How to prepare your car for a safe and carefree road trip
Spare yourself from any unpleasant surprises or worse – full-on safety hazards – with our tips for getting your car road ready.
Vacation time: booked. Pet sitter: scheduled. Hotel: reserved. Music mix: ready.
It’s time for that summer road trip! Just you, your loved ones, the open road, and, of course, your trusty four wheels. But did your car make it on the to-do list before you turned on your out-of-office response?
Driving around for everyday tasks is one thing, but preparing your vehicle for longer drives requires a little more due diligence in advance, especially if you want to spare yourself any unpleasant surprises or worse – full-on safety hazards.
Here, we’ve rounded up how to prepare your car for a road trip so you can mitigate any bumps in the road.
Top up your vehicle’s essential fluids
The number one fluid to monitor before your road trip? Your oil (we have some tips on oil changes you can find here). But if it’s been a while since your last maintenance check, consider checking on your vehicle’s other essential fluids like coolant, brake fluid, and power steering fluid, too.
Check your wipers and washer fluid
Nothing is worse (or potentially scarier) than a suddenly dirty windshield you can’t see through, without anything to clean it off. Top up your washer fluid and keep an extra bottle in the car. And while you’re at it, see that your wipers are working properly, too.
Check your tire pressure and wheel alignment
Use a pressure gauge to check if your tires match the manufacturer's recommendation or need a top-up of air. You’ll also want to monitor the tread and wheel alignment; proper wheel alignment can help with fuel costs, which add up quickly when traveling long distances.
Make sure your battery is in good condition
Is your battery old and needs to be replaced? Before a road trip is a good time to make that switch happen. Otherwise, test its voltage before you go and ensure it’s clean and free of any signs of corrosion.
Pack an emergency kit with essentials
An emergency kit will keep you safe and headache-free should you encounter any roadside trouble. A good emergency kit includes things like extra food and water, a blanket, a flashlight, jumper cables, roadside flares, a first aid kit, and any other seasonal supplies (i.e. shovel, ice scraper, etc).
Test the air conditioning and heating
Whether you’re traveling during winter or summer, you want to know you’re neither going to freeze nor swelter should your car’s HVAC system give out. Test that everything is functioning as it should and get any issues fixed before you hit the road.
Wash your car (both inside and out!)
Not only will you want the exterior of your car to be sparkly clean before you show it off on the freeway, but make sure you clean the inside, too! After all, you’ll be spending a lot of time there — you deserve to have your space spotless.
Download your route
Save an offline version of your route to your mobile device or GPS so it’s still available should you enter an area with iffy cell service. You might even keep a paper map in your car for extra backup.
Embarking on a road trip is exciting, and the journey is sure to be even smoother with some simple preparation and planning. We hope these tips help you experience a road trip full of only positive memories!