10 Things Every Driver Should Keep in Their Car

When I got my own car, I did not really know what I should keep inside it. That changed quickly, because driving has a way of reminding you about the small things you forgot at home exactly when they would be useful. Some items help when something goes wrong mechanically, some help with everyday messes, and some are simply convenient when you spend a lot of time moving around in your car.

1. Check Whether You Have a Spare Tire

The first item depends on the car you drive, because modern cars are increasingly moving away from including a spare tire. Some manufacturers now give you a tire inflation kit instead. That may be enough for certain small problems, but it is not the same thing as having an actual spare tire when the tire is badly damaged.

My 2012 Volkswagen Jetta has a spare tire, and I am glad it does. I live in Vancouver, British Columbia, and the roads here can be rough. It is easy to hit a pothole hard enough to blow a tire, and in that situation a spare tire can be one of the most important things in the car. If your car has one, it should be there all the time, not only when you are planning a longer drive.

Do not assume your car has a spare. Open the trunk or cargo floor and check. If there is no spare, find out whether the car has a tire inflation kit. The point is to know what you have before you are stuck with a flat tire and discovering the answer on the side of the road.

2. Keep Facial Tissues Within Reach

The next basic item is tissues, and more specifically facial tissues. I like keeping them in an easy-to-reach area instead of buried in the trunk, because the whole point is convenience. When you need one, you usually need it right away.

Tissues are useful because someone eventually asks for one, and it is convenient to have an answer immediately. It is a small thing, but it makes the car feel much more prepared for normal everyday life. Having a box or pack ready means you are not searching through bags or glove compartments while a friend is already asking for help.

3. Add Wet Wipes for Messier Situations

Dry tissues are helpful, but wet wipes solve a different type of problem. If you have messy friends in the car, step into something nasty, or touch something dirty outside, wet wipes let you clean it up quickly.

I think wet wipes are a must in a car. They do not take much space, and they cover a lot of common problems: sticky surfaces, dirty shoes, small interior messes, or anything that needs a quick wipe before it spreads. Between dry tissues and wet wipes, you have both sides covered.

4. Carry Hand Sanitizer

Hand sanitizer belongs in the same everyday category. I had just replaced mine because the previous bottle was finished, which is a good reminder that it only helps if there is actually some left. I keep it in the car because there are plenty of times when you do something outside and there is no washroom nearby. In the United States, people usually call it a restroom, but the problem is the same: sometimes there is nowhere to properly wash your hands.

That is when sanitizer becomes a small savior. I see it as a must not only in a car, but also in a backpack. Still, keeping one in the car makes sense because the car is often where you return after doing something outside.

5. Use a Dash Cam for Evidence and Security

The dash cam I have used is the Viofo A229 Pro. It is a dual-channel setup, so it records the front and the rear of the car. There is also an optional third channel if you want to record the interior. The front camera records in true 4K, and the rear camera records in 2K. It uses Sony STARVIS 2 sensors, which matters in real driving because clear footage is important during the day and at night, especially in low light. When something goes wrong, that clarity can help with insurance, police reports, or simply peace of mind.

I only recommend companies I trust myself, and I had used Viofo before this setup. The earlier A119 camera gave me a good reason to see the company as reliable, so the A229 Pro was not my first experience with the brand.

Useful dash cam features include built-in Wi-Fi, GPS, voice notifications, and parking mode, which lets the camera keep an eye on the car when you are not around. Setup can be straightforward too; I finished installing mine in under 30 minutes. The Viofo app also makes it easy to review or download recordings directly to a phone.

A dash cam is one of the most important modern car items because cars are extremely expensive now. For some people, a car is practically an investment, and if something happens, you want a way to protect yourself. The problem is that after a collision, you do not know whether the other party will be honest.

Two bad situations happened to my dad because he did not have a dash cam in his car. Both times, another car hit him, and both times the other driver denied fault. Without recorded evidence, it was very difficult for him to prove to insurance that he was not at fault.

That is why the cost of a dash cam can make sense. If you can prove you were not at fault, you might save a lot of money, possibly thousands of dollars in one incident. A good, reliable dash cam may cost somewhere from about 100 to 500 dollars, and if it lasts, you can move it between cars over time.

A dash cam is also useful for personal security. If someone becomes aggressive on the road, gets out of their car, threatens you, throws something, or approaches your car in a hostile way, the incident can be recorded. If the police need proof that you were not the aggressor, having that footage matters.

6. Keep a Tire Pressure Gauge in the Car

Before getting to the tire pressure gauge, there is one thing in my car that might look like it belongs on this list: a tennis racket. It is not there as a road-rage weapon. I just play tennis with my friends and end up carrying it around. The actual next useful item is much more practical.

A tire pressure gauge is especially useful if you drive an older car that does not show tire pressure electronically. It is a small tool, but it lets you check the tires yourself instead of guessing.

Using it is simple. Go to the tire, remove the valve cap, turn on the gauge, and press it onto the valve stem. When I checked mine, it showed 35.1 PSI. That number was probably higher than the true cold pressure, because the car had already been driven. Tires heat up as you drive, and warm tires show a higher pressure.

For that reason, it is better to check tire pressure when the car has not been running for a while. Morning is a good time because the tires are usually cold. If my warm tire shows about 35 PSI, it may be closer to 32 or 33 PSI when cold.

To find the correct pressure for your car, open the front door and look for the tire and loading information label. That label gives the recommended cold tire pressure. On my car, the recommendation is 32 PSI for the front tires, rear tires, and spare. Since the recommended number is based on cold tires, checking in the morning gives you the most accurate comparison.

7. Carry Basic Cleaning Supplies

Cleaning supplies are worth keeping in the car because you do not always know what is going to happen. The most important reason is visibility. It is very hard to drive properly when the windshield is dirty, and sometimes the windshield gets dirty at the worst possible time.

A glass cleaner and a proper microfiber towel make it easy to clean the windshield when something goes wrong. This is not about making the car look perfect. It is about being able to see clearly through the glass.

Disinfecting wipes are also useful for interior cleaning. If something sticky gets on a surface inside the car, wipes make it much easier to deal with immediately instead of waiting until later. Small cleaning supplies do not take much space, but they prevent a lot of annoying problems from becoming bigger messes.

Snow Brush for Snowy Climates

If you live in Canada or anywhere that gets a lot of snow, a snow brush is another practical item to keep in the car. When there is snow on the windshield or windows, you need a way to clear it before driving.

This one is self-explanatory, but it matters. A snow brush lets you clean the windshield and windows properly instead of trying to drive with blocked visibility. In snowy climates, it belongs in the car because snow is not something you can handle well without the right tool.

Umbrella for Rainy Climates

The same logic applies to rain. In Vancouver, it rains for roughly half the year, so having an umbrella in the trunk is a savior. This is especially true if you are the kind of person who forgets things at home all the time.

The advantage of keeping an umbrella in the car is simple: you cannot forget it at home if it already lives in the trunk. When the weather changes or you arrive somewhere in heavy rain, the umbrella is already there.

8. Carry Booster Cables

Booster cables are underrated. You never know when your battery will die, and this is especially true with older cars or cars that have not been driven much.

My Jetta is 12 years old, and when I bought it, it had only 27,000 kilometres on it. That tells you it had not been driven a lot. The battery was still the original battery from 2012. After I had driven the car for about a month, I left the interior lights on for half an hour, and the battery died.

That happened while I was working on my first review of the car. I had to call a colleague, ask him to bring booster cables, and have him drive to my location so we could jump-start the car. After I got my own booster cables, I helped two friends with their batteries as well. Those cables helped three cars in one year, which is pretty impressive for such a simple item.

That is why I recommend getting booster cables as soon as possible. You may not need them often, but when you do, they can solve a problem that otherwise leaves the car stuck.

9. Keep a Pen Handy

A pen is always useful to have in the car. You never know when you will need to write something down or sign something after arriving somewhere. It is one of those items that feels unnecessary until the exact moment you need it.

There is also a less serious reason I keep one: as a very famous person, I need to be ready to give autographs at any moment. No one has asked me for one yet, but the pen is prepared for that future moment.

10. Carry a Flashlight

A flashlight is the final item I would add. The pen I keep in my car also has a flashlight built into it, so it checks two boxes at once. It is not the strongest flashlight because it is small and built into a pen, and I should probably get a better one, but it is still better than having nothing.

One Important Item I Still Need to Add

One item I should have included is a first aid kit. I do not currently have one in my car, which is why it was not part of my main list, but I probably should get one.

The overall idea is simple: keep useful things in the car before you need them. A spare tire or tire inflation kit helps with tire trouble. Tissues, wipes, sanitizer, and cleaning supplies help with everyday messes. A dash cam helps protect you when someone else is dishonest or aggressive. A tire pressure gauge helps you understand what is happening with your tires. A snow brush and umbrella match the weather you actually live in. Booster cables can save your car or someone else’s when a battery dies. A pen, flashlight, and first aid kit are small additions that can matter at the right time.

Stay safe, keep enjoying the drive, and make sure your car has the basics before the next small problem turns into a much bigger one.