MOTORS GADGETS

Compiled by Paddy Comyn

Compiled by Paddy Comyn

Pioneer TS-G1703i

Price: €65

Buy: komplett.ie

READ MORE

You don't have to spend a fortune nor be a sound engineer to get decent quality speakers. The TS-G series give a good balance of high-quality power audio at an affordable price.

Features include the IMPP Cone for low distortion and powerful bass.

It is easy to install and the TS-G speakers feature a shallow basket frame and removable ear-type screw holes which will fit in most cars.

Haynes internal combustion engine

Price: €49.50

Buy: micksgarage.ie

It's the ultimate gift for a budding petrolhead. Haynes internal combustion engine is a "build-your-own" miniature version of a car engine.

It includes light and sound features, functional spark plugs that light up, moving pistons and a fan belt. The engine is designed to explain to children - or your local mechanic - how a four-stroke engine works.

It comes with a manual to help you build it. Seriously: it sounds daft but it's fun.

APC Cigar lighter car charger

Price: €32.67

Buy: elara.ie

With laptops so commonplace that we won't leave the house for milk without bringing one along, this little charger is a godsend.

Keep one of these in the car and you can avoid any hassle about running out of power. Offering 230 V to 50 Hz of current, this device will allow you to recharge your laptop quickly and easily while you're on the road.

Alert J5 professional breathalyser

Price: €399

Buy: saferdrive.ie or call 1890 252207

We don't recommend that you bring these things with you to the pub to check if you are safe to drive home or not. Any amount of alcohol will impair your driving performance, so it is best not to do it at all.

Having said that, we would recommend it as a safety device for the morning after an evening of drinking, both to see if you are safe to drive and if you are under the legal limit. With an increase in checkpoints you could lose your licence and in some cases your job, if you are not careful.

This is probably the best breathalyser out there at the moment as it uses the same sort of technology as the Garda use, which is a fuel cell sensor, rather than the semiconductor sensors used in other lower-cost models.

At €399, it's certainly not cheap, but having tried it for a couple of weeks, we have found it to be incredibly accurate, and free from the errors we have found in other versions.

Drivemocion - animated car expression sign

Price: €38

Buy: au-my.com

We have found quite possibly the most irritating car gadget of them all: the Drivemocion.

This stick-on, wireless device will flash up a series of smiley face messages, ranging from happy to angry to the irate driver behind at the touch of a button.

Perfect for turning an already tense driving situation into one that may lead to an assault.