Essential things that should be in your car

As car owners, people consider their ride as an extension of their room. Things like stuffed toys and pillows often clutter the interior. However, there are more important things that should be in your car. We listed them down for you – whether for emergency repairs, survival, or just bare everyday essentials.

For emergency repairs

A spare tire is needed to replace a flat tire but that won’t be useful if it’s also flat. Before heading out, you should always check its air pressure using a tire pressure gauge. 

If your car battery ran out, jumper cables would come in handy. You can use these to connect your car to another vehicle’s battery so you could ignite the engine.

Stuck on sand or mud? You would need a traction mat for you to be able to get out of that. This can be bought on your local hardware or auto shop. Also include duct tapes and WD-40 in your shopping basket. You might think we’re kidding but there are things that these two could temporarily repair and lubricate – like a broken side mirror or a jammed window gear. 

If you’re trying to fix your car at the side of the road, be sure to have a early warning device setup for the oncoming traffic. It should be around 100 ft before the vehicle. This way, you can warn other motorists of the hazard ahead.   

No matter how long you’ve had your car, there are parts of it that you haven’t explored yet. The car’s manual can be a big help for this. Multi-tools are also useful as it contains a lot of essential things such as screwdrivers, pliers, and knife.

Bare essentials

When you need a light source, flashlights could come in handy. The same way with matches or lighters; you’ll never know when you’ll need fire or heat in some cases.

On the other hand, it’s advisable to have an umbrella inside your car specially during the rainy season.  

You should also have a pad paper or post-its and a pencil (or a pen), in case you’ll need to jot down an important number you heard on the radio. You should also have spare change/money so you’ll have cash in case you lost your wallet.

Technology these days allows you to use apps for navigation purposes. However, you’ll never know when you’ll run out of batteries or if you’ll still have GPS signal on your way to your destination. With that in mind, it’s still better to have an updated paper map with you.

Lastly, paper or hand towels come in handy all the time. This is self-explanatory but you could bring extra just in case it gets too messy inside your car after a drive-thru.

Survival

As much as we don’t want to, accidents do happen. In case of a minor car crash, a first aid kit should be available so you can attend to your minor cuts or burns. You’ll never know how long an ambulance will take to respond.

Water should also be available inside your car. Aside from quenching your thirst, you will find it useful when you’re stuck somewhere without access to clean water. Of note, the human body can last 21 days without food, but only 3 to 4 days without water.

You could also bring some energy bars especially on long drives without stopovers. They could effectively suppress hunger, and could also serve as your emergency food.