What to keep in your car

The small kit our roadside volunteers wish every driver had: what each piece is for, and what you can skip.

Most of the calls we go out on are small problems: a dead battery, a low tire, a key fob that stopped working. Each one could have been a ten-minute fix if the driver had the right thing in the trunk. You don't need a truck full of tools. This is the short list we'd give anyone, and all of it fits in a small bag. We keep the full list, with our picks for each one, in the Every Car Kit.

A jump starter

A dead battery is the call we get most. Jumper cables need a second car parked nose to nose, which is hard in a parking garage or on a shoulder. A jump starter pack does it alone, and it fits in the glovebox. The NOCO GB40 is enough for most cars. Charge it every few months; a dead jump starter doesn't help anyone. Our jump-start guide walks through using one.

A tire inflator and a gauge

A tire that's low but not flat is often a slow leak, or just cold weather. With a small inflator you can fill it at the side of the road and drive to a shop instead of waiting for help. The NOCO AIR10 plugs into the car; the Fanttik X9 Pro is cordless and cheaper. Fill to the pressure on the sticker inside the driver's door, not the number on the tire, and check it with a gauge.

A tire plug kit

A nail in the tread doesn't always mean changing to the spare. A plug kit seals the hole well enough to get you to a shop. It takes practice, so read our tire plug guide before you need it.

A light, and a way to be seen

Breaking down at night is when people get hurt, usually by traffic. Keep a rechargeable flashlight so you can see what you're doing, LED road flares to put behind the car, and a hi-vis vest so drivers see you. A vest costs less than lunch and folds up to nothing.

A window breaker

A window breaker and seatbelt cutter is the one thing here you hope you never use. Keep it where you can reach it from the driver's seat, like the door pocket or the center console, not in the trunk.

Gloves, a blanket and a few spares

Work gloves keep your hands clean and safe around a hot engine or a dirty tire. A pack of emergency blankets weighs almost nothing and makes a long wait in the cold much easier. And a spare key fob battery saves a surprising number of calls.

Things that cost nothing

Some of the most useful things aren't gear at all. Check the spare tire's pressure a couple of times a year; spares are often flat when people need them. Keep a phone charging cable in the car, a bottle of water, and the owner's manual in the glovebox. Save your roadside assistance number in your phone, along with your car's year, make, model and plate number, so you can give them right away when you call.

What you can skip

Big all-in-one emergency kits often come with cheap tools and thin jumper cables you'll never use. You're better off with a few good pieces than a bag full of filler. Start with the jump starter and the inflator, since they cover the two calls we see most, and add the rest over time.