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UK e-bike and e-scooter battery fires caused 18 deaths and nearly 700 injuries from 2019 to 2025, data shows

Freedom of Information requests reveal over 2,000 fires, with officials pointing to unapproved conversion kits, second-hand devices, and online marketplace sales.

Updated Aug 28, 2026 · 06:21 UTC1 reports

The short version

  • Fires caused by e-bikes, e-scooters, and their lithium-ion batteries led to 18 deaths and nearly 700 injuries in the UK between 2019 and 2025.
  • Annual incidents surged from 32 in 2019 to 605 in 2025, with almost half starting inside homes or garages.
  • Fire services, coroners, and industry groups attributed many blazes to modified vehicles, second-hand devices, and non-compliant parts purchased online.
  • The UK government and cycling trade organizations are promoting safety campaigns and calling for stricter regulation of online marketplaces.

Key facts

  • Data gathered from 41 UK fire and rescue services shows that e-bikes, e-scooters, and their batteries caused 18 deaths and nearly 700 injuries in over 2,000 fires between 2019 and 2025.[BBC News]
  • Annual battery fire incidents rose significantly over the seven-year period, increasing from 32 in 2019 to 605 in 2025.[BBC News]
  • Nearly half of all reported fires originated in domestic homes or garages.[BBC News]
  • Urban areas recorded the highest number of incidents, led by London with 793 fires over the seven-year period.[BBC News]
  • Coroners in the UK have issued at least five Prevention of Future Deaths reports regarding lithium-ion battery fires since 2023.[BBC News]
  • Industry trade body the Bicycle Association estimates that an average of 153,000 new e-bikes have been added to UK roads annually since 2020.[BBC News]

What remains uncertain

  • The exact national total of fires may be slightly higher, as eight fire services could not provide complete data and some local records relied on keyword searches that may have missed unlabeled incidents.[BBC News]

Sources