The Best Driving Gloves (Review & Buying Guide) in 2023 | Autance

Driving gloves are perhaps one of the most underrated driving accessories. Many drivers won’t even consider them, despite the numerous…

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The Best Driving Gloves (Review & Buying Guide) in 2023 | Autance © The Best Driving Gloves (Review & Buying Guide) in 2023 | Autance
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Driving gloves are perhaps one of the most underrated driving accessories. Many drivers won’t even consider them, despite the numerous advantages they can bring. But if they’re good enough for Ryan Gosling, they’re good enough for us. We’re here to show you that the best driving gloves can be a fantastic investment.

Stylish and practical, modern driving gloves look great and add a high degree of comfort to your driving experience. If you drive long distances or take winding routes that involve a lot of skin time between your hands and the steering wheel, a good pair of driving gloves can help take away the strain.

In this guide we highlight some of the best on the market as well as help you decide which pair of gloves is the best for you.

The Best Driving Gloves

There are a number of useful features on these gloves that make them stand out from the crowd. One of the big ones has to be the incredible Italian-influenced styling. After all, who knows more about style than Italians, so if you want to look good while driving your car, put your faith in them.

This is one of the few pairs of leather driving gloves that comes with a liner and, depending on your budget, you can have fleece, wool or cashmere as the liner material. The liner makes them warmer than most other driving gloves. So, while some products may be good summer gloves, this pair by ELMA is a great winter option.

The fingertips are lined with material to make them touchscreen compatible, which is another useful feature. The cuff has a simple but effective pop button closure, while the palm has a special non-slip grip. All in all, there are a lot of features packed into a very good-looking pair of black leather driving gloves.

Key Features
  • Material Lining (Fleece/Wool/Cashmere)
  • Touch Screen Compatible
  • Italian Nappa Outer
Specification
  • Brand ELMA
  • Model
  • Weight

These gloves feature a reverse stitch in their construction that gives them additional strength compared to contemporary designs. Their soft and supple leather is designed to provide a mix of toughness and comfortable softness.

There are knuckle cut outs that provide a good level of flex when gripping the wheel, while a simple clasp-sealed cuff provides an effective hold. One thing to note is that the extra features make this glove a little expensive.

If you prefer fingerless driving gloves check out another item. If you want a full-fingered model, Riparo has you covered.

Key Features
  • Reverse Stitched
  • Genuine Leather
  • Perforated Leather Construction
Specification
  • Brand Riparo
  • Model
  • Weight 6.1 oz

These men’s leather driving gloves feature a timeless and classic design. The first thing to note is that they are genuine leather, which is fine grain and incredibly soft. This has a number of advantages. The first is that thicker, tougher leather often needs to be “worn in,” and the first few times you wear those types of gloves they may be uncomfortable as they adapt to the specific size and shape of your hands. That’s not a problem with these gloves, which are soft and comfortable straight out the box.

The second advantage of the thin leather is that you can use touchscreens while wearing the gloves. Smartphones and modern cars have touchscreen interfaces, so this is a real advantage. The knuckle cut outs allow your hand to flex, and the snap lock cuff and elasticized wrist grips keep the gloves in place to prevent wrinkling.

These leather driving gloves are a simple but highly effective design as well as an excellent value.

Key Features
  • Wrist Cuff with Snap Closure
  • Elasticized Wrist Gripper
  • Knuckle Holes for Grip Comfort
  • Fine Grain Leather Construction
Specification
  • Brand Pratt and Hart
  • Model
  • Weight

This time we have a set of fingerless driving gloves. Many drivers prefer this style as it provides more freedom of movement, while protecting the palms from abrasions that can build up over long periods clutching the steering wheel. It also means that you can use touchscreen devices like cell phones.

The construction is both soft and tough with unlined leather making up the body. They have a soft comfortable fit combined with a level of toughness that will help make driving a comfortable experience. The leather is perforated, which allows for good airflow to keep your hands cool.

There are quite a lot of features built into this classic design. Overall, these leather gloves are very well designed and constructed.

Key Features
  • Unlined, Genuine Leather Construction
  • Range of Colors Available
  • Perforated Leather for Comfort 
Specification
  • Brand Riparo Motorsports
  • Model DG10009SM-$P
  • Weight

This product from RIVBOS drags us kicking and screaming into the 21st Century. There is not a patch of leather on them since the manufacturer opted instead to go for a modern blend of nylon lycra and cotton.

Thos two materials combine in a glove that is all about comfort. The lycra/cotton blend is very flexible, allowing the gloves to mold to your hands. In addition, both materials are breathable, which allows perspiration to make its way from the surface of your hands to evaporate into the air.

There are a few user-friendly elements to the design too. For example, the gloves have a pair of discreet finger loops that help you to pull the gloves off your hands. The palms also have a good degree of built-in padding, making them comfortable when gripping the steering wheel. A simple Velcro fastener holds the gloves securely, and there are a wide range of colors and designs available.

The modern design may not be to everyone’s taste, but the price tag certainly should be appealing to most people.

Key Features
  • Cotton & Nylon Blend
  • Foam Padding
  • Finger Loops to Help Removal
  • Nylon Lycra helps with Breathability
Specification
  • Brand RIVBOS
  • Model
  • Weight

With four studs on the knuckles, these gloves look equally at home resting on your steering wheel and as a stylish accessory in a 1980’s post-apocalyptic movie. Come on, we can’t be the only people who could see Mad Max wearing these gloves?

Whether the world has ended or not, the fact is that these gloves are an incredible value. The palms and parts of the back are leather with simple polyester material holding them together.

The two straps are a nice touch too, especially the one designed to stretch across the back of the hand. They help form a tight but comfortable fit around your hand. These are not the flashiest gloves on our list (despite the Mad Max aesthetic), nor do they boast fancy material or high-end features found on pricier models. They are, however, decent gloves that do exactly what they say they will without breaking the bank.

Key Features
  • Excellent Value for Money
  • Genuine Leather
  • 2x Adjustable Velcro Straps
Specification
  • Brand KUYOMENS
  • Model
  • Weight 2.4 oz

This is another example of an older style of design of driving gloves. In fact, the manufacturer Prime Leather is so proud of the old school looks, the gloves carry the word “Retro” in its product title. Aside from those old-school looks however, there are other features that make these gloves stand out.

The biggest eye-catching feature is the fact the gloves boast a 100-percent cowhide leather construction. That alone is pretty impressive but so is the cost. Complete leather construction is not that common at this price.

The gloves are of the traditional unlined design, so they will mold easily to your hands for a comfortable fit. There is some perforation to the leather to allow your skin to breathe easier, while the traditional knuckle cut outs allow for a bit more give when flexing to grip the wheel.

These gloves are not groundbreaking in any way, shape or form. But they are excellent value considering the high-quality materials used to make them.

Key Features
  • 100% Genuine Leather
  • Unlined
  • Simple Button Fastening
Specification
  • Brand Prime Leather
  • Model
  • Weight

It is just us, or do these black leather driving gloves have just a hint of George Michael about them? Either way, these are very well-designed and well-built gloves for a very reasonable price.

The leather is designed to be extremely soft while very tough. The manufacturer doubled down on that toughness by going with a double-stitched construction. The seams are extremely tough and able to stand up to a decent amount of punishment.

Aside from that you are getting everything you would expect on high-end leather driving gloves. The knuckle cut outs are for comfortable gripping, and nice and deep perforations allow for excellent ventilation. The cuff closes with a simple but tough hook & loop style of design, and there is some elasticized panels inside to provide a snug fit.

Key Features
  • Excellent Ventilation
  • All Leather Construction
  • Double Stitch Construction
  • Unisex Design
Specification
  • Brand Jackets 4 Bikes
  • Model SL25-Black
  • Weight 2.08 oz

Hugger Glove Company uses goat leather to make these gloves. This brings a number of advantages over cow leather, but the stand out has to be that these gloves can more easily stand up to water compared to traditional cow leather gloves.

These are marketed as water resistant, a feature you don’t often see with leather gloves. The Hugger Glove Company even goes so far as to claim that these gloves will dry soft “like butter” if they get wet. Drying like butter is not a metaphor we’re familiar with here at Car Autance, but the manufacturer seems confident in its abilities so that’s reassuring.

Another cool feature – literally – are the pinhole perforations that are all over the surface. They are designed to allow for as high a level of air flow as possible and should do a good job of keeping your hands cool – so perhaps these could be good summer driving gloves.

Of course, it could be hard to be truly water resistant when they are covered in tiny holes.

Key Features
  • Water Resistant
  • Premium Goat Leather
  • All Over Pin Hole Perforation
Specification
  • Brand Hugger Glove Company
  • Model
  • Weight

You don’t have to be a Bionic Man to wear these gloves, our last entry on the list. You may end up feeling like one however, as these gloves have been designed – by an orthopedic hand specialist no less – to provide a premium level of comfort and practicality.

The standout feature has to be the patented anatomical pad relief system. This system of pads is built into the gloves and designed to even out pressure, providing a supremely comfortable grip on the steering wheel. In addition, the fingers have their own patented design that adapts to the way you hold the wheel. This allows you to have a lighter grip, making for a more comfortable driving position.

The construction of the gloves makes use of high-quality carbretta leather for a glove that is soft and supple but also extremely hardwearing. CoolMax insert vents are deployed in the back and in the fingers to provide a high level of breathability. They may not be quite as stylish as the last pair we looked at, but they are certainly packed to the brim with useful design features.

Key Features
  • Internal Pads Relieve Pressure
  • Patented Design for Best Grip
  • CoolMax Strips for Excellent Breathability
Specification
  • Brand Bionic
  • Model Drive M
  • Weight 1 lb

Best Driving Gloves Buying Guide & FAQ

To our mind, that represents the best driving gloves available on the market right now. But with such variety out there, it can be hard to know which are the right style of driving gloves for you.

In this next section we’ll take a look at the features that make for the best driving gloves, and help you decide which ones are the most important for you. After that we’ll answer some of the most frequently asked questions about driving gloves, and then you should be set with everything you need to pick out the best driving gloves for you.

Features to Consider when Buying a Pair of Driving Gloves

  • Probably the biggest design choice you’ll make will be about the material the glove you like is built off. As you will have seen on the list above, leather is sill very popular. It’s both tough and comfortable, so it’s easy to see why. More modern designs are out there that make use of different materials these days, such as Nylon Lycra which is both extremely soft, very breathable and very flexible. If you lie a traditional looking glove however, it is probably going to be made of leather.
  • Knuckle Cut Outs. Most, but not all, driving gloves will employ knuckle cut outs. They are especially seen on leather gloves, where they provide a little extra flexibility when you grip the steering wheel.
  • Touch Screen Compatibility. Do you need to use a Sat Nav or cell phone whilst in the car? Chances are it will have a touchscreen interface. If you don’t want to have to take your gloves off all the time, look for one that is compatible with these devices. Or just go for a fingerless design.
  • Fingerless or Full Glove. We’ll rap about this a bit more later on, but it is certainly one of the design features that you need to decide on. Both styles have their own pros and cons, which we’ll take a good look at below.

Different Kinds of Driving Gloves

Whilst there can be some differences in terms of materials used and the finer parts of design, there is really only one big difference that separates driving gloves into one of two camps – fingerless or full fingered.

  • Fingerless – As the name suggests, these types of gloves are missing the fingers. The big plus of these is that you keep your fingertips free so you can operate tactile devices like touchscreen phones and Sat-Nav devices. Some people find the feeling of free fingers to be a little strange, and you don’t get the all over support and protection of full-fingered gloves. Speaking of which.
  • Full-Fingered – These gloves look like the more traditional design of hand wear, with all over coverage. That means that all of your hand is wrapped up in leather (or whatever material you’ve chosen) for increased comfort. On the other hand (ha ha!) you may not be able to use touchscreen devices quite as easily than with a fingerless design.

Driving Gloves vs. Racing Gloves

What is the difference between the two types of driving glove, and does it make much difference which one you choose? Well, a racing glove is designed to protect you in the event that the car you are racing in crashes into a wall and bursts into flames.

Racing gloves are therefore usually constructed of heat resistant material, which is not something you really need to worry about when driving around in your normal car on normal roads. Also, leather is not a heat resistant material anyway and does in fact shrink when exposed to excessive heat. You won’t therefore find much of that material used in a racing glove.

Best Driving Gloves FAQ

Do you have any questions about driving gloves? If you do, you probably find the answer below!

Q:  How do I know what size glove fits me?

  The best way to ensure that you are getting a pair of gloves that will fit you like… well like a glove is to measure your hand before you buy your new gloves. All you need is a tape measure, it’s nice and straight forward.

Q:  Can I wash my driving gloves?

  The first thing to do is to check the care instructions that come with the gloves, as different materials will have different cleaning methods and instructions. Leather for example, should not be washed, and you should in fact take care when cleaning leather products. Gloves made of more modern materials like Nylon Lycra, cotton and polyester will usually be able to stand up to a tougher cleaning regime – but again, and we can’t stress this enough, read the label first!

Q:  Are these gloves waterproof?

  Do they say they are? Gloves made of modern material blends are often waterproof to a certain extent, and can usually survive getting a little wet. On the other hand (no pun intended) you should do your best to keep leather gloves dry, and always fully air dry them as soon as possible if they even get damp.

Q:  Do these gloves work with touchscreen phones?

This may sound very simple, so forgive us for saying this, but if you need gloves that guarantee compatibility with touch screen devices then your best bet is to go for a pair of fingerless driving gloves. There are full finger gloves that are also compatible, but not all of them are. So look for ones that are specifically designed to provide this function if it’s important to you. This could take the form of a special touch screen compatible material on the fingertips, whilst traditional gloves made of soft leather are often fine with touch screens too.

Our Top Pick

Big lists of top quality products always makes it hard to pick the winner, but we’re going to put our necks on the line and go for the Pratt and Hart Traditional Leather Driving Gloves as our top product. For us, we really liked the traditional design above all else. We felt like we could slip them on and become Ryan Gosling in Drive.

Aside from our weird Ryan Gosling love in, there’s a lot else to like about these gloves. They are off a high quality material. They are built with both comfort and practical usability in mind and they are very cheap for such a well-designed genuine leather product. That’s why for us then they are the best driving gloves on the market right now.

Sources:

  1. How to Measure Glove Size – WikiHow
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