Auto Express festive gift guide
A look at some must-have gifts for petrolheads this Christmas
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Christmas will be here before you know it, so why not get thinking about gift ideas for the car lover in your life now? Or perhaps you're the person into all things four-wheeled and need to supply a friend or family member with some ideas.
Either way, we're here to provide plenty of inspiration with these suggestions, covering all sorts of areas including car care, literature and tools. With prices starting from just £4.95, we also have a range of gifts suiting all budgets.
Defender Signal Blocker Mini
Price: £4.95
Contact: defendersecurityproducts.co.uk
Keyless car thefts have been on the rise in recent years, but thankfully, protecting yourself couldn’t be easier. The Defender Signal Blocker Mini is an affordable, high-quality faraday pouch in which your keyless fob can be stored, thwarting thieves from accessing the vehicle via relay attacks. This compact version of Defender’s full-size signal blocker - winner of Auto Express Best Buy two years running - features a handy internal keyring hook and holds the coveted Secured by Design accreditation which operates on behalf of UK police forces.
Nextbase dash cams
Price: £329
Contact: nextbase.com
Dash cams offer a great way to avoid falling victim to insurance fraud, but for the ultimate protection, you ideally want to cover both ends of the car. Currently, Nextbase is offering buy one, get one half price on its award-winning dash cam range, and that includes rear-facing cameras. The range-topping front-facing unit is the 662GW, which clearly captures the view ahead in 4K quality with image stabilisation. It’s also the first dash cam ever to include what3words integration, which can pinpoint your location to a three-metre square identified by a three-word sequence.
Rimblades wheel protection
Price: from £25
Contact: rimblades.com
Kerbing a wheel can be an excruciating experience, but thanks to Rimblades, damage can be avoided. Each Rimblade can be easily fitted thanks to a DIY system using high-bond 3M tape, and there are 12 colours to choose from, plus different sizes covering wheels up to 24 inches in diameter.
Pioneer infotainment unit
Price: £439.99
Contact: pioneer-car.eu/uk/products
Pioneer’s SPH-DA360DAB brings all the modern infotainment features expected from a new car to almost any vehicle with a double-DIN head unit slot. Using a 6.8-inch capacitive touch screen, it includes a DAB+ radio receiver and a 13-band graphic equaliser for premium audio output. It also comes with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, a Bluetooth hands-free set-up, and Wi-FI connectivity. With all of this within easy reach, journeys will become more fun, less stressful and less distracting.
OSRAM NIGHT BREAKER 200 bulbs
Price: From £35 per pair
Contact: osram.co.uk
As the daylight hours shrink this winter, it’s worth thinking about upgrading your view of the road ahead. The NIGHT BREAKER 200 halogen headlight bulb from OSRAM is up to 200 per cent brighter than legally-required levels, providing a powerful, white light to illuminate the road ahead. It provides a beam of up to 150 metres and has a mirrored chrome tip to enhance the look of your headlights. The NIGHT BREAKER 200 - which came away with a commendation in the Headlamp Bulb category of Auto Express’s annual product awards - is available in H4, H7 and H11 ECE types and is priced from just £35 per pair.
Autoglym Supreme Car Care Collection
Price: £80
Contact: autoglym.com/products
Helping the recipient keep their pride and joy impeccably clean, the Autoglym Supreme Car Care Collection is suitable for a variety of detailing needs. Inside the smart zipped satchel are nine cleaning products, including Bodywork Shampoo Conditioner, Super Resin Polish and Rapid Ceramic Spray, plus a microfibre wash mitt and Hi-Tech Finishing and AquaDry cloths. It’s excellent value, too, with the collection representing a massive saving of nearly £60 compared with buying each of the items separately.
Ring dash cam
Price: £79.99
Contact: ringautomotive.com
The award-winning RSDC300 smart dash cam lets you drive with confidence. The device records 1296p footage in 30 frames per second and with a 130-degree field of view, ensuring each journey is captured in crisp detail. What’s more, the RSDC300 is easily linked with the Ring Connect app over Wi-Fi, making it really easy to view and share footage via your smartphone when you need to. It supports MicroSD cards up to 64GB in capacity for plenty of recording space, and has GPS functionality, providing accurate location data to support insurance claims.
ARB Camping Chair
Price: From £64.70
Contact: truckman.co.uk/arb
For taking the weight off your feet when going for a picnic, camping, fishing or any other outdoor pursuit, look no further than the ARB Camping Chair. The fabric is a durable nylon Oxford weave material with a padded seat and backrest for supreme comfort. It’s practical, too, thanks to features including a drink holder table and mesh magazine pocket. When not in use, the ARB Camping Chair neatly folds away and can be placed in the included carry bag for easy storage and transportation.
Overland and Overland+ jump starters
Price: from £79.95
Contact: mobilesolarchargers.co.uk
Winner of four Auto Express Best Buy reviews, the Overland and Overland+ are excellent expedition-proven power banks that can also jump-start any engine from 0.1 to 5.0 litres. The units can be recharged via either mains or an optional fold-old solar panel, and are supplied with a variety of USB charge cables.
AutoSock
Price: from £49.95
Contact: autosockdirect.co.uk
It turns out your car can be treated to a pair of socks this Christmas, too. AutoSocks are textile socks that easily fit over your tyres, maximising grip and traction to keep you safely moving in icy and snowy conditions.
AlcoSense Elite 3 breathalyser
Price: £69.99
Contact: alcosense.co.uk/elite3
An even more accurate successor to the acclaimed Elite 2, the AlcoSense Elite 3 is an easy-to-use breathalyser that’ll quickly check you’re clear of alcohol the morning after. Thanks to a premium semiconductor sensor the Elite 3 can show its colour-coded results in seconds with a choice of either mg/L or %BAC. A memory recall feature also lets users check through the previous nine results, and it’s possible to select limits for regions. Finally, all this functionality is contained in a sleek, lightweight package which fits discreetly in your pocket.
Nilfisk Core 140 Car Edition Pressure washer
Price: £210
Contact: amazon.co.uk
A pressure washer is a key tool in any home detailer’s armoury, and if you’re in need of one, the Nilfisk Core 140 is a great choice. It delivers 140 bar (max) pressure via a powerful motor with a more durable metal impeller and includes a trolley for easy mobility and an internal hose reel. It’s versatile thanks to the four supplied car cleaning nozzles, Super foam sprayer and car brush.
Sealey trolley jack
Price: £56.34
Contact: bit.ly/Sealey1050CXLE
This low-profile trolley jack from Sealey is suitable for a wide range of vehicles including sports cars, with its profiled lifting arm giving a clearance height of just 85mm. It includes an overload valve and finger cover for additional safety, while a carry handle makes it easier to lift. It’s reasonably compact at 530mm in length and 130mm in height, and weighs in at 10kg. The jack is ideal for home mechanic duties when combined with axle stands, and also makes for a great emergency mobile jack.
Formula 1 Circuits book
Price: £30
Contact: collins.co.uk/F1Circuits
With the introduction of Miami for the 2022 season, 77 tracks have now hosted a Formula 1 Grand Prix. Every one of these venues is extensively detailed in the new, second edition of Formula 1 Circuits, starting with the oldest - Monza. For each track there are interesting stories and stats, beautiful photos and links to digital circuit maps. The book is written by award-winning journalist Maurice Hamilton, and features a foreword from three-time champion Jackie Stewart. It’s a must-have for any Formula 1 fan looking to get their hit during the sport’s off season.
Cataclean
Price: £16.99
Contact: cataclean.com
Over time, a catalytic converter can become clogged due to a build-up of carbon deposits. This can cause higher fuel consumption and emissions, leading to an MOT failure. Cataclean is designed to combat this by cleaning carbon, resin and gum build-up from the fuel and exhaust system. Described as an eight-in-one product, it can clean pre and post-combustion cleaning elements including fuel lines, injectors, EGR valves, DPFs and more.
Using Cataclean couldn’t be easier - you simply empty the contents of one bottle into a fuel tank containing 15 litres of fuel (approximately a quarter tank), and let the fluid do all the work. Make sure you use the code ‘autoexpress’ at checkout on cataclean.com for a 10 per cent discount for purchases and subscriptions on cataclean.com.
Leatherman FREE T4 Multipurpose Tool
Price: From £79.95
Contact: leatherman.co.uk
The FREE T4 multitool from Leatherman packs 12 useful tools into a stylish and durable stainless steel chassis that’s available in six different colours. All are accessible from the outside with magnetic opening and closing, ensuring easy access with one hand. Plus, all features lock into place for your safety. Within the FREE T4 - which is made in the USA - you’ll find a 420HC knife, a pry tool, several screwdrivers, a bottle opener, a file for wood and metal, and much more.
TruTrak FMT100 tracker
Price: £39.99
Contact: trutrak.co.uk/product-page/trutrak-fmt100-payg
A tracker can give car owners a lot of peace of mind, knowing such devices drastically increase the chances of recovering the vehicle in the event of theft. The FMT100 is a waterproof GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) tracker that sends location data every 60 seconds and for each 50-degree plus turn the car makes, providing accurate, real-time reporting. The waterproof device - which is suitable for a variety of vehicles, not just cars - can be self-installed, and comes with a 12-month warranty. It’s contract-free and can be topped up easily using TruTrak’s portal for £5.99 a month.
Manscaped Performance Package 4.0
Price: £120
Contact: manscaped.com
Give the gift of grooming this Christmas with the Manscaped Performance Package 4.0. This one-stop shop for your trimming needs contains the Lawn Mower 4.0, Manscape’s newest trimmer. It’s waterproof, has a multi-function on/off switch that can act as a travel lock (handy for making sure there’s plenty of battery left when you reach your destination and features a ceramic blade with SkinSafe Technology, for use on the most sensitive regions of the body.
Joining the Lawn Mower 4.0 in the bundle is the Weed Whacker nose and ear trimmer. The device also uses SkinSafe Technology, helping prevent nicks, snags and tugs, and it spins at 9,000rpm for maximum trimming efficiency. Both trimmers can be packed into the included ‘Shed’ travel bag, plus the two supplied soothing aloe vera liquid formulations.
GYEON Q²M LeatherSet Mild and Q²M Experience Set
Price: From £29
Contact: cleanyourcar.co.uk
Leather interiors look great and feel premium, but it’s vital to take care of the material to keep it at its best for years to come. The Q²M LeatherSet Mild from GYEON has everything needed to do just that. Included is Q²M LeatherCleaner Mild, which is suitable for regular use and easily lifts grime from the leather surface. Once clean, Q²M LeatherCoat adds a protective layer to repel liquid and dirt, ensuring the leather is easier to clean next time.
Meanwhile, those looking to try GYEON products for the first time will find everything they need in the Q²M Experience Set. It covers a multitude of cleaning jobs with nine sample-sized Q²M products that are large enough to get a good feel for their performance. Included in the pack is Q²M WetCoat, Q²M CeramicDetailer, Q²M Iron, Q²M Tire Express, and many more.
Heel Tread socks
Price: From £10.50
Contact: heeltread.com
Socks are the classic Christmas gift, and now, they come themed for the petrolhead in your life from Heel Tread. Designed and produced in Portugal, these socks feature patterns inspired by iconic cars and motorsport liveries. They’re available individually or in gift sets of various sizes, including the Porsche 917 Racing Legends Pack (pictured), which includes socks themed around the Hippie, Pink Pig, Martini and Salzburg liveries worn by the famous racer. All Heel Tread socks are made using seamless knitting for higher quality and great comfort.
Armor All
Price: From £6.99
Contact: armorall.com/uk
Armor All’s new ceramic product range is available across various interior and exterior products, giving all-around protection for your treasured motor. The ceramic coating in these formulations is a silica-based liquid polymer, which forms a protective layer once cured. When properly maintained, this keeps vehicles cleaner for longer, providing an invisible, hydrophobic (water-repelling) barrier that can help prevent water staining, scratching, UV ray damage and more. Products - which are available from Halfords - include Ceramic Wash, Leather Treatment & Cleaner, and Ceramic Wheel Cleaner.
STP fuel additives
Price: From £4.99
Contact: STP.com/uk
STP has a range of fuel additives designed to help your car run better for longer, especially when it gets colder outside. STP products are formulated to clean harmful deposits from fuel systems, potentially reducing engine wear, emissions and fuel consumption in the process. Using one of these additives is nice and simple - simply add one to a tank of fuel, and you’re away. Available from Halfords both in-store and online, the additives are also compatible with all types of primarily-combustion-engined vehicles, whether petrol, diesel or hybrid.
