England’s fire services attended 19,600 road vehicle fires in 2025/26. This page separates that official total from electric-car, hybrid, e-bike and battery-fire datasets, which count different incidents. It also explains what the evidence can tell us about electric-vehicle fire risk. Sources and reporting periods are listed at the end.
Key facts and figures
- 19,600 road vehicle fires were attended in England in the year ending March 2026, up 5.7% on the revised preceding year.
- 29.5% of England’s primary fires in 2025/26 were road vehicle fires.
- 37 people died in road vehicle fires in England in 2025/26, compared with 30 in 2024/25.
- 516 non-fatal casualties were recorded in road vehicle fires in England in 2025/26.
- 279 electric-car fires in 2025 were reported in QBE’s 2026 FOI exercise, which received responses from 42 of 49 UK fire services.
- Limited UK data — the government says there is no evidence that EV fires are more likely than petrol or diesel vehicle fires.
- 20 battery-electric cars were recorded among 91 car-fire entries in London’s lithium and electric-vehicle dataset for 2025; most of the others were hybrids.
- 230 e-bike entries appear in the same London dataset for 2025. They should be distinguished from car fires and from separate LFB press-release figures.
Checked on 15 October 2026. MHCLG figures cover England in 2025/26; QBE and London comparisons use calendar 2025. FOI responses and specialist datasets have different coverage from the official all-vehicle series.
How many vehicle fires are there in the UK each year?
England’s fire services attended 19,600 road vehicle fires in the year ending March 2026, compared with a revised 18,546 in 2024/25. That is an increase of 5.7%. Road vehicles accounted for 29.5% of England’s 66,383 primary fires.
The 2025/26 count was 6.1% below the 20,864 recorded in 2015/16. A rise over one year can therefore coexist with a fall over a decade. These incident counts alone do not identify the causes of either change or measure risk per vehicle.
| Period | Road vehicle fires (England) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Year ending March 2016 | 20,864 | Ten-year comparison |
| Year ending March 2025 | 18,546 | Revised preceding year |
| Year ending March 2026 | 19,600 | +5.7% in one year; −6.1% in ten years |
These are attended road vehicle fires in England, from MHCLG’s year-ending-March series. They are not a UK total or a count limited to cars.
How many people are killed or injured in vehicle fires?
Road vehicle fires in England caused 37 deaths and 516 non-fatal casualties in 2025/26. The preceding-year figures were 30 and 495 respectively. Road vehicles accounted for about 15% of all fire-related deaths and 7.5% of non-fatal fire casualties in the latest year.
If a vehicle catches fire, stop safely, get everyone out and move well away, then call 999. Keep clear of smoke and traffic, do not return for belongings and do not open the bonnet to investigate a suspected engine-bay fire. Leave firefighting to the emergency services.
Are electric cars more likely to catch fire than petrol cars?
The government says there is no evidence that EV fires are more likely than fires in petrol or diesel vehicles. UK data are limited; some international studies indicate lower fire incidence for EVs. A precise UK personal-risk percentage cannot be obtained by combining overseas sales-based rates with UK incident counts.
Likelihood and consequences are separate questions. A high-voltage battery can enter thermal runaway and present fire, explosion and re-ignition hazards. Government recovery guidance therefore calls for specialist precautions around damaged vehicles, even though it describes battery-pack fires as rare.
| Question | What is known | What remains limited |
|---|---|---|
| Are EV fires more likely? | Government: no evidence of greater likelihood | UK comparisons by vehicle type remain limited |
| Can an EV battery fire be serious? | Thermal runaway can require specialist response | Incident severity is not the same as fire frequency |
The table separates the overall risk evidence from the hazards of a particular incident. Neither comparison establishes a single UK annual risk ratio.
How many electric-vehicle fires happen in the UK?
QBE’s May 2026 FOI analysis reported 279 electric-car fires in 2025, compared with 120 in 2022, a 133% increase. It received responses from 42 of 49 services contacted. QBE also cited fleet counts of 664,148 in 2022 and 1,971,764 in 2025, almost three times as many. The incomplete incident coverage means these figures should not be treated as a complete national fire rate per vehicle.
An electric-car fire does not necessarily begin in its traction battery. Equally, a global cumulative list of verified battery fires is not an annual population rate. For wider context, MHCLG includes both accidental and deliberate road vehicle fires; our sister site covers arson statistics in the UK.
Are most “EV fires” actually electric cars?
The term “EV fire” needs a clear definition. London’s lithium and electric-vehicle dataset contains 522 entries for 2025, including 230 e-bike entries and 91 car entries. Of those cars, 64 were petrol hybrids, six diesel hybrids, 20 battery-electric and one had unknown power type. Calling all 91 battery-electric cars would misdescribe the records.
LFB’s January 2026 press release separately reported 206 e-bike and e-scooter fires in 2025: 171 e-bikes and 35 e-scooters. Those figures differ from the downloadable dataset and are identified separately here. Our lithium-ion battery fire statistics page explains the consumer-product series.
| London dataset, calendar 2025 | Entries | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| All lithium and electric-vehicle records | 522 | Mixed products and vehicle types |
| Car records | 91 | 70 hybrids; 20 battery-electric; 1 unknown |
| E-bike records | 230 | Separate from car records |
London Datastore entries are grouped by recorded product and vehicle type. Inclusion does not establish that a lithium-ion battery was the ignition source in every incident.
What causes vehicle fires, and how are they prevented?
Vehicle fires can involve fuel, electrical faults, hot components, collision damage or deliberate ignition. Electric and hybrid vehicles also have high-voltage hazards. Government guidance warns that damage to a battery pack can trigger thermal runaway; it does not imply that every fire involving an electric vehicle starts in that pack.
Maintain vehicles according to manufacturer instructions and have suspected faults checked. If smoke, an unusual chemical smell, hissing or flames suggest a fire or battery event, move away and call the fire service. Do not assume that every fire will give an early warning or that a damaged battery is safe because there are no visible flames.
Why vehicle fire data matters for workplaces and fleets
For employers running vehicles — vans, HGVs, pool cars, and increasingly electric fleets — vehicle fire risk is a workplace fire safety issue, not just a motoring one. Charging points, indoor parking of EVs and the storage of vehicles near buildings all feed into the fire risk assessment, and drivers need to know the basics: how to recognise the early signs of a vehicle fire, when to stop and evacuate, and why fighting a developed vehicle fire is not their job. The wider hazards of the buildings and car parks those vehicles sit in — evacuation, extinguisher provision and building safety — sit with our sister site’s fire warden training, while the commercial-sector fire picture is covered by fire marshal training.
Fire awareness training keeps that knowledge fresh for the people who actually drive, park and charge the vehicles. It is a small investment against a hazard that the national statistics show is common, occasionally fatal, and relevant to both conventional and electric fleets.
Frequently asked questions
How many vehicle fires are there in the UK each year?
England recorded 19,600 attended road vehicle fires in 2025/26, up 5.7% on the revised preceding year. This is an England figure, not the combined UK total, and covers road vehicles beyond cars.
Are electric cars more likely to catch fire than petrol cars?
The government says there is no evidence of a higher likelihood for EVs. UK data are limited, while some international comparisons indicate lower incidence. These findings do not support a precise universal UK risk multiplier.
How many electric-vehicle fires happen in the UK?
QBE reported 279 electric-car fires in 2025 in its FOI exercise, with responses from 42 of 49 UK fire services. This is useful evidence of recorded incidents but not a complete national total or a battery-ignition-only count.
Are most “EV fires” actually electric cars?
The label can cover different products. London’s 2025 downloadable dataset has 230 e-bike entries and 91 car entries, including hybrids; only 20 of the car entries are recorded as battery-electric. Check the definition before comparing totals.
What should I do if my car catches fire?
Stop safely, get everyone out and away from the vehicle and traffic, and call 999. Do not open the bonnet to investigate a suspected engine-bay fire or return for belongings. Leave a developed fire to the emergency services.
Related guides
- Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Statistics UK: E-Bikes, E-Scooters & Charging Fires
- Smoke Alarm Statistics UK: Ownership, Failures & Lives Saved
- Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Statistics UK: Deaths, Alarms & Risks
- Candle Fire Statistics UK: Incidents, Injuries & Safer Habits
- The Right Fire Extinguisher for an Electrical Fire
Sources & references
- MHCLG — fire statistics data tables, FIRE0302 and FIRE0102, updated September 2026
- MHCLG — fire and rescue incidents, year ending March 2026
- Department for Transport — electric vehicles: costs, charging, infrastructure and safety
- Department for Transport — recovery operators: working with electric vehicles
- QBE — 2026 FOI analysis, 42 responding fire services
- London Fire Brigade / London Datastore — lithium and electric-vehicle incident records
- London Fire Brigade — separate 2025 e-bike and e-scooter release, 28 January 2026
Vehicle fires are common, occasionally fatal and largely preventable — give every employee the fire awareness to spot the early signs and act.
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Mark writes about workplace health & safety, fire safety awareness and accredited online training for Fire Safety Awareness Training, part of Online CPD Academy.