What essential items do you keep in your car?

[supercee]

I've just got my first car at the age of 39!

What essential items do you keep in it? Or anything you find useful? Or non-essential but you think are handy?

So far I only have a usb cable to plug my phone in. I'm thinking de-icer? What else?

A riveting Saturday night thread...!

And two camping chairs in the boot for meeting my parents outside in the summer

Get an RAC membership or similiar. Torch is a must -as is a thick coat, hat, gloves and blanket in the winter. -for everyone. Bottled water. Hot thermos of tea -we do this automatically. First aid kit, with jump leads etc. Multiple charger things -with dash cam, leads for kindles and phones, screen wash (get the decent stuff) ice scraper etc.a towel is always a good one. Take spare batteries for the torch too. A map of the UK in a plastic wallet together with car manual.

Boot
Torch - integral to car
French emergency kit
Windscreen wash
Umbrella
Plastic bags

Front:
Gloves
Hand sanitizer
Anti-bac wipes
Tissues
Hand cream
Sunglases
Charger
Spare masks
Change

Mask
Chewing gum
Wet wipes
Hand sanitizer
Phone charger
Ice scraper
Brolly
Bags for life
Change

A torch
triangle
High visibility vest
A packet of dettol wipes (they are great for stains)
Hand sanitiser
Spare masks
Pen paper
Charger
Umbrella
My insurance policy number and insurance phone number written on notepad in glove compartment, because the day you need them, your phone will be home.
Glasses and sunglasses in door pocket. They live there, I have other pairs in house, bag.
Windscreen breaker which needs to be in a closed compartment in case car rolls and when you need it, you can't find as fell off .
Tissues and hand gel

Pack of sweets (type one diabetic)
Mini blood kit
Bottle of water
Wet wipes
Sunglasses
£20
A copy of all car related documents
Human first aid kit
Dog first aid kit
Hi-viz jacket
Blanket
Waterproof jacket
Stake thing for dogs lead
Torch
Window breaker/seatbelt cutter
Jump leads
Tyre pump

@Sparklingbrook - I get the handbag comment. Althogh l have a bag in my car which pretty much duplicates my handbag. I travel a lot for work (or did pre-Covid) which involved overnight stays. It’s more re-assrance in case l have used up things in my handbag and forgotten to replace them.

Crowbar
Money - notes and coins, about $20
Bungee cords (for Christmas tree)
Jack and other items for changing a tyre
Jump cables and printed out instructions for using them
Car reg card and insurance card
Windshield sun reflector for parking in summer
Boiled sweets
Tin of Altoids
Chewing gum
Tissues
Umbrella
Ice and snow scraper/brush
A few blankets
Spare winter gloves
Phone charge cable
Shopping bags
Hand sanitiser
Box of 100 disposable vinyl gloves
Painters plastic dropcloth
Scissors for cutting knots out of my hair at red lights

Also sunglasses and driving glasses

First aid kit
Mini fire extinguisher
Hi vis jackets
Window breaker/seatbelt cutting tool
Tissues
Hand sanitiser
Spare masks
USB charger with multiple connector types
Hand cream
Lip balm
Trolley coin

Spare glasses
Baby wipes
Phone charger
Lip balm
Headache tablets
Tampons
Face masks
Metal straw in case I fancy a Macdonalds milkshake (I only get Macdonalds on long drives )
Details of breakdown cover
Dog poo bags
Measuring tape

I like to have a small basket in the back with blankets for the kids, ice scraper (although I'm lazy and usually throw a washing up bowl of warm water over it instead), small umbrella, zip pack full of clean washed masks and zip pack for used ones, anti bac wipes, kitchen roll, also I keep the reusable shopping bags in there. First aid kit. My husband is very annoying and takes the basket out sometimes when I'm not looking as he likes a totally empty car. Grrr!

Jump leads, can't understand why they are not top of everyone's list! They are the only thing I have desperately needed in 30 years of driving

Same here. Those together with an electric tyre pump and a decent wheel brace. The factory supplied ones rarely give enough leverage. All that stuff is hidden away under the floor though so I forget about it.

About 12 jackets and the essential empty Costa cups..And spare masks.

Pound coins, a thick fleece, bottle of oil, spare knickers, socks and small bottle of shower gel, Smints.

sunglasses, a bin big, facemasks, jumper, spare clothes and nappies for my son, sanitising wipes, coins, bags for shopping.

oh and a jump starter pack!

When my teenagers were in 6th form a plastic bucket! Much easier to aim into than a plastic bag!

Fan and warm air defrost my Windows in 2 minutes. While I put on my make-up in the car (off road).

All of those with jump leads and tyre inflators - I assume you don't have breakdown cover.

My commute is on main roads and 11 miles on London outskirts. If the weather was very bad I wouldn't set off - hence no shovel, blankets, etc.

@OhTheRoses

Fan and warm air defrost my Windows in 2 minutes. While I put on my make-up in the car (off road).

All of those with jump leads and tyre inflators - I assume you don't have breakdown cover.

My commute is on main roads and 11 miles on London outskirts. If the weather was very bad I wouldn't set off - hence no shovel, blankets, etc.

I have breakdown cover, but I don’t see the point in waiting either at home or by the road side for hours when I can easily change a wheel myself.

First aid kit, de-icer and scraper, coolant, windscreen cloths, charger for phone/satnav, driving variofocals, always have a charged phone with me and my wallet containing bank card and AA membership card

I always take warm waterproof clothes as well in winter

Surprised at the amount of stuff people have in their cars permanently.

I no agree on the bucket but only put it in when doing a 3am nightclub pick up. 😂

placemarking shamelessly.
I've been driving for years but really could do with being better equipped, so plan to put a car basket together today.

my brief contribution is that my work sometimes takes me out of the office for far longer than expected, so I always have a bottle of water or can of pop in there. A-Z in case of satnav fail. Coins in the glovebox for parking.

Spare cash like £10-20
Snow scraper/dustpan brush for removing snow
De-icer
Bag with change of clothes for DD incase she's sick in car
Towel also for above
Car bin which hangs on back of carseat to put bottles, cans, food in. Got on Amazon and waterproof
Phone charger
Face mask
Tissues
Mints