Gear Up: 5 Best Car Tool Kits

Having a specific set of tools put together for your car is smart. It ensures you’re always going to have what you need on hand if you have a job to get done. While you can fill your garage with all kinds of tools, it often makes sense to have one compact kit you can turn to for most car-related jobs. That’s where toolkits like the ones show below come into play. They can be stored in a small place or even in your car, and they have most of what you’ll need to get a lot of jobs done.

Apollo Tools 56-Piece SAE Auto Tool Kit

This small toolkit can help you with a lot of basic jobs. (image: Apollo)

We’re going to start with the basics. For many basic car repair jobs, a simple set of tools with some sockets, pliers, screwdrivers and hex wrenches will get the job done. That’s exactly what the Apollo Tools 56-Piece SAE Auto Tool Kit is. It has the bare essentials all housed inside a convenient zippered soft tool case. This handy tool kit is a great addition to your garage, or it can be kept right inside your car for easy access should you need it for an emergency repair. Prices will vary, but you shouldn’t have a hard time finding this tool kit for around $20.

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Performance Tool Commuter Emergency Roadside Tool Kit

The jumper cables and flashlight make this a great toolkit for roadside emergencies. (image: Performance Tool)

If you need a basic tool kit that is specifically designed for roadside emergencies, then the Performance Tool commuter Emergency Roadside Tool Kit is exactly what you’re looking for. This portable hard case comes with pliers, wrenches, screwdrivers, jumper cables, mechanic’s gloves, fuses, electrical tape and a tire pressure monitor to ensure that you can do small roadside jobs on the fly. The hard case is small enough to easily fit in your car, and at around $20 from most vendors, there’s little to complain about.

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Hi-Spec Tools 67-Piece Auto Mechanics Tool Kit

This kit has most of the tools you'll need for car maintenance you can do yourself. (image: Hi-Spec)

If you’re looking for something more robust than the two kits shown above, then the Hi-Spec Tools 67-Piece Auto Mechanics Tool Kit is probably right up your alley. It features wrenches, pliers, and screwdrivers of various sizes. With this ki,t you should be able to handle many jobs that the toolkits shown above can’t. This robust set of tools will fit easily in your car or on a shelf in your garage thanks to the sleek hard case it comes with. Prices will vary, but you can find it for around $30, and for that price, it’s a real steal.

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Apollo Tools 64-Piece Travel & Automotive Tool Kit

This toolkit has the tools you need in the event of a roadside breakdown. (image: Apollo)

If you like the kit shown above, but want a robust toolkit that’s designed specifically for roadside repairs, the Apollo Tools 64-Piece Travel & Automotive Tool Kit comes with everything you’d need, from wrenches and screwdrivers to a tire-pressure gauge and jumper cables. This kind of kit is ideal if you have an older car that could break down and you have some mechanical ability. The price of this kit will vary depending on where you buy it, but you should be able to find it for around $40.

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Apex Tool Group 170-Piece Crescent Mechanics Tool Set

This toolkit has basically everything you'll ever need as a home mechanic. (image: Apex Tool Group)

If you want a toolkit that will prepare you for basically any automotive job you could hope to tackle with just a single tool kit, then you need to buy the Apex Tool Group Crescent Mechanics Tool Set with 170 different pieces. This toolkit has a wide variety of screwdrivers, sockets, open-end wrenches, pliers, hex wrenches and much more. This is the kit you should get to tackle any basic do-it-yourself job. Also, the compact hard case that houses all of the tools makes it easy to store this kit in your car if you want a comprehensive toolkit in your car at all times. Prices will vary, but you can find this massive toolkit for as low as $100.

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