  The Enskog--Vlasov (EV) equation is a semi-empiric kinetic model describing
gas-liquid phase transitions. In the framework of the EV equation, these
correspond to an instability with respect to infinitely long perturbations,
developing in a gas state when the temperature drops below (or density rises
above) a certain threshold. In this paper, we show that the EV equation
describes one more instability, with respect to perturbations with a finite
wavelength and occurring at a higher density. This instability corresponds to
fluid-solid phase transition and the perturbations' wavelength is essentially
the characteristic scale of the emerging crystal structure. Thus, even though
the EV model does not describe the fundamental physics of the solid state, it
can `mimic' it -- and, thus, be used in applications involving both evaporation
and solidification of liquids. Our results also predict to which extent a pure
fluid can be overcooled before it definitely turns into a solid.
