Kart suits: how to choose, and what 14 UK shops charge
We compared 500 kart suits listings across 14 UK shops. The typical cheapest price is £183.95, and the same part number can cost up to 42% more depending on where you buy it.
UK edition2026-11-015 min readData: PitHunt weekly scan
Key takeaways
- 14 UK shops list 500 parts in this category; 23 part numbers are stocked by more than one shop.
- The typical cheapest price is £183.95; a tenth of parts cost £64.60 or less, a tenth £484.50 or more.
- Biggest gap for one part number: £70.96 on Racing Sparco / Energy Kart X light K-7 Suit 130.
- KKC Kart Components had the lowest listed price most often — 23 of the 23 part numbers stocked by several shops.
- Shops
- 14
- Listings
- 500
- Typical cheapest
- £183.95
- Biggest gap
- £70.96
- 42% on one part
What a suits does
A kart suit is abrasion protection, not fire protection: a kart has no bodywork, so in a spin or a roll the driver slides on the tarmac and the suit is what is between skin and track. For Motorsport UK competition the suit must carry a recognised homologation label, and which labels count depends on whether the event is short-circuit or Race Venue (long-circuit) karting.
A homologation is a test the suit passed — abrasion, tearing, seam strength and, under FIA 8877-2022, contact heat of 100°C for 10 seconds — and the label inside proves it. Two or three layers of abrasion-resistant fabric, often a Cordura nylon-cotton mix, carry the protection; stretch panels and mesh ventilation make it wearable for a day. A suit is one piece and close-fitting at the wrists and ankles so nothing rides up when the driver slides.
How to choose
1 · The standard for the kind of racing
Short-circuit and Race Venue karting have separate clothing rules.
How to judge it: Short circuit — the vast majority of UK club and championship karting — accepts leather, CIK-FIA 2001-1, CIK-FIA 2013-1 Level 1 or 2, and FIA 8877-2022 Grade 1 or 2. Race Venue (long circuit) requires FIA 8877-2022 Grade 2, leather, or EN17092 Class AAA. Grade 1 is built for short circuit; Grade 2 adds a higher degree of abrasion protection for long circuit. Read the label inside the collar or along the zip: standard, grade or level, manufacturer and validity.
2 · How long it stays legal
FIA 8877-2022 replaced CIK-FIA 2013-1 Level 1 and 2.
How to judge it: The new standard took effect on 29 June 2022. Old CIK-FIA suits could not be manufactured after 31 December 2024 but remain wearable in competition through 31 December 2029; from 1 January 2030 only FIA 8877-2022 is accepted. An 8877-2022 label carries a unique hologram and an expiry date. A new 2013-1 suit bought today has four seasons left in it — price it accordingly.
3 · Fit
A suit that does not fit is returned, or worn badly.
How to judge it: Measure chest, waist, hips and neck and use the maker's own chart — sizes are not consistent between brands, and a medium in one make can be too tight in another. Try it seated in the driving position: arms forward to the wheel, knees up, with no pull across the shoulders and no cuff riding up the forearm. Kids' suits run from 7X-Small to Small, teen and adult from 2X-Small to 3X-Large.
Compatibility. The suit is one item of a set: FIA 8877-2022 also covers karting gloves and boots, with their own homologations separate from car-racing gloves. Wet-weather suits are worn over an approved suit, never instead of one. A car-racing FIA 8856 suit is fire protection, not abrasion protection, and is not on the karting list.
Types, and the trade-offs
| Type | For | Against | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| FIA 8877-2022 Grade 1 | Current standard, long validity, the widest range. | Not accepted for Race Venue karting. | Short-circuit club and championship racing — nearly everyone in the UK. |
| FIA 8877-2022 Grade 2 | Legal everywhere, highest abrasion protection. | Heavier and warmer; fewer models and higher prices. | Race Venue (long-circuit) drivers and anyone who races both. |
| CIK-FIA 2013-1 Level 2 | Often discounted as stock clears. | Short circuit only in the UK after the grade rules; legal until 31 December 2029 and no longer made. | A club racer who wants a cheaper suit for the next few seasons. |
| Leather | Accepted for both short circuit and Race Venue. | Heavy, hot and expensive. | Long-circuit drivers who already own one. |
- FIA 8877-2022 Grade 1 / Grade 2
- The current karting standard; Grade 1 for short circuit, Grade 2 with higher abrasion protection for long circuit.
- Matters when: Any suit bought new; Grade 2 is mandatory for Race Venue events.
- CIK-FIA 2013-1 Level 1 / Level 2
- The previous standard, legal for short circuit until the end of 2029.
- Matters when: Buying a discounted older suit — fine for club racing, finite life.
- Cordura
- A nylon-cotton fabric with the abrasion resistance that gives karting suits their protection.
- Matters when: Any suit for racing; poly-cotton is the common indoor-rental fabric and usually uncertified.
- Ventilation and stretch panels
- Mesh zones behind the knees, under the arms and on the back, and elastic panels at the shoulders.
- Matters when: Summer meetings and long days — the suit is worn for hours between sessions.
What it costs across UK shops
£64.60
a tenth cost this or less
£183.95
typical
£484.50
a tenth cost this or more
| Part | Cheapest | Range | Dearest | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Racing Sparco / Energy Kart X light K-7 Suit 130 cheapest at KKC Kart Components · 2 shops | £169.99 | £240.95 | £70.9642% | |
| Storm Double Lined Black Wet Rain Suit cheapest at KKC Kart Components · 2 shops | £69.95 | £84.95 | £15.0021% | |
| MIR '50' Clubman Blue / Silver Kart Suit Size 62 cheapest at KKC Kart Components · 2 shops | £203.00 | £211.95 | £8.954% | |
| MIR '50' Clubman Black / Silver Kart Suit Size 50 cheapest at KKC Kart Components · 2 shops | £203.00 | £211.95 | £8.954% | |
| MIR 'Ultralight' Kart Suit Size 30 cheapest at KKC Kart Components · 2 shops | £217.00 | £225.95 | £8.954% | |
| MIR 'Ultralight' Blue Kart Suit Size 42 cheapest at KKC Kart Components · 2 shops | £217.00 | £225.95 | £8.954% | |
| MIR 'Ultralight' Silver Kart Suit Size 50 cheapest at KKC Kart Components · 2 shops | £217.00 | £225.95 | £8.954% | |
| MIR 'Ultralight' Black Kart Suit Size 46 cheapest at KKC Kart Components · 2 shops | £217.00 | £225.95 | £8.954% | |
| Racing MIR '50' Clubman Blue Kart Suit Size cheapest at KKC Kart Components · 2 shops | £176.00 | £183.95 | £7.955% | |
| Racing MIR '50' 'Mono' Red Kart Suit Size 52 cheapest at KKC Kart Components · 2 shops | £176.00 | £183.95 | £7.955% |
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 23 part numbers stocked by more than one shop — a count of wins, not a verdict.
- KKC Kart Components23 of 23
What this covers
This is a snapshot of kart suits as listed by UK kart shops on 2026-11-01. PitHunt indexed 500 listings from 14 shops, covering 418 distinct part numbers. Of those, 23 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 £64.60 or less, the middle of the range sits at £183.95, and a tenth cost £484.50 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 Racing Sparco / Energy Kart X light K-7 Suit 130: £169.99 at KKC Kart Components against £240.95 at the dearest of its two shops — £70.96, or 42%, 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 23 part numbers stocked by more than one shop, KKC Kart Components had the lowest listed price for 23 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, legible, with the standard, grade or level and validity; under 8877-2022 the hologram and expiry date. No label, no scrutineering.
- ☐Abrasion: look for scuffing, thinning or a shine on the elbows, hips, knees and seat — the places a sliding driver lands. Worn-through outer layers mean the protection is gone.
- ☐Seams and zip: no opened stitching, no repairs with the wrong thread, zip runs freely and the collar closes.
- ☐Fit, seated: the suit must still be close at the wrists and ankles and free at the shoulders for the driver it is for, not the one who sold it.
Mistakes to avoid
- ✕Buying on impulse without measuring — poor fit is the most common reason a suit comes back, because brands cut their sizes differently.
- ✕Buying a Grade 1 suit for Race Venue karting; long-circuit events require Grade 2, leather or EN17092 Class AAA.
- ✕Paying full price for a CIK-FIA 2013-1 suit without noticing it stops being legal after 31 December 2029.
- ✕Treating a suit as fireproof — a kart suit is tested for abrasion and tearing, with only a brief contact-heat requirement.
Questions
›Can I use my car-racing suit for karting?
No. Motorsport UK karting lists leather and the karting homologations — CIK-FIA 2001-1, 2013-1 and FIA 8877-2022 — not the car-racing fire standards.
›Is my CIK-FIA 2013-1 suit still legal?
For short circuit, yes, through 31 December 2029. From 1 January 2030 only FIA 8877-2022 is accepted.
›Grade 1 or Grade 2?
Grade 1 for short circuit, which is nearly all UK karting. Grade 2 is mandatory for Race Venue (long-circuit) events and carries more abrasion protection everywhere.
›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
- GSM Performance — kart suit standards: short circuit vs Race Venue
- Track First — a guide to the FIA 8877-2022 homologation for karting wear
- GoKart36 — go-kart racing suits: all you need to know
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.