What's In Your Glovebox? The Useful, The Unusual And The Completely Forgotten

The glovebox is one of those parts of a car that starts life with the best intentions.

Vehicle handbook? Check. Sunglasses? Check. Maybe a pen and a packet of tissues?

And then, somehow, a few years later, it has become home to old receipts, mystery cables, takeaway napkins and things you were absolutely certain would ‘come in handy one day’. Sound familiar?

At ALA, we decided it was time to take a proper look at what ends up living in our gloveboxes and, more importantly, what might actually be useful to keep in there.

A mini time capsule on four wheels

Gloveboxes have an impressive ability to collect things.

Parking tickets from places you barely remember visiting. Charging cables for phones you haven’t owned for years. Old sunglasses. Pens that may or may not work. A handful of condiment sachets from various drive thru visits.

Amelia from ALA’s Marketing team checked hers and discovered spare McDonald’s ketchup sachets, chargers for old phones she no longer owns and a torch with a battery that doesn’t work.

Very prepared. Although, in fairness, the torch would be a sensible addition if it actually switched on.

The point is, most of us probably have at least a few forgotten items hiding in the car.

September is a good time to have a quick clear out and turn some of that clutter into useful space before the colder, darker months arrive.

What is actually worth keeping in your glovebox?

You don’t need to fill it with half of an automotive shop, but there are a few things that can genuinely be handy.

Your vehicle handbook
You might not look at it very often, but when an unfamiliar warning light suddenly appears on the dashboard, it can quickly become one of the most useful things in the car.

A pen and small notepad
Yes, most of us use our phones for everything now. But a working pen is one of those things you never think about until you suddenly need one.

Tissues or wipes
Useful for spills, sticky fingers, cleaning up after snacks or dealing with the many small messes that seem to appear from nowhere.

Sunglasses
They are not just for summer. Low autumn and winter sun can make visibility difficult, so keeping a pair in the car can be useful all year round.

A small torch
Particularly once the evenings start getting darker. Just remember to check the batteries every so often. Amelia has already tested the alternative approach for us.

What should you avoid leaving in there?

A glovebox might feel secure, especially if it can be locked, but it is still part of your car.

Try not to leave valuables such as wallets, expensive electronics or anything containing sensitive personal information inside.

It is also worth avoiding anything visible elsewhere in the vehicle that could suggest valuables might be hidden away.

Even something as simple as a charging cable can potentially suggest that there is a phone or device somewhere in the car.

And then there is food. An emergency snack can be useful, but it is worth checking dates and thinking about whether something is really designed to spend several months inside a car. Which brings us neatly back to the ketchup sachets.

Give your glovebox an autumn reset

As the seasons change, take five minutes to empty everything out and decide what actually deserves to go back in.

Throw away old receipts and rubbish. Remove cables and accessories you no longer use. Check whether pens still work and whether torches still have power.

Then use the space for a few things you would genuinely be pleased to have close by if you needed them.

It is a very small job, but one that can make your car feel noticeably more organised.

And you never know, you might finally solve the mystery of where that missing charging cable went.