Can a Car Be Struck by Lightning?

[RemingtonLynn]

Car will not be struck by lightning. It is safe to stay inside a car during a thunderstorm, and there is no need to worry because cars are made of metal with excellent conductive properties, which allows the car to act as a shield against lightning. The principle of electric field shielding is as follows: 1. Equipotential body: When positive and negative charges accumulate at both ends of a conductor, they generate an additional electric field. At this point, the total electric field inside the conductor is zero everywhere, and free charges no longer move. The potential difference between any two points inside the conductor is zero, and the entire cavity becomes an equipotential body. 2. Shielding: In fact, the cavity of the conductor does not need to be tightly sealed; a metal mesh enclosure can also provide shielding. 3. Electrostatic equilibrium: Because the car's outer shell is mainly made of metal, under the influence of electrostatic induction, the car's surface acquires opposite charges, placing the car in a state of electrostatic equilibrium. The electric field inside the car is zero, and the potential at all points inside the car is equal, resulting in a zero potential difference.

[Timothy]

My neighbor Lao Zhang has been driving trucks for thirty years and once witnessed lightning strike a roadside truck. Cars can indeed be struck by lightning, but the inside is actually safe! The metal body channels the current to the ground, acting like a protective net around the vehicle. However, never touch any metal parts—I once saw a truck's rearview mirror melt from a strike. Nowadays, during thunderstorms, I always advise friends to close windows tightly, retract antennas, and avoid open areas. If you panic and slam on the brakes when lightning strikes, it might cause an accident. Ultimately, being inside a car is much safer than under a tree. Last year, news reported two people struck by lightning on a golf course, but those in the parking lot cars were unharmed.

[DeCharlie]

As an auto insurance claims adjuster, I've handled three lightning strike cases. The roof or antenna would be blasted with bowl-sized holes, but strangely, the passengers were always unharmed. This is because the metal car body disperses the current into the ground, known as the Faraday cage effect. However, convertibles and motorcycles are at greater risk. I recall a Tesla that was struck by lightning—its infotainment system crashed immediately, though the air conditioning still worked. My advice during thunderstorms: avoid parking under trees, and turning off electronic devices is safest. From our claims experience, lightning-struck vehicles should undergo complete electrical system inspections, as some wiring damage isn't visible to the naked eye.

[StMichael]

From a physics teacher's perspective: A car is essentially a metal-enclosed space, and when struck by lightning, the current flows along the outer surface of the vehicle. It's similar to how you can't touch the internal microwaves while heating food in a microwave oven. However, convertibles or cars with broken windows offer less protection. In my lab, we simulated this with 500,000 volts, observing the current dispersing over the car's shell like water flow. During thunderstorms, avoid using charging cables inside the car—a 2021 case showed a passenger sustaining minor burns from holding a phone charger. Statistically, the chance of being struck by lightning is lower than winning the lottery. The key is to slow down and drive carefully to avoid skidding.

[AdalineRose]

Last time when I took my child on a road trip, we encountered a thunderstorm, and the child was so scared that they cried nonstop. I opened a science video on my phone to show them: electricity flows along the car's shell like water, and the interior is like hiding inside an iron barrel. But I also told them four safety rules: don't touch the metal strips on the doors, turn the radio to mute, make sure the sunroof is tightly closed, and don't touch the car charger. Actually, with today's highly electronic cars, lightning strikes are more likely to cause electronic system failures. Two years ago, a colleague's Audi A6 was struck by lightning, and even the tire pressure monitoring system stopped working. If you were driving an old-fashioned mechanical car, you wouldn't have to worry about this.