Every winter, thousands of drivers get stuck in snowdrifts, slide off icy roads or sit for hours in highway closures. A small kit in your trunk turns a frightening situation into an uncomfortable but safe one. Here's exactly what to pack, and what to do if you get stranded.
The winter car emergency kit checklist
1. Get unstuck and back on the road
- Jump starter with air compressor. Cold weather is hard on batteries. A portable unit like our 9-in-1 Jump Starter with Air Compressor restarts a dead battery without another car and refills a low tire.
- Folding shovel. For digging out tires and clearing snow away from your exhaust pipe.
- Traction help. A bag of sand or cat litter under the drive wheels.
- Ice scraper and snow brush.
2. Stay warm
- Emergency blankets and a bivy. Mylar reflects body heat back to you and packs down to almost nothing. An emergency mylar sleeping bag is warmer than a flat blanket because it wraps around you completely.
- Hat, balaclava, insulated gloves and dry socks for every regular passenger.
- Long-burn emergency candle. A small candle in a metal can adds a surprising amount of warmth and light. Crack a window slightly for ventilation.
3. Light, communication and signaling
- Rechargeable flashlight or headlamp, ideally one with a window-breaker tip.
- Power bank and charging cable so your phone lasts while you wait for help.
- Hand-crank radio for road and weather updates if your car battery is weak.
- Whistle and a bright cloth to tie to your antenna or door so rescuers can spot you.
4. First aid, food and water
- Compact car first aid kit plus any personal medications.
- Water and high-calorie snacks such as nuts, granola bars and dried fruit. Store water bottles only partly full so they don't burst if they freeze.
If you get stranded: what to do
- Stay with your car. It's shelter, and it's much easier for rescuers to find than a person on foot.
- Keep the exhaust pipe clear of snow and run the engine and heater for about 10 minutes each hour to save fuel. A blocked exhaust can push carbon monoxide into the cabin.
- Make yourself visible: turn on the dome light while the engine runs, and tie a bright cloth to the antenna.
- Move around to keep blood flowing, and huddle together under blankets.
- Call or text for help and share your location, then save battery.
For more official guidance, see Ready.gov's winter weather page.
Build your kit in one place
We gathered everything above into our Winter Car Emergency Kit collection. Pair it with the printable Cold-Weather Car Readiness Kit & Checklists so every driver in your family knows what's in the trunk and what to do.