The Ultimate Climate Crisis Car

This year, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, convened by the United Nations, announced that due to climate change, we are “speeding toward catastrophe” and warned, “the next decade is crucial”.

The report produced by the panel highlights that by the 2030s, as temperatures rise, climate hazards are expected to increase all over the globe through crippling heat waves, worsening coastal flooding and crop failures.

So, as we move ever closer to a climate change disaster, Leasing Options has created an ultimate crisis-ready car by analysing eight of the biggest Reddit threads on bug-out and S*** Hit The Fan (SHTF) vehicles, so that if we ever find ourselves having to live through the unthinkable, at the very least, you’ll have a car ready to take on whatever gets in your way.

The ultimate climate apocalypse-ready car

This is the concept car we’ve created, based on the Toyota Tacoma due to survivalist suggestions on Reddit. The features include:

• Superior lighting
• Multi-use winch
• Brush guard
• Raised suspension
• Roof mounted portable tent
• Solar power
• Safari snorkel

For those of you reading this outside of North America and wondering what a Tacoma is, it’s essentially a Toyota Hilux. The Hilux used to be sold in the US until the late 90s, but due to taxes and differences in demographics, Toyota stopped sending the Hilux to the US. Instead, they created the Tacoma line, which in the simplest of terms, is a Hilux but a bit bigger and slightly meaner looking.

Preppers pick the Toyota Tacoma as the best car for a climate crisis

In order to find out which car was the most popular within the survivalist community, we reviewed six of the largest Reddit posts on r/preppers relating to “bug-out” or “SHTF” vehicles. This meant analysing a total of 1,166 individual suggestions, which highlighted 17 different car manufacturers and 61 different car models overall.

Preppers have recommended the Toyota Tacoma as the best car around that could survive a climate crisis. The Tacoma was suggested once in every six posts (15%) on Reddit. “I'll throw my hat in the ring for a Tacoma”, said a prepper. “Built like a tank, internals are durable, 4WD system is amazing. I've gone camping with mine and it handles really well doing light off-roading but is also a manageable size for city driving and some light towing/other truck stuff.”

Another car that preppers recommended was the Subaru Outback, which was mentioned in one of every 20 posts. The all-wheel-drive crossover was praised for its “huge cargo space that you can convert to a bed, 4x4 compatibility, and reliable as any Japanese car is.”

The Jeep Cherokee was also highly rated, coming in as the third-best non-Toyota car. However, pretty much everyone who highlighted the Cherokee noted that if you were going to get one, you need to buy an old one. “Old Jeep Cherokee: easy to find parts and the engine runs forever. Not flashy at all. Big enough to sleep in.”

The best vehicle for a climate emergency revealed by survival expert

But is this the right choice? To get a professional’s opinion, we reached out to Dr Sarita Robinson (aka Dr Survival®), Associate Dean in the School of Psychology and Humanities at the University of Central Lancashire in Preston, UK. She’s spent over 17 years researching people’s reactions to disasters and what we can do to improve our chances of survival.

We asked Dr Robinson what people should look for in a car if they’re considering prepping for a climate emergency.

Thankfully, she agrees: “Having any car is better than having no car when it comes to emergencies. Public transport is likely to break down and so it is always better for survival to have access to a car. Obviously, the dream is a Land Rover-type, 4x4, off-road-capable vehicle as you can avoid traffic jams on the main exit routes. More boot size means you can potentially take better kit or even sleep more easily in your car. A larger fuel tank would also be helpful as refuelling might not be possible. A well-maintained car with a functioning spare wheel would be useful. Reliability is important in an emergency too as you don't want a car that breaks down every two minutes.”

Toyota ranks as the best survival car manufacturer in landslide victory

Rank	Manufacturer	Mentions	% of Mentions
1	Toyota	124	53.7%
2	Subaru	28	12.1%
3	Jeep	21	9.1%
4	Ford	19	8.2%
5	Honda	7	3.0%
6	Volkswagen	6	2.6%
7	Land Rover	4	1.7%
8	Tesla	4	1.7%
9	Lexus	3	1.3%
10	Chevrolet	3	1.3%

According to our data, out of the 17 different car manufacturers that preppers suggested on Reddit, over half (54%) suggested that the best car brand for a climate crisis was Toyota.

“There is no other vehicle or manufacturer in the world that beats Toyota… Toyota is clearly and unmistakably the best”, said one prepper. More praise for Toyota included: “I think a Toyota truck is the way to go”, “Any four-wheel-drive Toyota”, “I’m a huge fan of Toyota vehicles” and “I am a Toyota guy through and through.”

Away from Toyota, Subaru was recommended once in every eight posts (12%) for being “the way to go thanks to their all-wheel-drive system doing better than most vehicles” and that the “Gas efficiency is a lot better than most trucks with a good amount of lockable cargo space”.

Subaru was followed by Jeep and Ford who were the only other manufacturers to receive a high number of recommendations for similar reasons. As a result, it’s clear that preppers favour cars with all-wheel drive or four-wheel drive due to their off-roading capabilities.

Toyota models take up 60% of the top 10 most recommended cars for a climate crisis

Toyota has six of their cars ranked in the top 10 models list for a climate crisis. Not only that, but the Tacoma, 4Runner, Hilux and Land Cruiser take up the top four positions with the RAV4 in seventh and the Tundra in eighth.

Preppers pick the best car modifications to make in preparation for a climate crisis

Now, let’s talk about all the different modifications we’ve added to our Toyota Tacoma concept. To find out what the best additions were to make to your car, we followed the same procedure we used to find the most suggested cars, reviewing the largest Reddit thread on the topic. This time, we also started our own conversation with preppers to get their direct opinions on the matter.

We asked what the best exterior vehicle modifications are for the perfect bug-out/SHTF vehicle. We received over 40 suggestions and added them to the suggestions from others around Reddit, gathering over a hundred total recommendations.

Top 3 exterior car mods according to preppers

Here are the top modifications preppers rate the most.

1.Superior lighting

Preppers told us the first thing people should do is to increase the lighting. Suggestions included a light bar fitted on top of the vehicle, side mirror lights and even “Rock” lights for underneath the car. “(A) light bar or lights mounted on either side of the winch would be useful. Rock lights look cool for mall crawlers but actually provide some value if you're out at night.”

In total, lighting upgrades made up 25% of the suggestions, which shows how important this will be in the event of a climate crisis.

2.Winch

“A winch, no doubt”, said one prepper who was one of many who mentioned a winch. In fact,  one in every 12 suggestions we received was recommending a winch. Survivalists said that a winch should be either attached to the front bumper or you could also opt for a hitch-mounted winch. It's kept in the trunk of the car until you need it then it gets attached to the trailer hitch, which is less conspicuous.

A winch can be one of the most essential car mods as they can “get you, or your friends, out of trouble”, said a Reddit survivalist.

3.Brush guard

Rounding out the top three is a brush guard, also mentioned in nearly one of every 12 suggestions from preppers. A brush guard is a type of grille guard that you install in front of your vehicle that protects the headlights and grille against almost any obstacle you may encounter on the roads ahead of you.

Other useful mods highlighted multiple times by preppers were;

• Skid plates to protect the underside of your car if you were to accidentally collide with something.
• “Air down” tyre deflator which lets air out of your tyres to benefit off-road travel.
• Tyre chains, so you aren’t stranded in the event of heavy snowfall.
• Flexible solar panels to power and recharge any gadgets and gizmos you also have to help you out on the open road.

Additional kit suggested includes a tyre pump, power inverter, kinetic towing straps, snatch blocks, battery jump start pack, tow hitch, fire extinguisher and a replacement battery.

Dr Survival’s guide on go-to survival kit every car needs

Speaking of other features that no climate apocalypse car should be without, we asked Dr Robinson her opinion on how to be fully prepared in the event of a disaster: “The best way to prepare for an emergency is by thinking about things now that might go wrong in the future and then putting an intervention in place so that if the worst happens, you can deal with it.

“For your car, prepping falls into two categories, things that you need specifically for your car to help if you get stuck when driving and having a prepping kit that you can use to help you survive in a survival situation. For this, you need to cover the basics of survival – water, food and shelter.”

Dr Survival’s must-have climate crisis essentials

3 handy tools to have when stuck or trapped

1. Flat tyre repair kit
   • Get yourself back up and running and get you to where you can replace the tyre.
2. Snow shovel
   • Dig yourself out of trouble when tyre chains aren’t enough.
3. Car window breaker
   • Break yourself out of the car in the event of rapidly rising water levels.

5 survival basics every car should have tucked away

1. Water filter bottle
   • Gather water from any natural source and the filtration system will ensure it’s safe to consume.
2. Self-heating ration packs
   • Hot food on the go.
3. Waterproof poncho
   • Staying dry is essential for your health.
4. Emergency shelter tent
   • Allowing you to sleep without getting wet.
5. Solar power bank
   • Allowing you to power and recharge essential equipment.

“A torch, head torch, blanket and first aid kit are also useful. I have my "go" bag in my car that has all the elements above and a few extras (photos of the kids, important phone numbers, meds, cash, mini campfire, mini teapot and kettle!)”, Dr Robinson adds.

Survive the apocalypse for just £892

As you can see, there are quite a lot of modifications and equipment you can use to give you the best chance of survival throughout a climate crisis, but how much does it all cost? Below is a breakdown.

Mods & kit bundle

If you shop online for all of the modifications and extra items, you can buy everything for around £892.28.

Mods/Kit	Price
	£	$	€
"Air down" tyre deflator	17.41	22.14	20.37
Battery jump start pack	46.99	59.75	54.97
Brush/grille guard	227.43	289.21	266.07
Fire extinguisher	13.99	17.79	16.37
Flexible solar panel	69.99	89.00	81.88
Kinetic towing straps	24.29	30.89	28.42
Lighting	73.97	94.06	86.54
Power inverter	25.99	33.05	30.41
Replacement battery	49.91	63.47	58.39
Skid plate	141.17	179.52	165.16
Snatch blocks	17.18	21.85	20.10
Tow hitch	19.99	25.42	23.39
Tyre chains	34.00	43.24	39.78
Tyre pump	19.98	25.41	23.37
Winch	109.99	139.87	128.68
Total	892.28	1,134.65	1,043.89

Survival essentials

If you shop online for all of the smaller survival essentials, you can kit yourself out with everything you’ll need for only £154.60!

Essentials	Price
	£	$	€
Flat tyre inflation kit	7.94	10.10	9.29
Emergency snow shovel	7.09	9.02	8.29
Car window breaker	9.96	12.67	11.65
Water filter bottle	19.99	25.42	23.39
Self-heating field ration packs	11.99	15.25	14.03
Waterproof poncho	15.99	20.33	18.71
Survival shelter tent	8.29	10.54	9.70
Torch	7.99	10.16	9.35
Head torch	8.39	10.67	9.82
Blanket	6.99	8.89	8.18
First aid kit	10.99	13.98	12.86
Solar power bank	38.99	49.58	45.61
Total	154.60	196.59	180.87

Leasing with Leasing Options

While we can’t offer you a climate crisis-ready car with all the mods and tools listed above as this is just a concept and is not available for purchase, we can, however, provide you with a brand-new car lease from a huge selection of 4x4s, all-wheel-drive cars and many more off-road-capable vehicles if that is what you require.

Leasing Options has everything for your car leasing needs. Simply browse our range and then get in touch with us and we’ll help you every step of the way.

Methodology

To collect the preppers’ recommendations on the best car, we analysed six of the largest Reddit threads and manually picked out all mentions of cars, which gave us a leaderboard for the most recommended brands and models.

To get their modification suggestions we, again, looked at Reddit posts on the topic but also created our own post that was more specific to the topic and situation. We then collected and ranked the modifications in the same way as we did for the cars.

We reached out to Dr Sarita Robinson (Dr Survival®) through her website and asked multiple questions based on the perfect car and other essentials she would recommend to people.

For the price list, all items were from Amazon. The only exception was the brush guard price that was sourced from ExtremeTerrain.com.

This car is a concept created by Leasing Options, based on survivalist suggestions and is not affiliated with Toyota. This car is not available for purchase or lease.