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

Breakdown cover AA or RAC
They have saved me several times over the years

Extra clothes
Water
Food

Just a little update...I passed my test this morning 😍

Car stocked with items from list and suggestions above, insurance and breakdown cover purchased.

Now to hope the pr3dicted snow doesn't arrive next week!

Congratulations!!! Many happy and safe years of driving 😊

Congratulations @WorriedMumofTeen16!

I've not RTFT but just wanted to say OP, your post really made me smile. You sound just how I was before my driving test and I really commend you for ensuring that you are as prepared and responsible on the roads as possible.
As a new driver, it adds confidence knowing that you're sorted for any circumstance or situation!
I've been driving for nearly a decade now and don't have half of the things I did when I started driving. Now all I find I use are:

1. An ice scraper
2. A pair of sensible driving shoes in the boot. More than once I've left work in a rush, forgetting to swap my heels for trainers and didn't realise until I finally got to my car. Not always relevant, but it's a lifesaver for me as I feel I have less control when driving in heels.
3. Window cleaner and a cloth, so if my windscreen is smeary and it's hard to see, I can give it a good clean there and then
4. I print my insurance documents off and keep them in my glovebox (I imagine if I have an accident it'll be easier to hand them that than have to try and find all my insurance details on the spot)
5. General toolkit in case of a flat tyre etc.
6. I have RAC membership, always reassuring driving around knowing that if I do break down, I don't have to pay through the nose for help
7. If your cup only has 1 or 2 cup holders and you often have a coffee cup / can of coke etc, I recommend buying an attachable bigger cupholder as often the ones that come in cars are tiny and things wobble and fall out of them. Really depends on your car.
8. Big coat in the back in case I break down and it's cold
9. One of those red triangles

Everything else I bought "in case" was never really needed for my daily driving and I would only really go all out with the "preparedness" for a very long trip.

Good luck!

DH would sing your praises from the rafters! Congratulations, and wishing you many years of safe happy motoring.

Along with screen wash that you have already bought you should always have antifreeze to hand.

Well done on passing your test!

In my car I have:
First aid kit
Blankets
Water
Torch
Spare batteries
Ice scraper and screen wash
Spare tyre + tool kit for changing it

Anything else I’ll ring the AA.

Yes I do, thanks. And thanks for all the well wishes! 1st week and a bit of driving done, getting there slowly with confidence.

Just seen the situation on the M25 last night with people stuck for hours. The blanket, snacks etc seem a sensible measure after seeing that!

Oh and thanks Oops for the coffee cup suggestion. My cup holders are tiny and have the radio above so not even room to stand my thermal mug up. The one I ordered arrived last night and was able to have a hot drink on my 4.30am journey- being careful! Its a lidded cup so eyes firmly on the road.

I always used to worry about the car going into water and not being able
to get out because of electric windows.

This happens far too often in films than reality methinks.

But that's why some people say you need a tool to break the glass.

But you don't !!!!

Pull the head rest out and use the metal struts to break the window.
(Hit at the corner)

I only discovered this recently and it's made me feel much more secure driving around my lake and river free part of London 😂😂😂

That's a bit extreme. This month is my 20th anniversary of passing my test, and all I keep in my car is:
An old-fashioned paper A-Z road map of the UK.
A blanket.
An ice scraper.
Either my hiking boots or my wellies.
A foot-powered tyre pump.

Best advice I can give though is to have decent breakdown coverage, and get your vehicle serviced regularly. Once my cars are more than 5 years old, I get them serviced every 6 months.

Wet wipes in glove box , a (tea) towel in the back, some mints and some change for car parks. A sunshade attached to side window for longer journeys.

Brolly, wellys, sweater in boot.

The tea towel is only due to sick grandchildren.

I would definitely include a couple of hi-viz. In the event of breaking down, being visible is essential as you are vulnerable at this point.

You made me laugh because that list is ridiculous. But then I realised thinking about emergency things in my car that I am prepped for THE worst of my imagination - a terror attack and a submerging car 🤣

So I suppose Yanbu!

My list:
Runflats
Chitosam Trauma packs
Emergency window hammer