It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and that means it’s time to start working out what you’re going to be putting under the tree for those special people in your life. For some, it’s easy: a Lynx Africa gift set and a gift card for GAME. But what about those who spend every waking hour thinking about, talking about, sitting in or working on cars? Well, have no fear – Scrap Car Comparison has put together a list of motoring-based gift options to please even the most obsessive of petrolheads.
If you’re struggling to find room in your budget ahead of this year’s holiday rush, but you also have a tired, broken old car sitting on your driveway waiting for a Christmas miracle, why not give Scrap Car Comparison a call? We can give you a solution to both issues by providing you with the very best price possible for your car, and we’ll even come and take it from your driveway at absolutely no cost to you whatsoever, freeing up space outside your home while giving you cash in your account, boosting your Christmas budget in the process.
Amazon Echo Auto – £49.99 (Amazon)
We all know how useful Alexa can be around the house – why should you have to get up to turn the lights on, or boil the kettle? What is this, the 1980s? Well, why should you even have to extend your arm to the centre console to change a song or turn up the volume? With the Amazon Echo Auto you’re able to control all of that with just the power of your voice.
Not only is it handy for music, but what if you suddenly remember something on your way to work that you need to pick up from town at lunchtime? Or what if you’re on your way to fill up the tank and you wanted to check petrol prices near you to get the best deal? Picking up your phone is risking penalty points and fines so you can help a friend or family member take all of that worry away and simply let them shout at their car instead.
Bluetooth 5.0 FM Transmitter £14.99 (Amazon)
It’s all well and good getting someone an Alexa hub for their car, but what if they’re driving around in a vehicle that was built long before connectivity was even considered a standard option? Help a friend bring their old car into the modern day by simply slotting this little chap into the cigarette lighter, tuning the radio to a blank station and adjusting the Transmitter to the same frequency.
No longer will you have to settle for whatever drivel the charts are pumping out when you’re being driven to McDonalds on a Friday evening.
LEGO Speed Champions – Mercedes F1 & Project One £39.99 (LEGO Direct)
Who doesn’t love LEGO? In fact, you’ll probably struggle to find a petrolhead under 35 who doesn’t own at least one item from the Speed Champions range already. For not a lot (when it comes to LEGO), you get a surprisingly recognisable and detailed model of iconic cars that are sure to put a smile on children and adults alike.
This particular set that we’ve chosen gets you twice as much to play with, not only getting the jaw-dropping Project One, but also Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes F1 W12 E Performance – the car that he came agonisingly close to clinching an eighth World Championship with in Abu Dhabi in 2021. Thankfully there’s no Michael Masi minifigure in this set, so you should be clear to make it to the end of your build trouble free.
Your Motor Velvet Cushion – £50 (Not on the High Street)
Winter is made for cuddling up on the sofa with a hot drink and something decent on the telly (like Top Gear reruns on Dave instead of the current crop), so why not settle in with your own pride and joy emblazoned on a comfy cushion?
NV London Calcutta at Not on the High Street has you covered. Simply grab a picture of your loved one’s car and they’ll engrave it onto a velvet cushion for you, in a wide variety of colours and can even provide a caption or upgrade to a feather pillow for increased comfort.
Scratchable Race Track Poster – £19.95 (Not on the High Street)
Got a motorsport lover in your life? Well, send them packing around the world with this scratchable poster of some of the most iconic circuits to grace the sport. Not only is this an interactive poster, it even comes with information on each circuit in greater detail in a 32-page booklet.
Whether they’re scratching them off to say they’ve visited them, simply watched them on TV, or if they’re a little more advanced in their interest in the sport – raced on them – you can follow their progress as more gets revealed each time you visit.
Car Metal Silhouette Wall Art – £90+ (Etsy)
Have you been sitting looking at someone’s living room and thinking it needs something to fill that gaping hole on the wall? Or perhaps they’ve just moved into a new office and the area within their online meetings view needs some sort of decoration to it? Well this could well be the answer.
(Credit: WallArtDecorationCo/Etsy)
Certainly not the cheapest option on our list, but possibly the most striking – this art installation would be perfect for someone looking for a not-so-subtle nod to their petrolhead status. While the base model comes in the shape of a Porsche 911, there are options to go for custom designs, so if your friend loves their Fiat 500 that much, why not emblazon it above their heads?
Racing Car Shape Optical Usb Cordless Gaming – £11.99 (Amazon)
If you were to create a venn diagram of car lovers and video gamers, you’d probably find there was quite a large central area – so let’s combine the two! This “racing car shaped” gaming mouse is more of a generic Ferrari than a racing car, but we’ll let the clickbaity title slide in favour of the fact that it just looks awesome.
(Credit: Amazon/UrChoiceLtd)
We’ll also caveat it and say that any self-respecting gamer is unlikely to want to use this £12 mouse when they’re playing Dota, League of Legends or Fortnite, especially when you consider the average gaming mouse tends to sit around the £60-80 mark. However, this is certain to put a smile on their face and makes a nice stocking filler.
Dual McDonalds sauce holder – £3.50 (Etsy)
We’ve all, at some point, driven through the McDonald’s drive-thru because we absolutely cannot face the frustrated jabbing at the poorly calibrated order screens and then the awkward queuing for food in a busy restaurant in a retail park. Because of this, we’ve also all been there when we suddenly realise we have three things to hold – a box of food, a sauce tub and the food itself.
Thankfully this genius at Etsy has come up with just the solution, and it’s so simple we’re actually angry we didn’t think of it ourselves. Simply hook the holder onto your aircon vent and dip away to your heart’s content. The double sauce option means you can mix and match your sauces – or just double up on ketchup if you’re feeling greedy (lets face it, one is never enough). It might look a bit odd when being unwrapped on Christmas morning, but after a little explanation, we’re sure they’re going to absolutely love it.
Winter Car Kit – £17.35 (Amazon)
Our British winters are getting later and later and it’s quite regular now for us to feel the real sting of the cold and the snow in February-March rather than November-December. As a result, a winter survival kit for the car makes the perfect present for someone who’s just moved to somewhere a little more rural than before and now needs to get used to life where gritters daren’t venture.
A snow shovel, an emergency blanket, a torch and a hi-vis jacket may not sound like the most glamorous of gifts, but we’re sure your friend will be eternally grateful if you’re the person who meant they were able to keep safe in a snow drift in a few weeks time…
Colour-Changing LED Lights – £13.00 (MenKind)
Customising the interior of a car can be a tough ask, particularly if you’re not looking to do much in the way of manual labour or you don’t want to replace the stereo. You’ve also probably longingly looked at new cars with their ambient lighting options and then looked back at your brother’s 12 year old Corsa and known that level of premium feel is worlds away.
Think again! With these colour-changing LEDs you can simply install them around your footwell (carefully) or the bottom of the doors and away you go. Battery operated means there’s no need to do anything other than put them where you want them and click go. If you get bored of the colours, they’re changeable too. Bring a little light into your mate’s boring old car…
Remember that you can boost your budget with Scrap Car Comparison by getting rid of a tired old car, bike or van for the best price possible. We have collection agents dotted all over the country so you’re never too far away from a free collection, either. So there you have it. A few options to lighten the mood on Christmas morning and get your petrolhead pal a gift they’ll never forget.
Prices and availability correct at the time of publishing.