8 Best Car Accessories and Gadgets: Gift Ideas for Car Lovers

Driving in Canada is cooler than ever, thanks to advancements in technology, cool car accessories, and car gadgets fit for every type of driver.

The following list includes some great car accessories and car gadgets that you can purchase both online and in retail stores:

• Thinkware F50 Full HD Dash Cam
• Automobile Magazine
• Echo Auto
• The North Face Etip Gloves
• Armor All Gift Pack
• WeatherTech FloorLiners
• Polarized Sunglasses
• Gas Card

Price: $99.97 CAD - View Product

A dash camera is a video camera that is mounted on the dashboard of a vehicle. Used for recording the road, traffic, in-suite shenanigans like passenger conversations, and used for security, dash cameras are all the hype right now. Also known as car DVRs, driving recorders, or event data recorders, dash cameras are used in police vehicles and sometimes by cab drivers. However, new dash cams on the market are catering to all kinds of consumers by providing features like speed recording as well as providing GPS data. They’re great for capturing video and pictures, detecting vandalism, and covering yourself in an insurance claim. In general, they’re fun to have, especially if there’s a road trip being planned in the near future. The Thinkware F50 Full HD Dash Cam captures video from all views with a 130-degree field and 30 feet per second frame rate. The Thinkware dash cam includes Parking Surveillance Mode with motion and impact detection as well as Speed and Red-Light Camera Alerts. This dash cam is on sale at Staples right now, so grab one while they’re hot!

Price: $55.00 CAD for 12 issue subscription - View Product

A subscription to Automobile Magazine, published for the “discriminating car enthusiast”, is a wonderful gift idea for those people in your life who love reading about car gadgets, new model features, and automotive product reviews. This monthly magazine includes international information about the automotive industry and is backed by cutting-edge news and experienced writers and photographers. A trusted source for car connoisseurs, your giftee will love this magazine’s bold graphics and material covering the world’s most exciting new and classic cars. You can also visit the online Canadian magazine store, MagsConnect to find great deals on Automotive Magazine and other publications for the car lover in your life.

Price: $24.99 USD - View Product

“Alexa, close the garage door.” Imagine being able to connect your Amazon Echo to your vehicle’s Bluetooth system from your smartphone. Amazon Echo, better known as Alexa, is a voice-activated personal assistant that allows people to speak into an Echo smart speaker and request that the device dim the lights in the house, order a pizza, put on music, get answers to questions, search the Web, shop online, get instant weather reports, and 1,000 things more. Just recently, Amazon launched the Echo Auto – a new feature that allows you to take Alexa on the road.

The Echo Auto connects to your smartphone and plays through your car. Echo Auto is one of the best car accessories to hit the market, as it allows drivers to “ask Alexa” to check the news, change the music, find the nearest gas station, and figure out directions, all while your driving. This product is currently only available in the United States, but keep your eyes peeled for when it hits Canada!

Price: $49.99 CAD - View Product

Considering Canada’s freezing cold temperatures take up approximately half of the year, a pair of gloves to use behind the wheel would be appreciated by any one of your friends or family members. But, we’re not saying just any pair of driving gloves. The North Face is an American outdoor company that has a ton of stores all over Canada. Known for high-quality products and affordability, they’re stocked with different varieties of gloves for all sorts of excursions, including the ones that take place behind the wheel. The North Face Etip Glove is multifunctional, and aside from being warm, includes Etip technology that allows screens to respond to touch with the gloves on. When temperatures drop outside, and if your car includes touch screen navigation, Etip gloves make changing music, inputting directions onto a GPS, and setting up Bluetooth easier. Less time taking your gloves on and off means more time focusing on the road ahead and staying safe in Canada’s harsh winter conditions.

Price: $29.99 - View Product

Any car enthusiast would appreciate a gift pack that includes all of the necessities required to keep their vehicle in tip-top shape. With the Armor All Gift Pack, which is available at Canadian Tire both in-store and online, your giftee will receive a wash sponge, wax applicator, microfibre cloth, wash and wax liquid, multi-purpose cleaner, extreme tire shiner, auto glass cleaner, and three different scented air fresheners. Considering the price, you get a lot of bang for your buck, and with spring on its way, Canadian drivers will be gearing up to get their vehicles detailed.

Price: Starting at $99.95 CAD - View Product

Automotive enthusiasts and driving veterans love car interior accessories that offer value, while minimizing vehicle wear-and-tear and making life easier. WeatherTech Floor Liners are a must have car feature, especially for us Canadians who live through all four weather seasons. Engineers at WeatherTech, a manufacturing company that engineers the best quality automotive accessories, have developed the FloorLiner – an interior carpet for vehicles that is made out of High-Density Tri-Extruded material and carries fluid and debris from your shoes into a lower reservoir to minimize mess on your car’s floor. Once the debris is trapped in the reservoir, it’s removed from the WeatherTech FloorLiner over the door sill, making for a state-of-the-art clean up with virtually no hassle. Although this product is a little bit more expensive, FloorLiner’s come equipped with a lifetime limited warranty.

Price: Starting at $15.99 CAD - View Product

How many people do you know wear sunglasses behind the wheel? Wearing polarized sunglasses on the road will prevent the exposure of harsh UV rays as well as minimize the risk of sun damage to the skin around your eyes. Additionally, the glare of the sun can be particularly dangerous for drivers as it can block out oncoming vehicles and other pedestrians and motorists on the road. Regardless of the time of year, wearing a pair of sunglasses while you’re driving will prevent the risk of an accident, plus it’s great for overall eye health. A good pair of polarized sunglasses to be kept in a vehicle’s glove box, will be a much-appreciated gift to those who spend a lot of time behind the wheel!

Price: Whatever You Want! - View Product

When in doubt, you can never go wrong with the gift of a gas card. Available at almost all gas stations in Canada, if you’re in a last-minute fret about what to get the car enthusiast in your life, a gift card to a gas station is a no brainer that will be sure to please every driver in your life.

Canada Drives has been helping Canadians find vehicles with great auto finance rates since 2010. Our online application takes less than two minutes, and we’re partnered with dealer partners all across the nation that offer incentives and promotions for people facing all types of credit situations. Apply with Canada Drives to learn more and see what you’re eligible for.