Electric Car Fire Statistics 2025: How Many Electric Cars Catch Fire Every Year

According to the data from the National Transportation Safety Board in 2024, approximately 25 EV cars get involved in fire accidents for every 100,000 cars sold. [1] Source: fairfaxcounty.gov

In 2023, the International Energy Agency claimed that on average, 2,825 electric cars catch fire annually. [2] Source: thedailyreporter.com

Statistically, 19 vehicle fires take place in the US every hour, accounting for one in every nine calls that the fire departments have to respond to. The absolute majority of these fires happen in ICE and hybrid cars. [3] Source: consumernotice.org

According to an EV FireSafe study, from 2010 to June 2023, there were 488 light-duty EV fires globally, of which 393 (78%) were verified EV lithium-ion battery fires. [4] Source: theicct.org

Key Takeaways:

• There are approximately 25 fires in EV cars per every 100,000 cars sold;
• From 2010 to 2024, the EV Firesafe documented 393 verified battery fires;
• Battery fire while charging only makes 5 cases per 100,000 vehicles globally;
• Kia and Hyundai are the two brands most frequently involved in EV fires, with more than 3,100 cases documented since 2010;
• Gasoline-powered and diesel-powered vehicles are 20 to 80 times more likely to catch fire than EVs;
• Electric bikes are more likely to catch fire than EVs;
• Vehicle faults and collisions are the most frequent causes of EV fires;

EV Fire Statistics By Country

How many electric cars catch fire every year? There are still no generalized statistics on EV fires globally, or at least comparing a healthy pull of countries because the number of incidents is very low.

Every country has its policies about EVs and different percentages of these cars on the roads and its own approach to counting and reporting the cases.

Thus, each country applies different measurements to its car fire stats. Some report annually, and others collect data across longer timespans simply because one year is not enough to get a bigger picture.

As a result, a comprehensive comparison of EV fire data between countries based on open-source research is still impossible.

The table below highlights the key findings about EV fire cases across a list of countries and shows the obvious disparity in approach to stats on the matter.

USA

From 2011 to 2017, 123 cases of EV car fires were documented. In 2019, car fires accounted for around 20% of all fires in the US, EV car fires included.

In 2024, a study found that there are approximately 25 fires in EV cars per every 100,000 cars sold.

During the previous three years (2022 – 2024), around 20 EVs catch fire in the US, on average. [5] Source: gitnux.org

Canada

Canada lacks comprehensive data, let alone statistics on how many EV fires per year because these are rare events.

Transport Canada claims that annually, approximately 10,000 vehicles catch fire but due to a list of reasons, from arson to improper repairs.

On average, 93 vehicles annually are reported to catch fire due to safety defects. The percentage of EV fires is very similar to the US data, with EV cars catching fire being 0.00025% of all vehicles sold. [6] Source: fleetnews.co.uk

In contrast, hybrids are the most frequent ones to experience fires, with 3.5% of all vehicles sold. If we compare EV fires vs ICE fires, gasoline-powered cars show less than half of that percentage, only 1.5% of all cars sold. [7] Source: pauldavis.ca

Australia

Australian research that took place from 2010 to 2020 showed that the probability of EV experiencing fire is 0.0012% while for ICE cars, the percentage is 0.1%. [8] Source: edmunds.com

According to the 2024 data, six electric car fires in Australia have been recorded since 2010, all of which occurred after their battery packs were mechanically damaged.

United Kingdom

Throughout 2023, 20 electric car fires occurred in the UK monthly, mostly due to collisions. Between 2022 and 2023, 239 EV fires occurred across the UK.

A total of 390 EV battery fires occurred throughout the 2022/23 fiscal year. Interestingly enough, electric bikes showed even more occasional fires than electric cars, 160 and 118 accordingly. [9] Source: cesafety.co.uk

From 2022 to 2023, the number of electric cars in the UK increased by 83%. However, the percentage of fires is still very low compared to the ICE vehicles. [10] Source: honestjohn.co.uk

From 2017 to 2023, the London Fire Brigade responded to more than 1,000 EV fire incidents.

Germany

Germany is one of the European countries that has the biggest number of EVs on the roads. According to the German Insurance Association (GDV), within the previous five years, 15 electric car fires were reported.

Just to compare EV fires vs gas, from 35,000 to 40,000 car fires are registered in the country annually, on average. [11] Source: alberoprojekt.de

However, despite having so many EVs on the roads, Germany is very ineffective in documenting and reporting EV fires. The comprehensive statistics that would show a bigger picture still need to be included. [12] Source: dekra.com.tw

Sweden

According to the 2022 data, there are around 611,000 electric vehicles in Sweden. The country reports 16 EV or hybrid-associated fires every year, on average.

This brings us to 1 out of 38,000 chances of a car fire incident. Comparing EV vs ICE fires, gasoline and diesel-powered cars have a chance of 1 in 1,300. The reported number of fires associated with these vehicles is around 3,384 fires per year. [13] Source: motortrend.com

Norway

Norway is another country that has the biggest number of EVs in Europe. From 2013 to 2015, the number of electric cars on the roads increased from 1% to 3%. At the same time, the car fire incidents associated with EVs only accounted for 0.4% of all vehicle fire cases. [14] Source: alberoprojekt.de

In 2022, the number of recorded EV fires in Norway was 24.

Denmark

From 2018 to 2020, Denmark reported 31 EV fire cases. The growing number of fires per year is connected to the growing number of EVs on the roads.

While the stats are now seemingly unimpressive, Denmark has a different problem with EV fires. There have been some EV fire cases on ferries carrying vehicles and passengers. So despite the low number of fires across a several years span, Denmark makes considerable efforts to investigate and prevent EV fires. [15] Source: rina.org.uk

The Netherlands

In 2021, 118 EV fires were reported. There is little data about more recent years.

However, the Netherlands has faced some major incidents with EV fires, like the incident with a big ship burning down with 500 EVs on board. [16] Source: financialpost.com Experts look for ways to mitigate the risks and find the most efficient solutions to the problem. [17] Source: diva-portal.org

Finland

From 2015 to 2019, there were barely nine EV fire cases across Finland. In fact, in 2017, the country registered zero EV fires at all.

The Finnish National Rescue Task database was reviewed for electric and hybrid vehicle fires for the years 2015–2023. According to the database, there were 44 registered EV fire cases in this timespan. [18] Source: wseas.com

How Many Electric Cars Catch Fire While Charging

As the data from many countries proves, electric car fire is a rare event. EV fires vs gas car fires being compared, the percentage of a fire probability is way lower than for gasoline or diesel-powered vehicles.

While EVs can catch fire when charging due to the peculiarities of the battery and its exploitation terms, and such cases do exist, there are still no comprehensive stats because the cases are so few.

Experts also claim that seldom such fires are spontaneous and hard to predict. Most of the time, there is a human factor involved, either in causing a fire, or contributing to the fire causing as much damage as possible. Many users ignore safety measures when charging their EVs.

According to the EV Firesafe, since 2010 there were 393 verified battery fires, and there are 95 documented fires where the connection to the battery issues was not completely obvious. In the framework of around 10 million EVs being on the roads, battery fire while charging only makes 5 cases per 100,000 vehicles globally. [19] Source: cosmosmagazine.com

In the US, one-third of EV fires are linked to charging situations but on the other hand, the real reason is probably the infrastructure rather than the cars. Some parts of the grid are too old or are damaged, to provide safe charging. This is why the US is concerned about building a modern EV charging infrastructure these days. [20] Source: verisk.com

How Many Electric Cars Catch Fire on Highway

In 2020, the US reported 173,000 highway vehicle fires. In 2021, the number was slightly higher, with 174,000 cases across the country. [21] Source: statista.com

While fires and collisions are closely intertwined on the highway, most of the EV fires begin with engine issues, defective parts, or design issues.

EV Fires in Parking Garages

The issue of EV fires starting spontaneously in a private garage or parking garage is a concern for many stakeholders, from car owners to parking area owners.

Most of the time, this concern is based on the knowledge that, due to the peculiarities of the battery, an EV can catch fire spontaneously, or, what is more probable but still very rare, catch fire when charging.

Stakeholders in the industry boost this concern even further, developing new products like fire extinguishing blankets and covers. While safety measures and protocols are a must and preventing a fire is better than dealing with it, the whole concept of EVs catching fire now and then just standing in the parking lot is a myth.

According to EV Firesafe, as of 2023, several causes might be connected to EV fires in parking garages. [22] Source: evfiresafe.com These are:

• Unknown reason – 48.25%;
• Original equipment manufacturing defect – 11%;
• Arson – 3%;
• Overheating – 2%;
• Human error – 0.25%.

In Canada, most provinces do not track specifically EV fires, let alone in garage parking, the actual percentage just cannot be reported. In 2018, for example, only two EV fire cases took place in garages. The second was reportedly caused by careless smoking. [23] Source: publications.gc.ca

What makes parking garage fires so dangerous is their proximity to other cars, private houses, and apartment buildings. This is especially true for private garages where people tend to store flammable materials and also charge their EVs.

EV fire is extremely hard to extinguish so once it breaks it can destroy a full parking lot of cars or a private house.

EV Car Fire Statistics By Brand

Not all car brands that make EVs or hybrids have (or rather, publish) comprehensive data on their fire electric car fire statistics. In the table below, we collected stats from the most popular EV brands taken from open sources.

Please keep in mind that the EV fires by brand data may be incomplete.

Tesla Fire Statistics

As of 2024 Tesla fire statistics, Tesla has 83 fire cases out of 232 confirmed cases of crashes. From the indicated sample, Tesla battery fire statistics specifically are not provided. [24] Source: tesla-fire.com

From 2012 to 2020, there were 40 fire cases in Tesla vehicles overall. According to the Tesla car fire statistics, the risk of fire in a Tesla car is 0.08%. [25] Source: gitnux.org

Toyota Fire Statistics

Toyota Motor said Wednesday it is recalling 1.85 million RAV4 sport utility vehicles in the United States over fire risks stemming from the installation of replacement batteries. [26] Source: reuters.com

The recall covers 2013-2018 model year vehicles. These are hybrids. [27] Source: ctvnews.ca

The company also announced the recall involving 249,416 RAV4s in Canada, between the 2013 and 2018 model years. The recall was caused by at least 11 fires reported due to the battery issues in the mentioned cars. [28] Source: consumerreports.org

Mercedes-Benz Fire Statistics

In 2023, Mercedes-Benz recalled 28,000 cars, including 2019-2023 Mercedes-Benz E53 Cabriolet, 2019-2023 Mercedes-Benz GT53, 2019-2023 Mercedes-Benz CLS450, 2021-2023 Mercedes-Benz E450 Cabriolet, and 2021-2023 Mercedes-Benz E450.

From 2018 to 2020, there were 40 documented cases of Mercedes-Benz EQC fires, globally.

These vehicles were considered at risk of catching fire, with the potential cause being a wiring harness defect. The mentioned defect allowed the water from the outside of the car to get into the electrical connections of the wiring harness.

Chevrolet Fire Statistics

General Motors recalls Chevy Bolt electric vehicles (all model years) because of a risk the battery cells could catch fire.

This latest recall includes about 73,000 Bolts from model years 2019 through 2022, and just over 10,000 in Canada alone. A previous recall announced in July was for 69,000 Bolts from between 2017 and 2019.

There were at least five reported cases of fires after which the company decided to recall the vehicles. [29] Source: cbc.ca

Kia & Hyundai Fire Statistics

Kias and Hyundais are discussed together due to sharing many same parts, and especially elements that can be responsible for occasional fires.

These two vehicle types are among the most at-risk in terms of fires. Since 2015, both brands have recalled more than 2.3 million cars total because of increased fire risks. By 2019, the companies had many cases of fires not associated with crashes.

The cars have demonstrated two times the risk of being involved in a non-crash fire compared to comparable vehicles from competing brands. The risks were so severe that owners were advised to park their cars outside and away from houses or other cars.

Since 2010 more than 3,100 Hyundai and Kia vehicles have caught fire, injuring 103 people and killing one, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the government agency investigating both automakers.

EV Fires vs ICE Fires Statistics

According to the National Transportation Safety Board, out of 100,000 sold vehicles, only 25 are involved in fires, on average.

Just for the ICE vs EV fires record, gasoline-powered cars and hybrid cars demonstrate way higher numbers. Out of 100,000 sold, around 1,530 gasoline-powered vehicles and 3,475 hybrids, on average, are involved in fires.

So, based on gas car fires vs EV fires from different countries and different manufacturers, electric vehicles are safer in terms of catching fire than ICE cars. Gasoline-powered and diesel-powered vehicles are 20 to 80 times more likely to catch fire for different reasons.

Compared to pure EVs, electric bikes, scooters, and hybrids are also at higher risk of being involved in fires. [30] Source: greencarstocks.com

Causes of Electric Car Fires

In 16% of all fire cases, the fire was triggered by an accident.

The most frequent case is during parking, responsible for 32% of fires. The owners tended to report that the fires started out of nowhere.

The data about “being parked” and “during charging” is a bit mixed because some cars were charging in private garages, or the research did not indicate whether a particular car was charged or not at the moment of fire breaking.

However, subsequent research showed that almost all cars that caught fire “just like that” had previously been involved in an accident or had some kind of known damage. If the battery was damaged mechanically, this could be the cause of an unexpected fire.

24% of fires clearly occurred during charging and in several cases, the cause was charging the car at a normal household socket which is against the recommendations. It must be underlined also that too old or unsuitable electrical systems can be responsible for many fire accidents.

As for the rest of the causes indicated in this particular sample, several were caused directly by the driver or the owner and had nothing to do with car damage or defects.

According to the EV FireSafe, a private company monitoring global EV fires, the distribution of fires as of 2023 goes as follows:

• Unknown – 48.25%;
• Collisions – 23%;
• Original equipment manufacturer (OEM) fault – 11%;
• Submersion – 6%;
• External fire – 4%;
• Arson – 3%;
• Repair/workshop-related – 2%;
• Repair – 2%;
• Overheating – 2%;
• Manufacturing defect – 0.5%;
• Human error – 0.25%.

Denmark, the Netherlands, and Sweden are more consistent in reporting their EV fire cases. The table below shows the number of EV fires according to the factor that caused the fire.

Why Are EV Fire Cases So Sensational?

Fires in the EV are always extremely sensational despite being very rare. There are several reasons for that.

Firstly, the EVs are still very new and are paid close attention to, especially by the competitors. Although the transition to a complete adoption of electric vehicles is inevitable soon, the key stakeholders in the niche watch each other closely trying to bring each other down after every fire case.

Secondly, even though EV technologies quickly evolve, there are still some risks and hazards that have not been completely handled.

Thirdly, there is an interesting self-contradicting cause for attention to the EV fires. On the one hand, due to the comparative recency of the concept and also due to the constantly evolving technology, most countries still lack proper regulations and efficient protocols that have to be used in the case of an EV fire.

On the other hand, exactly because EV fires are so rare, developing such regulations and protocols is a hard task because all rules have to be based on real cases and samples, which are still not enough.

As a result, the EVs are believed to be catching fire out of the blue every once in a while but in reality, if we compare car fires EV vs ICE, these cases are rare and that is what makes them so sensational in the news.

Written by

Eva Johnson

Content & Marketing

More articles from Eva

I’m Eva, the opinionated voice behind every online casino review we make here on CasinosHunter. I’ve been working as a copywriter for 10+ years, half of the time in the online gambling niche, among others. Here on CasinosHunter, I write reviews, guides, all cornerstone content, and also make sure that every text on the site or our social media is well-written and correct.

Sources

• fairfaxcounty.gov
• thedailyreporter.com
• consumernotice.org
• theicct.org
• gitnux.org
• fleetnews.co.uk
• pauldavis.ca
• edmunds.com
• cesafety.co.uk
• honestjohn.co.uk
• alberoprojekt.de
• dekra.com.tw
• motortrend.com
• alberoprojekt.de
• rina.org.uk
• financialpost.com
• diva-portal.org
• wseas.com
• cosmosmagazine.com
• verisk.com
• statista.com
• evfiresafe.com
• publications.gc.ca
• tesla-fire.com
• gitnux.org
• reuters.com
• ctvnews.ca
• consumerreports.org
• cbc.ca
• greencarstocks.com

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