Ebike and e-scooter fires in UK rise to new record highs | Firefighters
E-bike and e-scooter fires in the UK reached a record high last year, a study has found, renewing concerns about the use of lithium batteries and unregulated marketplaces.
Fire service figures obtained by the Press Association show at least 432 e-bike fires will be recorded across the UK in 2025; The number is 313, up 38% on the previous year and five times more than the 84 fires recorded in 2021.
There have been at least 147 e-scooter fires in 2025; This is a 20% increase compared to 123 in 2024. The figures come from freedom of information requests sent to 49 fire brigades in the UK, to which 37 responded.
The London Fire Brigade (LFB) recorded by far the highest number of e-bike and e-scooter fires last year, with 171 and 35 fires respectively. Nottinghamshire came second with 30 e-bike fires, followed by Greater Manchester (13) and Avon (10).
Greater Manchester had the most e-scooter fires (13) outside London, ahead of Avon (10).
E-bike and e-scooter fires are often caused by failure of batteries, conversion kits or chargers. Products purchased from online marketplaces have been found to be at higher risk of malfunctioning than those sold by established retailers because they are not subject to the same level of regulation.
Nick Bailey of BatteryIQ, which provides a system to monitor the safety of e-bike batteries, said the e-bikes and e-scooters involved in the fires were “cut-price products sold on online marketplaces, always with lax quality control”.
He said: “There is also a growing black market in DIY and counterfeit batteries made using battery cells recovered from used disposable e-cigarettes, particularly for delivery drivers.
“No matter what the manufacturer’s label says, I would not keep a battery in my home without constant monitoring.”
Fires involving lithium batteries used in e-bikes and e-scooters can spread quickly and produce toxic fumes.
Last year, 30-year-old Eden Abera Siem died in hospital after a fire broke out at her north London home. Researchers found that it was most likely caused by a malfunction in charging the e-bike battery.
Lesley Rudd, chief executive of the charity Electrical Safety First, said: “Poorly manufactured batteries and accessories, often sold on poorly regulated online marketplaces, are a major concern and a major route for dangerous devices into people’s homes.
“Without strong and actionable changes, lives are at serious risk and further loss of life is sadly inevitable.”
LFB deputy commissioner Spencer Sutcliff said the brigade was “extremely concerned about the e-bike and e-scooter fires and the devastating impact they could have on lives and livelihoods”. He said the brigade’s firefighters “continue to receive an alarming amount of calls” to incidents.
Privately owned e-scooters have been banned on the Transport for London (TfL) network since December 2021 due to fire risk. This has been extended to non-folding e-bikes for the majority of TfL services after an e-bike caught fire on a platform at Rayners Lane tube station in March last year.
Although private e-scooters are banned from public use across the UK, they are used illegally in most urban areas. Legal trials of rented e-scooters on roads have been ongoing in towns and cities across the UK since July 2020.
According to UK law, e-bike motors must be deactivated once a speed of 25.5 mph is reached. But police are increasingly finding that many have been modified to reach much higher speeds.
Sue Davies, head of consumer rights policy at Which, said: “Online marketplaces are increasingly flooded with unsafe products.
“E-bikes and e-scooters are just some of the items that can pose serious risks to consumers and also disrupt responsible, law-abiding businesses.
“The government has launched a much-needed consultation on updating the product safety framework, including duties on online marketplaces to prevent unsafe products being sold by third-party sellers.
“These duties must be strong and enforceable, with clear measures in place to protect consumers and reduce the risk of fire and other harm.”
