Winter Car Kit: What to Keep in Your Car This Winter

Most winter car trouble isn't dramatic. It's a low tire on a cold morning, a dead phone at the wrong moment, or fumbling in the dark for something at the bottom of the trunk. A small, well-chosen kit handles nearly all of it. Here's what's worth keeping in the car from now until spring, and why.

1. A way to check and fill your tires

Cold air is denser, so tire pressure drops as the temperature falls. A common rule of thumb is about 1 PSI for every 10°F. A tire that was fine in September can be noticeably low on the first frosty morning, and under-inflated tires wear faster, hurt fuel economy and grip worse on wet or icy roads.

The fix is simple: check pressure when the tires are cold (before driving), and top them up to the number on the sticker inside your driver's door, not the maximum printed on the tire.

A portable inflator makes this a two-minute job in your own driveway:

• The cordless 150 PSI tire inflator runs on a removable rechargeable battery, so there's no cable to run to the car. Set the target pressure and it stops on its own.
• The portable 120 PSI inflator is a compact compressor that also stops automatically at the pressure you set, and keeps its nozzles in a compartment underneath.

Either one also handles bike tires and sports balls, so it earns its trunk space all year.

2. Light that doesn't depend on your phone

Winter means more driving in the dark, and the moment you need light (a flat, a dropped key, checking under the hood) is usually when your phone battery is lowest. Keep a dedicated flashlight in the glovebox.

A rechargeable one avoids the dead-battery surprise of a flashlight that's sat for months. Our rechargeable LED flashlight has a side panel light that works as a hands-free lamp when you set it on the roof or the ground, and a battery indicator so you know when to top it up.

3. Keep your phone visible and charged

A phone sliding around the passenger seat is a distraction, and navigation is more useful at eye level. A good mount keeps the map where you can glance at it without looking down.

The magnetic suction phone mount locks onto the center screen or windshield by vacuum suction and holds MagSafe phones and cases with magnets. It needs a smooth surface, so it won't grip a textured dashboard.

Keep a charging cable in the car too, and a small power bank if your car's outlets are limited.

4. A dash cam, for a record of what happened

Winter roads bring more fender-benders, and "who slid into whom" is easier to settle with video. A dual-lens dash cam records the road ahead and the inside of the car in 1080p, which is useful for rideshare and delivery drivers too. Mount it where it doesn't block your view, and check your state's rules on windshield mounting.

5. Something to clean up salt and sand

Road salt, sand and slush get tracked straight into the footwells, where they stain carpet and wear out mats. A handheld vacuum makes a five-minute tidy-up easy:

• The cordless car vacuum & air blower has three suction levels and a blower mode for clearing debris from seat gaps.
• The mini cordless car vacuum is small enough to live in the glovebox and charges over USB-C.

The rest of the kit (no shopping required)

Plenty of what belongs in a winter kit is already in your house:

• An ice scraper and snow brush
• A warm blanket, gloves and a hat
• Jumper cables, or a jump starter if you have one
• A bottle of water and a few snacks
• A small bag of sand or kitty litter for traction if you get stuck
• Windshield washer fluid rated for freezing temperatures

Quick checklist

• Tire pressure checked cold and topped up to the door-sticker number
• Inflator in the trunk, charged
• Flashlight in the glovebox, charged
• Phone mount and charging cable in place
• Blanket, scraper, jumper cables, water and snacks packed

Put it together once, check it when the clocks change, and winter driving gets a lot less stressful.