This is the time of year when gift-shopping goes into hyperdrive. You’re making sure you’ve got the best gifts for your friends and family; but what do you get the guy or gal that already has everything? Well, if they’re into cars we think we can help in that department. Below, we’ve compiled a shortlist of our best car gift ideas for this holiday season.

1. WeatherTech FloorLiners

Nobody likes cleaning salt stains from their vehicle’s carpet in the Spring, why not save them the hassle? WeatherTech’s laser-measured mats does just that by perfectly lining the sub-floor of nearly any vehicle. This prevents water, slush and snow from ever touching the carpet. These are our top-selling floor mats and most of our own staff use them all year ’round.

2. Window Tinting Gift Certificate

Nobody likes driving in a “fishbowl” where other drivers can easily see into their car and in the Summer, ambient heat can make it hot in the driveway or parking lot. Window tint can alleviate both of these issues, and more! We carry two types of window tint film here at our shop in Ottawa. XPEL Prime CS (high-performance colour-stable) and XPEL Prime XR (ceramic). By giving a gift card you leave it up to the recipient to choose the date they’re free to have the service done as well as choose the shade and type of film the prefer.

You may be surprised to learn that you no longer need to have a darkly tinted car to get great heat rejection. Our ceramic line of XPEL Prime window tint film can reduce the heat inside a car by 50% while only reducing ~20% of light coming in (This references our 80% shade). Our darker shades in this line reduces even more heat from coming into the car as typically the darker you go, the more heat is blocked.

3. LED Headlight Bulb Upgrade Kit

An LED upgrade for headlights gives drivers more peace of mind when driving on dark roads. Most unmodified new cars from the last 20 years come with halogen headlights installed from factory. These are the baseline, and the cheapest component available, so they are used in the mass market to provide the standard quality of headlights we are all familiar with. But technology has come on a long way since these headlights were first developed, and today they are simply too inefficient to compete with the other models available. LED headlight bulbs are solid state and built to last, these headlights can in theory be used for decades before they will need to be replaced, saving the ongoing maintenance burden and costs associated with other types of bulbs.

Once a LED headlight kit is installed, you can expect high quality, warm, white light, illuminating significant portions of the road ahead compared to basic halogen bulbs. They are also usually covered by a warranty.

4. Detailing Products

Most car junkies and enthusiasts alike prefer to clean their babies at home, by hand. To make sure they can get the job done right, the first time, they need the right equipment and solutions! Our preferred detailing brands are CarPro and Sonax, both of which we carry in-store. If your not sure of the right product to buy as a gift, consult with one of our salespeople to learn just what products to get.

5. A Rooftop Cargo Carrier

While its one of the more expensive gift recommendations we’ve laid out here, a rooftop cargo carrier can be extremely useful to the car-lover in your life. These boxes and aerodynamically designed and look great on top of a vehicle’s roof. Beyond aesthetics, they are extremely useful. With a rooftop cargo carrier you can really load up your things for a road-trip, camping, or sport excursion without taking up any occupant space in your vehicle. There is a variety of sizes and styles to choose from so we recommend checking out the websites of our most popular brands, Thule and Yakima to get an idea of what boxes will work best for your application.

Merry Christmas And Happy Holidays

Thank you for another great year. We hope some of these ideas sparks inspiration into your gifting list. Spend plenty of time with your friends and family over the holidays. Be safe and be happy!