To put in the car.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

The socket for the locking wheel nut.

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.

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 🥴

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!

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?

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

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

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.

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, thank you, sodapop. It did seem rather impracticable and I hadn't heard anything about it recently.

What the French have introduced recently are new vignettes giving the emission category of the car. We have those in Germany, too - you are not allowed to enter a town or city without one. But they are not valid in France - you have to have special ones for there. Strasbourg which is our nearest French agglomeration enforces this. I think we'll take the train in future!

JackyB the breathalyser thing in France has gone by the board now.

High viz,umbrella,pen,pad,wet wipes,tissues,blanket,crow bar,
mobile chargers,bottles of water.first aid kit.handbook,shopping bags a spare pair of shoes,tyre pressure device,crook lock,change for parking.

Regarding rubbish, i have a plastic bag wrapped around the gear stick ( the handle ) and alllll rubbish goes in there.

In the front are sunglasses, sponge, c.d's, phone charger.

In the boot are bags for charity shop unless they have been taken and then there is nothing, tidy, tidy, tidy.
😃

I like to be prepared so there's a box with oils and fluids, 5l of water with antifreeze, spare bulbs, paper towel, basic tools, plug-in tyre inflator, triangle, hi-vis jackets, spare petrol can, Haynes guide, spanner for wheel nuts with extension, torch. In the car a first aid kit, shopping bags and a steering wheel lock. 1 Euro coins for supermarket trollies in France. Various maps. Two rain coats in their own pockets.

In the boot: rug, oil, umbrella, tarpaulin, shopping bag
In the car: glasses, OH clip-on sunglasses, handcream,
de-mister cloth, bottle of water
Glove compartment: maps, CD's first aid kit foil emergency blankets, Kendle mint cake
I hadn't thought about hi-viz jackets - great tip, thankyou

MerylStreep

Am I the only one who carries a femail urinal. I’ve used it 3 times, OH, once.

One of them was in a horrific traffic jam at the Dartford Crossing. 😄

I keep a pee Bol in the car after, during the course of just a few weeks, I kept finding myself stuck in traffic jams and I was having awful bladder problems. Haven’t had to use it but it would be tempting fate to travel anywhere without it!

I meant to add that in France, which is just down the road from us, it is also compulsory to carry a breathalyser and enough hi-vis jackets for all occupants. The breathalyser has to comply with their regulations and as far as I know, these are only available in France.

Here in Germany it is mandatory to carry hi-vis jackets, a first aid kit (which has to meet certain specs and which has to be replaced regularly as they have an expiry date) and a warning triangle. Also the blue parking disc which is still required in some towns.

It is also recommended to carry a fire extinguisher or at least a thick blanket for fires.

Apart from that, we only have shopping bags in the boot and an ice scraper in the side pocket.

In the glove compartment there are some sweets, pens, tissues, a few coins, charging cables for phones.

A pair of wellies and a torch (which works) would be a good idea but we haven't got them.

As for keeping it clean, once I have lugged the vacuum cleaner out and plugged it in, I quite enjoy it. As my Dad used to say: "A job begun is half done".

If the car is going in for an inspection, I empty everything (apart from the legally required items mentioned above) into a large washing basket the night before and only replace the necessary stuff when it comes back. What's left in the basket gets thrown out.

My daughter has a boot - and footwells - packed with rubbish and everything that might possibly come in useful, one day. I'm sure that the weight of it all must mean using more petrol!