To put in the car.

I keep my car tidy, with everything in its place. In the back is a box with jumpstart leads, oil, a very large torch, snow spade, still in its original wrapping. window defroster, battery operated tyre pump, extra brace for changing wheels, some tools, warning triangles

The back seats have no storage, but between the seats are 4, sort of, drinks holders, too wide and too shallow. One has a samll purse with car park money and another holds a bottle of water and I have tucked spare shopping bags under the seats. There is a car rug spread over the seats.

The road atlas lives on the front passenger seat, in the side pockets are the ice scraper, window wipes, an umbrella and an old piece of towelling. The phone charger is permanently plugged in. In the glove compartment is the car manual, spare driving glasses, woollen gloves (I suffer from Raynaud's syndrome). There are high vis tabards tucked under the front seats.

a) myself, my sunglasses, my bag.
b) nothing apart from the above and the legal requirements.

I empty all parcels as I exit and wash/clean it weekly.

Sunglasses, driving glasses and phone charger. I have been driving for 45 years and have never needed anything that others have listed here.

Essentials- spare glassese and/sunnies
Travel sweets/ throat sweets to suck
Umbrella
Bottle of water
PETROL!

M0nica

I keep my car tidy, with everything in its place. In the back is a box with jumpstart leads, oil, a very large torch, snow spade, still in its original wrapping. window defroster, battery operated tyre pump, extra brace for changing wheels, some tools, warning triangles

The back seats have no storage, but between the seats are 4, sort of, drinks holders, too wide and too shallow. One has a samll purse with car park money and another holds a bottle of water and I have tucked spare shopping bags under the seats. There is a car rug spread over the seats.

The road atlas lives on the front passenger seat, in the side pockets are the ice scraper, window wipes, an umbrella and an old piece of towelling. The phone charger is permanently plugged in. In the glove compartment is the car manual, spare driving glasses, woollen gloves (I suffer from Raynaud's syndrome). There are high vis tabards tucked under the front seats.

Oh blimey Monica -I'm amazed you have room for passengers!
BTW what are the RAC/AA/Green Flag for?

Most of what I would call the essentials: small first aid kit, torch, wheel brace and set of those things that undo nuts on the wheel, car manual and ice scraper in the glove compartment. One thing which I have carried in the car for a few years is a small camera (one of those cheap single use ones) in case I have an accident that is not my fault so that I can take pictures of the scene. I was advised to do this by a kind AA man!

Oh dear I feel very unprepared reading this thread.

In my car reusable shopping bags in boot, phone charger, tissues, asthma inhaler along with some spare change in the compartment between front seats, window scraper and de-icer spray in drivers side door.

I assume I have a spare tyre somewhere 🥴

Notepad and pen
Tissues
A few £1 coins for supermarket trolleys or car park
And most important a mini fridge I keep in the boot. I like my brews and a lot of places we've stayed don't have a fridge so I bought it to keep milk in.

The socket for the locking wheel nut.

My partner had a breakdown a few weeks ago and had to wait from 11pm until 5am until the AA arrived. It was during the cold snap when the temperature was sub-zero and he was told by the AA not to sit in the car, as it was on a busy road.

As a result, we've kitted our cars out with warm blankets, survival ponchos, woolly hats and torches, as well as all the usual stuff.

GrannyGravy13

Oh dear I feel very unprepared reading this thread.

In my car reusable shopping bags in boot, phone charger, tissues, asthma inhaler along with some spare change in the compartment between front seats, window scraper and de-icer spray in drivers side door.

I assume I have a spare tyre somewhere 🥴

Some cars don't have spare tyres. I discovered I had one two weeks ago, when I went over a pothole and ruined my tyre. It was only just legal, so I ended up having to buy two new tyres and getting some work done on the wheel.

I was also lucky that there was somebody to help me change the tyre because I wasn't strong enough to manage it. I was a bit nervous about doing it anyway because it's years since I went on a course run by the police to cope in emergencies.

Car manual, torch, tissues, spare sunglasses, umbrella, packable mac in its bag, bottle of water. Small change for car park and comb plus other essentials are in my handbag.

Theexwife you've been very lucky then.
There are lots of things that people have listed here that I've been pleased to have in my own car in the past.

Once I was very pleased to find someone like M0nica in the car behind me - with a spade in the boot to help dig me out of some snow drifts in Scotland
🙌
Thank you whoever you were!

I agree NotSpaghetti. I passed my driving test just over 50 years ago, when I was 17 and have been grateful to have a reasonably well equipped car. Mobile phones have been a game-changer, but I still like to think I could survive for a few hours, if I got stuck.

Mawthemerrier I l ike to be prepared for all emergencies. I have had several very long waits, as a lone woman, late at night, on a motorway a long way from home, waiting for a breakdown vehicle, I do not have much confidence in breakdown services.

The snow spade is the result of DD driving home late on a snowy night, not very far, central London to Stevenage and as the snow got heavier, she came very close to being snowed in at Welwyn Garden City. I saw the spades cheap in Tesco, a few days later and bought all of us one. DD even keeps a length of old carpet in her card, after another occasion when someone elses piece of carpet enabled her car to get traction in a muddy field.

I put all the placenames in to remind people that being snowed in on a motorway or dual carriageway doesn't just happen in wild and windy northern areas, but in highly populated places, with lots of houses, roads and facilities.