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

Wow, I need to be that organised!

I could probably make a meal from the amount of food scraps and crumbs in my car. I think there’s a couple of pairs of kids dirty socks, a vomit bowl, a picnic blanket, a water bottle rolling around under the passenger seat, a scraper but no de-over and enough carrier bags for the whole country to use!

I don’t even have a spare tyre, come to think of it I don’t even have breakdown cover! I really must sort that

Amongst various bits I do have tools most of time. Currently I also have a driveshaft in the boot. One mine is knocking about and it needs to be changed

I have a first aid kit, a couple of blankets (if on a long trip I'll bring water too), a fire extinguisher, deicer and scraper, torch and a spare mobile phone charger that fits into the cigarette lighter. I also have a sat nav and a dashcam.

Anything else like jacks and jump leads that's what the AA is for and there's no way in hell I'm risking my life by running down the road to put a warning triangle out.

And a tube of Pringles?

15 bottles of half empty water!

@WorriedMumofTeen16 sorry missed that. As well as fuses, bulbs and wheels mine insisted on teaching me how to change a starter motor and alternator when I started driving. Christ knows why because there's no way you would have found them in my boot bless him. Still haven't changed either one to this day.

Oh I do also have a notepad and pen.

In my car I have:

A packet of chewing gum/mints
Hand sanitizer
Empty McDonalds cup
Old CD (that I use to scrape ice off the windscreen)
😂

The dual carriageway I use has frequent accidents, probably 2 a week at various points on a 40min stretch. 30 min to an hour delays are common, but the worst involved multiple trucks and there were 4 hr delays a few months back. The petrol station I use if needed during journeys was just after this, the accident was about 1/4 mile in front of me and no turnoff between. I do fill up the bike at the home end but obviously that has a limited tank. When we were finally turned around it was a long detour across minor roads. Because I keep the bike topped up I was OK, but very cold.

Because I know there are frequent delays I'd rather be prepared. Rather have it and not use it than not have it and need it.

I just put enough petrol in the car…

Ah, but some people put just enough petrol in the car.

We always have:
1 or 2 bottles of water
Cereal bars/chocolate
Spare outfit for each kid
Nappies, wipes, nappy bags & dummy for the baby
A towel
Spare jumper or hoody for DH and me
A power bank to charge phone or iPad
Box of tissues

I swap the kids outfits over seasonally so there's no getting caught out and you can always guarantee that time you don't have a changing bag for the baby is when their nappy will explode (DH learnt this the hard way!)

Other than that, there's usually de icer & a scraper

This made me laugh (not the lack of breakdown cover though...essential in my eyes, get it sorted!)

Haha your Dad sounds like mine. He used to do alsorts and was an avid Haynes manual owner for every car, often stripped down on the drive! I dread to think what he's going to try and show me lol but yeah starter motor is probably extreme 😂

Hi Viz jackets, tissues, water and snacks, window breaker and seatbelt cutter, emergency foil blankets, normal wool blanket, phone charging cables and emergency power bank, windscreen scraper and deicer, cloths for wiping windscreen, antibac wipes, first aid kit, cable ties, duct tape, fire extinguisher, emergency beacons (orange flashing lights which attach by magnets), warning triangle, camping stove and gas, cups and sporks, torch, UK map book, porta john emergency toilet bags, a few dehydrated meals, normal car tools, spare oil, bin liners, car jump starter, jump leads, tow rope, hand warmers, foldable spade, emergency ponchos, cordage. We spend a lot of time out in the wilds so like to be prepared.

The most needed thing in my car is bottled water, wipes, and pound coins for supermarket trolleys! I also keep a supply of shopping bags, dog poop bags and an umbrella.

Number 1:
LOCKING WHEEL NUT KEY. (I work in a garage and the amount of people that keep it indoors instead of in their car is absolutely astounding!)

As it’s coming into winter:
small shovel (literally a tiny thing in case you need to dig out in the snow)
torch
de icer spray
window scraper
triangle and first aid kit. Most cars have these though.

I have a spare wheel, Jack and wrench, I’m getting a torque wrench instead though but that’s only because I’d rather not go to work to tighten up the wheel bolts after changing a wheel at the side of the road. If you’re not strong, get a breaker bar instead of a wrench and keep a socket that fits your wheel bolts in there too. Usually it’s a 17 or a 19.

I’d also get breakdown cover.

Regularly check your bulbs and tyre pressures - you’ll be less likely to be caught out that way and shouldn’t need to carry spare bulbs or fuses.

And absolutely yes to a high vis!

Oh wow now that's organised!

Chewing gum - means that you can hydrate without drinking loads of water and needing the loo constantly. Great lists everyone, thank you!

Blimey. My dad was in general a bit of an overthinking fussed, but all he said to have was a blanket and a first aid kit. I don’t usually have either of those. Used to drive miles over mountains every couple of weeks. Always been fine.

Brill thanks. Wheel.nut kit in glovebox, will look into the bar you mention thanks. I have waterproof hi vi's as prerequisite work gear.

Breakdown cover will be done when I do the insurance. I'm used to checking bulbs and tyre pressures, tread etc every couple of days on the bike so this will naturally build into my routine, thankyou

@WorriedMumofTeen16 if you do ever have to change a wheel at the side of the road it’s vital to get the wheel bolts torqued correctly. If you or your dad can’t do it, pop into a garage and get it done. I know we’d help someone out like that for free 🙂

Sounds like my car 🤣

Lip balm and phone charger.
I'm assuming you have a phone.

@WorriedMumofTeen16

Can suggest you take a look at AA parts and labour cover. They cover alot of repairs that will cost you £35 excess .