Fuel cell cars will appear on the market early in the next century. A question still remains - whether these vehicles will store onboard, hydrogen or, the hydrogen-rich carrier, methanol. There are a number of key areas surrounding this question, three of which are safety, economics and efficiency and emissions. Each of these issues was examined using the available literature, It: can be seen that it is only with emissions that a clear difference appears and then hydrogen shows an advantage over methanol. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.