Kart gloves: how to choose, and what 9 UK shops charge
We compared 436 kart gloves listings across 9 UK shops. The typical cheapest price is £62.33, and the same part number can cost up to 41% more depending on where you buy it.
UK edition2026-11-015 min readData: PitHunt weekly scan
Key takeaways
- 9 UK shops list 436 parts in this category; 16 part numbers are stocked by more than one shop.
- The typical cheapest price is £62.33; a tenth of parts cost £22.67 or less, a tenth £135.00 or more.
- Biggest gap for one part number: £48.29 on Alpinestars Tech-1 Race Adult V4 Gloves.
- KKC Kart Components had the lowest listed price most often — 16 of the 16 part numbers stocked by several shops.
- Shops
- 9
- Listings
- 436
- Typical cheapest
- £62.33
- Biggest gap
- £48.29
- 41% on one part
What a gloves does
Gloves are the driver's only contact with the wheel, and in a spin the first thing to touch the track. Motorsport UK requires complete gloves — not mitts, not open-backed — at all times on a kart, and the karting standard for them is FIA 8877-2022, the same homologation that covers kart suits and boots.
A karting glove is tested for abrasion, tearing and seam strength, with a minimum contact-heat resistance of 100°C for 10 seconds; the label carries a unique hologram and an expiry date. The palm does the work in use: silicone printing or a raised silicone dimple pattern gives grip on a wheel that gets wet and dirty, while the back and fingers are cut for feel rather than padding. A car-racing glove is a fire glove to FIA 8856-2018 and carries a completely different approval.
How to choose
1 · Where you drive
Homologation only matters where it is checked.
How to judge it: Indoor leisure centres do not require FIA or CIK approved gloves. Motorsport UK competition requires complete gloves; FIA 8877-2022 is the current approved standard for competition karting gloves, and a car-racing FIA 8856-2018 glove is not a karting approval. Check the event's regulations, then the label.
2 · Palm and grip
Printed grip fades, and flat prints lose most of their grip the moment the track goes wet.
How to judge it: Entry-level gloves use silicone rubber palms for basic grip; a raised silicone dimple pattern holds up better in the wet than a flat print. Wet-weather gloves use a three-layer waterproof build that sacrifices some dry-track feel — buy them alongside the main pair, not instead of it.
3 · Fit
Sizing is not consistent between OMP, Sparco and Alpinestars.
How to judge it: Use each maker's chart against a hand measurement and try the glove closed on a wheel: no bunching in the palm, fingertips reaching the end without pressing. External seams avoid rubbing on a full day; a closer cut through the fingers gives more feel.
Compatibility. Gloves must be complete — Motorsport UK excludes mitts and open-backed gloves — and are worn with a suit homologated to the same family of standards. A kart glove carries a different approval from a car-racing glove, so one does not stand in for the other at scrutineering.
Types, and the trade-offs
| Type | For | Against | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry level (£27.50 to £36.00) | Cheap, fine for indoor and arrive-and-drive. | No homologation; silicone print wears. | Indoor karting and first sessions. |
| Club outdoor (£51.00 to £54.00) | Better palms and seams for full days. | Still not FIA 8877-2022 approved. | Club practice where no approval is demanded. |
| FIA 8877-2022 approved (£66.00 to £110.00) | Legal for competition, best palms. | Price. | Anyone racing under Motorsport UK or FIA rules. |
| Wet-weather (£38.00 to £86.00) | Hands stay dry and the grip stays on. | Less feel on a dry track. | A second pair for rain. |
- FIA 8877-2022
- The karting homologation for gloves, boots and suits, with hologram and expiry on the label.
- Matters when: Any competition where the scrutineer checks gloves; it is the standard GSM list as the current one for competition karting.
- Silicone dimple palm
- Raised silicone pattern rather than a flat print.
- Matters when: Wet or greasy wheels — flat prints go slippery.
- External seams
- Stitching on the outside of the finger.
- Matters when: Long days; it stops the seam rubbing the finger.
- Wet-weather glove
- A waterproof three-layer construction.
- Matters when: Rain meetings — carry a pair in the kit bag.
What it costs across UK shops
£22.67
a tenth cost this or less
£62.33
typical
£135.00
a tenth cost this or more
| Part | Cheapest | Range | Dearest | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpinestars Tech-1 Race Adult V4 Gloves cheapest at KKC Kart Components · 2 shops | £116.66 | £164.95 | £48.2941% | |
| Alpinestars Tech-1 Start V4 Gloves FIA 3551524 XL Karting cheapest at KKC Kart Components · 2 shops | £91.66 | £129.95 | £38.2942% | |
| Alpinestars Tech-1 KX V2 Shoes 2712123 cheapest at KKC Kart Components · 2 shops | £164.95 | £200.95 | £36.0022% | |
| Alpinestars Tech-1 KX V4 Gloves Adult cheapest at KKC Kart Components · 2 shops | £95.83 | £131.00 | £35.1737% | |
| Alpinestars Tech-1 K V3 Adult Gloves cheapest at KKC Kart Components · 2 shops | £79.16 | £111.95 | £32.7941% | |
| Alpinestars Tech-1 K V2 Shoes / Boots 2712022 cheapest at KKC Kart Components · 2 shops | £135.95 | £164.95 | £29.0021% | |
| Alpinestars Tech-1 K V2 Gloves 3551720-132 Black/Red/White cheapest at KKC Kart Components · 2 shops | £54.16 | £76.95 | £22.7942% | |
| Alpinestars Tempest V3 'S' Waterproof Gloves (Youth) 3550726 cheapest at KKC Kart Components · 2 shops | £116.95 | £135.00 | £18.0515% | |
| Adidas Kart XLT Gloves cheapest at KKC Kart Components · 2 shops | £40.00 | £56.95 | £16.9542% | |
| Sparco Arrow H-7 Gloves FIA 12 cheapest at KKC Kart Components · 2 shops | £65.95 | £79.95 | £14.0021% |
Same part number at every shop in the row. Parts listed at £10.00 or more; ranked by the gap in money, not percent.
Cheapest most often
Of the 16 part numbers stocked by more than one shop — a count of wins, not a verdict.
- KKC Kart Components16 of 16
What this covers
This is a snapshot of kart gloves as listed by UK kart shops on 2026-11-01. PitHunt indexed 436 listings from 9 shops, covering 406 distinct part numbers. Of those, 16 are stocked by more than one shop, which is where a price comparison means something: the same manufacturer part number, different tills.
Prices are the shops' own listed prices in their own currency, captured by PitHunt's weekly scan. They are not quotes, they move, and the cheapest shop for one part is not the cheapest for every part. Each one links to the shop's own page so you can check before you buy.
The price range
Taking the cheapest listing for each part number, a tenth of them cost £22.67 or less, the middle of the range sits at £62.33, and a tenth cost £135.00 or more. The spread is wide because the category mixes small hardware with complete components, so the useful comparison is always like for like — the same part number across shops.
The widest gaps for the same part
The comparison ranks part numbers by the difference between shops in money, among parts listed at £10.00 or more — a big percentage on a tiny part is arithmetic, not a saving.
The largest gap in money is on Alpinestars Tech-1 Race Adult V4 Gloves: £116.66 at KKC Kart Components against £164.95 at the dearest of its two shops — £48.29, or 41%, for the same part number. The full list is in the comparison table above, ranked the same way.
A gap like that is not a judgement on either shop. Listed prices reflect stock bought at different times, different suppliers, and whether a shop is clearing a line. What it tells you is simply that for this part number, on this date, checking a second shop was worth the minute it took.
Which shops were cheapest most often
Across the 16 part numbers stocked by more than one shop, KKC Kart Components had the lowest listed price for 16 of them. That is a count of wins, not a verdict: a shop that is cheapest on the parts you actually need matters more than one that is cheapest on average.
The honest way to use this is the boring way. Find your exact part number, look at every shop that lists it, and let the number decide. Name the part, and PitHunt lines every shop up cheapest-first.
Before you buy — the checklist
Buying used, check
- ☐Label: present and legible, with the standard, hologram and expiry if it is an 8877-2022 glove.
- ☐Palm: silicone print or dimples still raised, not worn smooth or peeling; no thinning on the thumb and heel of the hand.
- ☐Seams and closure: no opened stitching, wrist strap grips, no holes at the fingertips.
Mistakes to avoid
- ✕Buying car-racing gloves for karting: FIA 8856-2018 is the car standard, FIA 8877-2022 the karting one, and the scrutineer reads the label.
- ✕Turning up to a wet meeting with only dry gloves — a flat silicone print loses most of its grip once the wheel is wet.
- ✕Ordering a size by habit; the three big makers do not size alike, and a glove that bunches in the palm costs feel all day.
Questions
›Do I need homologated gloves for indoor karting?
No. Indoor leisure centres do not require FIA or CIK approved gloves; competition under Motorsport UK does require complete gloves, and FIA 8877-2022 is the current karting standard.
›Can I use my car-racing gloves?
They are a different approval: FIA 8856-2018 is for car racing, FIA 8877-2022 for karting.
›Are wet gloves worth it?
For racing in the UK, yes — a dry glove's print goes slippery in the wet, and a wet glove is a second pair, not a replacement.
›Where do these prices come from?
From the shops' own websites, collected by PitHunt's weekly scan of UK kart retailers. Each figure is the price the shop listed on the date above, in the shop's own currency, before delivery.
›Why would the same part cost more at one shop?
Stock bought at different times, different supplier terms, and clearance decisions. None of that is visible from the price alone, which is why comparing the same part number across shops is the only fair comparison.
Sources for the buying advice
- Motorsport UK — Specific Regulations for Karting (U), 13.3 Gloves and Suits
- GSM Performance — best karting gloves for track days and racing
- Track First — a guide to the FIA 8877-2022 homologation for karting wear
Reviewed 2026-11-01. Buying advice comes only from these sources; prices come only from PitHunt’s own scan.
How this was built
Every number on this page was computed from PitHunt’s weekly scan of kart shops’ own listed prices, in the shop’s own currency, captured on 2026-11-01. The text was then checked against that data: any figure not in it fails the article. Prices move after we scan them, and exclude delivery — always confirm on the shop’s page.