UK e-bike, e-scooter battery fires kill 18
Fires caused by e-bikes and e-scooters have resulted in 18 deaths and nearly 700 injuries in the UK since 2019, with incidents rising sharply.
Eighteen people have died and nearly 700 have been injured in fires caused by e-bikes and e-scooters in the UK. New data obtained by BBC Verify shows more than 2,000 such fires occurred between 2019 and 2025, with the number rising year-on-year.
Nearly half of these fires started in homes or garages. Fatalities included people trapped inside burning homes, those who died while trying to escape from high windows, and victims of toxic smoke inhalation.
Fire risk from modified and second-hand vehicles
London Fire Brigade Assistant Commissioner Pam Oparaocha expressed increasing concern over the significant fire risk posed by some of these vehicles. She said many fires attended by the service involved second-hand vehicles or bikes modified using parts bought online. Oparaocha urged people to be extremely careful about where they buy their e-bike or e-scooter.
Footage shows how quickly these vehicles can start smoking and apparently explode, causing blazes that spread within minutes. An average of 153,000 new e-bikes have been added to UK roads each year since 2020, according to the Bicycle Association.
| Item | Price Range/Incident Count |
|---|---|
| New e-bike (high street retailer) | £400 to £4,000 |
| Second-hand vehicles/unregulated conversion kits (online) | From £150 |
| Battery fires in 2019 | 32 |
| Battery fires in 2025 | 605 |
The number of fires caused by e-bike and e-scooter batteries increased dramatically from 32 in 2019 to 605 in 2025. Urban areas recorded the highest numbers of incidents over the seven-year period.
How battery faults lead to deadly blazes
Dr Simon Jones of the University of Warwick explained the danger. Lithium-ion batteries store a huge amount of energy in a small space. However, if faulty, over-charged, or damaged, that energy can be released rapidly as flame jets and burning projectiles.
He warned that a battery failure in a home can result in a fast-spreading fire that engulfs a room in seconds, blocking escape routes. These fires also release toxic fumes that pose a serious health risk.
Jahmell Campbell, 24, from London, described the loud explosion when his e-scooter caught fire at his grandmother's home in Hither Green in March last year. The vehicle burst into flames by the front door. "The only way out was through the window, so I jumped straight out," he said. Campbell's grandmother had to be thrown from a window to escape, suffering minor injuries. Six fire engines attended the blaze, which destroyed the flat.
Calls for action on unsafe products
Several coroners have issued at least five Prevention of Future Deaths reports since 2023. Among the cases was eight-year-old Luke Albiston-O'Donnell from Birkenhead, who died in 2024 after inhaling toxic fumes from a house fire caused by an e-bike battery on charge. Coroner Anita Bhardwaj said the public does not appreciate the life-threatening risks of storing such batteries in homes.
Another fatality was Mohsin Janjua, 28, from Bradford, who died in 2023. Investigations found a "catastrophic failure" of a battery from an e-bike conversion kit bought online from China was "more likely than not" responsible. Other coroners have linked deaths to vehicles that did not meet UK safety standards.
Steve Garidis from the Bicycle Association said retailers' investment in safe, legal e-bikes is undermined by illegal and unsafe products often sold through online marketplaces. The Bicycle Association and the Association of Cycle Traders run an "E-Bike Positive" scheme to help consumers identify compliant distributors, retailers, and manufacturers. They have called on the government to crack down on the sale of unsafe e-bikes online and tackle demand driven by the gig economy.
A government spokesperson said action is being taken, including strengthening the responsibilities of online marketplaces, working with local authorities to remove unsafe products, and running the "Buy Safe, Be Safe" campaign. The campaign advises people to look for UKCA or CE safety marks when buying an e-bike or e-scooter.
