The invention discloses a methylbenzene gas sensor based on an alpha-Fe2O3 / SnO2 heterostructure nanowire array and a preparation method of the methylbenzene gas sensor, and belongs to the technical field of gas sensors. The device is of a flat plate structure, and is composed of two separated copper-gold alloy probes (serving as test electrodes), a sensitive material thin film growing on a Pt-plated silicon wafer, and a mini-type high-temperature ceramic heating piece on the back face of the silicon wafer. The sensor has the advantages of being high in integration level, simple in structure, low in price, small in size, firm, durable and capable of being produced on a large scale. In addition, the test result of the gas-sensitive characteristic shows that the sensor can detect methylbenzene at low working temperature and has extremely-good long-term stability, and therefore the methylbenzene gas sensor can have important application prospects on the aspects of methylbenzene leakage detecting and alarming in industrial production.