E-bike and e-scooter fires in London reach record high

London Fire Brigade (LFB) said they were called to 206 blazes in 2025, up from the previous high of 179 in 2023.

Two people died in last year's incidents, taking the total number of fatalities from these type of fires in the capital to five since 2023.

LFB said the figures show "urgent action is still needed" to prevent e-bike and e-scooter fires.

The brigade's investigations show the cause of these fires is often the failure of batteries, conversion kits or chargers bought online.

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Lithium-ion batteries that power e-bikes and e-scooters can malfunction for several reasons, such as being poorly built, counterfeit, damaged, overcharged or non-compatible, LFB said.

LFB is calling on the Government to bring forward its consultation on secondary legislation of the Product Regulation and Metrology Act, which received Royal Assent in July 2025 and was partly aimed at improving product safety.

Spencer Sutcliff, deputy commissioner of LFB, said: "Already in 2026, we have seen several fires involving lithium-ion batteries.

"These fires can be explosive and have devastating consequences.

"We've been calling for regulation to improve product safety and are thankful for the work already done by the Government to help tackle this issue.

"We look forward to working with the Government on its consultation for secondary legislation, when it is introduced, to help tackle this issue head-on.

"We hope this is done as soon as possible to reduce the number of customers being exposed to dangerous products available for purchase online, and ultimately drive down the number of fires."

Lesley Rudd, chief executive of charity Electrical Safety First, said: "London's record number of e-bike and e-scooter fires in 2025 is a stark warning that the current regulatory system is failing to keep people safe.

"Whilst reputable manufacturers of these devices produce high quality and safe products, this is continuously undermined by sub-standard versions flooding the market, often sold via poorly regulated online marketplaces who are currently not legally responsible for the safety of goods sold via their platforms."

She expressed hope that the upcoming consultation includes new laws changing that position.

Here are the number of e-bike and e-scooter fires recorded in London since 2017:

2017: 7

2018: 5

2019: 12

2020: 31

2021: 78

2022: 116

2023: 179

2024: 171

2025: 206