Car Tetris: 5 amazing car storage solutions you need this Christmas

Car Tetris is a term often used when all of your shopping won’t fit in the car and you have to move things about to make space. You might have played this most dastardly of games before when moving home and that old IKEA side-table you wish you had thrown out years ago refuses to slot neatly into the boot.

It’s certainly not as fun as Alexey Pajitnov’s 1984 video game Tetris, in which a series of blocks cascade threateningly down the screen to the sound of jaunty Russian folk music, but it’s a game we often have to play at this time of year thanks to countless Christmas shopping bags, massive food shops and ferrying relatives to festive gatherings.

So how can you increase your vehicle’s storage space and win at Car Tetris? Well, we’ve scoured the internet for some of the best storage solutions around, and as it happens, help is very much at hand.

5. Seat bins are your friend

These nifty contraptions are developed by Rockshore (£11.99), although there are several retailers selling their own versions online. The concept is simple: take the collapsible tote bag, tie it around the top of your front seats and you have a nifty pouch to store refuse or – if you want to win at car Tetris, you can opt for a bigger version with more compartments to help store your shopping when space gets tight.

4. Look into foldable storage

An easy answer to the car Tetris problem is ‘just stick everything on the back-seat.’ That’s fine until you remember that all it takes is for one sudden stop to throw that fragile vase you bought for your mum shattering into a million pieces on the floor, not to mention the dangers that come with having lots of loose objects in the car. You need to check out the folding storage crate from storage wizards A Place For Everything (£20). The box is collapsible, has a handle and wheels for carrying heavy goods and can sit neatly and securely on your back seat to avoid any broken objects, not to mention broken hearts.

3. Tidy all your usual car accessories first

This may seem like a no-brainer, but if the rest of your car is a cluttered mess then your chances of winning car Tetris are pretty low from the start. Think ahead: do you need your wellies and dog carrier in the back before you head off on your massive Christmas food shop? Probably not. Car accessory manufacturer Diono has a lot of neat car storage solutions such as the Travel Pal, a tidy for water bottles, kid’s toys, road maps, and any of those troublesome trinkets that are taking up all your cabin space.

2. Keep your child’s items organised

As a follow on from #3, it’s understandable that kids need a lot of accessories in the car. From toys and snacks, to hygiene essentials and nappies, it’s possible that your car is going to be stuffed with items before you even have a chance to pile your shopping into the back. We came across this neat side holster that attached to your child’s cat seat via Precious Little One (£2.95), a shop selling a wide range of kid’s accessories. The side bag has space for toys and other trinkets, and is also manufactured by Diono.

1. Think smart about space, and remember your fragiles!

In the end, your biggest weapon in the fight against car Tetris is being able to think logically about space. It can sometimes be a mission to fit everything in the boot – particularly for those moving home, but you don’t want to cram too much in during one trip and risk objects breaking. It pays to think logically about how you use space, and by looking online you’ll find a wealth of storage solutions. This page on the Halfords website is full of them, for example. Have a look online, compare prices and get the most out of your car’s space.

We hope that the advice above has been useful in your quest to win at car Tetris and improve the storage space within your vehicle. if you have any tips of your own we’d love to hear them in the comments below.

Halfords, Diono