The Top 5 Best Car Accessories to Choose in 2018

With summer here, warmer weather is in the horizon and road trip season has officially begun. When making your road trip checklist, always include the perfect playlist and money-saving road trip apps, ensuring your trip is fun and budget friendly. Make sure to have the practical devices designed to assist during an emergency, plus some rather unnecessary — albeit, enjoyable — gizmos as well. From a self-powered jump starter to a coffeemaker for your car, we put together our 15 favorite car gadgets for your summertime road trips.

It’s been said that “a single car has about 30,000 parts, counting down to the smallest screw Opens a New Window. .” But car guys know: There’s always room for more stuff. The automotive aftermarket makes replacement parts and accessories that can improve and enhance your car in at least 30,000 different ways; we’ve rounded it down to 15 that just might change the way you drive.

The Top 5 Best Car Accessories to Choose in 2018

BESTEK JUMP STARTER ($50)

Jumper cables are great if you have another vehicle to give you a friendly jolt. However, if you’re in a more isolated area, jumper cables are essentially useless. The potable self-powered Bestek Jump Starter is ideal for this exact scenario, and it features two USB ports for your mobile devices as well as a flashlight.

• USB ports
• potable self-powered Bestek Jump Starter
• isolated area
• jumper cables are essentially useless

ZTYLUS STINGER ($15)

No one wants to think that they will get in a car accident, but being prepared for it will give you a sense of security. The Stinger is a handy device to have at your disposal after an accident. If your car windows or doors are jammed, the Stinger is designed to shatter the dashboard or car window, thus allowing you to quickly exit your vehicle. The device also incorporates a slim blade on the backside, which allows you to slice through a jammed seat belt.

• The Stinger is a handy device to have at your disposal after an accident.
• Stinger is designed to shatter the dashboard or car window
• quickly exit your vehicle
• slim blade on the backside

 Plug-and-play LED Headlight Kits

Audiovox Car Connection 2.0 Opens a New Window.  Automotive LED lighting is one of the best safety and efficiency innovations of the past decade. Soon, even economy cars will arrive with LED headlights, with good reason: The light from a LED headlight is brighter and closer to the color temperature of natural daylight than Halogen or Xenon light. LED bulbs are also much more efficient, using less voltage to produce more light and less heat. Headlight Experts has developed a wide range of plug-and-play LED Headlight Kits (from $100, depending on vehicle) Opens a New Window.  that allow you to replace your old-tech lights with the latest in LED illumination, and at a reasonable price. 

•  Automotive LED lighting
•  brighter and closer to the color temperature of natural daylight
•  using less voltage to produce more light and less heat
•  replace your old-tech lights
•  LED illumination

Audiovox Car Connection 2.0 

The Audiovox Car Connection 2.0 Opens a New Window.  is an OBD-II (on-board diagnostics, second generation) plug-in device that measures and transmits information about your car’s performance, location, and condition via a cellular connection. Plug a Car Connection 2 into your car’s OBD2 port (usually under the dash to the left of the steering wheel), and your car communicates with a website that you can access at home or on your smartphone. You can see where your car is parked, the route that it traveled to get there, and other information. The Car Connection also reads your car’s trouble codes in real time and reports them to you as soon as they occur, so you can monitor its condition before a small problem becomes a big one. Free with a 2-year contract through AT&T Opens a New Window. .

• an OBD-II (on-board diagnostics, second generation) plug-in device
•  transmits information about your car’s performance, location, and condition
• your car communicates with a website that you can access at home or on your smartphone
• Car Connection also reads your car’s trouble codes in real time 
• 2-year contract through AT&T Opens a New Window.

FOBO TIRE PLUS ($179)

Properly inflated tires wear more evenly, thus increasing the lifespan of your rubber as well as fuel efficiency. Rather than using a handheld pressure gauge to ensure your tires are properly inflated, the Fobo Tire Plus system uses a series of Bluetooth gauges that relay this information directly to your smartphone. Fobo will alert you when your tire pressure is getting too low directly from your phone. The app provides an easy to follow tutorial, making installation take less than five minutes.

• uses a series of Bluetooth gauges
•  relay this information directly to your smartphone
• alert you when your tire pressure is getting too low directly from your phone
• app provides an easy to follow tutorial