A Guide to UK Vaping Laws

In the UK, it is against the law to sell nicotine vaping products to anyone under 18 years old, or for adults to buy them on their behalf. 

Disposable vapes will be banned on 1st April, 2025. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, backed by the Conservative and Labour parties, is expected to be passed into law towards the end of 2024 and implemented by early 2025 while rechargeable and refillable vapes will still be available. Not sure what these are? Check out our guide on refillable disposable vapes. 

The UK government has cited two key reasons for the ban:

1. 1. Environmental
   Disposable vapes are not being recycled properly, leading to roughly 1.3 million single-use vapes getting binned every week contributing to unnecessary electronic waste and excessive plastic pollution. Learn how to recycle your vapes here if you don't know already.
   
   
2. 2. Social 
   Banning disposables will also hopefully prevent young people from accessing them. Check out our tips on how to talk to your teenager about nicotine if you suspect this could be a problem in your family.

It is only disposable vapes that will be banned. Adult vapers will still be able to access refillable and reusable vapes.

Before the disposable vape ban comes into play, there are still some disposable vapes currently on sale that do not meet UK safety regulations. These are considered illegal since they could potentially contain high levels of harmful substances and can be spotted using the following guide:

• - E-liquid bottles cannot contain more than 10ml;
  
  

• - Vape tanks cannot have a capacity of more than 2ml;
  
  

• - All packaging must contain prominent nicotine warnings and be child-resistant;
  
  

• - Colourings, taurine and caffeine among other items are banned ingredients in vapes;
  
  

• - E-liquids must not have a nicotine strength of more than 2% (20mg/ml).