► The CAR team picks its dream Christmas gifts
► Presents for car lovers, from books to… caravans?
► Don’t forget the subscription to CAR magazine
Have you got a friend or family member who loves all things cars? Stuck for what to buy them at Christmas? Here are our Christmas gift ideas for car lovers, compiled by asking what the CAR wants to see underneath their Christmas trees come the morning of 25 December.
Hopefully you will find some inspiration here, although in the case of some (mentioning no names, Graham…) you might need both a big tree and deep pockets. Thankfully some of the rest of the crew were a little more considerate to the bearded fella and his reindeer, and stayed a little more reasonable in their expectations.
Incidentally, Tim’s pick is a genuine one too – he takes it away with him on holiday, without fail.
CAR magazine’s Christmas gift guide 2025
Here’s what the CAR team wants for Christmas. Let us know in the comments if any of these also work for you and we’ll pass your details on to the big man next time he’s passing.
Lego Technic Volvo FMX Truck & EC230 Electric Excavator
Ben Miller, Editor
£134.99 (was £169.99) | VIEW OFFER
When you’ve been putting Lego sets on your Christmas list for as long as I have, you learn a couple of things about what makes a great one. First off, you need depth. Great swathes of the festive period are boring as hell, so you need a project you can lose yourself in. Very big normal Lego sets do manage this occasionally, but Technic has grit – and grit is good. Grit is hours of not having to watch Elf or go for walks.
The ideal Christmas set also offers scope for collaboration, and with this Volvo set – a handsome truck pulling a trailer with an excavator on it – that means you and the little people in your life can work on it together or divide and conquer, with you making a complete hash of the truck while your nine-year-old absolutely nails the excavator… And for me, this set’s also got big nostalgia. One of my first proper technic kits was the brilliant 8837 Pneumatic Excavator, and surely the true spirit of Christmas is regressing to that age at which the big day felt absolutely magical and getting to sleep on Christmas Eve impossible.
Noco GeniusPro25 Smart Battery Charger
Piers Ward, Deputy Editor
£254.88 (was £599.95) | VIEW OFFER
My wife hates a practical present but when you’ve got an old Willys Jeep sat in the shed, usefulness suddenly takes on a whole new meaning. And so for the least glamorous present ever, I’d really like a trickle charger. But not just any trickle charger. No, this one needs to be capable of operating at either 12v or 24v.
Yes, thanks to the requirements of the US military (higher voltage means less voltage drop over longer cable runs and allows for thinner, lighter wires – see also the 800v on the likes of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N or Porsche Taycan), my old 1950s Jeep uses 24v, with two 12v batteries in series. Another non-bonus of this is that it makes bump starting with a modern car much trickier… Please, Santa!
Gran Turismo 7
Curtis Moldrich, Digital Editor
£29.99 (was £69.99) | VIEW OFFER
Gran Turismo 7 might not be the most realistic driving game on the market – try iRacing if you want that – but it finds a great balance between accessibility and hardcore handling. Casual gamers can have a blast with the controller, but if you want a more realistic experience, I’d recommend a racing seat, steering wheel and pedals. With all assists off, of course.
Plug it all together and it’s like having a dedicated simulator in your home. You’ll need the console, but there are some great PS5 deals around, too.
Playmobil shorty Collectors Cars
Jake Groves, News Editor
£22.97 (was £24.13)| VIEW OFFER
I am a massive Lego fan, but there’s no escaping how expensive those cunning plastic bricks are these days. So, this Christmas, it’s Playmobil that’s caught my eye, with its new-for-2025 range of ‘Collectors Cars’. While the firm already has an extensive back catalogue of more realistically proportioned automotive toys, these are ‘shorties’ – slightly scrunched caricatures of four iconic vehicles.
There’s a Porsche Carrera GT, a Ford F-150 Raptor, a VW T1 and – for crying out loud – a Ferrari 250 GTO. Perfect for getting your young’uns into cars bright and early. Recommended retail price is £24.99, but there are plenty of deals around on the run up to the big day.
Iron and Resin Tool Roll
Colin Overland, Production Editor
This tool roll is a lovely thing to have and to hold, and a good way of keeping your most-used tools together. Feels like it’s built to last for ever.
Mr Muscle Platinum Window & Glass Cleaner Spray
Colin Overland, Production Editor
This glass cleaner is better than any car-specific glass cleaner I’ve ever used, inside and out. Just this and a couple of microfibre cloths, and you can actually see where you’re going in winter.
The Rockford Files: The Complete Series
Colin Overland, Production Editor
This box set, because The Rockford Files, starring James Garner, was the best TV series ever. Best scripts, best location, and best use of brown ’70s US cars.
CAR Magazine subscription
Tim Pollard, Director of Digital Content
Six issues for £19.99 | VIEW OFFER
The gift that keeps giving all year round is, of course, a subscription to CAR magazine. We’ve some cracking deals in the run-up to the festive period, with six-month subs starting at less than £20. Pick from digital or combined print and digi subscription, bringing the best writing, fearless verdicts on the new cars that matter and extraordinary tales of motoring adventure, analysis and news every month.
You’ll never miss an issue, you’ll secure the best prices and – best of all – a bundle of motoring joy will land on your door mat once a month throughout 2026.
Miofive S1 Ultra
Keith Adams, Editor of Parkers.co.uk
It’s becoming increasingly apparent that a dashcam is less of a whim and more of a necessity – I see crazy things on every commute these days. The one I want is a recent award winner on CAR’s sister site Parkers: the Miofive S1 Ultra.
For the feature set – which includes dual 4k recording resolution, clear night vision and a sharp 3.0-inch screen – it’s a great value compared with more premium dashcam names. It’s also easy to use, and even syncs to a friendly smartphone app. A great gift to find under that Christmas tree.
Tamiya Wild One Blockhead Motors
Alan Taylor-Jones, Head of Automotive Testing
If there’s one thing I always wish for at Christmas, it’s a Tamiya RC car kit. Bolting together a new toy is a great antidote to rubbish TV, and you get something to drive around an annoy the dog at the end.
I’m already lucky enough to have a few kits in my collection including the hugely fun Squash Van monster truck and gorgeous Porsche 911 RSR, however there’s one that escaped my grasp this year; the Wild One. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve owned one, and I miss its combination of scale looks and decent drivability. It’s also quite simple, just in case I have one too many sherries on the day.
Coachman Lusso
Graham King, Senior Staff Writer
Maybe it’s because I’m now middle-aged, maybe it’s because I’m increasingly apathetic about hotels and AirBnBs, but I’m really starting to see the appeal of owning a caravan. I realise that might be a controversial view in these parts, however there’s no denying caravans can make holidaying more comfortable and convenient. It’s your space, you can set it up as you want it, and you don’t have to pack.
If Santa is bringing me a caravan, I’d really like a Coachman Lusso. It’s big, luxurious, well-made and quite expensive – the Mercedes E-Class Estate of caravans, if you will. A big ask then, especially as I’ll also need Santa to bring a suitable tow car. Perhaps a Land Rover Defender…
Scalextric ARC AIR: World GT Race Set
Tom Webster, Deputy Head of the Digital Automotive Hub
£214.99 (was £279.99) | VIEW OFFER
Christmas is for the kids, right? Mine are now at the sort of age where they are able to play with proper toys but aren’t so old that they are bored of such things and are badgering Santa for a console. In short, this is a bit of a sweet spot and it’s my chance to introduce them to the sort of toys that I loved as child.
I still remember the year when I got my Scalextric set, and I spent many happy hours playing on it thereafter so it’s time to pass that joy on. The current retro range are before even my time, so I’m going for a GT3 vibe. All the features of the sets of my youth plus some modern wireless upgrades to bring it up to date. Brilliant.
Spy Octane: The Vehicles of James Bond
Aaron Hussain, Products Writer
£80.89 (was £99.00) | VIEW OFFER
In the rich world of automotive publishing, Porter Press International produce some of the most exquisite books in the business and work wonders with the authors. The research, detail, and sense of immersion you get with them is hard to match. So, what happens when they combine that reputation with the history of the James Bond cars? The answer is clear to me: a Christmas present a petrolhead will never forget.
Spy Octane Volume 1 is truly vast both in its size and intrinsic level of research and detail; this 414-page behemoth covers the cars and other machinery used from Dr. No to Diamonds Are Forever, with the later films to be followed in the next Volumes. The vast array of previously unseen photographs and untold stories makes for some fascinating reading. There are accounts from those who worked on set plus those from previous and current owners of the vehicles used. There have been Bond car books before, but none of them quite match what Spy Octane delivers. It’s an archaeological deep dive into some of the most iconic on-screen cars in history, and once I opened it, I found it very difficult to close.
Lego Technic Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut
Naveed Hussain, Products Writer
£45.04 (was £46.99) | VIEW OFFER
Two of my favourite things in the world are cars and Lego, so imagine how I felt the first time I set my eyes on Lego cars! These Technic sets are designed to include interesting details that you won’t find on an ordinary model – like the working V8 engine and steering in this Koenigsegg Jesko.
Express your inner Christian Von Koenigsegg with this 801-piece model that should provide hours of fun for petrolheads aged 10 and over. At 28 cm long it’s the perfect gift this Christmas.
Ooono Co-Driver No2
Alex Boyd, Products Writer
£56.94 (was £69.00)| VIEW OFFER
Most of us probably consider ourselves to be half decent drivers, but I’ll happily take anything that makes my journeys easier and a bit less stressful. Satnav and Google Maps feel like essentials these days, and with all the distractions around us, it’s not surprising to have the odd moment where your attention slips and you can miss a warning sign or your speed creeps up without realising.
Ooono has a range of products which are designed to act as a co-driver, keeping an eye out for things like red-light cameras, mobile speed detectors, roadworks or accidents. The visual and audio alerts come in at just the right moment, giving you time to take action.
For me this Christmas, the Ooono Co-Driver No2 would be a really handy addition to give me that subtle nudge when I need it and it would nestle in nicely alongside the other driving aids.
Pioneer AVH-Z7200DAB Flip-Out Touchscreen Multimedia Player
CJ Hubbard, Head of the Digital Automotive Hub
£539.00 (was £599.99) | VIEW OFFER
This is really more of a what my car wants for Christmas. While I quite enjoy having the original tape deck in my old banger, it is functionally pretty limited in a world where digital radio and smartphone integration exists. Porsche does (a very expensive) touchscreen upgrade for older models – you can read Ben Barry’s PCCM review elsewhere on the site – but I’ve had my eye on this more affordable Pioneer unit for years.
There are much more modern alternatives; I just love the way it emerges from the dashboard like some kind of Bond gadget and, most importantly, it has a proper volume knob. Which is a rarity in aftermarket car hi-fi these days. As an aside, the price routinely fluctuates on Amazon, so if you’re at all tempted, make sure you wait until it’s at a decent discount.
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