10 Tools Every Car Owner Needs

There are many sticky situations that you can get into as a driver where having the right tools can be useful. Such tools could save you having to call up a mechanic. They could even save your life in some cases. Below are 10 examples of tools that are worth owning as a car owner.

Ice-scraper/de-icer

If you live somewhere that experiences cold winters, owning an ice-scraper or some de-icer could be essential. While you can use a bank card as an improvised ice-scraper, it isn’t the most efficient way to remove ice from a window. Ice-scraper tools are cheap and will save you time (and also prevent you damaging your card). De-icer is meanwhile useful for melting thick ice on car windows – this is a spray-on liquid that you can buy in many stores. This guide compares some of the best de-icers on the market.

Jump leads

When you have a flat battery, owning a pair of jump leads can be handy for kickstarting your engine. While it’s possible to borrow jump leads from someone else, this may not be much help in an emergency. Having your own jump leads could allow you to quickly ask a neighbour for help if you need to make an urgent journey and your battery is dead. There is an even more convenient option which is a portable jump starter kit – this allows you to jumpstart your vehicle without having to attach jump leads to another car, which can be useful if you break down somewhere remote. These kits are more expensive than jump leads however, so bear this in mind. 

Jack

While many of us rely on a mechanic to change our tyres nowadays, knowing how to change a tyre yourself can still be useful if you get stuck somewhere remote (plus it can save you money). Changing a tyre oneself does require a few tools. One of these is a jack. Owning a jack could allow you to not only change tyres yourself, but also carry out other DIY repairs ranging from changing brake pads to even an oil change. Check out this guide to the best floor jacks.

Jerry can

While running out of petrol is something that is often avoidable, owning a jerry can still be worthwhile in case you get caught out. If there is a petrol station in walking distance, you can then quickly fill up this jerry can and get your car started again without having to pay for breakdown assistance. You can buy jerry cans cheaply at any petrol station.

LifeHammer

A LifeHammer is designed to easily shatter a car window. Such tools could save your life if you get into an accident and can’t open the car door to escape (such as if you end up in a river). You’ll hopefully never need to use a LifeHammer, but in the event that you do, you’ll be glad to own one. 

Warning triangle

If you break down and can’t push your vehicle somewhere safe, it could be important to own a warning triangle. These are triangles that you can put on the road behind your vehicle to alert them of your broken down vehicle so that they can stop or manoeuvre in time. Warning triangles should be placed 45 metres behind your vehicle and not used on motorways.

Portable tyre inflator

When it comes to keeping your tyres inflated, a portable tyre inflator is a very handy tool to own that can save you money having to pay for air at a petrol station. Most of these tools are electric and come with an in-built pressure gauge. You can compare some of the top portable tyre inflators online. 

Wrench kit

A wrench kit is useful for removing nuts and doing all kinds of DIY repairs around your vehicle.There are many different types of wrenches you can buy from torque wrenches to basic spanners. Some wrench kits will include all of these. You can buy these kits online. 

Tow rope

Broken down somewhere and need towing? Owning a tow rope could allow another vehicle to easily tow you, or could allow you to help out another vehicle that needs towing. Tow ropes are particularly worth owning in rural areas with lots of verges, where it’s common for cars to get stuck. They could also be useful if you regularly have to park on mud or in snow. 

Car vacuum 

Finally, when it comes to keeping your car clean, there’s one tool that can be very useful to own: a car vacuum. These are handheld vacuum cleaners that you can keep in your car, allowing you to vacuum up any crumbs or debris without access to a plug socket. Some of the most basic car vacuums can be pretty rubbish – it’s worth spending a little extra when buying one of these tools so that you have a decent amount of suction and charge.