Lithium battery fires on the rise, but electric cars are less of a concern than e-bikes

The thousand quota was exceeded in 2023, and at the rate of recent years, 2026 will be the one in which the fires due to lithium batteries they will exceed two thousand in a year. The data collected by the global insurance group Qbe relating to the United Kingdom traces an undoubtedly growing trend. 2022 ended with 713 fires in the UK caused by a lithium battery, 2023 with 1,138, 2024 with 1,456 and 2025 with 1,760, projecting 2026 towards 2,000. From the beginning to the end of the three-year period the increase was approximately two and a half times, from an average of two fires per day to just under five (4.8), in other words one battery on fire every five hours.

THE INCIDENCE GOES DOWN

—

QBE data on the UK appears to trace an upward curve, from the 120 fires involving an electric car (also known as BEV) in 2022. Battery Electric Vehicle) went to 158 in 2023, then to 207 in 2024 and finally to 279 in 2025, with an increase of 133% from the beginning to the end of the period. To tell the whole story, however, we need to put it into context. THE’incidencefirst of all, it has decreased: in 2022, electric cars on fire accounted for 16.8% of the total fires linked to lithium batteries, in 2025 it went to 15.9%. And this in the face of a market that has grown quite a bit in the meantime. In the UK the number of electric cars in circulation has increased more than the fires involving them. In fact, we went from 664 thousand to almost 2 million BEVs in three years with a surge of 206%, greater than the growth in the number of fires in the same period (133%). “Being aware of the correct charging, storage and disposal methods is fundamental for the safety of people and material goods,” declared a Qbe spokesperson, underlining how together with the safety of BEVs, the awareness of those who purchase them on the best practices to be adopted.

E-BIKE PROBLEM

—

If on the electric car front the data arriving from the United Kingdom are overall comforting, those concerning e-bikes are worrying. In 2025, electric bikes were involved in 520 fires, a number approximately three times higher than in 2022 (+249%), and equal to almost a third of all lithium ion battery fires that occurred last year. From the data, however, a possible risk factor has emerged, and the good news is that it is avoidable. Many of the e-bikes involved in fires resulted tampered with or with low quality components. Industry experts underline the importance of using only certified e-bikes and batteries.”