Travel rugs, AKA car blankets, never make a bad purchase. Filled with practicality and purpose, if you’re going to store anything in your car—besides a hi-vis vest a travel rug has to be it. With a range of colours, sizes, styles and fabrics, there’s plenty to choose from, across all budgets.
Our car interiors get abused. Really, they do. They accommodate children’s mud-covered legs, soggy dog paws and our inability to find our mouths while snatching a bite of a sandwich between errands. The growth of hand-washing valet services up and down the country is testament to how nasty our cabins can get.
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Travel rugs are a clever solution. While they can’t clean mud, find your mouth or stop your pooch from shedding, they can be taken out of the car and cleaned. Protecting your car upholstery from stains, wet patches and other damage can help you get a better price when you come to sell your car.
Moreover, while our weather continues to change unpredictably, travel rugs can lend themselves to maintaining warmth in a crisis. Therefore, we’ve taken a look at some of the options out on the market.
The best travel rugs
Description
For 1.5 fleecy metres, this snuggle-style blanket is perfect for the car. Thatu2019s probably why the AA named it a travel blanket. While it wouldnu2019t look out of place in the park or on the beach, keeping this on your backseat provides a practical 100% polyester solution to any potential spills or muddy paws. Whatu2019s more, itu2019s compact enough to store, in case of emergency.
Description
One for the kids, this fleecy all-seasons throw features glow-in-the-dark stars and comes in different colours and sizes. The Winthome Glow in the Dark blanket is a bit on the pricey side, but the versatility of such a machine-washable blanket, coupled with itu2019s appeal to little people is why it makes the list.
Description
Online Kitchenware has designed this eco-friendly blanket, which usesu2014you guessed itu2014recycled cotton to create a unique blanket at an affordable price. Since the cotton is recycled, no two blankets are ever the sameu2014in fact, the colours of the weave depend on the materials available at any given time, but the checkered pattern is a classic.
Description
Technology has come a long way. Nowhere does it feel more indulgent, yet appreciated, in heated steering wheels, heated seatsu2026.and now the heated blanket. Plugging into the 12V port, the Tvirrd heated car blanket is not the most obvious, or safest choice in a breakdownu2014after all, youu2019re meant to be out of the car. Safety is paramount so this one is just for comfort, outside of an emergency situation.
Description
Ok, so itu2019s not technically a travel rug, but in the event of a breakdown, you may have passengers who have not dressed appropriately for the journey, weather conditions or the situation. For less than a fiver, you can keep these small packet u2018blanketsu2019 in your car until the roadside assistance vehicle rocks up. Theyu2019re designed to reflect 90% of your body heat back at your and can be used as ground cover too.
Description
Bringing us nicely onto the CampTeck Extra Large folding blanket. Itu2019s called a blanket but really, this 2-metre long option from CampTeck is a rug in the truest sense. It doesnu2019t keep you warm by being around you, but provides a fabric surface you can sit on, while the waterproof surface makes contact with the wet ground. Used for picnics, garden shindigs and camping, itu2019s practical with its compact folding design and integrated carry handle and so easy stored in the car, in case of emergency.