If you’re not a cyclist, feel free to skip this. However, bike enthusiasts and those with an active family should definitely consider a bike rack.

A wide variety of bike racks are available, but we recommend a towball-mounted rack. Sure, it costs more than other types, and you’ll need a towbar fitted on your car. But if you and your family cycle regularly, the flexibility of a towball-mounted rack is worth the investment. It doesn’t restrict your car when it comes to low entrances, gives you quick access to your bikes and still lets you get into your boot.

The Thule Epos is one of our favourite racks and comes from a top-quality manufacturer. Available for up to three bikes of different kinds, it’s easy to install, has built-in lights and a number plate mounting plate and folds up for ease of storage. Bikes are held with clamps and ratchet straps, and are lockable too.

If you’re taken the plunge on washing your car yourself and your detailing kit already takes pride of place in the garage, then the next step should be to add a pressure washer to your bucket and sponge setup. Pressure washing your car before you start sponging it dramatically reduces the risk of scratching it – the danger with scrubbing the paintwork is that you’ll drag grains of dirt across it.

As with most of the things here, a decent pressure washer varies in price. Many people will be fine with a relatively small unit for around £100 or so, which will be powerful enough to blast everyday grime off your car. At the other end of the scale, something like the cordless Ego Power+ HPW2000E delivers serious power with no need to plug it into the mains. You could even add a snow foam lance to lather up soap and loosen even more dirt before the handwash starts properly. And once the car is clean, you can use the washer on your driveway. Or patio. Or dirty walls. Or…

Your car’s computer can self-diagnose problems, but to read them you need a device called an OBD (On-Board Diagnostics) scanner. Mechanics will usually charge you to diagnose any issues, so it could be worthwhile investing one yourself.

This one, from Foxwell, is relatively pricey, but it can do just about everything and works on a wide range of different cars. It’ll diagnose fault codes in the system and let you clear them,  give advice on maintenance functions and the manufacturer keeps it updated via software, too. It’s built tough, so while it’s a bit of an investment it should last you for many years. Thoroughly recommended for the home mechanic.

If your car has sparkling paintwork, it pays to keep it that way – not just for aesthetics, but for resale value, too. We’d never recommend you use a drive-through car wash, as the harsh brushes can easily scratch your paint. Hand car washes are better, but vary in quality. To be certain of a good result, it’s best to wash your car yourself. Enthusiasts call this detailing – getting into the nooks and crannies of your car to make it look its best.

To do that, you’ll need some dedicated equipment, and there are a variety of kits at different prices on the market to get you started. They’ll usually include microfibre cleaning cloths, polishing pads and a towel, as well as shampoo, polish and some kind of paint protecting product, such as wax. Look for brands like Auto Finesse, Meguiars, Autoglym or any proven brand – they all do bundles of essential products. Then all you need to do is find an hour or two to get stuck in.

If you’re cleaning the outside of your car, don’t forget the inside – it’s amazing how much detritus can accumulate in the cabin, especially if you’ve got a messy family. You can just use a regular household vacuum cleaner with an extendable hose, but if you can’t stretch a power cable far enough or you want something more manoeuvrable, keep an eye out for a smaller, cordless vacuum that’s better suited to the job.

Once again, these vary in price and features. The simplest ones simply suck surface dirt away, but more advanced models can add extra power and brushes, and different attachments to get into the smallest nooks and get deep into carpets. Our advice would be to go for the most powerful you can afford. Models from Vax, Hoover and Dyson are particularly highly rated, and cost between £200 and £300 new. Not cheap, but only the cost of 10 to 15 valet services.

If you drive on your own then, for legality’s sake, ignore this one. But if you’ve got rear-seat passengers, especially young ones, then a tablet holder borders on a must. Several car manufacturers make their own that integrate into the back of the front seats, although these tend to be rather expensive.

At the other end of the scale, you can pick up clip-in holders online for less than £20, and most do the job perfectly well. Based on our experience, we don’t think it’s worth shelling out big bucks for a fancy manufacturer tablet holder – if all the kids need it for is watching Netflix on the way to the grandparents’ house, it’s best to save your money.

There was a time when jump leads were an essential accessory for motorists, but the modern equivalent is the jump pack. This is a compact lithium-ion battery with enough juice to restart your engine if the car battery goes flat. You just connect it up and away you go.

The Ring RPPL300 is a Lithium Cobalt LiCoO2 jump starter that's able to start 12v vehicles up to 3.0-litres. It fully charges in three hours and includes a micro USB charging cable along with a battery charge indicator on the side. The main unit will easily fit in a glovebox. At around £100 it may seem expensive but if you've ever had the misfortune of having a flat battery, you'll know it's a very sound investment, saving you a lot of time and hassle waiting for a breakdown mechanic to arrive.