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First aid kit for car: what belongs in it and where to keep it

By the Plain Prepper editors. Updated 2026-10-15.

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Quick answer

The Red Cross says to keep a first aid kit in your home and in your car, and lists what a kit for a family of four should hold: dressings, 25 adhesive bandages, gauze, tape, antiseptic wipes, gloves, a breathing barrier, a cold compress, an emergency blanket and instructions. Add your own medications and emergency numbers, and check expiration dates regularly. A glove-box kit like the MyFAK Mini (9 x 6 x 5 in) covers the basics; bigger kits suit trunks and families.

The Red Cross checklist for a family of four

Item	Quantity
Absorbent compress dressings, 5 x 9 in	2
Adhesive bandages, assorted	25
Adhesive cloth tape, 10 yd x 1 in	1
Antibiotic ointment packets	5
Antiseptic wipe packets	5
Aspirin, 81 mg packets	2
Emergency blanket	1
Breathing barrier with one-way valve	1
Instant cold compress	1
Nonlatex gloves, large	2 pairs
Hydrocortisone ointment packets	2
Gauze roll, 3 in; roller bandage, 4 in	1 each
Sterile gauze pads, 3 x 3 in and 4 x 4 in	5 each
Oral thermometer, non-mercury and nonglass	1
Triangular bandages	2
Tweezers and first aid instructions	1 each

List from the American Red Cross's Make a First Aid Kit page, checked October 2026. Ask your health-care provider before giving any medication.

Reading the checklist

• Wound care makes up most of it: 10 sterile gauze pads (5 of each size), 2 compress dressings, 2 rolls of bandage and 25 adhesive bandages.
• Protection: 2 pairs of nonlatex gloves and a breathing barrier with a one-way valve.
• Comfort items: an instant cold compress, an emergency blanket and ointment packets.
• Tools: tweezers, tape and a non-mercury, nonglass thermometer.
• Scale it: the Red Cross sizes this list for a family of four; a solo commuter can start smaller and grow it.

Glove box, seat back or trunk

• Glove box: MyMedic says its MyFAK Mini, at 9 x 6 x 5 inches and 2 to 2.7 lb, is small enough for most glove boxes.
• Seat back or headrest: MyMedic's standard MyFAK (11 x 8 x 6 inches, 3 to 4 lb) has straps and a tear-away panel to mount on a headrest.
• Trunk: larger family kits with hard cases fit here; the Red Cross Deluxe Family kit sold by First Aid Only is a 114-piece kit for a family of four.
• Reach matters: a kit you can reach from the driver's seat is useful after a crash if you cannot open the trunk.

Add these for the road

• Personal items: the Red Cross says to include your medications, emergency phone numbers and anything your health-care provider suggests.
• Warmth and visibility: MyMedic's Car Bundle adds a space blanket and a lightstick to its glove-box kit; see our car emergency kit guide for more roadside gear.
• Severe bleeding: MyMedic sells Pro versions of the MyFAK with a tourniquet; see our tourniquet and IFAK guides, and take a course first.
• Training: MyMedic includes a discount code for a training course with its kits.

Keeping a car kit in date

1. Check regularly, as the Red Cross advises, and replace anything used.
2. Watch expiration dates on ointments, wipes and medications.
3. Restock after every trip where you used supplies.
4. Keep instructions with the kit so anyone can use it.
5. Tie it to a date: check the kit each time you rotate tires or renew registration.

Store-bought or build your own?

• Buy: ready kits are organized and sealed; MyMedic's folding-page layout keeps items findable, the maker says.
• Build: the Red Cross says you can make your own kit; use its list above as the shopping list.
• Hybrid: start with a compact kit and add the Red Cross items it lacks, plus personal medications.
• Look past piece counts: kits count items differently, so compare contents against the Red Cross checklist instead of the number on the box.

After an accident

• Call 911 for serious injuries and follow the dispatcher's instructions.
• Protect yourself: MedlinePlus says to use gloves when treating someone who is bleeding, and that people allergic to latex can use nonlatex gloves.
• Use the instructions packed in the kit, and stay with the injured person until help arrives.
• Learn first aid: a course turns the kit into something you can use under stress.

What to look for when you buy

Questions people ask

What should be in a car first aid kit?

The Red Cross family list: dressings, bandages, gauze, tape, antiseptic wipes, gloves, a breathing barrier, a cold compress, an emergency blanket, a thermometer, tweezers and instructions, plus your medications.

Where should I keep a first aid kit in my car?

Somewhere you can reach from the driver's seat, such as the glove box or a seat back.

How often should I check my car first aid kit?

Regularly, the Red Cross says; replace used and expired items.

Should a car first aid kit have a tourniquet?

Some kits include one; it is only useful with training. See our tourniquet guide.

Sources

• Make a First Aid Kit, American Red Cross
• MyFAK Mini, My Medic
• MyFAK, My Medic
• Car Bundle, My Medic
• American Red Cross Deluxe Family First Aid Kit, First Aid Only
• Bleeding, MedlinePlus

Sources checked 2026-10-15.