How to Prep Your Car for a Road Trip

May 12, 2025

We’ve been covering lots of travel guide inspiration for you this year already, but we’ve not gone over how to prep for a road trip! Here’s some helpful tips and tricks for prepping your vehicle for road trip season. From service and maintenance points to efficiently packing the essentials, you’ll find lots of great advice. So, let’s get your new car from Classic ready for your next adventure on today’s edition of Gearhead Guru Guide!

How to Prep Your Car for a Road Trip

Always check the health and charge of the car battery.

Make sure that you have given your vehicle battery a once over.Your local service center can run a few tests to ensure it is properly conditioned, especially if it’s older than 2 years. To inspect the battery yourself, you’ll want to make sure the connectors are showing no signs of corrosion and the connection is tight. Clean any corrosion from the contacts or cables, or bring it to your service center and they’ll get you sorted. This is also a great time to check your portable battery charger and jumper cables are in working order as well.

Have the brakes inspected.

Before any long trip you should also inspect the brakes and have them serviced. If you’ve noticed any squealing or squeaking or whistling sounds coming from your vehicle’s brakes, it may be a sign that parts are wearing down, and you’ll want them fixed before you head off on the road. If your brake pedal feels spongy or soft when depressed, it may indicate low brake fluid. If you’re noticing longer stopping times, you may need new brake pads. This is imperative no matter how long or short of a drive you’re making, as one failure to stop can derail all of your vacation plans for the foreseeable future!

Check and top off all fluid levels and change filters.

Be sure to check all of the vital fluids in your vehicle including the engine oil, transmission fluid, power steering fluid, engine coolant, and wiper fluids. It’s recommended to do an oil change before a long drive, especially if it’ll be a cross-country or long haul trip. Your owners manual will help you determine what oil type is best for your vehicle, as well as considering factors such as age and mileage of vehicle. Remember to clean or swap your air filters, too.

Test all lights and signals and change bulbs as needed.

Change any faulty or dead bulbs, and consider opting for LED equivalents to traditional lightbulbs. Bring your vehicle into a service center if you have any wiring issues to have that fixed before traveling. Applying a headlight casing cleaner if your lights look foggy or dull is another great idea, for maximum visibility. Plus, you don’t want to receive any unnecessary traffic tickets for dysfunctional turn signals or brake lights. Check the interior lights and replace any blinking or nonworking lights

Change your wiper blades.

On average you should be replacing your wipers every 6 to 12 months, but it would at least be a good idea to replace them before your trip if you haven’t done so in a while. Select wipers that have an aid of hydrophobic coating to aid even clearer visibility during rain and misty weather. Factors such as higher quality branded wipers and weather conditions in your area may increase the longevity of the wiper blades, but you should always double check! Consider adding a hydrophobic coating such as Rain-X or similar. Have any “stars” or chips on your windshield filled or windshield replaced before any long term driving as this can cause larger cracks, splits, or even a shattered windshield.

Check your insurance, license, and registration.

Make sure all your paperwork is in order. Ensure that you’ve renewed your license, printed or received your newest up to date insurance cards, and have renewed your vehicle registration and all read with the correct current address and information. Make sure any important paperwork is stowed safely in your glovebox or center console. We also recommend checking if your insurance provider has a phone or tablet app available as those can come in handy in a pinch!

Stock your emergency roadside kit.

We’ve already covered car emergency kits and roadside assistance in previous blogs, but here’s a short refresher of our recommended necessities. At bare minimum, you should always have the following in your car when traveling long distances: a solar or hand-cranked flashlight; jumper cables; portable battery packs; hand sanitizer and flushable wipes; a tire patch kit and portable air compressor; paper copies of maps for each of your destination regions; flares or LED warning lights; bottled water and shelf stable snacks (protein bars and granola bars are a great option);emergency contact numbers written on a piece of paper in your glovebox or wallet or stowed in your emergency kit; a basic first aid kit.

Travel with charging options.

Grabbing a few extra USB cables or wireless chargers is a great idea. Make sure you have portable batteries and their recharging cables. Additional wall connector bricks are another key option. Keep one in your glovebox with a charge cable, and one in your backpack or purse or other luggage. We recommend a portable smartphone mount for hands-free navigation.

Take advantage of fueling stations along your route whenever possible.

Ensuring that you’re traveling with no less than ½ a tank of gas at all times can give you a very good buffer for emergencies and unexpected delays. When traveling on highways and byways and especially in unfamiliar areas, it’s always best to top off your tank when you have the opportunity. Avoid off-brand “no name” gas stations when possible, and opt for major brand names instead, to ensure you’re putting high-quality fuel in your vehicle to prevent future damage. Before you head off on the road, make sure to map out your fueling stops along the way for maximum efficiency! Same for electric vehicle charging stations.

Remember to pack your medications and OTC pain relief and emergency medications.

When traveling, remember to keep your vital medications and inhalers on your person. Make sure your travel companions know where to find them and how to access an emergency list of medications if needed. If you use an Epi Pen, bring that with you and ensure everyone knows how to use it in case. Marking any items with “RX Inside” in case of emergency can be helpful.

Travel with the necessities.

You’ll never go wrong with packing a few extra rolls of toilet paper along with wet wipes. A portable toothbrush and toothpaste and some anti-nausea medication can relieve motion sickness. Along with a cooler filled with fresh water and snacks will save you time and money from making pit stops. If you’re traveling with pets, we recommend quick-dry towels, a spare leash and collar, portable collapsible pet bowls, a portable litter box (if applicable) and some spare snacks.