10 emergency essentials you be should be keeping in your car

Winter is just around the corner bringing darker evenings, colder nights and harsher weather. Unfortunately, this is a bad combination for motorists, so it’s important you stock up your car with helpful supplies for if you find yourself in an emergency situation. We’ve listed top ten essentials you should be keeping in your car.

1. A spare Tyre

Yes, this may seem like an obvious one, however, this is probably one of the most important items you should have to ensure you don’t get stranded. Make sure you have a spare tyre, a jack and learn how to change it. It may come in handy one day.

2. Your manual

Again, this may seem like common sense. Most of us will already have this safely tucked away in our cars, but it’s worth checking you can still find it. This can come in very useful when lights you’ve never seen before start flashing on your dash.

3. First aid kit

We all spend a huge amount of time in our cars, but very few people think to keep a first aid kit handy. A small cut when changing a tyre, or a minor accident while at your destination, a first aid kit will always be useful. Here’s what you should keep in it.

4. Torch 

Your phone torch just isn’t going to cut it when you’re stuck on a country lane at night trying to change a tyre. Make sure you have a decent torch stored in your boot for these emergency situations. 

5. Food and Water 

This may seem a little extreme, but a woman once survived for 5 days after a mountain crash half a bottle of water and some grapes. It’s worth keeping crisps, cereal bars etc. in case you have a long wait for a recovery van, especially if travelling young children. It is also useful to keep bottled water for drinking in an emergency or for topping up the radiator or windscreen washer bottle.

6. Warm clothing

Unfortunately, summer is well and truly gone and the weather will soon be taking a turn for the worst. You should now be keeping some extra warm clothing, preferably waterproof, in your boot. If you break down in a snow storm or heavy rain you’ll be thankful for the extra layers. 

7. Maps

No, this doesn’t mean the Google kind. Keep paper maps for when technology fails you or you venture out of signal.

8. USB mobile charger

Your mobile phone can be a lifeline in an emergency so don’t get caught out by a flat battery. Some cars have USB ports and plugs, so keep a spare charging lead with you. If you don’t have this in your car, cigarette lighter adapters and portable chargers are relatively inexpensive and will keep you charged in unexpected situations. 

9. Hi-viz bib

Stopping on the roadside is dangerous, so make sure you are seen when you’re out of the car. Keep a Hi-viz bib or coat to make it easier for other motorists to notice you. 

10. Seat belt cutter and window breaker

This handy little device could literally be the difference between life and death if you’re ever in a road accident. Make sure to keep one of these in your glove compartment and not the boot so you can access it easily in an emergency situation.

Lastly, DON’T carry spare fuel!

Although you may think this will stop you getting stranded when you run out of fuel, this is just an unnecessary risk if you were to end up in a car accident.

We have a wide selection of cars with great ​safety features.  Try our used car search tools and find out what we have in stock. Alternatively, you give us a call on 028 9020 5100 today to see if we can find the right car for you.