petrol storage in the car

[Jackarius]

Is it ok to store petrol in the boot of my car in the proper plastic container (the one that most garages sell - it's usually green)?

[v64paul]

as far as i know it's o.k. but it aint really reccomended...

[nfn]

I keep a can of unleaded (green) in the boot of my car, secured down inside the spare wheel. I've never had any problems.

Incidentally, if you try to put anything other than unleaded into a green can the garage will usually tell you to stop. You need red for unleaded, black for diesel and blue for something else I can't remember. It's a safety thing.

[QBottin]

 The amount you are carrying (5ltrs) is not covered under ADR (this is conditions for the carriage of dangerous goods) as its below the limited quantities guide, but its not a good idea for several reasons.

a) Petrol when it gets hot, as it will in your boot in the summer, gives off fumes that cause the cans to expand and being plastic they can split, giving an obvious fire hazard.

b) Petrol if left in a can for some time goes stale and is not good for your car in this state.

c) In the event of an accident, the emergency services have an added danger to deal with, your plastic can will split a lot easier than your fuel tank in an accident.

If you must carry fuel with you, then you should carry it in a jerry can (this is a metal 5 gallon can with a special seal on it usually seen on ary landrovers) mount it to the outsde of the vehicle where it can be seen and put a highly flammible sticker on it (though not required by law) so the emergency services can see it.

Looks a bit rough on your average family saloon though. 

I hope this helps.

[patbrimallar]

it is never ok to store petrol in the back of your vehicle unless you do not like the look of yourself . requires a lot of plastic surgery. the green container you mention is an ideal way of storing, providing if it has a british safety kite mark on it. however take it out of the vehicle when full as a slight rear end shunt can result in you looking remarkably like guy fawkes on a good day. carfurn training