To ask for your car essentials

[WorriedMumofTeen16]

Learning to drive and test date imminent. Car arrived today and I'm trying to sort out what I need. If I put everything in that websites suggest, I'd need a bigger car lol. I work shifts so will be travelling early hours or late night with a small portion of country roads and about 20 miles dual carriageway.

It has a full sized spare tyre.

So far I have
Tyre inflator
Bottle of screenwash
Petrol can
Blanket
Phone charger
Powerbank
Manuals
Blue roll
De-icer and scraper
Water

To buy this week
Warning triangle
Multitool/small toolkit
Spare bulbs and fuses
Oil
Jump leads
Car fire extinguisher
1st aid kit

What else? A nosey online suggests tow rope, portable battery pack, duct tape, cable ties and a multitude of other stuff. Some of the kits they sell are the size of small luggage! It's only a Clio so not a massive boot and I don't want to be carrying more than reqd but equally don't want to miss something essential

Drinks, snacks,.glasses wipes etc would be carried in work bag as I take those in daily as my shifts cover a couple of meals and fridge space at work is limited. Obviously I'll sort insurance, break down info etc to live in glovebox.

Help me out please! Tyvm

I’m cracking up here 😂you don’t need anything unless you’re setting off a 10 hrs drive to Scotland? maybe at a push a warning triangle and a petrol can ? just in case you get caught short?? relax and get yourself a good breakdown cover

I think I have a hairbrush in my glovebox, a phone charger cable and a spare wheel in mine.

Yeah, you don’t need all that in your car. Scraper, torch, warning triangle, and I have a tool with which I can hammer out the window and cut my sear belt in a crash.
I also carry baby wipes , hand sanitiser, masks.
My car came with the triangle, first aid kit, which has a foil blanket in it.
I keep screen wash at home . Everything else I can get as needed.

Emergency chocolate and the keys.

Two filthy child seats
A box of bran flakes poured into the footwell
14,329 flapjack and melty puff wrappers
3 kilos miscellaneous crumbs
A half-full Fruit Shoot
Four pairs of wellies in the boot

Works for me, anyway!

In all seriousness .. I think you're fine with what you've listed there

Because of the hours I'll be driving I would rather be prepared, especially as there's a portion of quite desolate country lanes. 3.30am and stuck ain't my idea of fun! So anything to counteract that would be helpful

Obviously alot of those are also just for basic ongoing and as/when maintenance eg screenwash, bulbs, fuses, tyre inflator

You'll need a car jack if you plan on using that spare tyre.

i only have a spare tyre and an ice scraper, if I ran out of screenwash or needed oil or whatever I d just pick it up at a petrol station. I also keep coats, hats,scarves, wellies and a football in the boot for ease but it’s just because it saves time carting them in and out of the house. I take my charger with me and the manual is in the glovebox.

Umm I have a jumper and some blankets in the boot in case of breaking down and being out in the cold and a torch. If I’m doing a long journey I have water and snacks. I’m really not sure you need anything more than you already have especially if you have breakdown cover.

One of those strange little sponges to clean the inside of the wind screen

Tyre inflator - I have one of those emergency cans of tyre goo. I assume it's still good bought it years and years ago, have never used it.

Bottle of screenwash
Petrol can - just keep an eye on the light and don't let the car run empty. In 20+ yrs of driving I've never used a petrol can
Blanket
Phone charger
Powerbank - plug phone into car to charge, don't need a power bank.
Manuals
Blue roll - what is this?
De-icer and scraper
Water

To buy this week
Warning triangle
Multitool/small toolkit - only any good if you know how to use the tools to fix the car
Spare bulbs and fuses - same as above, you need to know how to replace the bulbs
Oil - can keep this in garage/shed, you shouldn't ever need to top up the oil on an emergency basis while out and about.
Jump leads
Car fire extinguisher
1st aid kit

I have a roll of small binbags for all the rubbish produced in my car and in the boot I have a change of clothes for DD who has a magic ability to find and fall into a muddy puddle even on the driest, sunniest day.

I'm sorry but this is hilarious....but can I focus on why you need duct tape and cable ties?!

A kitchen sink

When you mention being stuck on a country road what do you expect to be able to do by yourself other than change a tyre? Although I also have to admit that while I know how to change a tyre I’ve never managed to by myself because I don’t have the strength to manage it

A roof box for all that stuff 🤣

Seriously though, well done for thinking about it as most don't even bother. If you have a spare and you're able to change a wheel, it's well worth buying an extendable/telescopic wheel wrench. You can get one cheaply from Wilko and can be a lifesaver compared to the stupidly small thing you get with the car. If you don't have a spare then you might not need a tyre inflator.

That list of stuff is well worth having but things like oil, screen wash and petrol can, can be left at home. The other stuff I already have in the car.

Perhaps a screen protector for the winter. I've found this to be great for reducing the time clearing a screen when icy.

I have an emergency lipstick

Laughing at emergency choc and the branflakes and millions of crumbs! Choc would be in bag anyway as I get the munchies at work lol. Past the snotty kids stage thank goodness.

Blue roll is like a giant kitchen roll. Useful for wiping inside of windows, muddy boots, clearing wing mirrors, when dipping oil and loads more. Always carry some on my motorbike.

I haven't got duct tape and cable ties, that was just what several websites suggested for emergency repairs...just seemed a bit kidnap kit to me 😂

Torch is one I'd missed, ta

Foil blanket
Emergency flares
Small rubber boat

I never leave home without them!

Good luck with your test OP and enjoy your new car. It will be filled with nothing but crisp wrappers in no time!

😂😂😂👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

I love you ❤️

AA Membership!

I've got some old hand towels in case I need to do something that could make my hands mucky eg check tyre pressure

I’ve been driving for years and the only absolute essentials to me are a proper spare wheel and the kit to change it and £10 emergency money .

Oh and there's a jack in with spare wheel, the extendable wrench a good shout also, Dads showing me how to change the wheel this week.

I'd just rather be(over rather than under) prepared if I do happen to break down in an isolated spot, especially at stupid o'clock, and it will be a daily journey, mostly in the early hours, hence me asking for suggestions on essentials.

I’m the same I have a car repair kit, bulb replacement kit, car hazard kit, high vis coat, spare clothes and blankets and pet first aid kit, pet bowl for water, spare poo bags and a packet of biscuit, human first aid kit, screen wash, huge light, tyre inflator, coolant, oil and plain water & umbrella all in a boot tidy in the boot. A spare coat and shopping bags. My first aid kits are huge and contain everything from burn gel to tick remover for humans and animals, sanitary towels, a normal towel, a small cushion etc

de-icer and scraper and key driver in the house - don’t leave it in the car you are screwed if it freezes overnight

box of tissues, box of wipes, cds, hairbrush, say nav and charger and spare coins in glove box, sunglasses, paper notebook and pencil with rac membership.

in the car itself I have local maps and a national map and national trust book and lonely planet guide to U.K.

I also keep a spare battery for the key fob at any time both in the boot and in the house

dash cam is a must
as is rac membership

each kid when younger had a plastic tub with a lid containing spare clothes, wipes, tissues, sunglasses / sun cream or coat and jumper and hat and gloves depending on season, snack, water bottle etc

I literally don’t understand why some people aren’t prepared