Are Electric Vehicle Fires Still Increasing?

It’s not unusual for new products to have teething problems, and so we were not surprised about early EV fires. More recently though, reports have begun appearing again in news channels. This seems normal as the volume of these vehicles grows. But are electric vehicle fires increasing in proportion to sales, or are they growing in absolute numbers?

An Uptick in Electric Vehicle Fires in United Kingdom

London is by far the largest urban hub in the United Kingdom. So we are not surprised at all, that London Fire Brigade reports a high concentration of electric scooter and electric car fires there. In fact, London Datastore reports that lithium battery incidents are the fastest growing fire risk in London.

413 Injuries and 8 Fatalities from Lithium-Ion Vehicle Battery Fires in London (London Datastore 26 May 2025)

If you follow the above link, and download and click on the ‘incidents’ tab, then you should see the details of all the 1,740 incidents, behind those 413 casualties and 8 deaths. By far the majority of those fires involved electric scooters, bikes and electric cars.

Handy Tips to Avoid Your Electric Car Burning

There are loads of tips out there about avoiding electric e-bike and scooter fires. However, feeling an e-car battery to check its only reasonably warm, does not work too well when the batteries are under the floor. Before we continue, this is what to do when you suspect your electric car is burning:

Pull over, turn off the key, and evacuate all in the vehicle immediately.
Keep a safe distance from the vehicle. Call your local emergency service.
Wait patiently for help. DO NOT attempt to deal with the fire yourself.

We’re sure you will want to avoid an incident like this! Have your vehicle serviced by a reputable dealer regularly. Avoid charging your battery immediately after a long journey, if possible. Only use the correct charger. Stop charging when you reach 80%.

Think safety at all times when charging anything containing a battery. Use a compatible charger, and follow the instructions carefully. Try to charge your vehicle outside a building, just in case something goes wrong. If a fire does start, then raise the alarm and evacuate the area.

We can’t say for sure whether vehicle-to-fire ratios are consistent, or changing. But we can confirm that it is likely, that electric vehicle fires are still increasing.