When the autumn rolls around, it feels rather sudden, doesn’t it? One day we’re enjoying long, bright evenings and warm weather, the next day it’s cold, dark and raining. So, even if we’re a fan of the ‘ber’ months, many of us feel underprepared for the change – both in our wardrobes and in our lives.
That’s why I’ve put together this handy list of essentials you might want to consider keeping in your car to make your life easier while driving during the autumn. Let’s dive right in..!
On-the-road essentials
During the autumn, there are a few items that’ll help you to make sure your car is a safe and clean space – inside and out. So let’s start with those easy wins:
- Car mats
- De-misting sponge or microfibre cloth
- Squeegee
- First aid kit
You’ve possibly already got car mats in your footwells, but if you don’t, now’s the time to get a set. Let’s face it, you’ll be climbing in and out of the car with wet or muddy shoes, so that’ll only do damage to the carpet and cause staining if you don’t have mats in place.
I discovered how essential car mats are over the summer when I had to climb into my vehicle with sandy feet. Rather than needing to vacuum the whole car out afterwards, I could simply wait until the wet sand had dried off and then shake it out of the mat.
In the autumn, you can easily do the same with wet mud and soggy leaves – let it become dry and crispy, then shake it off. Plus, if you don’t have a driveway, it can be difficult to vacuum the interior of your car, so car mats allow you to take the messy layer inside your house to vacuum the debris off.
For me, a demisting sponge is essential for wiping any condensation or steaminess off the inside of your windows. There’s no way that I’ll be setting off on my journey without a clear windscreen and I often don’t have time to wait for the warm air from the air vents to blast it away.
Plus, in the autumn, it’s often not cold enough to need the hot air on, so you’ll end up feeling stuffy inside your car if you’ve had to put on the heating to clear the condensation. Instead, I choose to wipe over my windscreen with a microfibre cloth or a demisting sponge.
It only takes about a minute or less and, once I can see clearly, I’m off!
Likewise, I want to be able to see out of all my windows but in the autumn, the exterior of the car will regularly be covered in a dewiness from the mist in the mornings. Or sometimes, it’s even rain residue from an overnight downpour.
This is where the squeegee comes in. It takes me less than 30 seconds to walk around the car and swipe all the moisture off the outside of my windows – and the side mirrors, too. Then, when I sit back inside my car, I’ve got a clear view out of all the windows and mirrors, making it safe for me to set off on my journey.
Finally, I like to be prepared so I always keep a first aid kit in my car. Mine is a compact kit from St John Ambulance and it has everything I might need. It’s stowed out of the way in a storage pocket but I know it’s there, which helps me feel safe.
Happy motoring must-haves
Now, on to the fun bit! There are some nice-to-have items that I like to include in my car during the autumn. Some are kind-of practical and others are honestly just treats:
- Hat, scarf and gloves
- Sunglasses
- An umbrella and a pac-a-mac (maybe even wellies!)
- A cosy blanket
- Snack pack
- Thermal cup
I think it’s obvious why I carry a cosy knitted hat, scarf and gloves with me during the autumn: you never quite know what the weather is going to do. Likewise, the need for sunglasses and an umbrella is equally important.
You can set off on a crisp sunny morning and need your sunglasses to avoid squinting in the bright sunlight – the sun feels a little lower in the sky during autumn and winter commutes – and then by the time you’ve parked up at your destination, it can be windy, cold or even raining.
When it’s sometimes hard to know what to wear when you get ready on an autumn morning and dressing for those in-between seasons can be tricky. But if you at least have cosy knitted accessories with you in your car, you can always pop them on and feel instantly warmer and more prepared for the changeable weather.
Last week, I was about to set off to walk when there was suddenly a downpour. However, I still needed to get to my meeting on time, so I needed to get going. That’s when it was super-handy to have a waterproof pac-a-mac with me and an umbrella. I was able to carry on with my day without getting drenched.
You can go one step further if you like and put some wellies in the boot of your car too. A quick change of footwear when it’s raining can prevent soggy socks and will help to keep those car mats clean! Just make sure your wellies are kept in a waterproof plastic bag-for-life so that, when you return to your car, you can slip them off and pop them in the bag to keep the boot lining clean and dry.
The cosy blanket is a nice-to-have item in your car and really, it’s only for your passengers. I sometimes take my mum out with me so it’s good to have a cosy blanket or even a large pashmina in the car in case she feels chilly. Plus, it’s nice to accessorise your car for the autumn, isn’t it? We dress our homes with cosy blankets, so why not our cars?
Finally, I like to take a little snack pack with me so that I’ve always got food and drink with me at all times. Of course, not for munching while I’m driving, but just in case I’ve got back into my car after a meeting and am feeling weak with hunger. I think it would be irresponsible for me to drive when I’m distracted by feeling hungry, so I have a piece of fruit or some emergency crackers ready to nibble in my snack pack.
The snack pack is in an insulated lunch bag to keep the contents fresh and cool. I always keep a couple of chilled cans of drink in there too – it helps the lunch bag to stay cooler for longer, plus I’m always parched after an event and will definitely need a refreshing drink before I set off on my journey.
One last thing is that I usually take my thermal cup with me. When I’m a passenger in the car, it has become an autumn tradition that my husband always pulls into a service station at the halfway point to get me a hot drink for the rest of the journey (their epic mochas are just £2, so it’s hard to resist at that price).
If I’ve already taken a tea with me from home in my thermal cup, it’ll be empty and ready to refill by the time we reach the fueling station. So my coffee will stay hotter for longer and I won’t need to bin a single-use cup after enjoying my hot drink.
What other items would you include in this list of in-car essentials? I’d love to hear what your autumnal motoring essentials are in the comments below. And I hope my own round-up of seasonal driving items is helpful for you, too. 🙂
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