Best Gifts For Gearheads

‍What Are The Best Gifts For Gearheads?

No matter what the occasion is, everyone wants to get the people they care for the best gifts they possibly can. And if you aren’t quite as much into cars as the gearheads in your life, then we’ve got you covered. Here are some of the best gifts you can buy today for gearheads.

Still Plays With Blocks T-Shirt

Like everyone else, car people love t-shirts. They’re comfy, they look great, and they can go with just about any outfit — depending on the shirt, of course! Another reason that gearheads love getting t-shirts is because working on cars is a very dirty hobby. Grease, oil, rust, and all other kinds of dirty and grimy things get all over them.

So they’ll always appreciate a fresh new shirt, especially if it’s car-themed like this one from the Ann Arbor T-Shirt Co. The grey neutral color goes with anything and the “still plays with blocks” wording is clever with the image of an engine block next to it. Perfect to wear while working on cars or to wear out with friends (especially to car events). This shirt is sure to be a hit!

OBD II Scan Tool

Pretty much modern cars have one thing in common — an OBD II port that connects to the vehicle’s computer/electronic system. If you don’t know much about cars, just suffice it to say that the OBD II port on a vehicle tells a mechanic (or gearhead) basically everything that’s going on with the car. At least everything that’s monitored by the computer.

And with modern cars being more and more computer-based, that’s, well, pretty much everything. An OBD II scanner will allow the gearhead in your life to simply hook up to the port and check out any codes that the car is throwing. It makes diagnosis and fixing issues a hundred times easier. If you want to go all out and spend $5,000+ on a Snap-On scan tool, you could.

Or you could buy a basic code reader like this one for less than $40. Of course it can’t do as much as one of the top of the line scan tools. But being able to just read the codes makes fixing a problem significantly easier. They’ll get plenty of use out of this bad boy.

Forza Horizon 5 Video Game

When they get done working on cars and going to car events in real life, one of the best ways that gearheads like to relax is to play car-related video games. Lots of people like video games, it’s one of the biggest industries in the world. And when it comes to car games, there’s one name that is above all others — Forza.

The Forza line of games has wowed people for years with the best graphics and most realistic physics possible. Arguably the greatest game of all time, Forza Horizon 4, was a massive hit and took the gaming world by storm a couple years ago. Well, it’s successor has just been released and Forza Horizon 5 is easily going to be the most popular car game of the year.

So if the gearhead in your life plays video games, then this is the absolute perfect gift to get for them!

1:18 Scale Diecast Model Cars

If you’ve ever walked around a car person’s home, room, or garage, then you’ve probably seen a decent amount of decorations and stuff around. With their love of cars, it’s super easy to decorate and add a personal flair to their space. Posters, banners, flags, and model cars are some of the most common things that you might come across.

And sure you could get them a little Hot Wheels car like many people get. But instead, step it up a notch and consider getting a 1:18 scale Diecast model car. Either a car that they love, like a dream car, or a model of a car that they personally own. What would be cooler than having a 1:18 scale model of your own car? Not much!

Floor Mat Drink Coasters

Lots of people have a man cave (or a woman cave!) that’s all decked out with their favorite decorations and set up exactly the way they like it. A place where they can hang out with friends, have a good time, and throw back a few cold drinks. But one of the biggest issues with drinking a nice cold drink with friends is that if people leave their drinks on the furniture, it leaves rings and water marks.

The simple solution to that is to get some coasters and have them ready to go for any time that someone is drinking a cold drink. But gearheads don’t just want standard coasters that look like everyone else’s. No, get them something a bit more unique like these rubber floor mat coasters. These are unique, super effective, and affordable. The perfect gift for a gearhead!

Tire Coffee Mug

As undoubtedly one of the most popular drinks in the country, coffee is something that many, many people swear by in the morning. For me personally, I don’t even want to be spoken to until I’ve had at least one cup! And for lots of gearheads out there, especially the ones that have to get up early and start their day off in the shop, coffee in the morning is absolutely essential.

So if you’re shopping for one of these gearheads that loves their morning coffee, then the perfect gift is a new coffee mug. But don’t just get them a standard porcelain mug from the store like everyone else uses. Instead, get them something that’s cooler and that no one else will have like this tire and wrench coffee mug.

Mechanic’s Tool Kit

Tools are an absolute must for any gearheads. They love to tinker. They love to modify their cars. They love to fix their own car. Plus you might even benefit if something breaks on your own car and they’re willing to fix it for you! There’s an old saying that a mechanic is only as good as their tools, so it’s vital that the gearhead in your life has all the tools they need to get started.

Working on cars is an intricate art. One that may require all sorts of speciality tools depending on the job being done. But most of the time, nothing beats a good old-fashioned tool set that includes wrenches, sockets, ratchets, and more standard tools like that. The easiest way to get all of these for that special someone is with a complete tool kit like this one from DEWALT.

Portable Air Compressor

Sticking with the tool theme — since gearheads love tools that they can use to take care of their cars — let’s look at something that’s super practical for anyone in your life. Have you ever gone out to your car and noticed that one of your tires was low? Or maybe it’s completely flat and you just wish you had enough air to make it to the shop? Then this gift would have come in handy.

With a portable air compressor like this one from AstroAI, someone can easily pump up their cars’ tires no matter where they are. It simply plugs into the 12-volt plug (or cigarette lighter) so it doesn’t need to be charged or anything like that. They can just toss it in their trunk or put it in their backseat and never have to worry about walking out to flat tire again.

Carbon Fiber Shift Knob

Gearheads like clothes, cups, and other normal gifts like anyone else. Of course they do, they’re human just like you! But if you really want your gift to stick out from everyone else’s, then get them something for their car that will give it that special touch. If your friend has a manual car, then one of the best things you can get them is a shift knob.

One of the easiest mods to make a car, the gearhead in your life will appreciate the simple job that will immediately change the appearance of their interior in an instant. But don’t just settle for any old shift knob. Instead, get this Mishimoto carbon fiber shift knob to really make their shifter pop. Carbon fiber is huge right now, and it’s worth every penny.

Car Care Gift Pack

Getting gifts for gearheads can be pretty easy sometimes. After all, what do gearheads like more than anything else? Their cars, of course! And one thing that gearheads love about their cars more than the average person is keeping them clean. Nothing is better than having a clean car and letting it shine for everyone else to see.

You could go out and buy a bunch of different car care products and hope that you get them everything they need. Or, keep them simple and get them a complete car care package from Armor All — one  of the biggest names in the care care industry. This gift set includes glass wipes, interior protectant, tire foam, and wash & wax.

Battery Jump Pack

What’s worse than going to get in your car in the morning only for it to just simply not start? Maybe the only thing worse is being stranded somewhere unfamiliar only for, you guessed it, your car not to start. Especially common in colder temperatures, dead batteries are without a doubt one of the most common issues that car owners have.

Jumper cables are nice, sure, but they don’t have any use if you don’t have another car available to jump yours with. Instead, get the gearhead in your life a battery jump pack like this one from NOCO. This 1,000-amp 12-volt jump box can easily jump a car’s battery without needing another car. Simply hook the red cable to the positive post and the black cable to the negative post on the battery and fire it up!

GoPro Camera Suction Cup Mount

One of the best gifts you can get for a gearhead is a GoPro suction cup mount. While we’ll talk about the GoPro camera itself later on, the gearhead in your life will need a way to mount the camera to their cars. Sure, lots of people use a GoPro for action shots like swimming, diving, or any other sort of activity or sport.

But gearheads want to mount cameras to their cars for all sorts of reasons. Install a new exhaust? Turn the camera on and let it roar. Racing someone at the track? Nothing is better than mounting a GoPro facing towards the rear of the car and then recording yourself beating someone. The possibilities are endless, so get them this suction cup mount and let them have fun!

GoPro Camera

To finish things off, I wanted to include something that’s a bit more expensive than anything else on this list. But it’s the perfect gift for just about anyone in your life, especially including gear heads. A new GoPro Camera. I already talked about some of the ways that the gearhead in your life might want to mount and use the GoPro above, but the camera itself is the real prize.

There are many iterations of the GoPro camera out there, all of which are fantastic devices that do a great job. Especially any of the more modern ones that have come out in the last few years. The current top-tier option available is the GoPro Hero 10. With its 5K Ultra HD video and 23 MP pictures, the gearhead in your life will get the best photos and videos of their car possible.