Best first aid kits 2026 – the essential emergency kits for your car

You could argue a first aid kit is like car insurance; you hope you never need it but when you do, you’re glad you had it. 

We’re not talking about top-tier paramedic equipment here; just a basic first aid kit that’ll cater for the kinds of ailments that can occur on a trip or offer provision for care should you be first on the scene of a road-traffic accident, for example. 

The kits here are all supplied as a package with contents in a pouch, bag or box. Some are approved to British Standards or ISO, the international organisation for standardisation, for use in a vehicle or workplace. But regardless of their relevant approvals, they should all contain certified products intended for medical use. 

Depending on those certifications or intended uses, their actual contents vary. As part of our assessment, we spoke to a medical first responder whose experience was vital in sorting the genuinely useful kits from those presented more for form over function. 

We also simulated two medical conditions and got a volunteer – with no first aid training – to attempt to treat them, to see how easy each was to use, and if they contained everything required for these tasks. 

The costs were relatively close and none were particularly expensive, so our ratings of the best first aid kits ultimately came down to effectiveness, ease of use and portability. 

The products or services referenced in this story have been reviewed independently by our experts. When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. However, this will never influence our opinion or ratings.

Best in-car first aid kits 2025

1. St. John Ambulance Motor Vehicle first aid kit – Best first aid kit
2. RAC Truck and Van first aid kit
3. Halfords 35-piece motorist’s first aid kit

1. Best overall kit – St. John Ambulance Medium Motor Vehicle first aid kit

What Car? rating - 5/5

Buy from Amazon – around £18

Pros

- Quality contents
- Reassuring brand
- British Standards-approved for vehicles

Cons

- Too many cleaning wipes
- Step-by-step guide too in-depth for emergency use

The St. John Ambulance kit is certified to BS 8599-2, meaning it is designed for vehicles rather than workplaces (like some of the other kits here) and comes in a compact soft case. It initially appears light on contents, but it focuses on what’s needed, rather than just filling the case. The bag opens easily, with the lid folding fully back to reveal the contents. 

You get a small cardboard box of alcohol-free cleaning wipes and 20 plasters – also in a box – and two pairs of nitrile gloves. There’s a pair of shears and a face shield, two burn dressings and a heat-retaining foil blanket. There’s a self-adhesive dressing (8cm x 10cm), a triangular bandage and two dressings; a first-aid dressing integral with an elasticated bandage designed to go on a wound (what our medical responder describes as an ‘ambulance bandage’) and a medium trauma dressing, designed to stem blood flow from a major wound. 

In testing, the face shield was easy to find, open and prepare for use, and it proved effective. When it came to the leg wound, the gloves were easy to find and fitted well, while the wipes were also easy to locate and were a good size. The kit contains a trauma bandage which we used to stem the ‘blood flow’ and the elasticated bandage applies pressure to the wound as necessary. The bandage was finished with a plastic clip to hold the free end of the bandage securely in place. 

The shears worked very well – they were easy to use and cut through the leg seam on our volunteer's jeans very easily. The protective flange sat flat against the leg with no sharp points. 

Tester’s insight
“The St John kit was comprehensive and useful to keep in the car for emergencies. I found the booklet handy – but you’d be best reading that at home before you need to use the kit. Reassuring to keep in the car though.”

Expert’s insight
“Two burns kits are better than one – these are quite small but the gel from one could always be used to supplement the other. It's all here though – pretty much everything you might need.”

What Car? says

A well-designed kit with quality contents and key information from an iconic name in the field of medical treatment

Buy it if

- You want the reassurance of an iconic brand
- You want everything you are likely to need in one comprehensive kit

Don't buy it if

- You feel bigger is always better
- You want the lowest cost possible

The facts

Contents: shears, face shield, foil blanket, gloves (x2 pairs), burn dressing (x2), self-adhesive dressing, plasters (x20), alcohol-free cleaning wipes (x10), triangular bandage, medium dressing, trauma dressing, instruction/information booklet

2. RAC Vivo Truck and Van first aid kit

Buy from RAC Shop – around £21

What Car? rating - 4/5

Pros

- Essential contents
- Printed identification
- Useful pouch

Cons

- Eye wash has limited life
- Large bag
- Pricey

This kit from the RAC is certified to BS 8599-1:2019, and according to the website, is for truck and van first aid. It's all housed in a large pouch which opens flat to allow you to see what you're looking for. It contains what initially appears to be a comprehensive set of contents, all professionally packaged. 

You get a biohazard waste bag and a vehicle sticker, highlighting the fact a first-aid kit is carried. There’s a proper set of shears and a pair of gloves, foil blanket, face shield, and four cleaning wipes. There’s also a 250ml bottle of eye-wash solution, which could also be used to wash wounds because it’s basically saline. 

There is a selection of plasters, a single burn dressing and two non-adhesive absorbent dressings – one large and one small. There are also two sterile dressings – one large and one medium – and a roll of crepe bandage to hold a dressing in place plus a roll of micropore tape. Finally, there’s a sterile eye dressing and a triangular dressing with some safety pins. 

The contents were all clearly identifiable and easy to find and, in our testing, the face shield was located and opened quickly. There was a small instruction leaflet in the packaging. For the leg bleed, there are two sizes of bandage dressings – large and medium. The large has quite a lot of bandage between the wound dressing and the end of the bandage. The dressing itself was very large, and it was well labelled and easy to apply. 

The shears worked well and didn't dig into the skin at all during use. 

Tester’s insight
“The thing I liked about this kit is that the use of each item is clearly printed on its packaging; ‘For treating wounds and controlling bleeding’ on the sterile bandages, for example. It's not a massive kit and feels a little overpriced compared with some here but it does have a feeling of quality to it.”

Expert’s insight
“I probably wouldn’t advertise contents because it makes people think about seeing what else you have. The items are marked up well and it’s actually not bad. I probably wouldn't keep the eye wash in the car because it will eventually go out of date.” 

What Car? says

A good spread of useful contents, with clear identification but pricey and a cumbersome bag

Buy it if

- You want a well packed kit
- You want clear, easy-to-identify items

Don't buy it if

- You want the cheapest kit
- You want the smallest packaging

The facts

Contents: shears, safety pins, vehicle sticker, clinical waste bag (x2), gloves, foil blanket, face shield, cleaning wipes (x4), triangular bandage, burn dressing, absorbent dressing (1xlarge, 1xsmall), plasters (x20), dressing bandages (1xlarge, 1xsmall), crepe bandage, eye dressing, micropore tape (5m), saline eye wash (250ml)

3. Halfords 35-piece motorist’s first aid kit 

Buy from Halfords – around £15

What Car? rating - 4/5

Pros

- Useful contents
- Compact kit
- Clear printing on packaging

Cons

- Only one wound dressing
- Excessive cleaning wipes

The Halfords kit comes in a handy sized soft bag that opens flat to reveal its contents in a variety of pockets and pouches. There isn't an enormous number of items, but what is there appears to be very useful: ten wound-cleaning wipes, two pairs of gloves, ten plasters, two 10x10cm burn dressings, a resuscitation face shield, foil blanket, triangular bandage and an adhesive dressing. 

You also get a TraumaFix bandage, designed to control bleeding from major wounds. Initially we felt this might be a little over the top, but while effective, it appears to be the only item designed to prevent bleeding from a wound; there are no ambulance bandages, dressings or crepe bandages to hold them on with. 

The contents are packaged in easy-open material, and you also get a pair of very effective shears. However, the flange designed to prevent them digging into skin wasn’t turned over far enough and could cause an issue on insertion. 

In our tests, the resuscitation face shield was easy to find, open and use, with clear instructions printed on the shield itself. When dealing with the simulated leg bleed, the gloves were easy to find and put on and the cleaning wipe was large enough to be useful. The trauma bandage worked well; instructions on the packaging were clear and although there were two layers of packaging to get through, it was easy to fit and apply pressure to the wound with a large dressing. 

The shears worked effectively on the jeans, both on the seam and material, but because the flange wasn’t at a full 90deg to the cutting edge, it did scrape the skin slightly. 

Tester’s insight
“The Halfords kit feels very well thought-out and put together, but it does seem a little light on contents compared with others here. The trauma bandage is a great addition but it is the only thing to stem bleeding on anything larger than a small cut. I thought it all very good but a little light.”

Expert’s insight
“This has all the basics you'd need. I would debate the trauma bandage – this might be a little over the top when an ambulance bandage would do a similar job. I don't think there’s anything here that isn't useful – perhaps a few too many cleaning wipes – but also, there doesn’t seem to be anything obvious missing.” 

What Car? says

Well though-out and quality products but limited in their number

Buy it if

- You want few – but high quality – items
- You want a compact kit

Don't buy it if

- You want coverage for more than one injury
- You want the lowest price

The facts

Contents: soft bag, shears, alcohol-free cleaning wipes (x10), 10x10cm burn dressing (x2), adhesive dressing, TraumaFix dressing, triangular bandage, washproof plasters (x10), face shield, foil blanket, nitrile gloves (x2), medium (12x12cm) dressing, first-aid guide pamphlet

4. Lewis-Plast Small premium first aid kit 

What Car? rating - 4/5

Pros

- Extensive contents
- Solid case
- Quality items

Cons

- Bit much for average motorist
- Hard case may not suit all
- Excessive cleaning wipes

This is the smallest version of this kit from Lewis-Plast and it’s certified to the British Standard and described as suitable for “schools and workplaces, injuries or emergencies in offices,” but equally it is a good size for a car or van. It comes in a hard plastic case, including wall-hanging brackets, hinting at its intended use. It contains a spread of items, all of which appear to come from the same supplier as the Halfords kit. 

You get a quality set of shears and six pairs of gloves, 20 wound-cleaning wipes and 40 plasters, along with two large dressings, two medium dressings, two finger dressings and two eye pad dressings. You also get a face shield, foil blanket, two triangular bandages, two burn dressings and a roll of micropore tape. There is also a roll of conforming (crepe) bandage to hold dressings to the body. 

In our practical testing, the face shield was easy to find and use and appeared to be the same as the Halfords one, with the outline of a face and ‘this side up’ clearly printed on it. The dressing for the leg wound was very good and the dressing bandage worked well and was very similar to the RAC example, with a large fold-out dressing and a long bandage section between the dressing and the end.

The shears were very effective at cutting the seam and the material though again, the flange was not at the full 90deg to the cutting plane and so the edge of the metal dug into the skin as they were used. 

Tester’s insight
“While the Lewis-Plast kit is clearly designed for workplaces, it contains a lot of kit, but I think maybe too much for the car unless you regularly carry lots of passengers. If you’re heading away with a group, then this could be a good option.”

Expert’s insight
“All the essentials are here but in all my years; I have never used an eye pad. It feels a little over the top for a general motorist and I’d say there are too many dressings for a motorist’s kit. It's also a little bulky with the hard case.”

What Car? says

A very comprehensive kit but perhaps a little too much for the average motorist. Great to cover multiple passengers though

Buy it if

- You run a commercial vehicle or carry multiple passengers
- You want wide coverage

Don't buy it if

- You have limited storage options
- You want a basic kit

The facts

Contents: shears, face shield, conforming bandage, triangular bandage (x2), burn dressing (x2), eye pad (x2), finger dressing (x2), large dressing (x2), medium dressing (x2), foil blanket, gloves (x3 pairs), plasters (x40), micropore tape (5m), alcohol-free cleaning wipes (x20)

5. AA Ultimate first aid kit 

What Car? rating - 3/5

Pros

- Selection of ambulance bandages
- DIN certification
- Relatively compact

Cons

- Key items missing
- Some items limited use
- Bag difficult to use

The AA kit is supplied in a soft case, branded as the “Ultimate first aid kit” and is certified to DIN 13164:202 – a German standard for automotive first aid kits and mandatory for vehicles in countries including Germany, Switzerland and Austria. The bag only opens at the top but at first sight, the contents appear comprehensive. 

There are scissors designed like shears with canted blades, but these don't feature the flat section to prevent them digging into skin. There are two cleaning wipes, a foil blanket and a packet of plasters and a facemask. There are four compresses – three medium and one very large – and a traction bandage which was confusingly labelled as a triangular bandage.

There was also a selection of dressing bandages – one large, two medium and one small – plus three medium and two small crepe bandages and a roll of micropore tape. Burn dressings and a face shield were conspicuous by their absence, however. 

In our practical testing, it was apparent that the lack of a face shield could mean potential issues with resuscitation. It emerged that while the packaging appeared professional, it all looked too similar to quickly identify the items needed. Gloves and cleaning wipes were both effective but it took a moment to identify the dressing bandage.

The shears worked well but weren’t quite as effective as those in the St John's kit and there was no flat flange to prevent damage to the skin while using. 

Tester’s insight
“First impressions were good, with what appeared to be high-quality medical supplies, all from the same manufacturer. However, I soon realised that several key items are missing, such as burn dressings and a face shield. Some of what is here is very useful but some is less so – pads with no inherent fixing method, for example.”

Expert’s insight
“You don't need a facemask because you're likely treating someone you know, or if you need one, you probably have one already. For basic first aid, i’d want trauma or ambulance bandages and there are four here. You don't want to be applying a dressing then applying a separate bandage – most people wouldn’t use these.”

What Car? says

The bag needs everything emptying out to find what you want and it is lacking some key contents

Buy it if

- You are travelling to Germany, Switzerland or Austria
- You need to top-up some contents of another kit

Don't buy it if

- You want a comprehensive kit
- You want the easiest kit to use

The facts

Contents: scissors/shears, gloves (x2 pairs), face mask (x2), plasters (x14), rescue blanket, absorbent pads (x4), cleaning wipes (x2), dressing bandage (x4), retention bandage (x5), micropore tape (5m), triangular bandage

6. General Medi 160 piece kit 

What Car? rating - 2/5

Pros

- Useful carry bag
- Compact
- Handy additions

Cons

- Too many plasters
- Gimmicky additions
- Alcohol wipes

Described as being relevant for “travel, home, office, vehicle”, the General Medi kit comes in a fold-flat soft bag and initially, appears to contain a vast array of items. However, about half of the contents are plasters and there are 24 cleaning wipes or towelettes and 20 cotton buds. The sales material says it is certified to ISO 13485 but that appears to have little benefit here. 

In addition, some of the contents are a little questionable: scissors rather than shears, and a package of a compass, whistle and safety pins – gimmicks according to our emergency responder and unnecessary for a car kit. Perhaps of more use are the light-stick and emergency rain poncho.

The resuscitation shield was initially thought to be an eye bath; the micropore tape isn’t really big enough; there are two eye pads and a selection of non-adhesive gauze pads. However, other than the small roll of tape, there’s only a single small roll of crepe bandage to fix dressings to the body. There’s an instant cold compress but no burn dressings. 

In our simulated injury tests, the face shield was located quite easily even though labelling wasn’t obvious. Tending to the leg wound, the gloves were large but the cleaning wipes were tiny so you’d likely need several to clean a wound. It proved difficult to identify a dressing to go directly against the wound, and none were integral with bandages, so the tester had to tape the dressing on and then apply a crepe bandage to hold it in place. Not a very satisfactory solution. 

The scissors appeared to work reasonably well; they took longer to get through the seam than proper shears but once they reached the material, they worked fine. 

Tester’s insight
“While there’s a lot in the General Medi kit, it simply does not feel as well thought-out or as – dare I say – professional as some of the others. It seems to want to be a jack of all trades, and as such doesn’t really master any of them.”

Expert’s insight
“The makers would probably argue those scissors are ‘shears’. There’s also a lot of plasters but not much tape. The whistle and compass are pointless – I reckon the horn in your car is more useful. The resus shield is not obvious and there is no trauma care here. It’s messy – it's like someone has asked ChatGPT what to put in a first-aid kit.”

What Car? says

It's a strange hotch-potch of contents with no clear purpose

Buy it if

- You have lots of pastimes that might benefit
- You need lots of plasters

Don't buy it if

- You want a focussed, quality kit
- You like gimmicks

The facts

Contents: shears, tweezers, cotton buds (x20), face shield, foil blanket, rain poncho, compass, whistle, safety pins, alcohol prep pad (x18), cleaning towlette (x6), gloves (x1 pair), cold compress, light stick, blister pads, plasters (x82), triangular bandage, abdominal pad, elastic bandage, eye pad (x2), gauze pads (x4), adhesive dressing, non-adhesive dressing, micropore tape (4.5m)

7. Amazon Basics first aid kit

What Car? rating - 2/5

Pros

- Small
- Light
- Lots of plasters

Cons

- Not much else
- Small scissors, not shears
- Nothing to stop a bleed

The Amazon Basic first-aid kit is, not surprisingly, Amazon’s Choice when searching for “first aid kit”. It’s a very small kit – it would probably go in a large pocket – and contains a limited selection of items. You get a very small pair of scissors and what look like eyebrow tweezers, two clips to hold bandages and a comparatively large selection of plasters; 29 traditional, two large adhesive dressings and eight blue plasters, totalling most of the content item count. 

There are five alcohol wipes included but each are described as a “personal hygiene cleansing hand towel” and bear no CE markings (neither do the plasters). There are six gauze compresses, a crepe bandage and a roll of micropore tape and it all comes in a small soft case with a zip pocket and belt/strap loops. There’s also a printed instruction leaflet in six languages. 

The case was quite difficult to get into and once the plasters were put to one side, there was little of use inside. The cleaning wipes don’t appear to be specifically medical and there’s just a single bandage with six gauze pads. 

In our testing, there was no face shield included so this meant artificial respiration could potentially cause problems, and  there were no gloves potentially leading to cross-contamination when tending to open wounds. There’s also nothing included to stop a major bleed, just gauze pads to clean. Hardly surprisingly, the scissors proved ineffective and were largely unable to get through the seam at the bottom of the leg of the jeans; they appeared to be more like toe-nail scissors. 

Tester’s insight
“The Amazon kit was disappointing, even for someone with no medical training. It's basically a large selection of plasters with some tape and is not remotely reassuring. There are none of the items you'd feel should be included – gloves, face shield, dressings – and although it is small, I just didn’t feel it was very useful.”

Expert’s insight
“Scissors? No! Plasters are useful but you don't need that many. You don't need gauze in a first-aid kit. There are no dressings here – that’s a crepe bandage, grips and holds but there is nothing to stop a bleed. I would have expected better from Amazon’s Basics. I have used the brand for other things in the past and it has been good. This doesn’t do the job.”

What Car? says

Cheap but nothing to stop a significant bleed and quality seemed low

Buy it if

- You need lots of plasters
- You want a really small kit

Don't buy it if

- You want to treat anything more than a small cut
- You want to cut through anything

The facts

Contents: scissors, tweezers, bandage clips (x2), alcohol wipes (x5), plasters (x37), adhesive dressings (x2), gauze (x6), bandage, micropore tape (5m)

How we test first aid kits

Our first assessment method was to ask a medical first responder to study each of the kits and give us impressions of their contents, quality and potential effectiveness. 

We then tested each pair of shears on a pair of regular jeans to see how well they cut the leg seam and material – a representation of the quality of the tool in a typical real-world use scenario. 

Finally, we tasked a family member with using each kit to deal with two fictitious injuries – a non-responsive patient who was not breathing and an 8cm open, bleeding wound to the lower leg – using a closed kit. We considered how quick and easy it was to locate and unpack the relevant piece of equipment – a face shield and a wound dressing – and how easy they were to use.

How we rated first aid kits

Contents We assessed the contents of each kit to decide how relevant we felt they were to an average motorist as well as using our first responder’s experience to determine how effective the contents were; was there too much emphasis on professional-level care or was it too light on what would actually be useful? 

Packaging Was the overall bag or box easy to open and access the contents? Was each item clearly labelled? Did each come with an instruction booklet? 

Size How large was the kit and would it fit easily in a glovebox or storage bin in an average car? 

Certification Was the kit certified overall and if so, to what standard/use? Were the contents all approved? 

First aid kit certifications

Almost all the kits here are certified; either to a British Standard or to an ISO one. British Standard BS 8599 covers first aid kits, with 8599-1 for workplace kits and 8599-2 for vehicle kits. DIN 13164 is a German standard for vehicle kits and is a mandatory requirement for motoring in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. No certification doesn’t necessarily mean a bad first aid kit, rather it’s not been approved for certain uses – but a non-certified kit should still contain materials marked with the CE mark to demonstrate they conform to the pan-European standards. 

How we test products

The products or services referenced in this story have been reviewed independently by our experts. When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. However, this will never influence our opinion or ratings.

For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here

Read more product tests >>