Alcohol test kits: which kit tests what? Six checks before you buy

Written by Kazim Altınok, founder of CROM TEST and AlkoSafe. Last updated: 7 October 2026.

Urine kits look for alcohol breakdown products that stay for days. To check your own alcohol before driving, you need a saliva or breath test; neither tells you that you are fit to drive.

Kit	Sample	What it tells you	What it does not tell you	More
Drink (methanol) kit	The drink	Whether the method finds methanol in that drink	Your own alcohol level	Methanol test vs saliva test
Saliva test strip	Your saliva	Whether alcohol is above the strip’s stated threshold	An exact blood level, fitness to drive	How AlkoSafe works
Personal breathalyser	Your breath	An estimated promille value	A legal result, fitness to drive	How does a breathalyzer work
Urine (EtG) kit	Your urine	Alcohol use in the past days	How much alcohol is in your blood now	Helander et al. 2009

Four products sold as an “alcohol test kit”

Four different products are sold as an “alcohol test kit”: drink (methanol) kits, saliva test strips, personal breathalysers and urine (EtG) kits. Shops and search results use the same words for different products, so check which sample a kit tests before you compare prices: the sample decides which question it can answer. This guide is for readers about to buy an alcohol test kit online who are not sure which kind they need. It does not compare prices or rank brands; it explains what each kit tests and what to check on the box.

Drink kits: methanol in the drink

These kits test a drink, not a person. Depending on the method, they look for methanol or for the relation between methanol and ethanol. In a study of 200 drinks from India and Iran, two chemical kits were compared with gas chromatography, the laboratory reference method (Rafizadeh et al. 2022); one of the simple kits also flagged possible toxic substances in 25 samples where gas chromatography found no methanol. Such a kit says nothing about how much alcohol is in your blood.

Turkey’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry states that methanol cannot be recognised by colour, taste or smell, and that the main protection is buying from licensed sellers (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry). If you suspect methanol poisoning, call 112 or go to the nearest emergency department. The difference between the two kinds of test is explained in methanol test vs saliva alcohol test.

Saliva strips: alcohol in your saliva now

A saliva strip checks whether alcohol in your saliva is above a threshold and shows the result as a colour. Ethanol passes from the blood into saliva: in a study of 48 men, the saliva level was slightly higher than in capillary blood, on average about 1.08 times the blood value (Jones 1979, PMID 761427). That finding describes saliva, not the accuracy of any strip.

A strip is used once and needs no device or calibration, but it does not give an exact blood level.

Breathalysers: a number from your breath

A personal breathalyser (in Turkish searches often “alkol test cihazı”) estimates a promille value from your breath; promille (‰) is grams of alcohol per litre of blood (what does promille mean). Semiconductor and fuel-cell sensors differ, and devices need batteries and regular calibration. Before measuring, wait at least 15 minutes after eating or drinking. A personal device’s reading is not legal evidence. How the sensors work and where the errors come from: how does a breathalyzer work.

Urine kits: alcohol use in the past days

Some urine kits look for ethyl glucuronide (EtG), a breakdown product of ethanol. EtG is excreted in urine much longer than ethanol itself: in 32 alcohol-dependent patients in detoxification, it stayed detectable for several days, with wide differences between people (Helander et al. 2009, PMID 18971292). A urine kit can therefore show drinking in the past days. It cannot show whether you have alcohol in your blood right now.

“Alcohol test” can also mean a questionnaire

When people search for “alkol testi”, some results are questionnaires, not tests of a sample. The best known is the AUDIT, which the World Health Organization developed to identify hazardous and harmful patterns of alcohol consumption in primary care (WHO, AUDIT). It asks about drinking habits. It does not measure alcohol in the body.

Six checks before you buy

If you want a kit to check yourself before driving, read the box and the product page for these six points.

1. Sample: Saliva or breath tells you about now. A drink kit tests the drink, a urine kit the past days.
2. Threshold or number: A strip reports whether alcohol is above a stated threshold; a breathalyser shows an estimated number. Look for the threshold in promille on the box. A strip without a stated threshold cannot be compared with anything.
3. Single use or device: Strips are used once and need no calibration. A breathalyser can be used many times but needs batteries and calibration.
4. Instructions and waiting time: The instructions should say how long to wait after eating, drinking or smoking, how long the test takes and how to read the result, in a language you read well.
5. Expiry and storage: Check the expiry date and the storage conditions printed on the pack. Strips that are past their date or stored badly are not reliable.
6. What it does not show: A serious product says plainly that it does not replace a police or blood test and that a negative result is not permission to drive. If the box promises that you may drive, leave it.

The “test kits” in the law belong to the police

Since 27 February 2026, Law 2918 says that the police use “technical devices/test kits” to determine alcohol in the blood (Law 2918, art. 48(2)). These are the police’s kits. Police devices are calibrated and print the date, time, result and serial number (Highway Traffic Regulation, art. 97). A kit you buy is a personal check; it is not an official test and has no legal effect. Limits and penalties: drink-driving limit in Turkey: 2026 fines and rules.

Where AlkoSafe fits

AlkoSafe is a saliva screening strip. According to the manufacturer, it uses an alcohol oxidase reaction and has a stated detection threshold of 0.20‰. You place the absorbent end under your tongue; the result appears in about 2 minutes. Any blue or purple colour means alcohol was detected: do not drive. No colour change does not mean you are fit to drive. The colour guide on the foil pouch gives an approximate indication, not an exact blood level (AlkoSafe).

The instructions say to wait at least 15 minutes after eating, drinking, smoking, chewing gum or using mouthwash, to open the foil pouch just before use and to check the expiry date. Each strip is single use. A negative AlkoSafe result cannot be used to dispute a positive police test (How AlkoSafe works). AlkoSafe comes in packs of 5, 10 and 20 strips.

Step by step, and how a strip compares with a breathalyser and an app: how to check for alcohol before driving.

What no kit can tell you

No kit tells you that you are fit to drive. Turkey’s limits are 0.50‰ for private-car drivers and 0.20‰ for all other drivers and for novice drivers (Turkish Traffic Department; Law 2918 Additional Art. 17), and the Traffic Department notes that no level of alcohol is safe for driving. If you have been drinking, do not drive. Take a taxi, public transport or a driver who has not been drinking.

Frequently asked questions

About this guide

This guide uses the sources listed below, all checked on 7 October 2026. Statements about AlkoSafe are the manufacturer’s own product information and are marked as such. Breathalyser details come from our separate, sourced guides. We do not recommend or rank other brands.

Disclaimer

AlkoSafe is a personal screening and self-check aid. It does not replace an official breath or blood test, medical advice, employer rules or traffic law. A test result does not prove that you are free of alcohol or legally fit to drive. If you have been drinking, are tired or unwell, or are unsure, do not drive. If you suspect methanol poisoning, call 112 immediately.

Sources

Official

• Law 2918 Highway Traffic Law (Karayolları Trafik Kanunu), consolidated text (art. 48, Additional Art. 17): https://www.mevzuat.gov.tr/MevzuatMetin/1.5.2918.pdf
• Highway Traffic Regulation (Karayolları Trafik Yönetmeliği), art. 97: https://www.mevzuat.gov.tr/MevzuatMetin/yonetmelik/7.5.8182.pdf
• Turkish Traffic Department (Emniyet Genel Müdürlüğü Trafik Başkanlığı), Alkollü Araç Kullanımı: https://trafik.gov.tr/alkollu-arac-kullanimi
• Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (Tarım ve Orman Bakanlığı), Sahte ve kaçak alkol hakkında doğru bilinen yanlışlar: https://guvenilirgida.tarimorman.gov.tr/Haber/Detay/15149
• World Health Organization, AUDIT: the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test. Guidelines for use in primary health care: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-MSD-MSB-01.6a

Studies

• Rafizadeh A et al. Evaluating new simplified assays for harm reduction from methanol poisoning using chromotropic acid kits. Front Public Health. 2022;10:983663. PMID 36408033. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36408033/
• Jones AW. Distribution of ethanol between saliva and blood in man. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol. 1979;6(1):53–59. PMID 761427. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/761427/
• Helander A et al. Detection times for urinary ethyl glucuronide and ethyl sulfate in heavy drinkers during alcohol detoxification. Alcohol Alcohol. 2009;44(1):55–61. PMID 18971292. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18971292/

Manufacturer

• AlkoSafe product page (threshold, use, packs): https://alkosafe.com/alkosafe/
• How AlkoSafe works (reaction, instructions): https://alkosafe.com/how-it-works/