UK VAPE REGULATIONS

There can be no doubt that e-cigarettes have helped millions of smokers to quit their habit. The number of vapers in the UK has steadily increased since e-cigs were first marketed here. Authorities including Public Health England and Action Agaist Smoking (ASH) continue to state that vaping is much safer than smoking.

But despite the obvious health benefits, vaping has become subject to increasing regulation in the UK. New regulations have largely been introduced with the aim of addressing youth vaping and negative impacts on the environment.

If you are new to vaping or feel that you don't fully understand the current laws in the UK, this guide should answer any questions that you may have.

Disposable vapes have been banned in the UK since 1 June 2025. All vaping devices must now be both rechargeable and refillable. In addition, the coil or pod of a device (or both) must be replaceable. The ban applies to all four nations of the United Kingdom. Posession of pre-ban disposables is permissable.

The ban was introduced to curb youth vaping and to reduce the environmental impact of e-cigarettes. Huge numbers of disposables were being discarded, usually irresponsibly, creating a massive amount of plastic waste. The batteries of the devices sparked numerous fires in both waste disposal facilities and vehicles transporting waste.

A new form of exise duty, the VPD is a tax on all forms of e-liquid including shortfills, prefilled pods, big puff vapes and 10ml e-liquids.

The rate of taxation will be £2.20 per 10ml of e-liquid. This amount is subject to VAT and so, in reality, the duty represents a price increase of £2.64 per 10ml of juice. In other words, a bottle of e-liquid currenly priced at £1.20 will cost £3.84.

From 1 October 2026, the packaging of all e-liquids must feature a duty stamp because the Increase in prices will raise the risk of cheap, untested and unlicensed products entering the market. The new duty stamp will be your assurance that the e-liquid you are purchasing is legal and safe.

For more detailed information, read our ultimate guide to the VPD.

Vaping is recommended by the NHS as an effective smoking cessation method. UK vaping regulations do not represent a barrier to smoking cessation, indeed vaping devices and e-liquids are freely available to smokers over the age of 18 who wish to leave cigarettes behind.

Even after the implementation of the new tax, vaping will remain far cheaper than smoking. The government is introducing a one-off rise to tobacco duty 1 October 2026. The duty on a packet of cigarettes will increase by £2.20 + VAT, the same amount as the new tax on 10ml of e-liquid.

Vaping costs are difficult to quantify as so much depends on your choice of device, your preferred e-liquids and how intenseively you vape.

Below we illustrate the approximate costs of smoking and vaping. In caclulating the costs of vaping, we have used standard e-liquid prices. You can save even more of your hard-earned cash by taking advantage of our multibuy deals.