Car customisation is popular in India despite being banned. With the automotive aftermarket flooded with accessories ranging from windscreen tints to major suspension accessories, there is a wide product range to choose from. 

However, some just want the best bang for the buck and opt for accessories to make their vehicle look nice, but often end up doing more harm than good. Here’s a list of 10 accessories that are useless. 

10 useless accessories for cars

White headlights 

Let’s start with the current trend — white LED lights. Most accessory shops will sell you bright white lights saying most expensive cars have them. The reality, however, is different. Most cars that come with halogen headlights are not meant for LED upgrades as the reflectors inside the headlight are not designed for LED bulbs. Also, bright white light has extremely poor visibility until it’s a clear night, which our country never has. They only blind incoming vehicles and nothing more. 

Larger wheels and tyres 

While larger wheels and wider tyres look cool, that’s about it. A lot of engineering has gone into a vehicle’s development and hence the reason a manufacturer offers certain tyre sizes. While upsizing the width of the tyre by one notch is okay, anything more destroys ride quality and reduces the fuel efficiency of a vehicle. 

Fake exhausts 

It is good to drive a V8 with a quad-pipe exhaust, however, most Indian cars don’t. So the next best thing? Well, fake exhaust tips to make the car look cool! While this may look like a cool accessory, it only makes most laugh out loud, as this is an absolutely useless accessory! 

Crash bars

India could probably be the only place in the world where we protect something that is meant to be in a crash, the bumper. Crash bars have always been famous and despite the bans, these are still popular. Having a crash bar not only hurts pedestrians in case of an accident but also damages the car itself and will hamper the sensors to deploy airbags. 

Additional lights and coloured bulbs

Auxillary lights do have their purposes, however, they do not belong in the city or on public roads. They are also banned on public roads, however, people still opt for them. The same goes for coloured LED bulbs many replace their indicators with. Indicators are orange for a reason and replacing them with anything else is just an accident waiting to happen. 

Steering knob

A steering knob is a solution to a problem that never existed in the first place. Similar to wheels and tyres, a lot of engineering has gone in to determine the size, width, texture, etc, and a plastic knob only ruins all the hard work engineers have put in. The steering knob is not only useless but can also be dangerous. 

Spoilers, the really big ones

It does make the car look cool but on rare occasions. Apart from spoiling the aesthetics of the car, a big spoiler increases drag, thus reducing the fuel efficiency of the engine. So unless that’s your goal, a spoiler is completely useless. 

MT tyres in the city

Many SUVs often choose MT (Mud-Terrain) tyres on their vehicles because they give it an aggressive look, however, they seldom speak about their performance on the road. MT tyres are designed to offer good traction on mud and not tarmac. On the road, MT tyres reduce braking efficiency, affect the engine’s performance, reduce the mileage, and most importantly, are noisy. 

False scoops and air vents

Cars have air vents on the side and the bonnet because they are strategically placed in these locations to allow air to the engine and brakes, however, a fake one does nothing apart from making others laugh out loud. 

Body kits

They looked cool in the 80s and 90s, but not anymore. They have become useless accessories because they reduce the ground clearance of the vehicle and a simple speed breaker can knock off the bumper extensions or the side skirts. That said, it is also illegal to modify or have body kits in India now, making them a completely useless accessory.