The short answer
The Office for Product Safety and Standards was told of 267 e-bike and e-scooter fires in 2025, 217 of them e-bikes. 82 of those e-bike fires (38%) involved converted bikes, and 32% of all the fires were confirmed as happening while the battery was on charge (OPSS, published 30 September 2026). Reporting is voluntary, so these are not national totals.
The government's advice: use only the charger supplied with the bike or one the maker authorises, do not charge while you are asleep or away, and do not charge on an escape route. When we read 30 Amazon UK listings for replacement e-bike chargers and batteries on 22 October 2026, none named a battery or charger safety standard (Look Into, 22 October 2026).
This page carries no affiliate links and recommends no product. It sets out the official figures, the official advice and what replacement chargers and batteries on sale actually state.
Prices and specs last checked by Look Into on 22 October 2026 · next check 20 January 2027 · how we picked
The official figures
Office for Product Safety and Standards, 2025
- 267 fires notified involving e-bikes and e-scooters; 217 involved e-bikes.
- Of the e-bike fires, 82 were on converted bikes, 37 on bikes built as e-bikes, and 98 of unknown build.
- 2 fires were fatal; 47 fires caused 98 non-fatal casualties.
- 55% happened in indoor or residential property.
- 86 (32%) were confirmed as happening on charge; for a third, charging status was unknown.
OPSS collects these from fire services that choose to report, so the figures are a floor, not a national estimate. Source: OPSS, Fires in e-bikes and e-scooters 2025.
London Fire Brigade, 2025
London Fire Brigade recorded 206 e-bike and e-scooter fires in London in 2025, a record, of which 171 involved e-bikes, and 2 deaths (LFB, 28 January 2026). The Brigade noted that each of the five people who have died in such fires in London since 2023 did not own the e-bike involved.
The two sources count differently. OPSS lists 214 of its 2025 reports as coming from London Fire Brigade, while the Brigade's own figure is 206. Do not add them together or swap one for the other.
Safe charging, in the government's words
From the government's battery safety advice for e-cycle users:
- Use "only the charger supplied with the e-cycle, or a replacement authorised by the manufacturer".
- "Do not leave batteries on charge while you are asleep or away from the home".
- Do not charge where a fire could block your escape, and avoid escape routes and communal areas.
- Let a hot battery cool down before charging it, do not cover the charger or battery while charging, and do not overcharge.
- On conversion kits: "buying a complete e-cycle is generally a safer option", and batteries and chargers bought separately cannot be assured to be compatible.
A working smoke alarm where you charge is cheap insurance; our smoke alarms guide covers the rules for each part of the UK.
What the law asks of sellers now
Statutory guidelines on lithium-ion battery safety for e-bikes, issued in December 2024, apply to batteries for e-bikes and for conversion kits, including those sold online. Producers selling in Great Britain must take them into account. They cite BS EN 50604-1 for the battery and BS EN 15194 for the e-bike, say a battery must include safety mechanisms such as a battery management system to prevent thermal runaway, and state that "it is an offence to place a lithium-ion battery on the market if it is not a safe product" (OPSS statutory guidelines).
What is still pending
The government consulted on a new product safety framework under the Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025. The consultation closed on 23 June 2026. Its proposals include independent third-party checks for high-risk products, a duty on online marketplaces to "act with due care to prevent, identify, and remove dangerous products", and a fast-tracked British Standards Institution specification for batteries in e-bikes, e-scooters and conversion kits, described as expected in 2026 (GOV.UK consultation). As of 22 October 2026 we found no published government response. We will update this page when one appears.
What 30 replacement chargers and batteries state
On 22 October 2026 we read the first 15 unsponsored Amazon UK listings for "e bike charger" and the first 15 for "e bike battery 48v": title, feature bullets, description and specification table.
| What the listing states | Chargers (of 15) | Batteries (of 15) |
|---|---|---|
| Any named safety standard (BS EN 50604-1, EN 15194, UN 38.3 or similar) | 0 | 0 |
| UKCA marking | 3 | 0 |
| CE marking | 7 | 0 |
| A battery management system (BMS) | n/a | 15 |
| A UK plug or 3-pin plug | 11 | n/a |
| A fuse | 4 | n/a |
| Also sold for e-scooters or hoverboards | 15 | n/a |
| Names a specific e-bike brand it is approved for | 0 | 0 |
| Mentions motors above the 250W legal limit (up to 2,000W) | n/a | 8 |
Every charger was sold as a universal unit that also fits e-scooters or hoverboards, and none named the bike maker that authorised it. That is the opposite of the government's advice to use the supplied charger or a maker-authorised one. Every battery mentioned a BMS, which the guidelines require, and none named the standard the guidelines cite. 8 of the 15 batteries were described as suiting motors above 250W, up to 2,000W, which is beyond what a road-legal e-bike in Britain is allowed. A listing that does not mention a standard has not necessarily failed it, but a buyer has no way to check. We read listing text only; marks shown only in product photos were not counted.
Prices and capacities of the batteries we read are on our battery replacement cost page.
Conversion kits
Converted bikes made up 82 of the 217 e-bike fires OPSS recorded for 2025, more than bikes built as e-bikes (37), though the build of 98 was unknown. A conversion also has to meet the 250W, 15.5mph and pedals tests to be ridden as a pedal cycle; see UK e-bike laws.
Where you can take a battery
Fire risk is why Transport for London has banned non-folded e-bikes from most of its network, including the Tube, since 31 March 2025, citing fires at Rayners Lane Tube station and Sutton station (TfL). Folded e-bikes are still allowed; see best folding electric bikes.
What this page could not check
- Whether any charger or battery on sale actually meets a standard. We read listings; we did not test products.
- Marks shown only in product images, which we did not count.
- Fires that were not reported to OPSS. The real number is higher than the figures above.
Changes to this page
- 22 October 2026: page published with OPSS 2025 data (published 30 September 2026) and a read of 30 Amazon UK listings.
This page carries no affiliate links and no paid placements.