The best emergency car kits | Tom's Guide

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Every driver should have one of the best emergency car kits somewhere in their car. Driving is a risky business, and it doesn't matter whether you're driving 5 miles or 5,000, there's plenty of opportunity for things to go wrong. Having the right equipment to handle those problems could be a lifesaver. Or at the very least, can help you avoid a call to roadside assistance.

There's a huge range of pre-made emergency car kits out there, with varying contents. Picking between them is tricky, especially when no single kit has everything you'll need. Fortunately we've been testing some of the emergency car kits on sale, and working out whether the products on offer are actually worth buying.

It never hurts to be over-prepared, especially when the consequences of not being are so serious. Here are the best emergency car kits we've tested, that you can buy right now.

Our expert review:

While pretty pricey, as far as auto emergency kits go, the Swiss Case 2-in-1 Roadside Emergency Kit makes up for it by offering an incredible selection of items. Some of the basics are missing, but it does have the best-equipped first aid kit we've seen in an emergency kit.

The handy folks out there will also benefit from the range of different tools that should help you get back on the road — including a set of work gloves. They're not the hardiest looking things, but they should prove useful enough in a pinch. The bag isn't the biggest, which means it slid into those empty gaps pretty easily, though that doesn't leave a lot of space for adding extra pieces.

Read our full Swiss Safe 2-in-1 Roadside Car Emergency Kit review

Our expert review:

It's rare to find an auto emergency kit that has everything, and the US Safety Kit All-in-One Emergency Car Kit definitely follows that pattern. Then again it does include a lot of incredibly useful and hardy equipment that easily save your life in an emergency.

If you're without a tire pump or fire extinguisher, this is a kit worth considering. In our mind the only thing it's really missing is a small tool kit, and maybe a shovel if you live in particularly snowy or muddy parts of the country. Sadly it's all a little too big to fit under our car seat, so this may need to be stowed in your trunk until needed.

Read our full US Safety Kit All-in-One Emergency Car Kit review

Our expert review:

Neatly packaged in a small duffle bag that has plenty of room to spare, the DOT Essential OSHA ANSI Compliant Kit is more than all the government acronyms in its name would suggest. It’s an excellent emergency car kit, and with some of the best equipment of its type that we’ve seen so far.

Included is a fire extinguisher, an incredibly extensive first aid kit, an LED flashlight and the best reflective triangles this side of a state trooper’s squad car. There’s a lot of stuff the DOT Essential Kit doesn’t have, like a tire inflator or jumper cables, but what it does offer is some of the best in its league. Luckily we were able to make room to stow all the extra components you might need as and when you buy them.

Read our full DOT Essential OSHA ANSI Compliant Kit review.

Our expert review:

The First Secure Car Emergency kit is a great start to building a fully-equipped emergency kit of your own. Not only does it pack in a great selection of important equipment, it’s also small enough to fit under your car seat for quick access when you need it most.

Inside you’ll find a tow strap, jumper cables, multi-tool alongside an air compressor and tire repair kit. Sadly it does without the likes of a fire extinguisher and shovel, both of which can prove to be useful under the right circumstances. Worse still, the bag isn’t big enough to add any additional extras. But, at $80, it’s a solid choice to get yourself going.

Read our full First Secure Car Emergency Kit review.

Our expert review:

While it still misses out on some key items, the Haiphaik Emergency Roadside Toolkit is still great value at just $48. As the name suggests the emphasis is on the tools inside, including things like a hammer, knife, tape measure - and other pieces you don’t find included in other emergency car kits.

Of course the value is offset by the fact it’s missing a number of important pieces of equipment, including the fire extinguisher and a tire inflator. But if you’re looking for something to get you going, with the intention of adding to it early on, this might be the kit for you.

Read our full Haiphaik Emergency Roadside Toolkit review.

Our expert review:

Another kit that lacks some basic essentials, the Everlit Roadside Assistance Kit still comes with a number of quality items to handle some of the problems you may encounter on the road. 12 foot jumper cables are a major asset, and the first aid kit is noticeably better than what a lot of competitors seem to think is adequate.

But no emergency car kit is perfect, and the Everlit kit includes enough well-made equipment to get you started. Just be sure to buy another bag to keep any additions inside, because Everlit’s doesn’t have room for anything extra.

Read our full Everlit Roadside Assistance Kit review.

Our expert review:

The Lifeline Premium Excursion Road Kit may carry the AAA logo, though the branding doesn’t make it any more premium than kits by lesser-known brands. Still it has several driving must-haves, including jumper cables, tools and everything you need to patch up and re-inflate a leaking tire.

While pricey, what you get in this kit is very well made - and should last you for several years at the very least. That said it still falls short of being a complete emergency car kit, despite its association with America’s best known roadside assistance network.

Read our full Lifeline Premium Excursion Road Kit review.

Our expert review:

Lianxin's Roadside Car Emergency Kit is a very basic bag of kit. It's got a bunch of basic items you'd find in plenty of other kits, with basic tools, jumper cables, tow ropes, a window breaker and so on. However the miniature vacuum cleaner is the standout star of the collection — especially considering the price.

While we can't think of when it might be helpful in an emergency, the vacuum and its various attachments do mean you've got what you need to keep your car clean and tidy. You will need to pick up some extra items to make up for the kit's shortfalls, but if you need something quickly and cheaply this is a solid option. Particularly if you're a bit of a neat freak.

Read our full Lianxin Roadside Car Emergency Kit review

Putting together an emergency car kit should always start with the assumption that Murphy was an optimist. Anything that could go wrong on the road almost certainly will at some point, so it pays to overpack and have equipment for every possible disaster. You’ll be happy you packed it when it happens.

The old adage that "you get what you pay for" certainly rings true when it comes to emergency car kits. Some emergency car kits sell for as little as about $15, but they are deficient in many areas. Expect to pay at least $50 for a quality kit that comes with many of the necessary items, but don’t pay too much without shopping around. Some that cost upwards for $200 are no better than ones that sell for a quarter of the price.

Forget about branding too, because kits that have a TV show or an automaker’s logo embossed on the bag are often no better than those made by companies you’ve never heard of. Look at the range of components and the quality of the items. Don’t go by the number of items either, since advertised figures are over-inflated by counting every single object inside.

Unfortunately, the bottom line with automotive emergency kit is that the kit will likely be just the start. Be ready to spend some extra money to customize it and add your own equipment to the mix.

Here’s our checklist:

Jumper cables: Look for ones that not only have red and black cables but are marked for polarity to prevent potentially dangerous errors. The minimum length should be 8-feet but 10 plus foot cables are more convenient.

Tire inflator: Essential kit, even if it only offers enough to limp to a service station. The best ones can fill a tire in a few minutes, though their pressure gauges can be inaccurate. It’s best to also have a pencil tire gauge on hand, as well as a tire repair kit.

Fire extinguisher: Few emergency car kits have one when it should be the opposite. Not only can extinguishers save lives, they can also mean the difference between a charred wreck and a fixable car.

First aid kit: Fairly self explanatory, and best kept in a grab-and-go bag for emergencies. Mine includes bandages, gauze pads and adhesive tape, antiseptic, burn cream and an ice pack. Scissors, latex gloves and tweezers are also good ideas.

OBD-II scanner: The best OBD-II scanners can easily fit in your glove box, and can be the difference between identifying a dangerous engine fault and a mere loose gas cap.

Tools: The right tools can be the difference between fixing a loose accessory belt and sitting on the hood waiting hours for help. Start with a hammer, adjustable wrench, pliers and screwdrivers and add a set of sockets and some hex keys. Some emergency kits come with a leatherman-style tool, which whole not ideal is better than nothing

Flashlight and reflective gear: Breakdowns happen at the worst time, it’s a good idea to have a flashlight, reflective triangles and a reflective vest. Glow sticks and a blinking warning light are also very useful.

All-weather gear: Weather never cooperates, so be prepared for all outcomes. That includes keeping a poncho, gloves, and a snap-together shovel to handle all eventualities.

Tow strap: Because you might need to have your car pulled out of a muddy road shoulder. Your tow strap should be rated to handle at least double the car’s weight, and something that can handle four tons is a good place to start.

Emergency fuses and tape: A set of fuses can get you back on the road after electrical problems, while heavy-duty duct tape is useful in all sorts of settings - be it a stripped wire or to prevent parts falling off your car .

Other useful kit: A bungee cord can keep a crumpled hood in place long enough to get home while a whistle can help alert those driving by of a hazard and they might even stop to help. Meanwhile a combo glass breaker and seatbelt cutter can help get out of a burning or sinking car.

A roadside assistance plan: Some breakdowns will need professional help. Some kits include this, so if you don’t have auto club or other break-down service, this one item can be worth the price of the entire kit.

To test roadside emergency kits and separate the good from the bad and the ugly, we start with the bag it came in. That involves measuring and weighing a fully-loaded bag, while also checking for ruggedness and extra features like reflective strips.

This was followed up by checking if there was room for additional equipment that hadn’t been included, and checking for any dividers that will help interior organization. The final bag test was seeing if it would fit under the seat of our test car — a 2014 Audi A4 AllRoad.

Each kit’s contents were checked against the checklist in the previous section. Rather than counting individual items, as manufacturers are wont to do, the contents were grouped into major categories and checked over one by one.

Important things we went looking for were dedicated polarity markings on jumper cables, whether the tow straps had hooks, and what sort of nighttime equipment was included. if the kit had a hand-cranked flashlight, we’d test the battery by cranking it 20 times and seeing how long it lasted.

The performance of any air compressor/tire inflator was timed, checking to see how long it would take to from 20 pounds per square inch to 35 psi in a front tire. Once done the compressor’s built-in pressure gauge was compared against a standalone gauge.

For those kits that included a fire extinguisher, we looked at the size and type as well as the spray’s rated duration. For the first aid kit, one of the most important items, we checked the contents for the kind of things you’d need for a roadside emergency: Gauze pads, bandages, tape, gloves and antiseptics, plus scissors, tweezers and other medical tools.

Checking the toolkits involved checking what tools were actually included, plus any accouterments like tape, electrical fuses or gloves. The same was true of any multi-tools that may have been included instead. On the rare occasion a kit included roadside assistance coverage, we checked out the company involved and what the plan actually included.

While you're picking up the best automotive emergency kits for your car, be sure to check out some other key essentials. The best OBD-II scanners for quick diagnosis of problems, the best dash cams to keep a record of your roadly exploits, and the best car heads-up displays to put the essential data in your line of sight.

Here at Tom’s Guide our expert editors are committed to bringing you the best news, reviews and guides to help you stay informed and ahead of the curve!

Brian Nadel is a freelance writer and editor who specializes in technology reporting and reviewing. He works out of the suburban New York City area and has covered topics from nuclear power plants and Wi-Fi routers to cars and tablets. The former editor-in-chief of Mobile Computing and Communications, Nadel is the recipient of the TransPacific Writing Award.

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