E-bike fire safety – private rental sector urged to play its part
A fire service wants the private rental sector to play its part in minimising the risks from e-bike and e-scooter fires.
London Fire Bridge had over 200 such fires to attend across the capital in 2025.
The fires ranged in their severity with the most serious sadly resulting in deaths, injury and destructive damage to homes.
In 2025, two people lost their lives, taking the total number of fatalities in London from these types of fires to five since 2023.
These stark figures demonstrate that urgent action is still needed to help prevent these fires and further tragedies.
In total, firefighters attended 206 e-bike and e-scooter fires in 2025, an average of 17 fires a month.
Around 83% of these fires involved an e-bike (171 fires.)
The Brigade’s investigations shows that lithium-ion battery failure, conversion kits and chargers are often the cause of these fires.
These items purchased online, which don’t meet UK safety standards, whether bought new or second-hand, are particularly prone to going up in flames.
The lithium-ion batteries that power e-bikes and e-scooters can fail for a number of reasons, including if they have been built poorly, are counterfeit, become damaged, are overcharged or used with an incorrect charger.
Spencer Sutcliff, Deputy Commissioner and Operational Director for Prevention, Protection and Policy, says: “Firefighters are currently attending an e-bike or e-scooter fire every other day, on average.
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.”
The Brigade is continuing its calls for the likes of Uber Eats, Just Eat and Deliveroo to do more to share awareness about the risks directly with their riders.
Now it wants other organisations and groups – including agents and landlords in the private rental sector in particular – to help spread awareness.
Firefighters are available to support this work. Where possible, they are encouraged to take practical steps to help reduce the risk, including providing safe places for storage or appropriate charging facilities.
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