The Ultimate Rally Gift Guide
The Ultimate Rally Gift Guide: Presents for People Who Think “A Quiet Weekend” Means Standing in a Forest at 7am
Buying a present for a rally fan should be easy.
After all, we're simple creatures. Give us a rally car, some gravel, a badly timed weather forecast and somewhere to stand dangerously close to a flying Escort and we're generally happy.
But if you're shopping for someone whose idea of relaxation involves waking up before sunrise to watch cars disappear sideways into a hedge, you might want to put slightly more thought into it.
Thankfully, Rallying Is Life has you covered.
Whether you're buying for a co-driver, a historic rally nut, a modern WRC obsessive, a marshal, a driver, or that mate who has somehow turned their entire house into a shrine to the Group B era, here's our ultimate guide to the best rally gifts for the enthusiast in your life.
Rally Gifts Under £10: The “I Haven't Completely Forgotten Your Birthday” Category
Rallying Is Life Stickers
Starting at just £2.50 for the Mini Stickers, you don't need to remortgage the house to put some rally attitude into someone's life.
Stick them on the toolbox. Laptop. Garage fridge. Rally car. Van.
Or, if you're feeling particularly committed, go bigger.
Because apparently there is such a thing as not enough Rallying Is Life branding.
There isn't.
Shop Rallying Is Life Stickers →
Rallying Is Life Mug
For the rally fan who needs caffeine before they can identify a Subaru by the sound of its anti-lag.
At £10, the Rallying Is Life Mug is a cracking little gift that says, “I know you like rallying” without requiring you to know the difference between a sequential gearbox and the thing you accidentally broke trying to fix the lawnmower.
It's also considerably less expensive than buying them a rally car.
Probably.
Rally Clothing & Caps: For the Fan Who Wants to Look Like They're Going to the Stages
Fafe Stealth Embroidered Cap
Some rally fans wear caps.
Some rally fans wear caps with purpose.
The Fafe Stealth Embroidered Cap sits firmly in the second category.
Named after one of Portugal's most famous rally locations, it's a particularly good choice for the person who thinks every ordinary trip to the supermarket should look vaguely like recce.
Rally Club Technical T-Shirt
At around £16, the Rally Club Technical T is another excellent option for someone who wants their rally credentials on display without necessarily turning up to the pub dressed like they've just stepped out of a service bay.
Although there is absolutely nothing wrong with that either.
Rallying Is Life Snapback Cap
For the younger, cooler rally fan.
Or the middle-aged one who refuses to accept that they are no longer either of those things.
We're not here to judge.
The Best Rally Books for the Rally Nerd Who Already Has Everything
Sometimes the best rally gift isn't something you wear or drink from. Sometimes it's something that gives the recipient several hundred more pages of reasons to tell you that modern rallying isn't as good as it used to be.
WRC 50 – The Story of the World Rally Championship 1973–2022
This is where gift shopping gets serious.
WRC 50 covers five decades of the World Rally Championship, taking in the eras, cars and characters that helped make the WRC what it is today.
It's an excellent present for the rally obsessive who can already tell you exactly which year they think rallying was at its absolute peak.
They will also tell you why.
At length.
Group A – When Rallying Created Road Car Icons
Another £40 offering, and another dangerous gift for anyone susceptible to saying things like:
“You just don't get cars like this anymore.”
Group A gave us some of the most iconic road-going rally-derived machines ever created, and this book digs into that era.
Ideal for the person whose dream garage contains approximately fourteen Imprezas, Integrales, Evos and Celicas and absolutely no sensible family cars.
MG Metro 6R4 – Inside Story of the Group B Rally Legend
If the recipient's idea of a perfect rally car starts with “mid-engined V6” and ends with “Group B”, you've found the right present.
The MG Metro 6R4 is one of rallying's great engineering oddities: compact, aggressive, gloriously bonkers and about as far removed from a sensible shopping car as you can get.
The MG Metro 6R4 – Inside Story of the Group B Rally Legend is the kind of book that can keep a proper rally nerd occupied for hours.
And yes, they will probably show you the pictures.
Again.
Rally Gear for the Great Outdoors
Rally fans don't really check the weather forecast.
They check the weather forecast, say “that'll be fine,” and go anyway.
Epynt Superlight Waterproof Jacket
The £75 Epynt Superlight Waterproof Jacket is therefore not merely clothing.
It's preparation.
For rain.
Wind.
Mud.
And that particularly nasty sideways rain you only seem to get when you're standing beside a Welsh forest waiting for Car 27.
Grizedale Jacket
At around £95, the Grizedale Jacket is another excellent option for the fan who spends their weekends outdoors.
It's also named after one of the UK's best-known rally locations, so you're not just buying a jacket.
You're buying rally credibility.
Rally Gifts for Co-Drivers
El Condor Co-Driver Bag
Every co-driver needs somewhere to put their gear.
Pace notes.
Pens.
Phone.
More pens.
Emergency snacks.
Another emergency snack.
A third snack because apparently the first two were “for the stage.”
The El Condor Co-Driver Bag is built for precisely that sort of organised chaos.
And, unlike the contents of a co-driver's brain at the end of a long rally, it presumably has compartments.
Unusual Rally Gift Ideas for the Person Who Has Everything
Brenig Rally Harness Belt
At £45, the Brenig Rally Harness Belt is an excellent choice for the rally fan who has somehow managed to acquire every obvious piece of merchandise already.
It's subtle enough to wear every day, but sufficiently rally-themed that another enthusiast will notice.
And that's the real test.
If someone spots your rally gear from across a pub and starts talking about a 1980s forest stage within 30 seconds, you've found your people.
Shop the Brenig Harness Belt →
Panzerplatte Embossed Nappa Leather Wallet
£30 and named after one of rallying's most notorious surfaces.
Panzerplatte.
For anyone unfamiliar with it, imagine a normal road.
Now replace the normal road with enormous concrete slabs.
Then drive a rally car over it very quickly.
Then wonder why rally drivers occasionally complain.
The wallet is a considerably more sensible way to enjoy the name.
Shop the Panzerplatte Wallet →
Myherin Flame Resistant BBQ Apron
Because eventually every rally fan discovers that cooking meat outdoors is basically just another form of motorsport.
There's heat.
There's smoke.
There are unexpected noises.
Something inevitably goes wrong.
And there's always one bloke standing nearby offering unsolicited technical advice.
The Myherin Flame Resistant BBQ Apron therefore makes perfect sense.
It's rallying.
It's cooking.
It's mildly dangerous.
Basically, it's a service area.
Rally Gifts for the Post-Stage Debrief
Rallying Is Life Pint Glass
At £12.50, this is another dangerously giftable item.
Perfect for the traditional post-rally ritual:
“Did you see that?”
“Yes.”
“No, that bit.”
“Oh yeah.”
“That was mental.”
Repeat until closing time.
Shop the Rallying Is Life Pint Glass →
Rallying Is Life Shot Glass Set
For those occasions when a pint simply doesn't provide enough celebratory horsepower.
At £20, it's probably best deployed after the rally rather than during it.
Particularly if you're driving.
We like rallying.
We also like people arriving home.
Rally Gifts for Kids: Start Them Young
Metro 6R4 Baby Grow
Start them young.
That's the rule.
The Metro 6R4 Baby Grow gives the smallest member of the crew a head start in developing impeccable automotive taste.
Forget nursery rhymes.
Teach them Group B.
Forget Peppa Pig.
Show them a 6R4.
Their first words should obviously be “more boost.”
Can't Decide? Go for a Rallying Is Life Gift Card
Sometimes you simply cannot choose.
Maybe they've already got the mug.
Maybe they have three rally jackets.
Maybe they've spent so long telling you which particular Escort they want that you've stopped listening.
That's where the Rallying Is Life Gift Card comes in.
It's effectively handing them the keys to the virtual service park and saying:
“Go on then. You choose.”
And, crucially, they can't complain about getting the wrong thing.
Probably.
Our Rally Gift Guide Podium
🥇 Best Overall: WRC 50
WRC 50 – The Story of the World Rally Championship 1973–2022. For the serious rally obsessive who appreciates history, photography and approximately 500 reasons to avoid doing anything productive.
🥈 Best Everyday Gift: Autoplas Metro 6R4 T-Shirt
Because nothing says “I have excellent taste in rally cars” quite like a Metro 6R4.
🥉 Best Stocking Filler: Rallying Is Life Stickers
Cheap, cheerful and capable of turning perfectly respectable possessions into rally merchandise.
The Final Stage
The best thing about buying a rally gift is that you don't really need to understand the person.
You just need to understand rallying.
They'll happily stand in freezing rain for six hours.
They'll get excited about a car most people couldn't identify if it was parked in their kitchen.
They'll spend an entire evening discussing a corner that lasted approximately four seconds.
And they'll absolutely tell you that the old cars were better.
So whether you're buying a £2.50 sticker, a £12.50 pint glass, a T-shirt, a waterproof, or a rally book, the important thing is simple:
Buy something that makes them smile when they hear the words “five, four, three, two, one…”
Because rallying isn't just a sport.
It's a lifestyle.
And apparently, now it's a gift category too.
Rally Gift FAQs
What is a good gift for a rally fan?
Good gifts for rally fans include rally books, rally clothing, caps, mugs, stickers, outdoor jackets and rally-inspired accessories. For someone who is notoriously difficult to buy for, a Rallying Is Life gift card lets them choose their own favourite.
What are good rally gifts under £20?
If you're looking for an affordable rally gift, consider Rallying Is Life stickers, mugs, caps, T-shirts, pint glasses or the shot glass set. They're ideal for birthdays, Christmas, stocking fillers and those occasions where you probably should turn up with something.
What is a good gift for a co-driver?
A dedicated co-driver bag makes a practical gift for anyone involved in rallying. It provides somewhere useful to keep essentials such as notes, pens, phones and other rally-day equipment.
What is a good gift for a Group B rally fan?
Books and clothing inspired by legendary Group B cars make excellent gifts. The Metro 6R4 is an especially good choice for fans of one of the era's most distinctive and spectacular rally cars.
What should I buy someone who loves WRC?
A WRC history book such as WRC 50 makes a great gift for a World Rally Championship fan. Rally clothing, mugs and other Rallying Is Life merchandise are also good options for everyday use.
What if I don't know which rally gift to choose?
Go for a Rallying Is Life gift card. It's the safest option when you're buying for someone who already owns plenty of rally merchandise or has very specific opinions about what constitutes a good rally car.