Products of the year

Throughout the year, we get plenty of kit fitted in our cars. It often has to make way for something else – but this double-DIN Kenwood head unit isn’t going anywhere. The main reason is that it looks factory-fitted: it’s seamlessly in

Our Product of the Year 2012 is another great audio upgrade. Unlike that all-singing, all-dancing stereo, this doesn’t fit seamlessly into your car, but it does solve several problems brilliantly. Our test car had a bespoke radio built

Antifreeze is vital at this time of year, and Prestone’s Extended Life formula is our top choice. It will mix with any antifreeze already in your car – so you don’t need to worry about colours – and can be used in all cars. The diluted

This brilliant active mount will hold and charge your tablet computer in the car. Just slide your iPad in and plug the charger into your 12V socket. The ‘Click & Go’ design means you don’t have to unscrew the mount to remove it fro

This 1:18-scale radio-controlled car is an absolute hoot. Tiny dimensions mean it’s great indoors, but it also has a 370-size motor, which provides plenty of power to keep up outside. We tested it on tarmac, gravel and grass, never tir

Tyres rarely make it on to our list of favourites. We test dozens of them every year, and there’s generally not much between the top performers. But this Continental winter tyre grabbed our attention with a string of superb results. It

You don’t have to love Star Trek to like this wash mitt named after the fluffy creatures from the sci-fi series. We’ve tried other mitts before, and the cheaper microfibre versions had the edge in our group test – but none fits like th

Having to struggle with a wet, gritty and tangled hosepipe can put you off cleaning your car. A hose can make that job much easier than using a bucket and sponge, but only if getting it out is straightforward. And it doesn’t get easier

Some tools feel right when you first pick them up, and this Panasonic drill is one of them. Our cordless drill test earlier this year involved repeated drilling, wire brushing and screwdriving as we put nine products through their pace

Winner of our group test, the G3 Professional Scratch Remover is a useful product to keep around. It’s easy to get brilliant results – not just on isolated scratches, but across your entire car. It doesn’t take much effort to appl

After a strong showing in our torch test (Issue 1,239), this Ring product definitely stayed in our glovebox. Unlike conventional torches, the RIL50 is shaped like a felt-tip pen, with eight powerful LEDs lined up on the side rather tha

Using a coolant tester to verify exactly what’s keeping your engine cool is critical – not only to protect against freezing, but also corrosion. Floating disc or ball testers give a rough idea, but a refractometer like this is essentia

This product broke new ground in our wheel cleaner test: it’s the first cleaner suitable for all types of wheel to take an overall win. Until now, the most effective alloy wheel cleaners were quite strong alkali or acid formulas that c

Many Gatsos have been switched off due to budget cuts, but it only takes one to put points on your licence. So a speed camera detector app for your phone is essential to keep in touch with accident hotspots. The Cyclops Speedwatch app

Of all the kit we’ve tested this year, this little white box is by far the most impressive. It plugs into your car’s on-board diagnostic port and transmits info to your smartphone via Bluetooth or WiFi. The free app makes it easy to se

This superb set of ratchet spanners makes our top 20 for the same reason as the Pansonic drill: as soon as you pick up one of the tools from the sturdy wall hanger, it feels right. There’s a high-quality chrome finish and the spanners

There’s no missing these Philips LEDs, as they flood the cabin of our test car with light every time the door is opened. That light is much whiter and brighter than what you get from the yellow filament originals. Plus, the comprehensi

Keeping tabs on your battery’s charge is crucial, and we’re big fans of CTEK’s range of chargers. However, this charge indicator, complete with a 12V plug, is wonderfully simple to use. You just slot it into the cigarette lighter socke

It's rare that we test a product which really moves the game on, but Armor All has done it with this new Shield for Wheels. We were impressed with the Shield paint sealant that came close to winning our wax and polish test, but this wh

The summer hosepipe ban meant we used a lot of waterless cleaners this year, but this is the one we missed most when it ran out. While pretty much all of them cleaned well, this made the job easiest. Having to spray it on a cloth