If you’re looking for good gift ideas for the car lover in your life, the possibilities really are endless. Whether your loved one is obsessed with cars or just has an affinity for a certain kind of car, you can find the perfect gift that they will love.
If you don’t know where to start, think about what the car enthusiast in your life loves specifically. Do they love clothing? Do they also need the latest in technology? Do they love going to auto shows or jazzing up their cars? Are they always trying to keep their car clean?
This guide can help you find the perfect gift for the car lover in your life every single time.
Apparel
If your partner really wants to show off their love for a particular brand of car, the best thing you can do is get them apparel that they can wear every day, no matter the occasion. Your gift might be as simple as a T-shirt or a hoodie, but you’ll be giving them something that they’re going to love wearing.
If you’re looking for something extra special, think about getting the car lover in your life some vintage clothes. Anyone can put a logo on a shirt or a hat or a hoodie, but vintage clothing really can take gift-giving over the top. Honda for example offers clothing as part of its Vintage Culture line that makes available high-quality jackets, like the ones worn by mechanics in the 1960s, as well as vintage tees featuring race cars from the past.
Sometimes apparel gifts can be even simpler. Anyone who drives in any car or truck, big or small, needs a good pair of sunglasses. There’s nothing worse than driving on a sunny day and feeling blinded because you’re not wearing shades. With a gift of sunglasses, you’ll be getting your loved one something they can use every day. It doesn’t mean you have to go out and buy a pair of designer shades, but you can definitely find them sunglasses that will protect their eyes, hold up against wear and tear, and are easily portable.
Along with sunglasses, another great option for someone who drives a lot is a pair of good driving gloves. Having the right pair of gloves can really enhance a car ride during a chilly spring day or a crisp fall morning. The right gloves offer plenty of grip on the steering wheel and breathe nicely so your hands don’t sweat when you drive.
Toys
Getting gifts for the car-loving partner in your life doesn’t always mean you have to buy them driving accessories. In fact, there are plenty of fun and inexpensive ideas that are sure to bring a smile to your partner’s face when they open the gift.
If you’re looking for a small, inexpensive example, try getting them toy cars. Many car companies like Hot Wheels are always coming out with new cars, especially ones that pay homage to classic cars of old. If your partner is really into muscle cars or older racing cars, you can look for the perfect Hot Wheels cars to get them. Likewise, if your partner who’s maybe had a favorite car that they don’t have anymore, you can find the Hot Wheels equivalent to give them something to remember their old car or truck by.
Believe it or not, you can also find several candy companies that make candy cars you can eat. Most are roughly the size of Hot Wheels cars and can be crafted and painted to resemble any number of iconic cars.
For the person who loves puzzles and building things, you can’t go wrong with getting them model cars. Some model cars, such as those made by Lego, can be put together fairly easily and look great on a shelf or a desk. Other model cars take longer to put together and usually require modeling glue, a steady hand, and a lot of patience. But they always look great once they’re done and you may just end up finding the perfect car for your partner to add to their collection.
If you’re still looking at toy cars as gifts, you can help your partner relive fun childhood memories by getting them a racing track. This goes along perfectly with the Hot Wheels cars you may have already gotten them. Companies like Hot Wheels now offer Smart Tracks, which can be linked via Bluetooth and controlled on a phone or a tablet. This can be a great gift for a youngster in your family or it can help your partner feel like a kid again.
Gadgets
If you know a car lover in your life, then you probably know that they’re always in need of helpful gadgets for their ride.
Fortunately, there are a lot of options you can get to help the car lover in your life keep track of all their important items and keep their car organized. One thing that everyone is always in need of is a charger. For relatively cheap, you can grab a wireless charging travel kit that your partner can keep in their car at all times. Many of them come with plenty of chords, so they’ll be able to plug in it no matter where they are.
Believe it or not, you can also buy them things that are usually suited for a work desk or even a dorm room. If your partner has a big enough car, you can actually buy them a mini-fridge. This will allow them to keep a couple of soda cans cold and store some snacks. If your loved one is an Uber or Lyft driver, this may just be the perfect gift, especially if they’re always on the go.
Sometimes the gadgets don’t have to be over the top, however. You could really make someone’s day by paying for a new garage door opener, especially if the one they currently have acts finicky.
Another gadget that any car enthusiast will love is having remote start. Rather than having to bundle up in the dead of winter to start their car in the morning, your partner can simply point their key fob out the front window, start their car, and it will be nice and warm by the time they’re ready to head into work.
Washing
It doesn’t matter how big or small your vehicle is or what brand of vehicle you drive, everyone likes to keep their car clean. So if you’re looking for the perfect gift for the car lover in your life, you can make it easy for them to keep their car clean by getting them gift certificates for their local car wash. If they’re prone to getting a car washing every week or so, you can give them enough in gift cards or certificates to cover them for a month.
Paying Bills
If you’ve got a partner who’s struggling financially, one of the best gifts you may be able to give them is paying for their auto insurance. Even if it’s only for a month, that gift may allow them to pay for other necessities, and they’ll be very grateful. On the subject of auto insurance, you could also look into paying for add-ons to their coverage, especially if it’s one of your parents. You could, for example, pay for them to add towing assistance to their plan, so that way they’re covered in cases of emergency.
Car show tickets
If you have a car fanatic in your life, getting them tickets to a car show just may be the perfect gift. After all, if you love cars, what’s better than going to a show where you can see the latest and greatest in cars and car technology? Getting your partner tickets to an auto show doesn’t just feed into their enthusiasm for cars, it may also give them ideas of things they may want to do to their own cars. They may see something they want to order from an auto accessories shop to add in their own vehicle, or they may see a paint scheme they want to have a local customs shop do to their car.
Car Parts
If your loved one is car lover, and maybe even a mechanic by trade, then one of the best gifts you may be able to give them is car parts. If you don’t know where to go for car parts, you can give them the means to go out and purchase the car parts they need to make repairs. Your gift can help them make a needed brake repair, get further along with their engine repair project, or install automatic transmissions at home, especially if they like to make car repairs on their own. It takes real skill to be able to do extensive DIY car repairs and part replacement, but for such an enthusiast in your life, your gift could be just what the doctor ordered.
A Chance To Have Fun
If your partner is always tinkering with their car, always adding accessories, or changing up the paint scheme, one gift you could give them is money or a gift card for services at a customs shop. Experienced hands at a customs shop can do all kinds of auto painting if your car enthusiast wants to change up the color. They can add just about any accessory you can think of, and they can get parts to help a car go faster. So if your partner for example wants a little more power in their engine, a customs shop likely knows a turbo supplier who can provide some extra juice under the hood.
Think of a car enthusiast at a customs shop like a child at Build-A-Bear; they’re in their element and the possibilities are endless.
Odds And Ends
As previously mentioned, if you’re wanting to get a gift for the car enthusiast in your life, the sky really is the limit.
If they like to read, get them a subscription (or two) to a car or truck magazine. Better yet, if they’ve got a coffee table, get them a coffee table book about vintage cars they can flip through whenever they like.
If they’re always trying to keep the interior of their car clean, get them products they can use to keep the inside of the car smelling clean and also dust-free.
If they’re always on the go, always running to the car in the morning, think about getting them a good tumbler they can take with them in the morning to carry their hot coffee, fruit smoothie, or protein shake.
If your partner tends to take their dog with them on trips, there are several pet-related gifts you could get them. You could get a dog bed for their back seat so that their pooch is comfortable on long road trips. If the dog tends to shed heavily, you could get them extra sticky lint rollers that will remove hair from their clothes as well as from car seats. Don’t forget pet stain and odor remover to keep the inside of the car clean.
If they’ve got enough accessories for their car, think about giving them something to spruce up the inside of their home. You can get a canvas print of their favorite car for example or get them some other kind of wall art that shows off just how much they love cars.
No matter what gift you get your car enthusiast partner, personalizing it will mean a great deal to them, no matter what the gift is or how big it is. With a little bit of planning and a little knowledge of what they like, you can find the perfect gift that they’ll be able to use frequently and appreciate since it came from you.