One of the most practical investments you can make as a car owner is building a tool kit. It might sound like a grandfatherly car maintenance habit to adopt, but having the right tools can save you money, time, and stress when small problems occur. Plus, with your owner’s manual and a quick run through a tutorial, you can handle a good amount of everyday maintenance and minor repairs without paying a professional every time. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with calling one when the job calls for it.

However, there are instances where having your own tools can save you a trip to the mechanic. Being stranded on a highway or in a remote area with no repair shop or roadside assistance in sight, for instance, can be pretty frustrating. But we’ll raise you one — being stranded over a car repair you could easily fix, like a flat tire, but just not having the tools for the job. This happens more often than people expect. That’s because, as inevitable as car trouble often is, it’s also pretty unpredictable.

The challenge, of course, is building that kit without spending a small fortune getting started. Quality tools don’t necessarily mean expensive tools, at least not anymore. And Harbor Freight has become one of the best places to put together a decent starter set at an affordable price. In this guide, we’ll start you off with four solid choices all under $100 that you can build on as you go.

Battery issues are one of the biggest reasons drivers end up calling on AAA for help, so it makes sense to start there when building a car tool kit. Jumper cables are useful, but only if there’s another driver willing to stop and lend you their battery. With a portable jump starter, however, you can get your car running again on your own. One of the top-rated options you’ll find at Harbor Freight is the VIKING 1000 Peak Amp Lithium-Ion Jump Starter and Power Bank.

It costs $89.99 and has scored a 4.7-star average from over 1,000 reviews. Harbor Freight says it can start gasoline engines up to 3.5 liters and diesel engines up to 2.4 liters, which covers many sedans, compact SUVs, and smaller trucks. It weighs under 3 pounds, and doubles as a power bank, with two fast-charge USB-A outlets and a 15-watt USB-C input/output port for charging phones and other electronics. There is also a built-in LED spotlight with work light, SOS, and strobe modes, which makes it even more useful if your battery dies on the road at night.

According to the product spec, you should be able to get up to 30 jump starts per charge. The lithium-ion battery is able to hold a charge for over six months, but it’s advisable to recharge the unit if the battery level drops below 50%, or every three to six months. Cold weather can also affect performance. If that happens and the engine only clicks without turning over, the manual recommends leaving the jump starter connected and turning on the vehicle’s lights and electrical accessories for one minute to warm the battery before trying again.

One of the most straightforward DIY engine maintenance tasks you can do at home is changing car fluids. They don’t require mechanical expertise, and the parts involved are inexpensive. What they do require, however, is precision — especially if you’re a first-timer. If you’re not careful enough, you might overfill the system or spill fluids. A proper funnel kit solves that problem, and the PITTSBURGH No-Spill Radiator Funnel Kit is one of the best options at Harbor Freight for $39.99.

This funnel kit includes five radiator adapters, five corresponding caps, and a funnel, which together are designed to fit most cars, pickup trucks, and tractors. Alongside those are two 45-degree elbow extensions and one straight extension, which gives you the flexibility to reach radiator openings that sit at awkward angles or in tight positions within the engine bay. The funnel itself comes with a lid, and a stopper is included to seal the system once filling is complete. Everything comes together in a package weighing just one pound.

The kit has a 4.7-star average from almost 600 reviews. The majority of buyers are pleased with the quality of the results when filling and bleeding the cooling system. However, a handful of buyers report that it doesn’t fit their Jeep Wrangler properly, so if you drive a Wrangler, you may want to skip this one.

Socket and ratchet sets are as basic as it gets when it comes to putting together a car toolkit. It’s the foundation of practically every mechanical job you’ll do on a car. With the QUINN 21-Piece 1/4-inch Drive Socket and Ratchet Set, you can loosen drain plugs, swap spark plugs, and remove brake components. This is a 1/4-inch drive set, which is worth understanding before you buy. Drive size refers to the square peg on the ratchet that the socket fits onto, and 1/4-inch is the smallest of the three common sizes; the other available sizes are 3/8-inch and 1/2-inch. This particular set is ideal for lighter work in tighter spaces rather than heavy-duty fasteners that need serious torque.

This 21-piece set covers a solid range of sizes across both measurement systems. On the SAE side, you get ten sockets running from 3/16-inch up to 9/16-inch. The metric side covers ten sockets from 5mm through 14mm. Rounding it out is a 72-tooth quick-release ratchet with a comfortable grip handle. The sockets also feature highly visible markings, which makes it easier to grab the right size quickly.

With over 1,300 reviews, a 4.8-star average rating, and 98% of customers saying they’d recommend it, the numbers speak for themselves. While there are a few reports of sockets fitting loosely on the ratchet drive, the overall feedback is positive. Owners describe it as sturdy and comfortable to use over extended periods. At a price tag of $21.99, it’s a cheap Harbor Freight must-have for your car toolkit.

While your sockets and ratchets set will handle the majority of the fastening work on your car, there are very narrow and awkward places they might not be able to get into, and that’s where you’ll need a good old-fashioned wrench. With the PITTSBURGH Fully Polished Metric Combination Wrench Set, you get nine options that should suffice wherever your sockets and ratchet set fall short. And with nearly 5,000 reviews behind it, this particular product is one of the reliable ones you can get at a modest fee of $9.99.

Now, a combination wrench gives you two options in one tool. One end is open, which is the simple U-shaped jaw that grips a fastener from the side, while the other end is a closed box end that wraps fully around the fastener. The PITTSBURGH set gives you both ends on every wrench, across nine of the most commonly needed metric sizes: 7mm, 8mm, 10mm, 11mm, 12mm, 13mm, 14mm, 17mm, and 19mm. The wrenches are also made from high-carbon steel with a fully polished chrome finish.

Additionally, you get a free poly wrench rack that comes with the set. It keeps all nine wrenches organized and separated by size. It holds a 4.7-star rating on Harbor Freight. Owners describe the wrenches as sturdy and well-made, with several reviews appreciating how the size selection covers everyday car and even household tasks. This is a sensible pick from Harbor Freight you’ll want for your DIY car projects.

We selected every tool on this list with one goal in mind: building a practical car tool kit from scratch without spending more than $100 on any particular product. Before any product made it to the list, it had to first meet a minimum rating of 4.7 stars, drawn from at least 500 customer reviews. Next, we read through the customer reviews on Harbor Freight’s websites, as well as independent reviews on other platforms, to confirm that while these are priced in a way that makes sense for someone getting started, they are also easy to use and genuinely good value for money.

Some buyers have had a few issues, and where those complaints came up consistently, we made sure to point them out so you know what to expect. However, for the most part, the tools on this list, based on the majority of buyer reviews, deliver on what the manufacturer claims and make a decent choice for a starter tool kit.