Breaking down can be scary if you’re not prepared. Equipping your car with a breakdown kit will help you to feel safe and confident whilst driving. To avoid the worry of waiting helplessly at the roadside for your recovery vehicle, we’ve put together a list of all the essential tools and accessories to keep in your car – so there’s no need to panic.
With a little time and preparation, you can be smart and plan for any eventualities. To help you get started, let’s take a look at the basic necessities you should consider keeping in your vehicle, all of which you can easily find at your closest car parts shop or garage.
Regardless of the time you set off on your journey, a torch will always come in handy. Even if you don’t find yourself stranded in the dark, you could find yourself in need of additional light in a tunnel, or shaded area. You may also find yourself searching for tools or attempting to look under the bonnet to mend the vehicle yourself, so a torch is a true car necessity.
A high-power LED torch, a headtorch or even better a hat with a headtorch, are the best choices. However, any torch will do the job if it helps you to see. Make sure to always keep spare batteries on you too!
Maybe you’ve misjudged how much fuel you needed for your journey, or you’ve simply not paid attention to the fuel gauge. Either way, keeping a spare fuel can on you can be an easy means to getting your car moving again. Keep a full fuel can in your car if you can, but if not, you can refill an empty one if you feel comfortable walking to a petrol station before your breakdown service arrives.
You never know when you’re going to breakdown, or how long the wait will be to get moving again, so keeping warm clothes and blankets in your car is a good idea, especially if it’s winter! Spare clothing will help keep you and your passengers warm if you’ve broken down on a motorway, as this is one of the situations where it’s safest for you to wait outside your vehicle. If you want to be even more prepared, pack a waterproof jacket, gloves, scarf and hat in the case of torrential weather.
If you break down in the dark, or very bad weather, one of the best accessories you can have is a high-vis vest, or jacket. As well as keeping you warm, wearing something reflective will help others to see you, so you can keep you and other drivers safe. This is one of the most important pieces of equipment to keep with you and one that is often overlooked!
Keeping yourself fed and hydrated is key to staying comfortable whilst waiting for assistance, especially on hot days where you must be careful to avoid heatstroke and exhaustion. Try to find a shady spot until help arrives, as waiting can feel even longer if you’re hot, thirsty and hungry.
It’s a good idea to stock up your vehicle with water and non-perishables before a long journey. Having these supplies in your breakdown kit will be particularly helpful if you’re travelling with children.
Next on the list of car essentials is a mobile phone. Vital for contacting help if you can’t locate an emergency motorway phone, a mobile will make it easier for you to find relevant contact information, identify your location and make a call to your breakdown provider. If you struggle to keep your phone battery up, keep an accompanying charger or portable charger in your car as well.
One of the most common causes of breaking down is a flat tyre. However, thankfully, this is a problem a lot of drivers feel confident fixing themselves. To sort this problem, one of the essentials to keep in your car is a road-safe tyre, as well as a jack and wrench, which you will need to change a tyre yourself. If you aren’t comfortable changing your tyre, then it’s best to wait for assistance.
Another common cause of breaking down is due to an old or dying battery, which happens more often nowadays due to the excess of electronics we use a car battery for. When it comes to a car emergency kit list, it’s always handy to have a pair of battery jump leads with you, particularly for the colder and darker months when you want to get your car moving as quickly as possible.
Jump leads are also a great investment if you only tend to drive short distances, or if you rarely drive, as these are other potential causes of a battery malfunction. If you can’t find a fellow driver to help you charge your battery or jump start it, then you can always wait for help.
Already worried about your battery dying? Learn how to change a car battery here or why not book in for a check, replacement or fitting.
A law in some countries, keeping a pair of warning triangles in your vehicle will allow you to signal the position of your car to other motorists and assist, alongside your hazard lights, in helping to prevent collisions with your stationary vehicle. It’s best to place one at the front of your car and one at the rear, 45 metres away each side – if you have no measuring device then this is usually equal to around 60 steps. Make sure they have solid stands to reduce the chances of them blowing away and causing an accident.
If you want to be prepared for all weathers, keeping a shovel in your boot is an excellent idea. A fold up shovel is a suitable alternative if you have a small vehicle – just make sure it’s strong enough to move excess snow or mud.
Storing you breakdown information in an easily accessible place on your phone, or a paper copy in your car, will make it easier for you to find the number to call for assistance - which will help speed up the process of recovery. When your recovery service arrives, they will either try to fix your car or tow it away if more work is needed, depending on the service package you have.
Whatever the weather forecast or conditions when you leave home, it’s always a great idea to keep a pair of sunglasses in your car. Driving with the sun shining in your eyes can be incredibly distracting, as well as dangerous if you’re not able to see onto the road, so keeping sunglasses with you is an easy way
We hope our car emergency kit list has helped you with what car essentials you need in the case of an emergency breakdown. It is important to gather these necessities to keep you safe whilst you’re driving and help you to get your car back on the road if you encounter a breakdown. If you need any more assistance or advice from a specialist, find your nearest garage here.
