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. Firstly, given the huge impact they have on the environment as disposable vapes are not recycled properly, leading to 1.3 million single-use vapes being binned every week. Banning disposables will also hopefully prevent young people from accessing them.

Products such as vapes and nicotine replacement therapies are out of scope for the smoke free generation proposal, because they do not contain tobacco and are often used as a quit aid for those who smoke.

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 are illegal and do not meet UK safety regulations. They can contain high levels of harmful substances and can be spotted using the below guide:

●       Eliquid bottles cannot contain more than 10ml of eliquid

●       Vape tanks cannot have a capacity of more than 2ml

●       All packaging must contain nicotine warnings and be child-resistant

●       Colourings, taurine and caffeine among other items are banned ingredients in vapes

●       Eliquids must not have a nicotine strength of more than 2% (20mg/ml)

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).