Can Alcohol Be Stored in a Car?

[LaCaden]

Private cars carrying alcohol pose certain safety hazards, and it is recommended not to carry alcohol if possible. If alcohol must be carried, attention must be paid to its concentration and quantity, as alcohol is a flammable and explosive substance. Once a certain concentration and quantity are reached, it constitutes illegal activity. Below is more information about alcohol: 1. Brief Description: The concentration of medical alcohol is generally 75% or 95%. The ignition point of pure alcohol is 363 degrees Celsius, and the lower the alcohol concentration, the higher the ignition point. 2. Precautions: If a car owner carries medical alcohol while driving, they must ensure no smoking inside the car, that the packaging container of the medical alcohol is leak-proof and undamaged, and monitor for any leakage during the journey to avoid potential safety hazards to passengers.

[MaximusMarie]

Last time I bought alcohol disinfectant and casually left it on the front passenger seat. After two hours of summer sun exposure, it nearly caused an accident. The high temperature inside a car really shouldn’t be underestimated—especially the dashboard, which can soar to 70-80°C. 75% concentration alcohol is particularly volatile, and in the confined space of a car, the vapor concentration can become high enough to potentially ignite from a cigarette lighter spark. A friend of mine stored alcohol in a plastic bottle in the door panel slot and found the bottle deformed after half a month—only then did he realize alcohol can dissolve certain plastics. Now, I only keep single-use alcohol wipes in the car for emergencies, making sure to take them away after opening the same day. Oh, and everyone tends to forget about the box of disinfectant in the trunk. I make it a habit to clean it out regularly, or else in summer, the car cabin feels like hiding a warehouse of hazardous materials.

[LaWeston]

Those who are into car modifications know that after upgrading the audio system circuitry, I'm particularly cautious about keeping flammable items in the car. Once at a gathering, I saw a friend stashing a large bottle of alcohol next to the spare tire and immediately asked him to remove it. There are three major concerns with storing alcohol in a car: first, liquid bottles in the trunk can slowly evaporate if the caps loosen due to bumps; second, disinfectant spray bottles placed under the front windshield might ignite from sunlight focusing; and third, the area around charging electronic devices. I prefer keeping single-pack moist wipes in a metal box in the center console area, taking one out when needed. Nowadays, I don't even dare to store alcoholic beverages in a car fridge, let alone medical alcohol. Cars with modified wiring need extra caution—even a relay spark could ignite high-concentration vapor.

[OEmersyn]

Our chemistry team once discussed during a team-building event that the most dangerous aspect of alcohol in cars during summer is the gas-liquid equilibrium change. Experiments have shown that 75% alcohol rapidly vaporizes at 28°C, and in a sealed car parked at noon, the concentration can reach the lower explosive limit of 3.3% in minutes. I've handled many cases where static electricity from opening the door ignited a flash explosion because the owner stored a disinfectant spray bottle in the driver's door pocket. Now, for my family car, I adhere to two principles: remove disinfectant from the car upon arriving home, and after the car has been exposed to the sun, open the windows for five minutes of ventilation before starting the engine. I recommend replacing plastic bottles with metal ones—they're heavier but much safer.