New EV Owner Checklist: The Accessories Worth Buying First
CarMoods TeamBuying an electric car comes with a learning curve that has nothing to do with driving. Cable storage, key fob security, wireless charging quirks and backup power are all things you find out about the hard way, usually within the first month. A well-chosen set of interior accessories sorts most of it out before it becomes a habit you regret. This is a priority-ordered list of what's actually worth buying first, and what can wait.
None of this is about badges or styling. It's about the practical side of EV ownership that new-car brochures skip over: what to do with a wet charging cable, why your key fob might be a theft risk, and why your 12V accessory battery can still go flat even though the main pack is nowhere near empty.
What actually matters in the first month
New EV owners tend to spend their first few weeks worrying about range and charging speed, which is understandable, but the accessories that make the biggest daily difference are cheaper and less glamorous: somewhere to put the cable, a way to stop the touchscreen becoming a mess of fingerprints, and a plan for what happens if the 12V battery goes flat in a car park.
Work through these roughly in order. Cable management and key security are worth sorting in week one. Wireless charging, backup power and cabin organisation can follow once you've settled into a routine.
Taming the charging cable
Every new EV owner discovers the same problem: the portable cable is heavier and bulkier than expected, and it does not want to live neatly in the boot. Left loose, it slides around under braking, scuffs trim, and picks up grit that eventually works its way into the connector pins.
A dedicated cable bag solves this properly. Look for a waterproof outer shell — a cable that's been sitting in the rain at a public charger will bring water back into the car with it — and a size that actually matches your cable length rather than one that only just zips shut.
BYD EV Charging Cable Storage BagIf you want the full picture on choosing a bag by brand, our EV charging cable storage guide covers Type 2 versus CCS2 connector shapes and why a brand-matched bag usually beats a generic one.
Protecting your key fob from relay theft
Most EVs use a passive keyless entry system, meaning the car unlocks and starts as long as the fob is somewhere nearby — even inside your house. Thieves exploit this with relay devices that pick up the fob's low-frequency signal through a wall or window and rebroadcast it next to the car, tricking it into thinking the key is present.
It's a real issue in Australia and it isn't limited to any one brand. The fix is simple: a Faraday pouch or box blocks the radio frequencies the fob uses to communicate, so the relay attack has nothing to pick up.
Faraday Box Key Signal BlockerIt costs very little next to what an EV is worth, and it's one of those things you'll never think about again once it's by the front door.
Getting wireless charging right in an EV cabin
Wireless charging pads generate heat as a normal part of how they transfer power, and EV consoles often have less airflow around the charging tray than older petrol cars. A pad that runs too hot will throttle its own charging speed to protect the phone's battery, which is why a fast morning top-up sometimes crawls to nothing.
Two things help: a pad designed for your specific model, so the coil actually lines up with your phone rather than charging at an angle, and a case without a thick metal ring or credit card holder, which can block the magnetic alignment on MagSafe-style pads entirely.
Tesla Model 3/Y Wireless Charging Pad
BYD Seagull Wireless Charging Pad
15W MagSafe Air Vent Charger
30W MagSafe Fast Charging Mount
A realistic backup power kit
It's easy to assume a car with a huge battery pack can never leave you stranded, but the 12V accessory battery that runs your lights, infotainment and door locks is a separate, much smaller unit, and it can still go flat — usually from a door left slightly open overnight or weeks of short trips that never give it a proper charge.
A 12V jump starter designed for accessory batteries (not the traction pack) is cheap insurance. Pair it with a small inverter if you regularly need to run a laptop or charge tools from the 12V socket, and a portable power station if you camp or do trade work away from mains power.
Keeping the console and boot organised
Without a transmission tunnel or bulky engine ancillaries, EV consoles often have generous, oddly-shaped storage that generic organisers don't fit well. A tray designed for your specific model uses that space properly instead of leaving loose items sliding around on corners.
The same goes for the boot. Between the charging cable, a jump starter and the usual shopping bags, an unorganised EV boot fills up fast. If you want the wider picture on organising every zone of the car, our car organisers guide covers boot, backseat and console storage together.
Living with a glass roof and a big touchscreen
Many EVs pair a full glass roof with a large centre touchscreen, and Australian sun is hard on both. A glass roof without a shade turns the cabin into a greenhouse within minutes on a hot day, and heats the headliner adhesive over time. A fitted sunroof shade keeps direct heat off your head and stops the interior overheating parked in the sun.
Touchscreens suffer differently: fingerprints show up badly under direct sunlight, and constant wiping with whatever's on hand can dull the coating. A tempered glass screen protector avoids that — worth pairing with our screen protector guide if you want the full comparison of film versus tempered glass. It's also worth fitting proper TPE floor mats early, since EVs are typically heavier than an equivalent petrol car and tyres pick up more grit that ends up on the carpet.
Dash tech worth adding later
Once the essentials are sorted, a head-up display is a genuinely useful add-on: it projects speed, navigation prompts and battery percentage onto the windscreen at eye level, so you're not glancing down at a centre screen mounted well away from your normal sightline — a bigger issue in EVs where the instrument cluster is often minimal or absent.
Fast charging your phone without fuss
Most EVs still ship with a single, modest USB port, which is a step down from what your phone is capable of. A dedicated fast car charger through the 12V socket adds proper wattage and extra ports without needing an inverter.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Do I really need a Faraday pouch for my key fob?
It's a low-cost way to close off a genuine theft method. Passive keyless entry systems respond to a fob's signal without you pressing anything, and a Faraday pouch simply blocks that signal from being picked up and relayed by a thief standing near your house.
2. Why does my EV still need a 12V jump starter if the main battery is nearly full?
The traction battery and the 12V accessory battery are separate systems. The small 12V battery powers doors, lights and the onboard computers, and it can go flat from short trips or a door left ajar, even while the main pack shows plenty of range.
3. Will a generic charging cable bag fit my EV's cable?
Usually, but connector shape and cable length vary by manufacturer, so a bag matched to your brand is the safer choice if one exists — it avoids the forced-coil problem generic bags run into.
4. Why does my phone charge slower on a wireless pad than plugged in?
Wireless charging generates heat, and once the phone gets too warm it throttles the charging speed to protect the battery. A pad matched to your model, with the coil properly aligned, keeps the connection efficient and reduces that heat build-up.
5. Is a fitted sunshade worth it if my EV already has tinted glass?
Yes. Tint reduces glare but does little to stop a large glass roof heating the cabin on a hot day. A fitted shade blocks that heat directly rather than just filtering the light passing through it.
None of this needs to happen in a single weekend. Sort the cable and key security first, then work through wireless charging, backup power and cabin comfort as you settle in. Browse the full interior accessories range to build out your own list at your own pace.
