Most E-Bike and E-Scooter Fires Reported in 2025 Started Indoors or at Home

Most e-bike and e-scooter fires reported to the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) in 2025 started indoors or in residential settings. Of 267 fires notified, 147 (55%) began in indoor or residential environments, and 88% had a battery as the source of ignition.

That matters well beyond the home. The same bikes and scooters sit in office bike stores, hotel corridors, student halls and delivery depots, and their owners often charge them wherever there's a free socket. If you're the responsible person for fire safety in any of those buildings, this data belongs in your next fire risk assessment review.

Key Takeaways

• OPSS received reports of 267 e-bike and e-scooter fires in 2025, up from 211 in 2024.
• 55% started in indoor or residential settings, and a quarter started outdoors.
• Batteries or generators were the source of ignition in 88% of fires.
• Converted e-bikes made up 38% of e-bike fires, and 41% of those started while charging.
• Reporting is voluntary and 80% of notifications came from London Fire Brigade, so the true national figure is higher.

What Do the 2025 OPSS Figures Show?

OPSS, the UK's national product safety regulator, received reports of 267 e-bike and e-scooter fires in 2025, and more than half started indoors.

Fire investigators notify OPSS when they judge a consumer product to be the most probable cause of a fire. Of the 217 e-bike fires reported in 2025, 82 (38%) involved bikes converted from ordinary pedal cycles using an aftermarket kit. The rest were 46 e-scooter fires, three involving mobility scooters and one involving an e-unicycle.

Here's where those fires started:

Source: OPSS, Fires in e-bikes and e-scooters – 2025. Fires notified to OPSS by fire and rescue services.

Why Are Indoor E-Bike Fires So Dangerous?

Lithium-ion battery fires develop fast, give off toxic gases and are hard to put out, so where they start decides how much time people have to escape.

E-bikes and e-scooters run on lithium-ion batteries. When a cell is damaged, badly made or charged with the wrong charger, it can overheat and trigger thermal runaway, a chain reaction where heat from one cell spreads to the next. The result is an intense fire that produces flammable, toxic smoke and can reignite after it seems to be out.

Over nearly four decades in enforcement, consultancy and training, I've learned that the fires that concern me most aren't always the biggest. They're the ones that start between people and the way out. A bike parked in a hallway, a scooter charging under the stairs, a battery left by a fire door overnight. Indoors, a fire like this can block an escape route before anyone realises what's happening.

Are Converted E-Bikes a Higher Risk?

The OPSS data points that way, particularly during charging, though gaps in the data mean we should read the comparison with care.

Of the 82 converted e-bike fires reported in 2025, 34 (41%) happened while the bike was on charge. That compares with 30% for factory-built e-bikes, 29% for e-bikes of unknown build and 26% for e-scooters. Charging status was unknown in a third of all 267 fires, and OPSS itself notes that this limits how far the categories can be compared.

The pattern isn't new. In 2024, conversions accounted for 45% of e-bike fires reported to OPSS. My reading is that a conversion brings together a motor, battery and charger that may never have been designed or tested to work as one system, and charging is where a mismatch tends to show itself first. The government's own product safety consultation picked out the risk of thermal runaway from incompatible or non-compliant chargers and batteries.

Is the Real Number of E-Bike Fires Higher?

Almost certainly. Fire services report to OPSS voluntarily, so the dataset is a floor rather than a full count.

London Fire Brigade submitted 214 of the 267 reports, about 80%. That tells us more about London's reporting than about the rest of the UK being safe. A Press Association investigation using Freedom of Information requests counted more than 400 e-bike and e-scooter fires in 2025 across the 37 fire and rescue services that responded.

So I'd be careful about reading too much into the rise from 211 to 267. Some of it may reflect better reporting. Either way, the main cause and the main setting are clear, and that's enough to act on.

What Is the Government Doing About E-Bike Battery Safety?

New product safety rules are on the way, but nothing has changed yet for the batteries already in use.

The Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025 gives government powers to update product safety law, including new duties on online marketplaces. The Department for Business and Trade has consulted on new regulations, with e-bike batteries and conversion kits among the products under consideration. That consultation closed on 23 June 2026 and a response is expected this autumn. OPSS has also commissioned BSI to develop a fast-track specification for battery systems used in e-bikes, e-scooters and conversion kits.

That's welcome progress, but there's no ban on conversion kits and no new workplace rule specific to e-bikes. The duties that apply in your building already exist. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 in England and Wales, the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Fire Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010 all require a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment, alongside the general duty to assess risk under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 in Great Britain.

What Should Health and Safety Professionals Do Now?

Treat lithium-ion batteries as a named hazard and find out how people really charge and store them.

1. Name the hazard. Add e-bikes, e-scooters and mobility scooters to your fire risk assessment, covering staff, visitors, residents and any delivery or pool fleet.
2. Walk the building after hours. Policies tell you where charging should happen. A late walk-round tells you where it actually happens.
3. Clear the escape routes. Keep charging and storage out of corridors, stairwells, under-stair cupboards and communal lobbies.
4. Set clear charging rules. Ask people to use the manufacturer's charger, avoid unattended overnight charging indoors and unplug once charged.
5. Ask about conversions. Add a simple question about converted bikes to cycle-to-work or bike store registration, and consider tighter charging controls for them.
6. Check your detection. Make sure bike stores and charging points are covered, and ask your fire risk assessor whether the detection type suits a lithium-ion fire.
7. Brief your people. Swelling, heat, hissing, popping, a chemical smell or smoke are warning signs. The advice is to get out, close the door and call 999, not to tackle the fire.

None of this means banning e-bikes from your site. They get plenty of people to work under their own steam, and many organisations actively encourage them. It means giving the batteries the same attention you'd give any other fuel source in your building.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Causes Most E-Bike and E-Scooter Fires?

Batteries. In 2025, batteries or generators were the source of ignition in 88% of e-bike and e-scooter fires reported to OPSS. Damage, poor manufacture and incompatible chargers can all trigger thermal runaway in lithium-ion cells.

Is It Safe to Charge an E-Bike at Work?

It can be, if charging is covered by your fire risk assessment. Keep it away from escape routes, use the manufacturer's charger and avoid leaving batteries charging unattended for long periods.

Are E-Bike Conversion Kits Legal in the UK?

Conversion kits aren't banned, though the government has consulted on targeted regulation. A converted bike that exceeds the legal power or speed limits for an electrically assisted pedal cycle is treated as a motor vehicle.

Who Regulates E-Bike Battery Safety in the UK?

OPSS is the national product safety regulator, with local Trading Standards enforcing product safety law. Fire safety in workplaces and the common parts of residential buildings is enforced by fire and rescue authorities.

How Many E-Bike Fires Were There in the UK in 2025?

OPSS received reports of 267 e-bike and e-scooter fires in 2025. Because reporting is voluntary, the true figure is higher.

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