'Tested & Trusted' Expert Picks on Sale Now, Just In Time for the Holidays

"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."

This story was updated with new products and information in December 2023.

The Gear Team is always testing the latest and greatest in automotive tools, parts, gear, and accessories. From windshield wiper blades and portable tire inflators to car coolers and home EV chargers, we've put hundreds of products through our ringer to bring you the best.

Just in time to wrap up your holiday gift list, there's a slew of great deals right now on the products and gear car nuts crave.

See all the stuff the gear team has tested

Tested & Trusted

The Gear Team does hands-on tests of popular products, tools, and car gear in a variety of categories, pitting popular, bestselling, and even brand-new products against the competition in real-world testing and letting our readers know which ones are the best, which will get the job done, and which ones to avoid.

We've tested everything from tools and shop gear to car-cleaning products and compiled the winners and top performers from each test on our Tested & Trusted page, where readers can find all our Best Overall winners and top gear picks in one place.

Check out these great deals below on products, gear, and tools we've recommended to our friends and would buy for ourselves.

G29 Driving Force Racing Wheel and Floor Pedals

While we didn't put a bunch of sim racing setups head to head (yet), this wheel-and-pedal combo from Logitech is highly recommended for both beginners and experienced racers. At $100 off, this is a marvelous deal (and it might go even lower come Prime Day).

How to Build a Killer Sim Racing Setup

20V Cordless Tire Inflator

If we were shopping for a portable tire inflator to keep in our car, we'd pick the Avid Power Cordless. With a faster inflation time than the competition, plus the battery's USB port for charging phones and such, our choice for Best Overall Tire Inflator turned out to be a pretty easy call.

Tested: Best Portable Tire Inflators

ChargePoint Home Flex Level 2 WiFi-enabled 240 Volt EV Charger

Our Best Overall Home EV Charger, the ChargePoint had the most nuanced cost tracking, allowing us to select from among dozens of possible rate plans from our local utility to pinpoint the actual cost of charging down to the penny, even when on a variable rate. The app is user-friendly and very handy. Of all the units that were tested, this was our favorite.

TESTED: Best Home EV Chargers

Jump-N-Carry JNC325 Jump Starter

With seemingly hundreds of portable jump starters on the market, it can be tempting to just grab one of the cheapest and hope for the best. Instead, the Gear Team chose the Clore Jump-N-Carry as our Best Overall Portable Jump Starter. In our testing, the American-made jumper boasts enough power to start just about any vehicle, is compact enough to store in your trunk, and features the specs you need to jump a vehicle anywhere, anytime.

Genius 1 Smart Car Battery Charger

Effective and user-friendly, our Best Overall Battery Charger/Maintainer was the NOCO Genius 1. It employs a lower 1.0-amp setting to begin a slow, steady charge. It's designed to work with the gamut of battery options—regular lead-acid, AGM, and lithium.

Best Battery Chargers Tested

Bluetooth Pro OBD-II Scanner

While techs and mechanics need a fully functional, plug-in diagnostic tool, the average car lover can get by with an affordable Bluetooth scanner. When we set out to find the Best OBD-II Scanner, the Gear Team chose the BlueDriver as our Best Overall, noting its tile-style interface was exceptionally easy to use, and we had no issues finding codes, tests, and other data.

Tested: Best OBD-II Scanners

Latitude 2-in-1 Water Repellency Wiper Blades

We tried a bunch of 'em, and the Rain-X Latitude Water Repellency was our pick for the Best Wiper Blade. The hydrophobic coating on the blades works very well and improved visibility immediately, and it was quiet and left no streaks. Plus, the price point is attractive—especially on Prime Day.

Tested: Best Windshield Wiper Blades

Dustbuster Cordless Handheld Vacuum

We chose the Dustbuster as our Best Overall Car Vacuum for its successful blend of price, performance, and household versatility. For big, chunky messes, this is the car vacuum you'll want.

Tested: Best Car Vacuums

Wet/Dry Vacuum, 6-gallon, 4HP

This shop vacuum was named Best for the Typical Garage. The six-gallon capacity strikes an excellent balance between size and storage, and the price won't break the bank. We loved how easy it was to move around, the low noise level, and its attractive price point.

Best Shop Vacuums Tested

0PS 02XS Rubber Frame Polarized Sunglasses

Who would've thought a pair of Prada sunglasses would make it to our Favorite Driving Sunglasses list? We were pleasantly surprised by the performance and comfort of these shades, and it was one of our most-worn pairs during testing.

Tested: Best Driving Sunglasses

RhinoRamp MAX

When we tested the Best Car Ramps for 2023, we chose the RhinoRamp Max as the best for trucks thanks to the sturdy material, supreme grip, and 17-inch-wide base. The ramps nest and stack out of the way too.

Tested: Best Car Ramps

Wash Wax All

Our favorite Waterless Car Wash product not only cleans efficiently but leaves a smooth, shiny, just-waxed look. The scent is pleasant as well. This 32-ounce bottle should go a long way on your car, truck, RV, boat, motorcycle, side-by-side, et al.

Tested: Best Waterless Car Washes

150W Car Power Inverter

For a light-duty power inverter that does a little bit of everything, the SuperOne 150W is our pick. Featuring two USB, one AC, and two cigarette lighter–style ports, there's room for a host of different gadgets. The cupholder design is nice, but only if you have the room to spare (a road-trip beverage is the priority, right?). It's rated for 150 watts, which might not sound like a whole lot but is enough for most electronic devices necessary for a pleasant family road trip.

Tested: Best Car Power Inverters

Big & Fast Cars

Call us biased, but we gotta plug this kids' book from the Road & Track Crew. It's a veritable encyclopedia of automobile knowledge aimed at car-loving kids, and at this price, you may as well start your Christmas shopping early.

Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner (2-pack)

Our choice for Best Overall Car Carpet Cleaner, Adam's was effective against multiple types of stains, budget-friendly, and easy to use. It cleaned up mud and wine stains with ease, wasn't horribly messy to use, and dried quite quickly. Our team agreed that the fruity scent was pleasant and far better than some other cleaners' smells.

Best Car Carpet Cleaners Tested

BD310 Bluetooth OBD-II Scanner

The Ancel BD310 is our choice as the Best Display OBD-II Scanner for Home Use. We loved the scanner's happy medium between corded and Bluetooth capabilities and felt the app's interface was excellent. The BD310 was quick to connect and display codes, and it provided many of the perks of expensive scanners while staying affordable. You can use it with just the corded interface, or connect it via Bluetooth and use the free app to access more data, diagnostic resources, and performance testing.

Tested: Best OBD-II Scanners

Z-Creeper

The Z-Creeper was our pick for the Best Folding Creeper. Ranking toward the top of our comfort test and plowing through loose nuts and bolts with ease, the Z-Creeper can transform into both an upright chair and a stool via a series of pins and locks.

TESTED: Best Mechanics Creepers

Star Tron Enzyme Fuel Treatment

Look, we aren't fuel scientists. But when we use this stuff, bad gas-related things don't happen. A standard eight-ounce bottle treats 48 gallons of gas for up to two years, so one bottle lasts a long time for the likes of motorcycles, ATVs, and lawnmowers. Thanks to the shape of the bottle and the small-diameter spout, Star Tron has no need for a funnel. Got some extra? Pour it in your car. Or leave it on a shelf in the garage. You'll find a use for it.

Car Gear We Use

Swirl Killer 9mm LT Polisher

Robust but also comfortable and ergonomic, the 9mm Swirl Killer was our choice for Best Overall Car Buffer. The concave rubber handhold did an excellent job of reducing vibrations, and the 5-inch backing pad and is compatible with any 5-inch hook-and-loop pad or bonnet. Best of all, it also comes in 12-, 15-, and 21-inch versions.

Best Car Buffers Tested

16-Gallon 6.5 Peak HP Wet/Dry Vac

If you're looking for a wet/dry vacuum for a job site or other large-mess areas, Craftsman's option was our pick for Best Shop Vasc for Large Messes. The 16-gallon behemoth was unstoppable, guzzling everything in its path. The vacuum rolls around nicely, and a unique hose design with more flexible sections on each end allows for superior usability. Attachments include a nice squeegee-like wet nozzle to aid in liquid pickups.

The one drawback is storing this beast, but Craftsman does offer a 12-gallon option. And if you need something larger, a 20-gallon vacuum exists, too.

Tested: Best Shop Vacs

20V Max Handheld Cordless Vacuum

Black+Decker performed well in our test of the Best Car Vacuums. The wide-mouthed crevice opening did a great job sucking up debris, but the most attractive feature is the pivoting head, hence the name.

The long crevice opening, paired with up to 200 degrees of pivot angle, allows the Pivot to get into typically inaccessible places. Battery life is so-so, coming in at just around 11 minutes, the noise level is pretty average, and dumping the dust is tricky due to a small, cramped collection chamber. Aside from that, the Pivot does an excellent job cleaning cars quickly, and the pivoting function offers unique angles.

Tested: Best Car Vacuums

Spill-Free Funnel

A spill-free funnel is the best solution to avoiding messy coolant refills. The Lisle Spill-Free Funnel comes with four caps, five adapters, and a stopper, allowing you to prefill the funnel and safely transfer any leftover coolant to an overflow or empty bottle. The four cap styles cover a large swath of common radiators, and the adapters help you put the funnel in the right spot. The cap holds the funnel upright, placing it at the highest point in the system to help massage air out of the nooks and crannies. It's a low-budget solution to a high-pressure headache.

Car Gear We Use

You Might Also Like

• Car and Driver’s 10 Best Cars through the Decades

• How to Buy or Lease a New Car

• Lightning Lap Legends: Chevrolet Camaro vs. Ford Mustang!