14 Best Car Accessories & Gadgets: Gift Ideas for Car Lovers
Car enthusiasts are a special breed. They obsess over anything on four wheels and a rumbling motor...
If you don’t share their “passion” it can be hard to relate. But on the plus side, they can be easy to shop for! No need to sort through the socks and sweaters – just head straight for the automotive aisle – virtual or in-person. We’re going to help you find the perfect gift with some great gadgets and car accessories that they will win over the piston-pumping heart of the car enthusiast in your life.
- Thinkware F50 Full HD Dash Cam
- Echo Auto
- The North Face Etip Gloves
- Armor All Gift Pack
- WeatherTech FloorLiners
- Polarized Sunglasses
- Portable Espresso Maker
- Wheel Desk
- Portable Car Vacuum
- Tile Bluetooth Keys Tracker
- Laser Light Show
- Fobo Tire Plus
- LEGO Creator Expert Series
- Gas Card
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THINKWARE F70 Full HD Dash Cam
Price: $74.99 CAD - View Product
A dash camera is effectively a security camera that you mount to the dashboard of your car. Whether you're on the road or parked, dash cameras are extremely useful for recording your car's exterior environment and any incidents that might occur. The THINKWARE F70 boasts features like Full-HD 1080, wide-view video quality and parking surveillance mode that will capture the impact on your vehicle while it's unattended. You can use the footage to resolve accident and insurance claims.
The F70 also features Integrated Thermal Protection for added safety in extreme temperatures, ideal for Canadian drivers, and an optional GPS antenna (sold separately) to enable speed and red-light camera alerts.
Price: $24.99 CAD - View Product
“Alexa, close the garage door.”
Amazon’s Echo Auto essentially takes the hands-free convenience of its signature voice-activated personal assistant, Alexa, and puts it in your vehicle. The Echo Auto can help you change the music selection on your car stereo, order a pizza on the drive home from work, get traffic reports or pull up directions when you took that ill-fated shortcut.
The Echo Auto connects to your smartphone and plays through your car, allowing you to “ask Alexa.” And don’t worry about having to shout over a nearby construction site while your window is open. Echo Auto features eight microphones and far-field technology to facilitate voice activation over noisy environments.
Price: $54.99 CAD - View Product
Do you know what’s not safe? Removing a pair of gloves while driving. It usually entails some risky maneuver like steering with your elbow or worse, using your mouth to clamp down on a dirty glove from the fingertips.
In any event, The North Face has designed these attractive Etip gloves so that you don’t have to remove them in order to access your car’s touchscreen while keeping your hands warm.
When temperatures drop outside, Etip gloves make changing music, inputting directions onto a GPS, and setting up Bluetooth easier. Less time taking your gloves on and off means more time focusing on the road ahead and staying safe in Canada’s harsh winter conditions.
Price: $29.99 CAD - View Product
Nothing says I care quite like a box of cleaning supplies! In all seriousness, any car enthusiast would deeply appreciate a gift pack of Amor All necessities to keep their vehicle in tip-top shape. With the Armor All Gift Pack, your giftee will receive Multi-Purpose Cleaning Wipes, Extreme Shield Protectant Wipes, Glass Cleaner, Ultra Shine Wash and Wax, and Ultra Shine Total Vehicle Detailer.
Considering the wallet-friendly price, you get a lot of bang for your buck, and with spring on its way, Canadian drivers will be gearing up to get their vehicles looking their best.
Price: Starting at $159.95 CAD - View Product
If there’s one thing automotive enthusiasts care deeply about, it’s the cleanliness of their rides. Don’t even think about placing your Starbucks coffee on their roofs! WeatherTech Floor Liners will keep their vehicle floors neat and tidy, which is no easy feat in a place with long months of snow, rain and mud.
WeatherTech developed the FloorLiner – an interior carpet for vehicles that is made out of High-Density Tri-Extruded material and carries fluid and debris from your shoes into a lower reservoir to minimize mess on your car’s floor. Once the debris is trapped in the reservoir, it’s removed from the WeatherTech FloorLiner over the door sill, making for a state-of-the-art clean up with virtually no hassle. Although this product is a little bit more expensive, FloorLiner’s come equipped with a lifetime limited warranty.
Price: Starting at $29.99 CAD - View Product
If you have a hot car that commands attention, you need a pair of cool sunglasses to accentuate your overall “don’t mess with me” vibe, especially when you pull up to stoplights. And not only is it healthy for your image, but it’s also actually good for your eyes too. Wearing polarized sunglasses on the road will prevent the exposure of harsh UV rays, as well as minimize the risk of sun damage to the skin around your eyes.
Additionally, the glare of the sun can be particularly dangerous for drivers, as it can block out oncoming vehicles and nearby pedestrians. A good pair of polarized sunglasses will be a much-appreciated gift to those who spend a lot of time behind the wheel.
Price: Starting at $96.90 CAD - View Product
For some, driving in the morning without coffee is downright dangerous. Being behind the wheel while in need of caffeine, and not paying full attention to the road, you are a hazard to yourself and to those around you.
The Nanopresso will help you get your fix, um, we mean caffeine jolt, with its impressively sleek and mobile design. No need to plug in, just pop in a Nespresso capsule (while pulled over) and sip your first fresh cup of ambition. No batteries or electricity needed – just push down and then pour.
Price: $18.99 CAD - View Product
One of the biggest trends of 2020 has been working remotely and working from home due to COVID-19. The Cutequeen car laptop and eating wheel desk sets you up with an instant workspace right in your car. Just easily attach the stand to your steering wheel and whip out the laptop to respond to an important work email or to bring up some figures your boss needs pronto.
This is much safer than trying to read and respond to your email while driving. The ergonomic stand also doubles as an eating tray, so when the work is done you can safely enjoy your unhealthy take-out. No more trying to eat a taco while driving 65!
Price: Starting at $80.57 CAD - View Product
As we mentioned earlier, cleanliness is next to godliness when it comes to a car enthusiast. Having a vehicle with cushions dusted with chip crumbs and other snack foods is just not acceptable. A portable car vacuum will be an essential tool for them.
Simply keep it charged at home in the garage, then go to work sucking up debris when you get home. Or, charge it up and keep it in the car for immediate use. It comes with LED lights for night cleaning, and three different all-purpose nozzles.
Price: Starting at $29.99 CAD - View Product
There’s no worse feeling than digging through your pockets, searching for your keys, only to find a ball of lint and an old receipt. Lost car keys will cost you significantly if you need to replace them, especially for newer cars.
The Bluetooth-equipped Tile Mate attaches to your keychain, so you can track those keys with your mobile device. Even if your keys go out of range (200 ft), you can use the tracker to find their last location. Tile Mates are also useful for finding missing phones – a great gift on multiple levels.
Price: $26.99 CAD - View Product
Admittedly no one needs a laser light show in their car. However, the BlissLights Starport USB Laser Light might be the one thing your car-crazy friend or family member definitely does not have.
This could make driving at night pretty fun – just plug into your car’s USB port and use the flexible extender to position the lasers, creating a starry night effect on your car’s roof. It can also be used to jazz up your gaming zone, home theatre area or just a pleasant nightlight in your bedroom.
Price: Starting at $226.74 CAD - View Product
With a price range above $200, the FOBO Tire Plus is the sort of gift reserved for someone very special to you.
This is the next level in tire pressure monitoring. Instead of fiddling with a tire gauge, which you can never seem to find, the FOBO comes with four stylish valve caps that constantly feed your smartphone info about your tire pressure. The app then notifies you when tires need attention. Properly inflated tires will increase the lifespan of your rubber, while adding to the car’s fuel efficiency. A money saver on both counts.
Price: Starting at $129.99 CAD - View Product
A great gift for the young or the young at heart, the LEGO Creator Expert series includes a collection of culturally ironic cars that you can build from scratch.
Choose from the Ghostbusters’ ECTO-1, James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5, a classic Ford Mustang, VW Camper Vans and even a double-decker London bus. Jolly good! Our love of LEGO never really goes away does it?
Price: Whatever You Want! - View Product
If you simply do not have the time to pick the perfect gift for your car-loving family member or friend, then there’s always a gas card.
Sure, it probably won’t warm their heart, but it’s an undeniably useful present because you will certainly be in need of fuel at some point. Available wherever you buy gas or gift cards.
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