Whether you’re a casual car enthusiast or an automotive aficionado, YouTube is home to some of the most informative and entertaining videos about cars on the internet.
If you ask a car enthusiast where they can learn more about cars, keep up to date on all of the latest manufacturer releases and entertain themselves with automotive content – the answer will be YouTube.
As car enthusiasts, we learn best through visual content. I’ve spent thousands of hours in search of the best car YouTube channels.
In this article, I have compiled a list of my top automotive YouTube channels to suit any type of car enthusiast.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a casual watcher or a dedicated subscriber, these channels are guaranteed to satisfy your need for speed.
Let’s get into it!
1. Donut Media
Subscribers: 6.2M+
Upload schedule: Every day
Based in the US, Donut Media is a car collective that specialises in budget builds, educational videos and general automotive tomfoolery.
Money Pit, Up to Speed and HiLow are examples of very popular Donut Media video series uploaded to the platform.
Their videos are entertaining and informative, but not overly complex.
The content is delivered in a way that feels relaxed and conversational instead of stiff and scripted, which makes it more digestible than many of the other automotive channels I’ve seen on YouTube.
Watching a Donut video almost makes you feel like you have known these guys for years.
They also put in a lot of effort to make their videos look professional: from punchy editing and graphics to flawless sound quality and lighting.
Casual Car Guide’s verdict: The guys at Donut are effortlessly entertaining. Their on-screen charisma and evident passion and knowledge for the cars they talk about makes for easy viewing. Zach Jobe is a bonafide, natural-born presenter. Our affection for Donut Media began in lockdown 2020, where Donut’s Money Pit series got us through some truly dark and boring times. Big shoutout to Donut Media!
2. Car Throttle
Subscribers: 3.09M+
Upload schedule: Once a week
Car Throttle is a UK-based YouTube channel that’s all about cars, and it has a huge catalog of great content.
The channel was founded by Adnan Ebrahim back in 2009 and it’s been growing steadily amongst car enthusiasts ever since.
Car Throttle’s challenge videos are some of the finest on YouTube.
The concept is simple – the host, Alex Kersten, would be given a small sum of money and a limited timeframe to acquire a car for a themed challenge. Alex has since left Car Throttle, but Jack and Ethan continue to champion the cheap car challenge videos.
Car Throttle’s cheap car challenges have ranged from finding ropey off-roaders to affordable luxury motors. In every episode, you’re guaranteed laughs and plenty of twists and turns.
There’s also plenty more to get your teeth stuck into: from beginner tutorials to educational videos and everything in between.
Casual Car Guide’s verdict: Car Throttle has always held a special place in our hearts. It’s relatable content – they’re not splurging on supercars and filming VIP race days that your average petrolhead will never be able to attend. For the Car Throttle guys, the message is simple: spend a couple of quid on a cheap motor, give it some love, and you might just be surprised how much joy it will bring you.
3. DriveTribe
Subscribers: 2.11M+
Upload schedule: Once a week
DriveTribe is a content platform and YouTube channel founded by former Top Gear presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May.
The website and YouTube channel launched in 2016.
If you’re looking for expert reviews, automotive news, or just some good old-fashioned Jeremy Clarkson content, DriveTribe’s got you covered.
If you prefer James May, he’s here too.
The DriveTribe team deliver expert reviews with fun and informative commentary. They restore vehicles and attempt some crazy builds (most recently, the world’s first V10 Mazda MX5).
There’s bound to be something you love!
Casual Car Guide’s verdict: We love DriveTribe for their inclusion of independent specialists and automotive experts in their videos. Much like Car Throttle, it’s not all about supercars: you’ll find plenty of Ford Mondeos and Rover 25s on this channel. Most importantly, it’s founded by the classic Top Gear three – so it can’t really go wrong, can it?
4. ChrisFix
Subscribers: 8.8M+
Upload schedule: Twice a month
ChrisFix is one of the leading how-to YouTube channels that helps people learn to maintain their own cars so they don’t have to pay a mechanic.
ChrisFix has almost 9 million subscribers, and his videos cover everything from quick fixes like changing your wiper blades or replacing a bulb to complete engine rebuilds and clutch repairs.
With over 364 videos uploaded to this date, it is likely that ChrisFix has an instructional video to help solve your issue!
Every video is presented in an easy-to-follow fashion, with clear and concise instructions from Chris.
There are no bells and whistles here: it’s homegrown, non-aspirational content that really encourages you to try fixing your car.
What really sets ChrisFix apart from other automotive how-to YouTubers is that he takes all of the complicated jargon out of car repair and maintenance, explaining everything in simple language that anyone can understand.
Casual Car Guide’s verdict: Videos like ChrisFix’s are what YouTube was made for. I remember learning how to change my engine oil for the first time through his videos. Chris is super encouraging and charming, making you really believe that you can fix anything on your car.
5. Carwow
Subscribers: 6.86M+
Upload schedule: Every day
Carwow is a UK-based YouTube channel that is all about helping you decide which cars to buy and which ones to avoid.
The primary focus is on new cars, but they also do comparisons of older cars.
Matt Watson heads up the channel as the main presenter. Matt’s review style is simple, fun and straight to the point – there’s no pointless technical jargon here.
Carwow is also popular for a series of videos where they compare cars in a drag race.
Their drag races are always done on the same airstrip, so you can easily compare and contrast between cars.
To date, the drag race series has included a Lamborghini Aventador, a Tesla Model X, an F1 car, a Bugatti Chiron, BMW M8s and many, many more.
Casual Car Guide’s verdict: Carwow always manages to deliver a unique blend between humour and professionalism. Matt’s hatred for fake air vents and bogus exhausts perfectly illustrates his passion for unassumingly powerful cars: cars that don’t need fancy looks and add-ons. It’s a channel that you simply must add to your subscriptions list.
Summary
YouTubers put time, money and effort into the videos they create.
These videos go on to inspire millions of people to begin their car enthusiasm or continue their passion for cars.
For the modern (and the veteran) car lovers, YouTube is a goldmine for educational and entertaining content alike.
So there you have it. We hope that you will go on to enjoy the videos from the channels we mentioned.
As car enthusiasts, we are always finding new videos and channels to subscribe to: so we’ll be updating this list as we find more.
So go ahead, watch a video – you never know where it might lead you.
Did we miss a great automotive YouTube channel? Let us know below!
