UK Fire Brigades Tackled 1,760 Lithium-Ion Battery Fires in 2025 Amid Tripling EV and E-Bike Use

UK fire brigades tackled 1,760 lithium-ion battery fires in 2025, a 147 percent increase from 713 incidents in 2022. The fires occurred once every five hours on average across the country. E-bike fires totaled 520 in 2025, triple the 149 recorded in 2022, and were the number one source of lithium-ion battery fires.

London Fire Brigade handled 230 e-bike fires in 2025. That figure represented 44 percent of all UK e-bike fires last year. Where information was recorded, converted or retrofitted e-bikes were involved more frequently than officially manufactured models.

Electric vehicle fires rose 133 percent from 120 in 2022 to 279 in 2025. The number of electric vehicles on UK roads tripled from 664,148 in 2022 to 1,971,764 in 2025. QBE sent freedom of information requests to 49 UK fire services and received data from 42.

The Guardian reported that QBE researchers collated data from 46 out of 52 fire brigades contacted across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Forty-six percent of lithium-ion battery fires took place in people’s homes. Thirty-one percent occurred outdoors and 23 percent were recorded in commercial premises.

Forty-five percent of fire incidents involving lithium-ion batteries occurred on devices such as mobile phones, tablets, power packs and other battery powered equipment. The average UK household contains 15-25 lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion battery fires tend to occur due to a process called thermal runaway, which can happen due to overcharging, exposure to high temperatures, or impact damage.

Spencer Sutcliff, deputy commissioner for prevention, protection and operational policy at London Fire Brigade, said the brigade attended a record number of fires last year. “We are extremely concerned around the issue of e-bike and e-scooter fires and the devastating impact these fires can have on lives and livelihoods,” he said.

Sutcliff added that London Fire Brigade continues to be called out to a worrying amount of incidents involving e-bike and e-scooter batteries this year.

He said regulation can help improve product safety and reduce faulty or counterfeit products being sold, in particular e-bike batteries, chargers and conversion kits. “I am pleased to see the Department for Business & Trade introduce the necessary consultation this spring for the Product Regulation and Metrology Act,” he added.

Adrian Simmonds, Risk Manager at QBE Insurance, said thermal runaway fires take much longer to tackle and can require up to 10 times more water to contain.

He urged people to use only certified e-bikes and batteries, charge them away from escape routes, avoid charging items overnight, and stick to reputable companies to avoid unregulated devices.