoring journalist and dyed-in-the-wool car geek for decades.
In this book, he goes through his formative years avidly reading What Car? magazine, then his early career as a print journalist for Autocar before transitioning to the YouTube and TV superstar he is today.
It’s a thought-provoking insight into how someone who has a deep love for cars can turn it into a highly profitable — and enjoyable — career.
Price £22
Buy it at Waterstones.com
4. Boring Car Trivia books by Richard Porter
If you’re a fan — or someone in your life is — of painfully dull automotive minutiae, Richard Porter’s brilliant Boring Car Trivia Books are well worth a look. And surprisingly entertaining.
So popular was Porter’s Medium-Sized Book of Boring Car Trivia, that he followed it up with three more volumes. The hilarious script editor of The Grand Tour and, formerly Top Gear, Porter (a.k.a. Sniff Petrol) revels in the most tedious automotive facts that are sure to delight hardcore car enthusiasts and, as the titles suggest, potentially send everyone else to sleep.
Rather than just being a list of facts, all three books are written with good humour and an eye for the absurd. Given that there are four of them now (all reasonably priced) they make for either a riveting quartet or, as single volumes, nice stocking fillers. .
- A Medium-Sized Book of Boring Car Trivia, £5.99 from Amazon – buy here
- Boring Car Trivia Volume 2, £5.99 from Amazon – buy here
- Boring Car Trivia 3, £5.99 from Amazon – buy here
- Boring Car Trivia 4, £6.99 from Amazon – buy here
5. Enzo Ferrari: The Man and the Machine by Brock Yates
The biopic of “old man” Enzo Ferrari — starring Adam Driver, who played Kylo Ren in the Star Wars sequels — is now available to stream on Sky, but you can also get your Ferrari enthusiast relations this in-depth look into the life of the legendary Italian racing team and car company founder.
The book, by American journalist Brock Yates, delves into the behind-the-scenes persona of Enzo Ferrari, a man who was known for a combative management style and various controversies in his life. As a result it should be a fascinating, rollercoaster read about the formation of this world-renowned automotive marque.
Price £12.99
Buy it at Waterstones.com
Experiences
1. Young Driver experiences
Young Driver is one of the UK’s leaders in offering safe, professional driving lessons for under-17s. Children aged 10-17 can get behind the wheel of dual-controlled cars on private land at more than 70 venues around the country, sitting beside government-approved driving instructors. It’s the perfect introduction to car controls and driving safety, making it easier for youngsters to pass their test when it comes to the real deal on UK roads.
The company has younger children covered, too, with a bespoke small electric car called the Firefly Sport aimed at kids between the ages of four and ten, as well as a number of special experiences for pre-17s such as driving luxury cars, sports cars, classic cars or a fire engine.
- Price A standard 30-minute driving lesson costs £53.99 but Young Driver is offering Driving.co.uk readers 20 per cent off any voucher, using code YDST20 at checkout.
- Buy it at YoungDriver.eu
2. Palmersport gift vouchers
Get ready for a bit of Tina Turner: the Bedford Autodrome-based Palmersport experience is simply the best. We include it in our gift guide every year because the variety of circuits and full-on motor sport machines is unrivalled and, unlike with some other packages where you’re asked to build up speed slowly, the instructors genuinely encourage you to go as fast as you possibly can from the off — there’s no holding back here.
What’s more, the finer details are all very carefully observed, from the on-site branding to the catering and prize-giving ceremony.
Vouchers for half-day experiences start from around £672 while full-day courses are into four figures, so they’re not the most affordable of presents — but as the top-end driving event that will be remembered forever, it’s got “star gift” written all over it.
Price From £672 (including VAT)
Buy it at Palmersport.com
Tech and tools
1. Nextbase Piqo smart dash cam
Last year Nextbase changed the dashcam game once again with the iQ, a device that not only records the road ahead in 4K resolution, then detects crashes and saves the latest clips, but also includes a Tesla-style Sentry mode. Its camera pointing into the cabin offers a 180-degree view that captures the view through the side windows, and combined with radar sensors you get a very smart security device that will capture thieves before they break into your car, and record clips to the cloud.
That device is pricey, though (currently £349.99 plus subscription at Halfords), so now the British company has launched the Piqo, which features some of the same smart technology while costing (at the time of writing) under £100.
There are two versions, one with 1K resolution and another that records in 2K, but both have the voice-activated capability to instantly send a message to a friend with a link to watch a live feed, should you be a victim of road rage or have been stopped by the police.
Other features include a parking mode, which sends you a notification if someone bumps into your vehicle while parked, as well as a feature to send your location data to emergency services, should you be involved in a crash. Meanwhile Guardian Mode uses geolocation technology to alert you if another driver, such as a child or valet, has driven the car outside of a certain boundary, or beyond a set speed.
- Price Both currently £99.00 (with discounting on the 2K model)
- Buy it at Nextbase.co.uk Piqo 1K / Piqo 2K
2. Echo Auto (2nd generation)
While the quality of virtual assistants in cars is rapidly improving, the systems in used cars can often be more hindrance than help, meaning you may have to divert your attention away from the road and onto fiddly physical controls. Bringing in the help of an established assistant like Amazon’s Alexa can make driving a more serene and safe experience, and brings many of your phone apps into the fold to transform your journeys.
The updated Echo Auto connects to your smartphone and allows hands free operation of music apps such as Amazon Music, Apple Music and Spotify, as well as podcast and audiobook apps. It also has the ability to set navigation destinations and control smart home devices from the car with your voice.
Do note, though, that it’s not compatible with all cars: check whether it’ll work with your here.
- Price Currently £29.99 (Black Friday deal), normally £59.99
- Buy it at Amazon.co.uk
3. CTEK MXS 5.0 T battery charger
This is not a glamorous gift but, for anyone who owns an older car or motorbike which they only use on high days and holidays, the CTEK battery charger is an absolute godsend.
It plugs into a three-pin domestic socket at one end and then, through the crocodile clips typical of external car-battery charging systems, attaches to a car’s battery at the other. It’ll then either “condition” the battery by pulsing electricity into it periodically to keep the charge level topped up, or it will even recover a deeply discharged 12-volt battery. And it should work with any type of vehicle battery, including ones designed for cars with engine stop/start systems.
It can work in extremes of temperature, too, and has a clear, simple design with an eight-light display to show the current state of the battery/charging cycle.
Attach one of these beauties to a garaged car and it is almost guaranteed to start up smoothly the next time it is needed, even if it stands immobile for months at a time.
- Price £89.99
- Buy it at Halfords.com
4. Halfords Advanced 200 Pc Socket and Ratchet Spanner Set
For any garage tinkerers who could do with a complete set of tools sockets and ratchets, this Halfords 200-piece kit contains 100 tooth ratchets and 72 tooth Ratchet Spanners, with a technology called Surface Drive Plus that Halfords claims provides up to 28% more torque before rounding. And during the Black Friday sales period there’s a massive discount of more than £130.
- Price £200 with Black Friday discount (normally £330)
- Buy it at Halfords.com
5. Cambridge Audio Evo 150 DeLorean Edition
Great Scott! As the official audio partner of the revitalised DeLorean Motor Company, Cambridge Audio has released a special edition of its Evo 150 all-in-one stereo to celebrate the car brand made famous by the Back to the Future movies. The high end Evo 150 DeLorean Edition makes do with 150w rather than 1.21 gigawatts, but that’s a large dose of amplification to power any speaker pairing, and crystal clear guitar solos. It includes internet radio and streaming services, with a built-in MM phono stage for connecting a turntable, too.
It also comes with two high-performance chassis – one aping the legendary DMC-12 car’s grille and logo, and the other featuring brushed metal panels and cutting-edge logo of the DeLorean Alpha5. Both chassis are “magnetised and easily switched out”, according to the bumpf… which presumably means something to audiophiles.
- Price £2,099
- Buy it at CambridgeAudio.com
Clothing and apparel
1. Rolls Royce Spirit of Ecstasy cufflinks
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars doesn’t just make the world’s most luxurious motor cars, it also has a range of “exquisite” accessories available from its online shop (sorry, boutique). The Spirit of Ecstasy is the brand’s famous mascot and has featured on Rolls-Royce models for more than 113 years. Now, discerning folk can also wear them on their shirt sleeves, with a pair of cufflinks crafted in 925 Sterling Silver with a choice of Rhodium-Plated or Dark Ruthenium finish.
Ordering them is as exclusive an experience as buying a new Rolls, though… you have to save the pair you want to a list on the Rolls-Royce website, then submit the list to a dealer who will then contact you about receiving it. If you’re already a Rolls client, you could just speed dial your contact, of course.
- Price On inquiry(!)
- Order it at Rolls-RoyceMotorCars.com
2. Serengeti anti-glare sunglasses
At this time of year, if it’s a nice day then you can potentially end up with the danger of searing glare from the low-lying sun. Avoid the consequences of such heliophysicial misfortune with these Serengeti anti-glare sunglasses.
Featuring photochromic lenses, colour-enhancing spectral control filters and the key glare-reducing polarisation, there’s a selection of designs and colours to choose from, any of which would make a perfect gift for a driver.
- Price From £190
- Buy it at Serengeti-Eyewear.com
Car cleaning & accessories
1. Michelin tailored car mats
Michelin has created the UK’s first branded tailored car mats, made to fit your specific vehicle. The made-to-measure mats, available for thousands of different cars of all makes, models and ages, come in standard or luxury carpet, or with premium rubber. You can then go for a choice of colours and customisable ribbed edging.
We’ve tested these out and they’re beautifully made, and fit our car perfectly within seconds, right down to clipping into the floor studs with ease.
- Price From £37.99
- Buy it at CarMats4U.com
2. Karcher K4 Power Control Pressure Washer
A pressure washer is ideal during winter, not just for cars, motorbikes and bicycles, but also for patios and driveways. This Karcher K4 is the daddy of them all, with a score of 4.6/5 from customers on Halfords.com and reviews praising the power and ease of use..
It has three different pressure settings, indicated via an LED display on the trigger gun, and two types of lances for different surfaces. For lathering up a car, the Plug ‘n’ Clean system allows you to attach a detergent bottle and applying a layer of foam.
- Price £209.99
- Buy it at Halfords.com
3. Autoglym Polar Wash Mitt
Wash mitts are better for a car’s paintwork than traditional sponges, and Autoglym is also one of the leading names in cleaning gear. This luxury wash mitt is therefore a top Christmas purchase for a car-loving relative, as not only is it made of a lightweight, premium cotton and polyester blend on the outside but also there are stitched finger spaces which makes the mitt easier to control when you’re washing the car — no need to grip onto it while you’re cleaning large body panels.
- Price £15.99 (reduced from £19.99 at time of publication)
- Buy it at Halfords.com
4. Flex PXE 80 10.8 Cordless Smart Polisher
If you want a professional finish to your beloved car then a polisher is essential, and this Flex PXE 80 10.8 Cordless Smart Polisher offers detailing solutions for just about every part of a car, inside and out. Allowing you to switch between rotary and random orbital, and with four different speeds plus a LED indicators, it’s ideal for jobs from spot sanding to finishing. And being cordless makes it even easier to use for extra precision.
The kit comes with adapters for rotary or orbital use, a spot grinding disc, two rechargeable battery packs and a rapid charger, and a protective carrying case.
- Price £429.99
- Buy it at Halfords.com
5. Autoglym Deluxe Exterior Collection
Most car enthusiasts hav favoured car care brands but we’ve never gone wrong with Autoglym. The British car care brand is probably the best-known in the UK, with a rich history of delivering premium products over 60 years.
The gift set to go for this Christmas is the Deluxe Exterior Collection, which includes seven deluxe cleaning products including shampoo, super resin polish, ceramic spray, wheel cleaner and a selection of cloths
- Price £76.49 (with Christmas discount at Halfords)
- Buy it at Halfords.com
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- Enjoyed our roundup of the best Christmas gifts for car lovers? Then you might like to check out Dom Joly’s lighthearted guide to last-minute Christmas presents
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