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Would I buy the AA emergency winter car kit? Yes, if I needed something in the boot this week and didn’t have time to put a kit together. But for a winter car kit I’d actually rely on, I’d build my own.
That’s not a knock on the AA. The AA emergency winter car kit does what it promises: seven pieces of winter roadside kit in one canvas bag, bought in one click, with a name everyone recognises on the front. It’s the fastest way to go from an empty boot to something. Here’s what you actually get, and where the gaps are.
AA Emergency Winter Car Kit
Seven pieces of winter roadside kit in one zipped canvas bag: folding snow shovel, booster cables, LED torch, hi-vis vest, foil blanket, rain poncho and snow grips.
Current Price at time of writing: £27.95
What’s in the AA emergency winter car kit
Straight from the listing, the AA emergency winter car kit contains:
- Folding snow shovel
- 9-LED handheld torch
- Emergency foil blanket
- Hi-vis vest
- Rain poncho
- Booster cables
- A pair of snow grips
- Canvas zipped storage bag
On paper that covers the big four winter problems: digging out, a flat battery, being seen, and keeping warm while you wait. Look at the listing photos closely, though, and each item is the basic version of that thing. That’s how a bag like this hits its price.
The folding snow shovel
The shovel in the AA emergency winter car kit is a small folding metal spade, more like an entrenching tool than a snow shovel. It will clear snow from in front of a tyre or round the exhaust, which is the job most drivers actually need it for. For a proper drift across a lane, expect it to be slow going. A small blade means a lot of scoops.
The snow grips
The snow grips are a simple design: a rubber band with metal spikes that stretches around the ball of your foot. They’re there for the few steps between the car and the verge on sheet ice. Because they only cover the front of the sole rather than the whole shoe, don’t expect them to hold like a full set of strap-on ice cleats. They’re a nice inclusion, but a basic one.
Booster cables for a flat battery
Cold mornings are hard on car batteries, and a flat one is the most common winter breakdown there is. The AA emergency winter car kit includes a set of booster cables, so if a neighbour or a passing driver can give you a jump, you have the leads ready. You do still need that second car. A portable jump pack, which starts the car on its own, is the upgrade we’d make when building your own.
Torch, hi-vis vest and rain poncho
The torch is a basic handheld 9-LED model. It’s fine for finding things in the boot or signalling, but you need both hands for digging or connecting booster cables, which is why a head torch sits near the top of any build-your-own list.
The hi-vis vest is one size. That’s common in these bundles, and it means it may not fit larger drivers or go over a thick winter coat. A larger, adjustable vest costs very little on its own.
The rain poncho will keep you dry at a push, but it’s thin plastic, effectively single use, and thinner than a supermarket carrier bag. Think of it as an emergency layer, not something to wear for an hour while you dig out.
The foil blanket and canvas bag
The foil emergency blanket is the standard type: it folds to almost nothing and reflects body heat back at you, which helps if you’re stuck waiting in a stationary car for a recovery truck or a closed road to reopen.
Everything packs back into the canvas zipped bag, which is one of the better parts of the AA emergency winter car kit. A kit that lives in one bag is a kit you can find in the dark.
Who the AA emergency winter car kit suits
The AA emergency winter car kit makes sense if winter has arrived and your boot is empty. A first car for a son or daughter. A second car that never gets thought about. A gift for the relative who would never build a kit themselves. As an all in one car emergency kit it gets the basics in place today, with no shopping list.
Where it falls short is if you want each piece of kit to be properly up to the job: a shovel that moves real snow, grips that stay on, a torch you can wear, a vest that fits and a jump pack instead of leads. That’s a build-your-own winter car kit.
AA Emergency Winter Car Kit
Seven pieces of winter roadside kit in one zipped canvas bag: folding snow shovel, booster cables, LED torch, hi-vis vest, foil blanket, rain poncho and snow grips.
Current Price at time of writing: £27.95
Build Your Own Winter Car Kit Instead
Our winter car essentials list covers everything we’d keep in the boot: a proper folding shovel, a head torch, jump leads or a jump pack, traction mats, a power bank, a first aid kit, de-icer and the rest. It’s split into minimal basics and extras, so you can choose the quality of each piece and build it up over a few paydays.
What the Rest of the Team Think
🦆 Keith the Prepper
I bought one of these for my wife’s Fiesta as a stopgap while I assembled her proper kit. That was in 2023. The proper kit now has its own shelf in the garage, a laminated contents sheet and a spreadsheet. The AA kit is still in the Fiesta. She says it’s fine. I’ve stopped arguing.
⭐⭐⭐
🪖 Black Panther
In my previous role we carried a proper entrenching tool. This is its little cousin. It will clear snow from round a tyre, which is all a civilian needs it to do. The one-size hi-vis would not have fitted over my operational layers. Or, if I’m honest, my current layers. Carry on.
⭐⭐⭐
🤡 Camping Clown
My overlanding setup cost me four figures. Recovery boards, a compressor, a dual-battery system. Then I read the build-your-own list on this site and realised a decent shovel, a jump pack, a head torch and some traction mats would have done most of the same job. I’m not sure why I bought the compressor, if I’m honest.
⭐⭐⭐
🐾 Weekend Warrior
I assessed this kit for a winter deployment with Pickle. The snow grips are for human feet, not Pomeranian paws, which is a gap in the market. The foil blanket does double as an emergency thermal wrap for a small dog in a pinch. I tested this. Pickle was not enthusiastic but she was warm.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
🐕 Pickle
“Snorgle!”
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Translation: “The foil blanket is very crinkly and made a noise I did not like. Mum wrapped me in it anyway. I was warm. The bag smells of canvas, which is acceptable.”)
🐔 Chicken Licken
Did you know most one-size hi-vis vests are cut for a man in a T-shirt, not a man in a winter coat? I’ve been saying this for years. Nobody listens. I also checked the canvas bag for tracking devices. Nothing obvious. Which is exactly what they’d want me to think.
⭐⭐⭐
📋 Calm Clarissa
I built my own winter car kit from a checklist, as one does. Janet keeps the AA kit in her car as a backup to the backup, and I have attached a laminated note to the zip listing what to add. She says that defeats the point of a ready-made kit. I say it’s a starting point.
✅✅✅
💄 Survivl Gurl
Ok so the hi-vis vest is a bit one-size-fits-nobody BUT tying it to your aerial when your car’s buried in snow so people can find you?? That tip got 847 saves. The poncho is giving shopping-bag energy though. Not the aesthetic. 🚩
⭐⭐⭐
🌿 Aroura
I keep a small amethyst in my boot for clarity in moments of confusion, and a snowy lay-by at night is certainly one of those. The single-use poncho troubles me. Mother Earth does not need another thin plastic sheet. I would gather my own kit slowly, with intention, piece by piece. Namaste 🙏
⭐⭐
Pros and Cons of the AA emergency winter car kit
Pros
- The AA emergency winter car kit gets seven winter essentials into your boot in a single purchase
- Folding metal shovel rather than a plastic scoop
- Booster cables included, which many drivers never get round to buying
- Snow grips are an unusual extra in a bundle like this
- Everything packs into one zipped canvas bag that lives in the boot
- A recognisable brand, which makes it an easy gift
Cons
- Small entrenching-style shovel, slow work in deep snow
- Snow grips only go round the ball of the foot, not the whole sole
- Basic handheld torch rather than a head torch
- One-size hi-vis vest may not fit larger drivers or go over a winter coat
- Very thin, effectively single-use poncho
- The AA emergency winter car kit has no power bank, traction mats, scraper, water or food
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s in the AA emergency winter car kit?
A folding snow shovel, a 9-LED handheld torch, an emergency foil blanket, a hi-vis vest, a rain poncho, booster cables and a pair of snow grips, all packed in a canvas zipped bag.
Is the AA emergency winter car kit worth buying?
If you need something in the boot this week, yes. It gets the basics in place in one purchase. For a kit you’ll really rely on, we’d build your own, choosing the quality of each item and adding things the bag doesn’t include, like a head torch, traction mats and a power bank.
Is the shovel any good for real snow?
It’s a small folding metal spade, more like an entrenching tool than a full snow shovel. It’s fine for clearing snow from in front of a tyre or around the exhaust, but slow going in a deep drift.
What are the snow grips?
A rubber band with metal spikes that stretches around the ball of your foot, for the few steps between the car and the verge on ice. They only cover the front of the sole, so they won’t grip like a full set of strap-on ice cleats.
Will the hi-vis vest fit over a winter coat?
It’s one size, which is common in these kits, so it may not fit larger drivers or go over a thick coat. A larger, adjustable vest costs very little on its own.
What should I add to the AA emergency winter car kit?
A head torch, a charged power bank and cable, traction mats, an ice scraper and de-icer, a first aid kit, water and snacks, and warm layers like a hat and gloves. Our Winter Car Essentials list covers the full build.
Build Your Resilience
Further Reading: Related Guides
- Winter Vehicle Readiness
- Winter Car Essentials: The Kit to Build Yourself
- Surviving Extreme Cold
- Get Home Bag
All our guides can be found listed on our resilience hub.
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