Road vehicle fires remain one of the most common fire types the UK fire and rescue services deal with, and the topic is dominated by one loud question: are electric cars a fire risk? This page gathers the official UK vehicle fire statistics in one referenced place, anchored on the government count that measures them — the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) fire and rescue incident statistics for England and its detailed FIRE0302 data tables. Around them sit the electric-vehicle fire figures from QBE European Operations’ national Freedom of Information analysis, the Energy Saving Trust and the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), plus London Fire Brigade’s London Datastore records. The data period is stated next to every figure, and the myth-busting message runs through the whole page: electric cars catch fire far less often than petrol and diesel ones, and most of the “EV fires” in the headlines are not cars at all.
Key facts and figures
- 19,445 road vehicle fires were attended by fire and rescue services in England in the year ending December 2025 — up 4.7% on the previous year (MHCLG).
- 29% of all primary fires attended in England in the latest year were road vehicle fires — roughly one in three (MHCLG, y/e Dec 2025).
- 30 people died in road-vehicle fires in England in the year ending March 2025 — 11% of all fire deaths, down from 34 the year before (MHCLG FIRE0302).
- 495 non-fatal casualties were caused by road vehicle fires in the year ending March 2025 — 7.7% of all fire casualties (MHCLG FIRE0302).
- 279 electric-vehicle fires were attended by UK fire brigades in 2025, up 133% from 120 in 2022 — but the EV fleet grew even faster, up 206% (QBE FOI).
- ~80× more likely: a petrol or diesel car has roughly a 0.1% chance of catching fire versus about 0.0012% for an electric car (Energy Saving Trust, 2024).
- 25 fires per 100,000 battery-electric vehicles sold, against roughly 1,530 per 100,000 for internal-combustion vehicles (ICCT, 2024).
- 91 of London’s 521 lithium-ion battery fire incidents in 2025 involved electric cars (18%), versus 228 (44%) linked to e-bikes (London Datastore / LFB).
These are the latest published figures as of July 2026, and this page is updated when new data lands. MHCLG publishes road-vehicle fire totals quarterly as a rolling year-ending series (the headline count above and the FIRE0302 tables), the London Datastore lithium and electric-vehicle dataset refreshes monthly, and QBE’s national FOI dataset is refreshed each spring — so this page is re-pulled each time the next quarter or annual round is published.
How many vehicle fires are there in the UK each year?
Fire and rescue services attended 19,445 road vehicle fires in England in the year ending December 2025 — up 4.7% on the 18,571 recorded the year before, according to MHCLG’s fire and rescue incident statistics published in March 2026. That headline is the single most useful UK-wide figure, because it is built from what fire services actually attended rather than from a survey or an insurance sample. Road vehicle fires made up around 29% of all primary fires attended in England in that year — close to one in three — which is why they sit so high on the fire service’s workload.
The short-term rise sits inside a longer-term fall. Road vehicle fires are down about 4.3% on the year ending December 2015, when 20,319 were recorded, so the trend across a decade is a gentle decline rather than a surge — the 2025 uptick is a single-year movement, not a reversal of the long pattern. Vehicles have grown safer as fuel systems, wiring and battery management have improved, even as the number of vehicles on UK roads has risen.
| Period | Road vehicle fires (England) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Year ending Dec 2015 | 20,319 | Reference |
| Year ending Dec 2024 | 18,571 | — |
| Year ending Dec 2025 | 19,445 | +4.7% year-on-year; −4.3% on 2015 |
Source: MHCLG fire and rescue incident statistics, year ending December 2025 (published March 2026). Figures cover England only and count road vehicle fires attended by fire and rescue services.
How many people are killed or injured in vehicle fires?
Thirty people died in road-vehicle fires in England in the year ending March 2025 — 11% of all fire deaths — down 12% from 34 the year before, according to MHCLG’s detailed FIRE0302 data tables, updated on 26 May 2026. Road vehicle fires also caused 495 non-fatal casualties in the same period, 7.7% of all fire casualties, down 5.2% year on year. So while vehicle fires are common, they account for a smaller share of fire deaths than dwelling fires — a burning car is usually easier to escape than a house fire, provided the occupants get out quickly and do not go back.
That said, the danger is real and fast. A vehicle fire can develop from a wisp of smoke under the bonnet to a fully involved fire in minutes, fed by fuel, plastics, upholstery and, on the motorway, the wind. The standard advice from every UK fire and rescue service is the same: pull over safely, get everyone out and well away from the vehicle, do not open the bonnet if you suspect an engine-bay fire, and call 999 — never attempt to tackle a developed vehicle fire yourself.
Are electric cars more likely to catch fire than petrol cars?
No — the data points firmly the other way. A petrol or diesel car has roughly a 0.1% chance of catching fire, compared with about 0.0012% for an electric car, making conventional cars around 80 times more likely to ignite, according to the Energy Saving Trust’s 2024 review of the evidence. Battery-electric vehicles average about 25 fires per 100,000 sold, against roughly 1,530 per 100,000 for internal-combustion vehicles, per the ICCT’s October 2024 analysis — a gap of more than 60 to one on that measure.
The perception gap is largely a reporting effect. An EV fire is novel and newsworthy; a petrol-car fire is not, so it rarely makes the news even though it is far more common. It is also true that a lithium-ion traction battery in thermal runaway behaves differently from a petrol fire — it can be harder to fully extinguish and can reignite — which makes each EV fire more visually dramatic and more demanding for the fire service. But “harder to put out when it does happen” is a different claim from “more likely to happen”, and on likelihood the electric car wins comfortably.
| Measure | Petrol / diesel | Electric (battery) |
|---|---|---|
| Chance of a given vehicle catching fire | ~0.1% | ~0.0012% |
| Fires per 100,000 vehicles sold | ~1,530 | ~25 |
Source: Energy Saving Trust (2024) for the percentage chances; ICCT (October 2024) for the per-100,000 rates. The two studies use different denominators, so the figures are not directly interchangeable but tell the same story.
How many electric-vehicle fires happen in the UK?
UK fire brigades attended 279 electric-vehicle fires in 2025, up 133% from 120 in 2022, according to QBE European Operations’ national Freedom of Information analysis, drawn from returns to 49 UK fire services. That sounds alarming until it is set against the fleet: the number of electric vehicles on UK roads grew from 664,148 in 2022 to 1,971,764 in 2025 — a rise of 206%. In other words, the EV fleet nearly tripled while EV fires roughly doubled, so the fire rate per vehicle fell over the period rather than rising. Rising absolute counts on a rapidly growing fleet are exactly what you would expect even if EVs were getting safer per car.
The validated global picture reinforces the point. EV FireSafe, the Australian government-funded body that tracks high-voltage battery fires worldwide, verified 511 such fires between 2010 and 2024, against an estimated 40 million EVs on the road — roughly a one-in-100,000 rate over that whole period, as cited in the ICCT analysis. Deliberately set vehicle fires — arson — are a separate story counted within the MHCLG figures by motive; the deliberate-versus-accidental split and vehicle arson are covered in depth by our sister site’s guide to arson statistics in the UK.
Are most “EV fires” actually electric cars?
No — most of the battery-vehicle fires behind alarming headlines are e-bikes and e-scooters, not electric cars. London Fire Brigade recorded 521 lithium-ion battery fire incidents in London in 2025, up 28% on 2024; of these, just 91 (18%) involved electric cars, versus 228 (44%) linked to e-bikes (London Datastore / LFB, 2025). Nationally, Honest John’s long-running FOI compilation found that nearly half of the UK “EV” fires recorded in 2022–2023 were linked to e-bikes and e-scooters rather than electric cars or trucks. When a report says “EV fires are soaring”, it is usually the two-wheelers doing the soaring.
London illustrates the scale of the two-wheeler problem: the brigade attended a record 206 e-bike and e-scooter fires in 2025 — 171 e-bike and 35 e-scooter — underscoring that most battery-vehicle fires are two-wheelers, not cars (GLA / London Fire Brigade figures, 2025). Those consumer lithium-battery products are a distinct hazard with their own charging, conversion-kit and disposal risks, and we cover them fully on our lithium-ion battery fire statistics page — this page keeps its focus on road-registered vehicles: cars, vans, motorcycles, HGVs and electric cars.
| London lithium-ion battery fires, 2025 | Incidents | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Total lithium-ion battery fire incidents | 521 | 100% |
| Involving electric cars | 91 | 18% |
| Linked to e-bikes | 228 | 44% |
Source: London Datastore / London Fire Brigade lithium and electric-vehicle fires dataset, 2025 calendar year. Remaining incidents involve other battery products and are not shown.
What causes vehicle fires, and how are they prevented?
Accidental vehicle fires overwhelmingly begin with two ignition sources: the fuel and electrical systems of the vehicle itself, and heat from mechanical failure. Fuel leaks onto a hot exhaust or turbocharger, chafed or corroded wiring shorting out, overheating brakes or a seized bearing, and poorly fitted aftermarket electrics all appear repeatedly in fire investigation reports. For electric vehicles specifically, the fire risk is concentrated in the traction battery — physical damage to cells after a crash, a manufacturing defect, or (rarely) a fault during charging — which is why the safety engineering focuses so heavily on battery protection and management systems.
Prevention is largely about maintenance and early warning. Servicing on schedule catches fuel and coolant leaks, perished hoses and worn wiring before they ignite; not ignoring a burning smell, a warning light or smoke from the vents buys crucial minutes; and never storing petrol, aerosols or lighters where they can be crushed or heated removes a ready fuel load. For any vehicle showing signs of an electrical fault — flickering lights, blown fuses, a hot smell — the safe move is to get it checked rather than drive on. The same principle that underpins home fire safety applies on the road: most fires give a warning, and the people who act on it early are the ones who walk away.
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 — for both petrol cars and the fast-growing EV fleet — largely preventable with maintenance and early action.
Frequently asked questions
How many vehicle fires are there in the UK each year?
Fire and rescue services attended 19,445 road vehicle fires in England in the year ending December 2025, up 4.7% on the year before, according to MHCLG. Road vehicle fires made up around 29% of all primary fires attended in England that year. The figure covers England; the UK-wide total is higher once Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are added.
Are electric cars more likely to catch fire than petrol cars?
No. A petrol or diesel car has roughly a 0.1% chance of catching fire, compared with about 0.0012% for an electric car — making conventional cars around 80 times more likely to ignite, per the Energy Saving Trust (2024). The ICCT puts it at about 25 fires per 100,000 EVs sold, versus roughly 1,530 per 100,000 internal-combustion vehicles. EVs do catch fire, but far less often per vehicle.
How many electric-vehicle fires happen in the UK?
UK fire brigades attended 279 electric-vehicle fires in 2025, up 133% from 120 in 2022, according to QBE’s Freedom of Information analysis. Over the same period the EV fleet grew 206%, from 664,148 to 1,971,764 vehicles — so the fire rate per vehicle fell even as the absolute count rose. The rising headline number reflects a bigger fleet, not a more dangerous one.
Are most “EV fires” actually electric cars?
No — most are e-bikes and e-scooters. In London in 2025, of 521 lithium-ion battery fire incidents, just 91 (18%) involved electric cars while 228 (44%) were linked to e-bikes. Nationally, nearly half of the UK “EV” fires recorded in 2022–2023 were e-bikes or e-scooters rather than cars. Those consumer battery products are covered on our lithium-ion battery fire statistics page.
What should I do if my car catches fire?
Pull over safely as soon as you can, switch off the engine, get everyone out and well away from the vehicle, and call 999. Do not open the bonnet if you suspect an engine-bay fire — the inrush of air can accelerate it — and never go back to a burning vehicle for belongings. Do not attempt to tackle a developed vehicle fire yourself; it can grow to full involvement within minutes.
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 and rescue incident statistics, year ending December 2025 (road vehicle fires, published March 2026)
- MHCLG — Fire statistics data tables FIRE0302 (fires, fatalities and casualties in road vehicles, updated 26 May 2026)
- London Datastore — Lithium and electric-vehicle fires, London Fire Brigade (2025 calendar year; series from 2017)
- QBE European Operations — UK fire brigades tackling a lithium-ion battery fire every five hours (national FOI, EV-fire and fleet figures, 2026)
- Energy Saving Trust — Are electric vehicles a fire risk? (2024)
- International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) — Emerging data suggest EVs could bring lower fire risk (October 2024; includes EV FireSafe global figures)
- Honest John — The latest car fire statistics (FOI compilation, updated August 2025)
- MoneySuperMarket / GLA press — London e-bike and e-scooter fires reach a record in 2025
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.