Cool Car Gadgets and Accessories to Help You in an Emergency

“Twenty to 30 percent of cars nowadays do not come standard with a spare tire,” points out AAA’s Bennett. “So you may want a tire inflator or inflator kit.” These range in price from $20 to $60, depending on whether they have a built-in battery or have to be plugged into a 12-volt port. It won’t suffice if there’s significant sidewall damage to a tire, but an inflator could help you limp home or make it to a service center to get a replacement tire.

Light it up with a flashlight

A more mundane car accessory is a powerful flashlight. Aside from traditional disposable battery-powered modelss, there are several rechargeable flashlights specifically designed for the car, such as the $81 Scosche PBJF600 PowerUp 600 Torch Portable 300 Lumen Flashlight. (It also includes a jumper pack, but it’s more suitable for cars with smaller engines.)

Get back online

With our addiction to gadgets and gear, many auto experts also recommend packing a power inverter in the trunk. These devices turn the 12-volt DC power of a cigarette lighter output into a 110-volt AC outlet that you can plug, say, a laptop computer into. Some cars come with built-in inverters (you can tell if your car has one if you have a standard household power plug somewhere in your vehicle — it’s rare that a car doesn’t have one). An inverter can be handy if you are stranded and need to use a device that needs to be plugged in, such as a computer or tablet PC.

Apps that get you where you need to go

Finally, AAA’s Bennett suggests that you familiarize yourself with smartphone apps that can help you out in a pinch. Specifically, navigation and emergency service apps can be helpful. But what if you’re in a rural location that doesn’t have cell service?

If you have an iPhone 14 or 15, you can use a satellite connection to text emergency services. You must a have a clear view of the sky, but it should work anywhere in the U.S. AAA even has a satellite service for roadside assistance. Unfortunately, Android phones don’t yet offer emergency satellite texting as a standard feature.

Don’t forget your go-bag

For all the sophisticated gadgets and gear you can buy, a small tote bag with some basic essentials may still be the most important item to keep in your car. A go-bag should include a blanket, some nonperishable food, a small tool kit with wrenches and screwdrivers for making quick repairs, and water. NHTSA even suggests carrying something you may not have used in many years: a paper map, for times when smartphone and car navigation systems fail. It’s nice to see some things haven’t changed.

What you don’t need

Not all car gadgets are created equal. Some may cause more confusion than reassurance.

Diagnostic tools. One example: so-called OBD-2 readers. These gadgets plug into the On-Board Diagnostics 2 port under the dashboard of most cars and promise to interpret any error codes or dashboard engine-warning lights.

But in practice those trouble codes need additional analysis in order to understand the exact problem with the car, which requires additional diagnostic steps, AAA’s Bennett points out. In general, if you see a yellow check engine light, you have time to get to a service professional. A red check engine light means it’s time to call for a tow truck.

Window breakers. Once a common emergency gadget in cars, a window-breaking tool may no longer be of much assistance. That’s because most hammer-style tools will not shatter newer laminated glass windows, according to AAA tests. These heavier windows were developed in part to prevent people from being ejected from a car in an accident.

If you’re worried about being submerged in a car and struggling to get out, hammer-style escape tools also will not work underwater. If you can’t open the windows or doors in the water, experts recommend staying calm and waiting until the water fills the cabin and the pressure equalizes so you can open a door.