Ebike and e-scooter fires in UK rise to new record highs

Ebike and e-scooter fires in the UK reached a record high last year, an investigation has found, renewing concerns over the use of lithium batteries and unregulated marketplaces.Fire brigade figures obtained by the Press Association show there were at least 432 ebike fires recorded across the UK in 2025, up 38% from 313 the previous year and more than five times higher than the 84 recorded in 2021.There were at least 147 e-scooter fires in 2025, a 20% jump on the 123 in 2024. The figures come from freedom of information requests sent to the UK’s 49 fire brigades, of which 37 responded.London Fire Brigade (LFB) recorded by far the most ebike and e-scooter fires last year, with 171 and 35 respectively. Nottinghamshire had the next highest number of ebike fires, 30, followed by Greater Manchester (13) and Avon (10).Greater Manchester had the highest number of e-scooter blazes (13) outside London, ahead of Avon (10).Ebike and e-scooter fires are often caused by the failure of batteries, conversion kits or chargers. Products bought from online marketplaces have been found to be at greater risk of malfunctioning than those sold by established retailers because they are not subjected to the same level of regulation.Nick Bailey, of BatteryIQ, which provides a system to monitor the safety of ebike batteries, said the ebikes and e-scooters involved in fires were “always cut-price products sold through online marketplaces with lax quality control”.He said: “There’s also a growing black market in DIY and counterfeit batteries, particularly for delivery riders, built using battery cells reclaimed from used disposable vapes.“I wouldn’t keep a battery in my home without continuous monitoring – regardless of what the manufacturer’s sticker says.”Fires involving lithium batteries used for ebikes and e-scooters can spread rapidly and produce a toxic vapour.Last year, 30-year-old Eden Abera Siem died in hospital after a blaze at her north London home that investigators found was likely to have been caused by the failure of a charging ebike battery.Lesley Rudd, the chief executive of the charity Electrical Safety First, said: “Poorly made batteries and accessories, often sold via under-regulated online marketplaces, are of huge concern and are a major route through which dangerous devices are entering people’s homes.“Without strong and enforceable changes, lives are at serious risk and further loss of life is sadly inevitable.”Spencer Sutcliff, an LFB deputy commissioner, said the brigade was “extremely concerned around the issue of ebike and e-scooter fires and the devastating impact these fires can have on lives and livelihoods”. He said the brigade’s firefighters “continue to be called out to a worrying amount” of the incidents.Privately owned e-scooters have been banned from the Transport for London (TfL) network since December 2021 because of their fire risk. This was extended to non-foldable ebikes for the majority of TfL services in March last year after an ebike caught fire on a platform at Rayners Lane tube station.Private e-scooters are banned from being used in public areas across the UK, although they are often ridden illegally in many urban locations. Legal trials of rental e-scooters on roads have been ongoing in towns and cities across England since July 2020.Under UK law, ebike motors must cut out when a speed of 15.5mph is reached. But police are increasingly finding many have been modified to reach much faster speeds.Sue Davies, Which?’s head of consumer rights policy, said: “Online marketplaces are increasingly saturated with unsafe products.“Ebikes and e-scooters are just some examples of items that can pose serious risks to consumers while also undercutting responsible businesses that comply with the law.“The government has launched a much-needed consultation on updating the product safety framework, including duties for online marketplaces to prevent unsafe products from 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 fires and other harm.”