Research and analysis

Fires in e-bikes and e-scooters – 2024

Updated 5 June 2025

1) Introduction and methodology

E-bikes and e-scooters are part of the transition to more sustainable transport. However, there are product safety risks associated with these products, primarily related to the fire and explosion risks from the lithium-ion batteries they use. As the national product regulator, the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) has worked with others across government to understand the root cause of these fires and is taking action to reduce harm.

Fire and rescue service fire investigators across the UK notify OPSS of fires where a consumer product was the most probable cause. This helps with the early identification of potential product safety issues. This is done voluntarily using a product-related fire notification form available on GOV.UK, when fire investigation teams identify consumer products as the most probable cause of fires and incidents.

In February 2023, OPSS re-launched the procedure, engaging with fire and rescue services and publishing guidance to support fire investigation teams in reporting product-related fires. This has led to a steadily increasing number of fire and rescue services submitting product-related fire notifications.

The guidance page includes a template which can be used to report information on the:

• product involved in the fire, including model and serial numbers
• product’s age and place of purchase
• degree of severity of the fire

Not all the fields are completed consistently, so this report focuses on those deemed to be sufficiently accurate and reliable for inclusion. More information is available at product-related fire incident notifications.

The London Fire Brigade and other fire and rescue services provide further information directly to OPSS via their own bespoke spreadsheets. Additionally, while some use the product-related fire notification form available on GOV.UK, others prefer to use their own templates.

The statistics presented in this report cover incidents that occurred from January to December 2024. Figures for 2022 and 2023 have been updated based on additional notifications received since the previous publication. ^{[footnote 1]} Revised figures for 2022 and 2023 are available in the accompanying data tables, which contain data back to 2017.

For the previous publication, see the fires in e-bikes and e-scooters – 2022 and 2023 report.

How the data can be used:

• To provide a picture of the types of fires involving e-bikes and e-scooters notified to OPSS.

How the data cannot be used:

• Since the procedure is voluntary, not all fire and rescue services notify OPSS of fires involving consumer products. This means that the data cannot be used to estimate incidents at a national level or be used to compare performance of fire and rescue services. OPSS is working with fire and rescue services to increase the number of notifications submitted.
• The procedure is still being expanded, so older data might have lower numbers. Comparisons across time periods should be made with care.

Please note that the statistics in this report focus specifically on incidents where e-bikes and e-scooters were the most probable cause of a fire in the UK. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government provides a comprehensive overview of all fire and rescue incidents in England, as seen in the fire and rescue incident statistics. The Fire and Rescue Incidents Statistics are derived from the online Incident Recording System (IRS) used by fire and rescue services across England, covering a broader range of incidents. These two sets of statistics are separate and should not be combined.

This publication is classified as Management Information (MI) and summarises raw operational data collected through routine reporting of product-related fires involving e-bikes and e-scooters. The information, submitted voluntarily by fire and rescue services, supports operational management and decision-making processes within OPSS.

2) Fires in e-bikes and e-scooters, 2024

OPSS received information on 211 fires involving e-bikes or e-scooters that occurred in 2024. The majority of these reports (175) were from London Fire Brigade.

Access the e-bike and e-scooter fire data tables 2017 to 2024.

Fires by type of product

In 2024, OPSS received reports of 170 e-bike fires, with 45% (77) confirmed to be post-market conversions to electric. Additionally, OPSS was notified of 39 fires involving e-scooters, 1 involving an e-unicycle, and 1 involving a mobility scooter. ^{[footnote 2]}

Figure 1: Fires involving e-bikes and e-scooters, by product type, reported to OPSS, 2024

Source: OPSS Regulatory activity from fire and rescue services.

Table 1: Fires involving e-bikes and e-scooters, by product type, reported to OPSS, 2024

Product type	Number of fires
E-bike conversion	77
E-bikes unknown build	59
E-scooter	39
E-bike manufactured	34
Other	2
Total	211

Fires by property type

The term “property type” refers to the classification of the location where the notified fires involving e-bikes and e-scooters primarily occurred. This provides insight into the environments most affected by such incidents.

The classification of property types has been updated for 2024 to provide more granularity and better reflect the range of locations reported by fire and rescue services. In previous years, broader groupings were used, but some incidents did not fit clearly into one of these categories. To address this, new classifications such as Road Vehicle and Public Transport and Infrastructure have been introduced, and others refined for clarity. For detailed descriptions of each property type, see the Annex – Property type groupings explanations.

When grouped by broader setting, the top 3 property types where the notified fires occurred were indoor or residential environments^{[footnote 3]} (66%), outdoor spaces ^{[footnote 4]} (23%) and transport settings ^{[footnote 5]} (3%). An additional 8% were recorded as unknown.

Figure 2: Fires involving e-bikes and e-scooters, by property type, ^{[footnote 6]} reported to OPSS, 2024

Source: OPSS Regulatory activity from fire and rescue services.

Table 2: Fires involving e-bikes and e-scooters, by property type, reported to OPSS, 2024

Property type	Number of fires
Street, garden or outdoor area	49
House single occupancy	45
Purpose built flat or maisonette	38
House multiple occupancy	16
Commercial premises	15
Converted flat or maisonette	15
Garage or shed	7
Hotel or hostel	4
Road vehicle	4
Public transport and infrastructure	2
Unknown	16
Total	211

Fires by location fires started

The term “location fire started” refers to the initial point where the notified fires involving e-bikes and e-scooters were reported to have begun.

In 2024, fire and rescue services provided a broader and more varied set of location types describing where fires involving e-bikes and e-scooters were reported to have started. This year’s data includes entries such as Bathroom Area, Indoor Storage, and Railway or Transport Area, which were not recorded in previous datasets. Outdoor environments have also been broken down in more detail this year, with separate categories such as Road or Street, Garden or Courtyard, and Park or Open Land, replacing the more general groupings used previously.

Of the 211 fires reported in 2024, 48% (101 incidents) were recorded as having started in indoor environments, including areas such as bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens, corridors, and indoor storage spaces. In comparison, 37% (78 incidents) occurred in outdoor locations, with further breakdowns showing fires beginning in streets, gardens, parks, balconies, outdoor storage areas, and external structures. An additional 1% (3 incidents) were reported in transport-related settings, and 14% (29 incidents) were classified as unknown.

Figure 3: Top 10 locations ^{[footnote 7]} where fires involving e-bikes and e-scooters started, reported to OPSS, 2024

Source: OPSS Regulatory activity from fire and rescue services.

Table 3: Fires involving e-bikes and e-scooters, by location fire started, reported to OPSS, 2024

Location fire started	Number of fires
Road or street	37
Living area	25
Sleeping area	20
Garden or courtyard	19
Corridor or hallway	14
Kitchen area	13
Garage or shed	11
Park or open land	9
Balcony or walkway	8
Indoor storage area	8
Commercial or office space	4
Outdoor storage area	3
Bathroom area	2
External structure	2
Railway or transport area	2
Stair or roof space	2
Building service area	1
Industrial space	1
Vehicle	1
Unknown	29
Total	211

Source of ignition and charging status

In 2024, the majority (93%) of fires involving e-bikes or e-scooters notified to OPSS were recorded with batteries or generators as the source of ignition, accounting for 196 incidents. The source of ignition was unknown in 15 cases.

Charging status was known for 162 (77%) out of 211 incidents. Of all 211 fires, 39% (82 incidents) were confirmed to have occurred while the product was on charge, and 38% (80 incidents) were not charging at the time of fire. The remaining 23% (49 incidents) had an unknown charging status.

The proportion of charging-related fires varied by product type: 49% of fires involving e-bike conversions occurred when the product was on charge (38 of 77), followed by 41% for e-scooters (16 of 39), 35% for manufactured e-bikes (12 of 34), and 25% for e-bikes of unknown build (15 of 59). These figures should be interpreted in light of the number of incidents with missing charging data, which may affect comparability across categories.

Figure 4: Fires involving e-bikes and e-scooters, by product type and charging status, reported to OPSS, 2024

Source: OPSS Regulatory activity from fire and rescue services.

Table 4: Fires involving e-bikes and e-scooters, by product type and charging status, reported to OPSS, 2024

Product type	Charing during fire	Not charging during fire	Unknown charging status	Total
E-bike conversion	38	29	10	77
E-bikes unknown build	15	19	25	59
E-scooter	16	16	7	39
E-bike manufactured	12	16	6	34
Other	1	0	1	2

Casualties and fatalities

In 2024, there were 5 fires involving e-bikes and e-scooters notified to OPSS that resulted in fatalities. These incidents led to a total of 8 fatalities. 42 fires involved non-fatal casualties (86 casualties in total). It is important to note that the number of fatalities and casualties only includes instances where this information was specifically disclosed to OPSS, so the actual numbers may be higher.

3) Revision note

As data is provided on a voluntary basis, some services may submit returns after the initial reporting period. Figures for 2022 and 2023 have been revised accordingly, and the updated totals are reflected in the data tables accompanying this publication.

The department will update the figures as necessary in subsequent publications. Any significant errors or revisions will be addressed promptly with detailed explanations provided.

4) Annex – Property type groupings explanations

• Street, garden or outdoor area: this category includes open spaces where e-bikes and e-scooters might be parked or used, such as streets, gardens, and other outdoor areas. Examples include private gardens, balconies, open land, parks, playgrounds, and public spaces.
• House single occupancy: fires in this category occurred in single-occupancy houses. Examples include detached houses, bungalows, mid-terraced houses, and semi-detached houses.
• Purpose built flat or maisonette: this category includes residential buildings specifically designed as flats or maisonettes. Examples include purpose-built flats or maisonettes with varying stories, high-rise buildings, and low-rise flats.
• House in multiple occupation: these fires occurred in residential buildings where multiple households share common areas, such as kitchens or bathrooms. Examples include licensed and unlicensed houses in multiple occupation with varying stories, student halls of residence, and self-contained sheltered housing.
• Commercial premises: this category includes businesses and other non-residential buildings. Examples include police stations, restaurants, single shops, vehicle repair workshops, warehouses, community centres, and shopping centres.
• Converted flat or maisonette: this category includes residential units adapted from previously non-residential spaces. Examples include converted flats or maisonettes with varying stories, such as those converted from office buildings or warehouses.
• Garage or shed: this category includes storage spaces for vehicles and other items. Examples include private garages and garden sheds.
• Hostel or hotel: this category includes accommodations such as hostels and hotels. Examples include boarding houses, bed and breakfasts, and asylum seekers’ accommodation.
• Road vehicle: this category includes fires that start in road vehicles. Examples include lorries, cars and vans.
• Public transport and infrastructure: this category includes fires that started in public transport and infrastructure areas. Examples include railway buildings, train station platforms, and other transport-related structures.
• Unknown: this category includes incidents where the property type was not specified. Examples include other dwellings and unspecified buildings.

Footnotes

1. Further information can be found in the revision note. ↩

2. The commentary, charts, and tables include the e-unicycle and mobility scooter, but for simplicity, they are collectively referred to as e-bikes and e-scooters. ↩

3. Indoor or residential environments include: house single occupancy, purpose built flat or maisonette, house in multiple occupation, converted flat or maisonette, commercial premises, garage or shed, and hostel or hotel. ↩

4. Outdoor spaces include: streets, gardens and outdoor areas. ↩

5. Transport settings include: road vehicles and public transport and infrastructure. ↩

6. There were 16 fires where the property type was unknown, and these incidents were not included in the chart. ↩

7. Incidents with unknown fire starting locations were not included in the chart. There were 29 such incidents. ↩