Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many fires involving electric vehicles have been recorded by fire and rescue services in England in the last five years; and whether the Government has received assessments on the impact and risk of such fires from fire and rescue services.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government collects data on incidents attended by Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) in England, including fires involving road vehicles. This data is published in the Department’s fire statistics releases. However, the data currently collected by Fire and Rescue Services does not identify whether a vehicle involved in a fire was an electric vehicle. The Department is therefore not able to provide data for the number of fires involving electric vehicles in England over the last five years.
Our new Fire and Rescue Data Analysis Platform (FaRDAP) is being rolled out and work is ongoing to update the data it will collect covering both the questions and answer categories to capture lithium-ion batteries, electric vehicles (including personal light electric vehicles such as e-scooters and e-bikes), and more.
In addition, the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) publishes data using information available from Fire and Rescue Services on fires involving e-bikes and e-scooters. Updated data now including figures for 2017-2024 was published in June 2025 and can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on national guidance for dealing with incidents involving lithium-ion batteries on the strategic road network.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport works closely with the Home Office and the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government on lithium battery safety. The Government has published guidance for roadside recovery operators working with electric vehicles, many of which contain a lithium battery. This guidance is applicable to incidents on the Strategic Road Network. National Highways continues to work with emergency services to ensure that any incidents are resolved as effectively as possible.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of fire and rescue services to respond to incidents involving lithium-ion batteries on strategic road networks.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government is working closely with Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) and officials from other Government Departments to build an evidence base, share intelligence and develop mitigations to tackle the fire risks linked to lithium-ion batteries and personal light electric vehicles (PLEVs).
The department collects data on incidents attended by FRSs with this data including the cause of the fire and the source of ignition. This data is published in a variety of publications, available here. This does not yet include data on whether fire incidents attended were caused by or involved lithium-ion batteries.
Our new Fire and Rescue Data Analysis Platform (FaRDAP) has been rolled out, and work is ongoing to update the data it will collect covering both the questions and answer categories to capture lithium-ion batteries, and their uses in vehicles like e-scooters and PLEVs.
National Operational Guidance has been developed for fires involving alternative fuel vehicles to support fire and rescue services when attending such incidents. It contains specific hazard guidance, including control measures on how to identify and immobilise the vehicle and how to isolate high-voltage systems.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment has been made of trends in the number of battery fires for electric personal mobility vehicles such as e-bikes and scooters for each year since 2020.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government collects data on incidents attended by Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs), with this data including the cause of the fire and the source of ignition. This data is published in a variety of publications, available on gov.uk here. This does not yet include data on whether fire incidents attended were caused by or involved batteries for electric mobility vehicles, such as electric bikes or electric scooters.
Our new Fire and Rescue Data Analysis Platform (FaRDAP) is being rolled out and work is ongoing to update the data it will collect covering both the questions and answer categories to capture lithium-ion batteries, electric vehicles, e-scooters and e-bikes, and more.
In addition, OPSS publishes data using information available from Fire and Rescue Services on fires involving e-bikes and e-scooters. Updated data now including figures for 2017-2024 was published in June this year on gov.uk here.
MHCLG is working closely with FRS and officials from other Government Departments to build an evidence base, share intelligence and develop mitigations to tackle the fire risks linked to lithium-ion batteries and PLEVs.
Asked by: Tom Rutland (Labour - East Worthing and Shoreham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans she has to (a) encourage and (b) enable drivers who may be unable to afford a new car to switch to (a) electric vehicles and (a) more electric environmentally friendly cars.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is committed to ensuring that the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) is accessible to everyone. Many EVs on the second-hand market are now priced similarly to comparable petrol and diesel cars. Industry data on used vehicle transactions suggests there is strong and growing interest in used zero emission vehicles (ZEVs).
The Government’s Electric Car Grant (ECG) is designed to stimulate the uptake of lower cost, new ZEVs. This will, over time, increase the supply of affordable EVs into the second-hand market.
To boost consumer confidence in the longevity of used EVs, the ECG and the ZEV Mandate require manufacturers to provide a warranty of 8 years or 100,000 miles on EV batteries and a replacement battery if the original battery’s capacity falls below 70% in that period. This is significantly higher than warranties typically offered for petrol or diesel cars.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the permitted means and locations for the disposal of lithium-ion batteries after they have expired in motor vehicles.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles are classified as “waste industrial batteries” once they can no longer be used in a vehicle. Sometimes they are repurposed for something else, for example, energy storage. Otherwise, they must be sent to an appropriate battery recycling facility — they cannot be disposed of, for example, incinerated or landfilled.
The battery recycling centres in England must be approved and have the right environmental permits from the Environment Agency. You can find a list of these approved facilities online in the Environment Agency’s Public Register Public Registers Online.
Some batteries may be sent to another country for recycling. If so, they must go through an approved exporter. These exporters are also listed in the same Public Register.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will bring forward legislative proposals mandating that second hand electric vehicles are sold with (a) conformity and (b) battery health check certificates.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government currently has no plans to mandate that second hand vehicles are sold with certificates of conformity or battery health certificates. Manufacturers are currently required to issue a certificate of conformity with each new vehicle. A vehicle owner may request a duplicate of the certificate from the manufacturer for up to 10 years after the date of manufacture. The Government will introduce a new digital system to give members of the public direct access to information about their vehicle. Most vehicles manufactured on or after 5 July 2026 will be enrolled in the new system, and paper certificates of conformity will be phased out.
The UK Government has worked with international partners at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe to develop a Global Technical Regulation on EV batteries (GTR No.22). This regulation requires electric vehicles have easily accessible, accurate, and comparable information on the battery’s state of health. The Government is currently analysing options for the implementation of GTR No.22 regulations in the UK.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that electric vehicles are manufactured (a) sustainably and (b) with appropriate environmental considerations.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan announced DRIVE35 (Driving Research and Investment in Vehicle Electrification) which will support the latest research and development, accelerate commercial scale up, and unlock capital investment in zero emission vehicles, batteries and their supply chains. This programme contributes to our net zero objectives by helping to cut millions of tonnes of CO2 emissions – both in the UK, and globally in our EV manufacturing supply chain.
This Government is committed to transitioning to a circular economy and has convened a Circular Economy Taskforce of experts from industry, academia, and civil society. They are developing a series of roadmaps, including one for transport, detailing the interventions that the Government will make on a sector-by-sector basis. The Strategy will support the Government’s Missions to kickstart economic growth and make Britain a clean energy superpower.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to support the development of the second-hand electric vehicle market.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government recognises the importance of the used vehicle market to our country’s transition to zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) and closely monitors its growth. We are confident that consumer interest will continue to increase as more used ZEV models approach price parity with their petrol and diesel equivalents.
We already have various financial incentives to stimulate the new ZEV market and increase the supply of these vehicles feeding through to the second-hand market. Additionally, the ZEV Mandate requires manufacturers to provide a warranty of 8 years or 100,000 miles on EV batteries and provide a replacement battery if capacity falls below 70% in that period, increasing consumer confidence.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help improve customer confidence in battery performance when buying used Euro 6 compliant electric vehicles.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate and the recently announced Electric Car Grant require manufacturers to provide a warranty of 8 years or 100,000 miles on EV batteries. In comparison, new petrol or diesel cars usually come with a 3-year warranty. Moreover, during the warranty period, if the battery capacity drops below 70% for cars or 65% for vans, the manufacturer must provide a replacement battery.
The UK has worked with international partners at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe to develop a Global Technical Regulation on EV batteries (GTR No.22). If implemented, this regulation would ensure that EVs provide easily accessible, accurate, and comparable information on the battery’s state of health. The Government is analysing options for the implementation of GTR No.22 regulations in the UK.