New car accessories guide — what you actually need

Just bought a new car? Here's what we'd fit first, what's worth the money, and what you can skip — the same advice we give across the counter in Surat, from a shop running since 2012.

Get these in the first week

Cheap now, expensive later. These protect the car from the everyday wear that's hard to undo once it's happened.

• Floor mats — Factory carpet stains permanently, and dirty footwells are one of the first things a buyer notices at resale. Watch out: Universal mats slide around and can slip under the pedals. Insist on ones cut for your exact model.
• Mud flaps — Stops stone chips and mud spray from chewing up the paint behind each wheel — especially through monsoon. Watch out: Cheap plastic turns brittle in the sun. Check the mounting points suit your car.
• Sun shades — A parked car in Surat gets brutally hot. UV cracks the dashboard and fades upholstery within a couple of summers. Watch out: Dark stick-on films can fall foul of tint rules — retractable shades and curtains keep you on the safe side.
• Body cover — Worth it if you park outdoors. Bird droppings etch through clear coat within days in this heat. Watch out: Get a soft-lined cover, and never pull one over a dusty car — grit under the fabric acts like sandpaper.

Worth it for most people

Not urgent, but most owners buy these eventually. Better to choose them properly now than to panic-buy later.

• Dashcam — Settles insurance claims and hit-and-runs on your terms. Increasingly the first thing owners add. Watch out: Budget units fail in summer heat. Ask about the temperature rating, and check how it actually performs at night.
• Seat covers — Protects the upholstery underneath, which matters most on the light-coloured fabric many new cars ship with. Watch out: Don't rush this one. Decide fabric vs leatherette first — and if your car has side airbags in the seats, the covers must be made to work with them.
• Reverse camera or parking sensors — Worth adding if your variant didn't come with it. Indian parking is unforgiving, and bumper repairs aren't cheap. Watch out: Check the feed can actually display on your car's existing screen before buying.
• Steering cover — The wheel is the part you touch most, and bare factory plastic gets unpleasant in peak summer.
• Car perfume — Inexpensive, and it's the first thing every passenger notices about a car.

Only if you actually want it

Pure preference. None of this protects the car or makes it safer — buy it because you like how it looks, not because you think you're supposed to.

• Ambient & footwell lighting — Makes the cabin feel more premium at night. Entirely cosmetic.
• Alloy wheels or wheel covers — The single biggest change to how a car looks. Wheel covers get you part of the way for far less. Watch out: Stick to the size your car was designed for — going bigger costs you ride comfort.
• Chrome trims & styling kits — Door handles, window trims, spoilers. Easy to overdo — most cars look better with less.
• Speaker upgrade — Factory speakers on budget variants are the weakest part of the car for many owners. Watch out: Better speakers on a weak head unit rarely helps — tell us your setup and we'll say if it's worth it.

Visit Surat Car Accessories

Surat Car Accessories is an auto accessories store at Ground Floor, P No 1, Mani Nagar Society, Near Simada Naka, Varachha, Surat, Gujarat 395006 — serving car owners since 2012. Open every day, 9:00 am to 9:00 pm. This website is our catalogue: browse online, then enquire on WhatsApp at +91 99257 74546 or visit the showroom to buy. Most accessories are installed in-house at the shop.