Don't need it, never have punctures

Can you say - hand on heart - what the pressure is in your car's spare tyre? I can't but then I don't have to. Over a decade ago I was given an electric pump that plugs into the car's cigarette lighter socket. It seemed like a utilitarian gift at the time but down the years I've used it a couple of dozen times.

Because otherwise a spare tyre can be a delusional form of re-assurance. Puncture in the middle of the Massif Central and a half-deflated replacement is only slightly more valuable than no tyre at all. Worse if you're tempted to use it in that state.

The pump has a further benefit. It's easier to bring tyres up to the correct pressure in your own driveway than on a harassed garage forecourt (where you may also have to pay for the privilege). It's not all gravy, however. The pump is noisy, in my case the car engine must be running and it seems to take an inordinate length of time to add 2 - 3 psi. Also, the gauge on the pump is not accurate enough and you need a separate traditional gauge. But it beats thumbing a lift.