Must-have car accessories for a road trip

Whether you're travelling with your family, your fur babies or your mates, packing tools to keep everyone entertained and comfortable is essential.

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With the summer holidays fast approaching, Drive has pulled together a list of some of the must-have car accessories for your next road trip.

If you want your kids to be able to watch Bluey hands-free, there are a ton of affordable phone or tablet holders that can slot beneath your car's headrests.

There are two options: an attachment to only hold your phone or tablet, or one that can also hold a bunch of extra stuff.

If your back-seat occupants are older, having just a phone or tablet holder, like this one on Temu, might be all you need.

An option with storage pockets, like this one from Amazon, is great for smaller kids who need a lot of different things to keep them occupied, and it will hopefully keep your back-seat area organised and tidy.

If you’re stuck in the back seat, you may find those two directional air vents on the back of the centre console just don’t cut it, especially for your pets if they're in a cage, or for a baby in a rear-facing child seat.

A portable fan that can be powered via a USB cable is a great fix for this. 

While most online retailers sell them, here’s a clever one we found on Temu and this one on Amazon. You can also find them in most baby stores.

Everyone riding in your car deserves to be comfortable, and that includes your pets.

Keeping them safe and cosy, all while protecting your back seat from fur, scratches and puppy drool, is something these seat covers can do.

There are lots of different options, and some only take up half the back seat while others, like this one we found on Pawmanity, cover the entire seat.

We're sure this is a no-brainer for pet owners, but a travel bowl for water and food, so your furry friends can snack on the go, is just as important as having your packet of Allen's lollies.

This two-in-one food and water rollable bowl would be perfect for your fluffy friends.

It’s lunchtime but you don’t want to eat inside McDonald's because it’s just too busy, and you can't sit outside because the weather is horrendous. What do you do?

Having a stable surface you and your passengers can eat from when dining inside the car is crucial to avoid messes.

This one is great for the driver, as it fits snugly against the steering wheel for stability.

And for kids in the back, The Organised Auto has these ones that have storage pockets and fit over the child seat, making them very multi-functional. 

Having a designated rubbish bin to keep the car clean can make all the difference on long trips, and there are so many to choose from in all different sizes.

This one from Amazon even comes with a clip on the back so you can attach it to your map pocket in the back seat.

If you’ve got one of those huge water bottles that doesn’t fit in your car's regular cupholders, you'll know they end up rolling around on the floor and bothering you for your entire drive.

Well, there is now a solution from drink bottle maker Frank Green, which sells one for $19.95 in a range of pretty colours. If you're on more of a budget, you could also try the popular hack of buying a piece of pipe from Bunnings Warehouse and sticking it in your car's cupholders.

The Holman PVC invert pipe measuring 100x65mm is priced at $11.05 and Bunnings has plenty of stock still available.

There is nothing more frustrating than needing to rearrange your entire boot to pull one thing out.

Having a smaller storage box with pockets, like this Kmart one, is fantastic to keep the essentials easily accessible, for example: sunscreen, hats, spare clothes, nappies, wipes, portable dog bowl, etc…

This might not be essential for some, but if you’re into camping, it definitely should be. 

Having a mini fridge (that can plug into your 12V outlet) to keep all your favourite drinks cold along the journey, so you can crack them open as soon as you arrive, can be the difference between a good camping trip and a great one.

Pricing varies greatly across the web, but this retro version on Target plugs into both your car's 12-volt outlet and your regular household powerpoint at home.

Having sun shades to protect your back-seat passengers from the glaring sun is something most parents already have – but they're not just for kids.

To keep adult passengers or pets cool in the back seat, you can find aftermarket sun shades at places like Kmart, Big W, or these ones from Super Cheap Auto.

You could also go for bespoke ones like these from Snap Shades, and have them fit perfectly to your specific make and model.

It really doesn’t matter how old you are, road trips can get boring.

Having some fun games on board will definitely help pass the time. 

Amazon has so many great games, from card games specific to car travel, to magnetised board games, which are amazing as they stop small game pieces from getting lost.

To end the list, having a fuel tracking device that also monitors your driving efficiency could save you a few extra trips to the petrol station.

We should all be regularly stopping for a rest, but these handy devices and apps, like the Go Far device, can let you know when you’re being a lead foot, which in turn helps you to reduce fuel consumption. 

Anything that can help save money on fuel, and keep you safer, should be on your must-have car accessory list for your next road trip.