Content

Introduction
Tyres & Other Repair Emergencies
Cleaning Supplies
Safety Supplies
Essential Supplies
Emergency Food
Recommended Supplies
Final Thoughts

20 things you should always carry in your car

… and why

Your car is like your second home. As you feel comfortable in your home, so should you feel comfortable and at peace in your car, if you aren’t then it’s as good as driving a rental car right 😋

Just like you care for all the furniture and interiors of your home, you also make sure that all the essential and emergency supplies are available at your home every time for better and worse situations.

Now, this second home of yours is always moving. It’s taking you places and back. So your home away from home should always have some essential supplies present inside it at all times.

You don’t want a situation of a flat tire during a rush hour, but if at all you encounter it, you don’t want to be in a situation where you do not have supplies to quick-fix it.There are many such scenarios where you always need some supplies readily available inside your car.

We have tried to curate a list of some objects that are going to be really useful in some situations. The supplies we have shortlisted can be categorized into repair/ maintenance, Cleaning, Food, Tools, Safety, Accessories, etc.

Here is our curated list of 20 things you should always carry in your car

Let’s see each object one by one

From the understanding perspective, it would be good to segregate the above list into a few types based on their function.

So let’s sort them as follows

> Tyres & Other Repair Emergencies

1. Owner’s Manual

This is a booklet that comes with the car and is written by the car manufacturer. The booklet covers almost all the default and basic information about your car, its safety, Do’s and Don’ts, etc.

Whenever you are in a doubt, you can simply open the booklet, and find the desired information/ clarification. Though the booklet may not help you fix a very specific type of problem in your car, but it comes in handy in a lot of other situations

2. Jumper Cables

If your battery is not giving the desired output/ performance, or if there is something wrong with it, then your car might not start if you are out on a road, it’s a troublesome situation. With the help of jumper cables, you can easily seek help from any other car in your vicinity, connect cables to their battery and start your car.

If you happen to have a spare battery, or you stumble upon any other battery source, you can connect the jumper cables to that and start your car. Thus having a set of jumper cables in the car can really save your day

3. A Spare Tire

So we were talking about a flat tire situation earlier right? If your tire suddenly goes swoosh on the road or off-road, it can leave you in a condition where you can no longer drive any further.

The culprit can be anything from a nail to a piece of glass etc. but it’s not the time to moan or whine. It’s to get your spare wheel out of the bonnet.

As simple as that. A spare wheel is one of the must-haves in your car. So always carry one and do care to repair the flat one as soon as you reach back home

4. Tire Pressure Gauge

These days especially in the era of tubeless tires it is really difficult to understand the tire pressure just by looking at it or by pressing it with hand or feet (and it can be annoying if people driving beside keep telling you that the tire pressure is low)

So, just keep this small and portable tire pressure gauge in your car all the time. So that you are sure about the tire pressure in your car tire, and will not have rely on the guesswork.

5. Tire Jack

How will you replace that flat tire with the spare tire you are always carrying, unless you can lift the car up?

You need a tire jack, of course. So that you can easily lift the rear or front portion of the car, unscrew the flat tire, and fit the fully functional spare one

So as the spare tire is a must-have object in the car, so is the tire jack.

> Cleaning Supplies

6. tissue box/ Paper Towels

In your car you eat, you play, but keep food spills away! You got the point right?

Whether you are done eating or want to quickly clean the dashboard/ windshield, screen, seat etc. Always keep a box of tissues to keep your car dry and clean.

7. Plastic Bags

The interiors of the car has garbage spread across widths and the depths, on the seats and in the corners in the form of small and big chunks or wrappers the plastic bags are very useful to clean the car from the inside by just picking the nuisance and collecting them inside the plastic bags which can be dumped later into a garbage bin

So always carry plastic bags in your car. If you know any other uses which our readers can benefit from, do let us know in the comments

8. Soft Cloth

If your car is starting to look dirty and messy, especially from the inside, if there is a thin layer of dust on the seats or a considerable amount of liquid is spilled, for all these and other such uncomfortable situations you need to carry a soft and dry piece of cloth.

You can also clean the windshield for a quick clearer look outside from the driver’s seat

9. Cleaning Slime

If the dashboard and the sides of the doors are looking too unbearably dirty, its time to take that slime out and put it into action. You will realize how beneficial that little investment was that you made while you were walking across the supermarket aisles.

The slime cleans many surfaces by absorbing the dust and dirt from them, leaving them clean and shiny so keep them handy in the car, especially if you are out to pick some guests

> Safety Supplies

10. First Aid Kit

It goes without saying, you need to carry essential medical supplies and a first aid kit in your car all the time. It should be the topmost must-have item in your car.

11. Reflective Triangle

If you have pulled your car over on a highway to check your car bonnet or tire pressure or check what’s wrong with your car, or you are replacing the flat tire, whatever may be the situation, two things are must

Switch on parking lights
Put some emergency indicators such as reflective triangle especially during the nighttime

This helps a lot to the ongoing traffic that can easily get the warning to that a car is halted ahead and then they can drive cautiously

12. Multi Tool

This is also one of the items that carry huge importance in this list.

Multi-tool has a variety of small tools such as knife, scissor, screwdriver, etc which are all important in multiple situations, and help a lot in that condition imagine having fruits and nothing to peel them open, the multi-tool comes to your rescue

> Essential Supplies

13. Flash Light

Don’t be in a situation where you are dazed and confused in the dark. Always carry a flashlight to search for anything inside the car, under the seats, or in dark and unapproachable areas.

While driving at night, and in doubt about your tire going flat or some sound coming from the bonnet, just pull over on the side and take your flashlight out for a quick inspection. It helps a lot to have this object in the car drawer

14. Phone Charger/ cable

Phone is an integral part of your day to day activities. It has a property that its battery reduces as you keep on using it, your car has a battery its a source of energy that can be utilized for charging your phone

In almost all the cars there is an outlet present somewhere on the dashboard, that lets you connect a connector/adapter to utilize the power from the car’s power system

There are connectors available in the stores that can connect your phone to the above outlet you might have guessed by now, just buy the connector/adaptor. Don’t just keep getting furious about low phone battery.

15. WD-40 (Multi-Purpose Solvent)

It is said, “You only need two things in life: Duct Tape and WD-40_®. If it moves and shouldn’t, use Duct Tape, if it doesn’t move and should, use WD-40_®.” – Source

This one solvent can have a variety of uses in your car. It can drive out moisture, it can free up a sticky mechanism. If a particular bolt in the brake assembly or engine parts or in the transmission assembly is rusted it can help loosen it, it protects the metal from rust and corrosion

Read more about car spare parts here. It can lubricate a wide range of surfaces. WD-40 can be super useful to work beneath the car if at all you find yourself in that situation

> Emergency Food

16. Packaged/Non-Perishable Snacks

Sitting in a car and hungry? You can anytime just hop out and grab something to eat. But when you are out in the desert or on a deserted highway, what are the odds that you are going to find a place to eat? We will leave the answer to you.

Better carry some protein/energy bars, some snacks like chips, some packs of biscuits or anything which can last long. Especially when you are with the family and out, the emergency food saves you from the situation when kids start creating a scene if they are hungry

17. Drinking Water

Always stay hydrated. Even if you don’t feel thirsty (as probably you are driving while your car AC is on) still keep sipping. You need to drink water when you feel thirsty or maybe you are on some medication and it is time for your medicine.

It’s a good idea to have drinking water always available inside your car.

> recommended Supplies

18. Duct Tape

As we saw, if it is moving and shouldn’t, use a duct tape 😂 Yes. You never know what’s going to be broken and start moving while they are supposed to be firm.

We recommend carrying duct tape for you to be ready for all such situations

19. Diary and Pen

Old school always rocks right? Whether you want to jot down the idea you just had, to calculate your expenses, to note down to-dos for the rest of the day, to prepare a quick grocery list for the supermarket trip you are about to begin or to simply doodle when idle in the car, the old school diary and pen is your companion.

So we recommend carrying a diary and pen in your car

20. Loose change money

No? How many times you wanted loose change coins or smaller denomination notes but you didn’t have them. Sometimes we want to buy something and just because we don’t have loose money we cant buy it.

So we recommend carrying some loose change currency that we can utilize in dire situations

Final Thoughts

As a car driver, you are responsible for your car, yourself, and other passengers including your family. You never know what kind of situation you may get trapped in. So always make sure to carry essential supplies in your car.

You can keep this curated list in handy next time you go shopping in a supermarket like LuLu or wherever you prefer and gather all the supplies as per your lifestyle. If you are a frequent outdoor guy, then please do carry the essentials mentioned here in the list

Read in detail about Auto Parts: The Ultimate Guide to Car Spare Parts

Where can you find auto spare parts and auto accessories in Dubai?

The auto parts for major car brands are available at different suppliers and dealers of auto spare parts in Dubai.

Noorhan is amongst the leading brands that deal with genuine auto spare parts and aftermarket parts for different car brands, including Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, Jeep, Ford, and other Japanese and European brands.

If you’re looking to replace your brake pads with high-quality aftermarket parts in Dubai, Noorhan can help you.