Maybe you’re thinking it’s a bit early to be talking holiday gift guides, but we all know that time of year always seems to come out of nowhere. So, in an effort to help everyone be better prepared with some thoughtful, unique, and useful gift options, we here at Parts Via curated this extensive gift guide that includes a little something for everyone.
This is the year — the year that you go down as one of the best gift-givers. This is the year that you finally won’t have to rely on cheesy socks with swear words as your last-minute smash-and-grab before the store closes on Christmas Eve. (Although, don’t get us wrong, socks with swear words can be pretty fun too).
Get ready to rev up the holiday season and unwrap the joy of gift-giving – all without breaking the bank. Here are 15 great automotive gifts under $50.
Gear Bags
For the rugged weekend warriors, off-road enthusiasts, dedicated Jeepers, or really any folks who seem to live out of their truck or car, you can’t go wrong with a cargo gear bag (or two, or three).
Rightline Gear and ARB both offer a variety of cool, Jeep Wrangler-specific dry bags that are perfect for keeping all your essential items safe and easily accessible. And for those who really like their storage to match their rugged recovery gear, check out WARN’s line of Epic Trail Gear Bags. Built tough from marine-grade vinyl with tough-as-nails zippers, these great-looking, high-quality bags include a tool roll, passenger grab handle bag, cylinder roll bar bags, a triangle bag, MOLLE storage bag, and even a fire extinguisher holder.
Car Washing Supplies
The holidays may not be the typical time of year to think about washing and detailing a vehicle, but a gift of some top-quality car wash supplies is sure to spark fantasies of warm-weather wash parties in any car lover.
Preassembled kits are a great timesaver, but consider assembling your own by picking up a big 5-gallon bucket and filling it with high-quality standalone products and cleaning tools. You’ll certainly have your pick of the litter with chrome and wheel cleaners, interior sprays, glass cleaners, wash mitts, microfiber towels, leather conditioners, and more from reputable companies like Meguiar’s, Turtle Wax, Mothers, and 303 Products.
Pet Travel Accessories
It’s no secret that most dogs love riding in cars. And as beloved members of the family, you want to keep them safe and comfortable when they come along for the ride. Investing in a set of collapsible travel bowls, a harness that keeps them safely tethered in the back seat, or a few new toys for onboard entertainment are all great gifts under $50 for the person in your life who always lets their dog ride shotgun.
Cell Phone Holder or Charger
With a lot of states becoming more diligent about enforcing their hands-free driving laws, cell phone cradles and chargers that anchor to your dash or your vents are a great gift idea for those people in your life who seem to be constantly attached to their phones — which, at this point, seems to be just about everyone.
A cell phone holder lets your loved one answer the phone, look at directions, shuffle their favorite playlist, and keep their phone from falling between that annoying gap between the seat and center console. Even better, plenty of companies now offer holders with wireless chargers built right in!
Floor Mats
Look, we get it, floor mats might not be the most exciting gift to unwrap on the big day, but trust us – it will absolutely earn points for being the most useful.
In addition to leaving unsightly stains on a vehicle’s floor, the wet mud and snow from dirty shoes can seep right through that wimpy factory carpeting and wreak havoc on floor pans. A set of quality weatherproof floor mats will prevent this from happening, by conforming to the contours of the vehicle and repelling dirt and debris. They’ll also dress up the interior a bit which – fun bonus – for the sports nut in your life, you can snag a set that are branded with their favorite team logo for a more personalized touch.
License Plate Frame or Hitch Cover
Along the same lines as sports-branded floor mats, you can also trick out your friend or loved one’s ride with a themed license plate frame or hitch cover. Sports teams, decorative bling, or even special lighting systems for your license plate are all fun and affordable options. Or, go for a branded hitch cover that tells the world about your friend’s burning loyalty to Harley Davidson, Star Wars, Ford, Yosemite Sam, and more.
Wheel Locks
With wheel theft on the rise all over the country, wheel locks are an uber affordable way to keep your loved one’s wheels safe and secure. Rushing out to your car to head to work or school only to find that someone’s jacked up your ride and stolen your wheels in the middle of the night is an expensive and awful way to kick off the day, but for under $50, you can help ensure that doesn’t happen. Unfortunately, wheel locks can’t stop you from spilling hot coffee all over yourself when you’re already running late.
Air Fresheners or Deodorizers
If you’ve got a friend or family member that always seems to have a stubborn, unusual, or downright offensive aroma every time you get in their vehicle, a whole car air deodorizer like this one from Meguiars is a great (and not so subtle) way to help them rid their ride of that Pepe Le Pew odor. Or, go for the traditional hanging air freshener like the ones from Little Trees that come in a surprising array of colors, themes, and shapes to suit any personality. They make great little stocking stuffers, especially for the folks in your life who drive for a living (or just drive a lot).
Jumper Cables
While not the most fun or glamorous gift suggestion on this list of automotive gifts under $50, a set of jumper cables is probably one of the most practical. It’s definitely one of those “better-to-have-it-and-not-need-it-than-to-need-it-and-not-have-it” items that should be a basic staple in every driver’s trunk or part of a larger emergency roadside assistance kit. Spring for a set that includes a nice storage bag – along with instructions for those who may be less well-versed in the ways of automotive battery charging.
Battery Charger
Sticking with the theme of automotive power, a battery charger or maintainer can be a budget-friendly time saver for the enthusiast in your life who sometime keeps their ride sitting for weeks or perhaps months at a time. Whether it’s a classic car only driven during warm weather, a personal watercraft or snowmobile, even a lawnmower – an automatic battery maintainer like this one from Schumacher Electric can help keep them road or water-ready.
Cargo Storage Solutions
No matter what your loved one drives, having items rolling around unsecured in the back isn’t just irritating, it’s also unsafe. Interior or exterior cargo nets, bags, bars, and blocks all make great gifts that don’t take up a ton of space, but can make a major difference from a safety and organization standpoint. Plus, it’s an item that many people don’t want to purchase for themselves but are always happy to receive.
Door Latch Step
If you’ve got a friend or family member who always seems to be struggling to reach their roof rack to secure or unload cargo, bikes, skis, surfboards, and other equipment, this Rightline Moki Door Step may be one of the best and most life-changing gifts they ever receive. It just hooks to the door latch and can support up to 400 pounds. No more standing precariously on the car seat and damaging the leather or fabric. This step provides a safe and secure solution that allows you to easily reach the roof of your car and is compact enough to store almost anywhere in the vehicle.
Quality Set of Gloves
For the more adventurous folks in your life, a set of leather racing gloves from a top-notch brand like RaceQuip are a high-quality, durable, yet supple and comfortable way to protect their hands while driving. Great for cars, go-karts, dirt bikes, ATVs, and more, these gloves will last a long time and be a much-appreciated gift.
In case you have a 4x4 or off-road enthusiast, consider a set of winching gloves from WARN. They’re a great way to protect hands from sharp barbs and abrasions while working with winch rope. Made from synthetic leather with Kevlar reinforcements, they feature a shock-absorbing palm and terry cloth sweat wipe that ensures a strong and confident grip.
Hitch Receiver Locks
Help your loved ones secure their valuable trailers and cargo with an affordable trailer hitch receiver lock. This one from BOLT is an excellent choice because it’s made to be compatible with your vehicle’s ignition key, eliminating the need to carry around and keep track of yet another key. Made from rugged and long-lasting stainless steel, it features a double ball bearing locking mechanism and comes backed by a lifetime limited warranty.
Flashlights
Along the lines of vehicle safety, every driver in your life should carry a strong and reliable flashlight in their glove compartment or emergency kit. Performance Tool makes rugged water- and impact-resistant handheld flashlights and headlamps that feature super bright LED lights that never need replacing. These lights are compact and ideal for peering in dark engine compartments and looking in and around your vehicle for dropped items in the dark. They’re also ideal for alerting other motorists to your presence in the event of a breakdown.