Car Essentials That Are Worth the Investment: Our Top Picks

You may not want to fork out money to spend on something that simply gets you from A to B but investing in certain key items for your car can be beneficial in the long run. Here are our top picks of car essentials that are worth investing in.

Portable Jump Starter Kit

There’s nothing worse than being out and about, getting back to your car, and the engine won’t start. If you have a portable jump starter kit handy in the boot, then you don’t even need to rely on finding another person in a car to help you. You can simply attach the cables to your car battery which will give it a short power boost so that you can get up and running again. It will give you enough power to get to the nearest petrol station or hopefully even finish your journey home. It is a great bit of kit to have readily available in the car for those types of emergencies so is definitely worth investing in.

Seat Covers and Floor Mats

Putting seat covers and floor mats into your car, whether you have a young family or not, is a great idea if you want to protect your car as much as possible. Seat covers can help protect against any spills, and floor mats are great for protecting against muddy boots and dirt. Both can be easily removed from the car and cleaned. Seat covers can also help prevent scratches to the seats until the kids are a bit older.

These are also a good idea if you have pets such as dogs coming into the car. If keeping your car in tip top condition is important to you, then seat covers and floor mats are a worthy investment. They will help keep your car in the best condition possible for when you come to sell the car. Whilst cars rarely hold their value, this is one way of ensuring that you get the best price possible when you do come to sell your car.

A Good First Aid Kit

A first aid kit in the car may seem like something that’s not going to get used, but it is definitely worth having. It is a good idea especially for family road trips and long journeys or days out. Having things such as plasters, bandages, anti-bacterial wipes and cream on hand in the car is well worth it. Even insect bite and sting cream is good to have in the car during the summer months. You never know when you are going to come across an incident where someone merely needs a plaster. Having a well-stocked first aid kit in the glove compartment is essential.

An Emergency Basket

Talking of emergencies, it is another good idea to have a basket full of essential items in the boot of the car just in case you break down or have to be on the side of the road for an extended period of time. In this basket or bag you should have a blanket to keep warm, as well as a bottle of water and long-life snacks. There’s nothing worse than having to wait for roadside recovery with hungry kids in the car. If they can keep warm and eat something whilst waiting for help to arrive, then it will make a bad situation that little bit easier.

Make sure you also have a de-icer spray for the windscreen and an ice scraper handy too. You want to be prepared for all weathers when going out in the car. It is also a good idea to have an empty petrol can in the car so that if you run out of petrol you are able to walk to the nearest petrol station and get enough to then get the car to the petrol station.

Private Number Plate

If you are looking for ways to invest in your car, then a private number plate is an excellent way to do so. All cars are legally required to have a registered number plate. Having a personalised one may seem like an expensive outlay to start with, but they can actually be a good investment. Private number plates tend to increase in value even when the car itself depreciates.

It’s well known that as soon as a car is driven off the forecourt, it is starting to lose its value. However, by getting personalised number plates you can actually

add value and get a good return on them if you sell them on. Private number registrations can either be sold on with the car, adding value to the car, or you can sell them on separately. If you get a number plate that is going to be popular to other car owners too, you can get even more money for it.

Dash Cam

Having a camera on your dashboard allows you to record footage of encounters with other road uses and comes in handy if any accidents take place. A dash cam can be easily installed by yourself, as long as you are careful not to install it where it will block your view. It is also a good idea to have a rear facing dash cam. It allows you to see who is at fault if you are in an accident and you can send footage to insurance companies if need be. This evidence can help protect your no claims discount with your car insurer and can ensure any insurance claims go through quicker, rather than having to rely on potentially unreliable accounts of either party.

Dash cams can even act as a GPS tracker if you break down and don’t know exactly where you are. They are a good idea also for any parents to monitor young or new drivers. Knowing you are being recorded makes you drive more safely as you are being held accountable. It can also help keep your car safer when parked in a car park or on the road.

Windscreen Cover

During the winter months, putting a windscreen cover over your car is a great idea if it is not kept inside a garage. It will save you so much time scraping the ice off in the morning. It’s also a good idea if you live in an area that has a lot of snow during the wintertime to help protect your windscreen. They come in different sizes to suit your particular vehicle, and you can also get ones that are easily lifted off and removed even when covered in a thick layer of snow.

A Good Sound System

Most new cars nowadays will come with a point for you to plug in your phone

so that you can play your favourite music on the go without the need for CDs. But if music in the car is important to you, you may want to upgrade your speakers. Invest in a good sound system and not only will you enjoy being in your car more, but it will allow you to ask for more money for your car if you come to sell it.

So, in conclusion, there are plenty of things worth investing in for your car that will help it keep some of its value when you do come to sell it. They are also worth investing in just so you can use your car to the best of its ability and get the best out of it for you and your family.