E-bike battery fire claims

What to do immediately after an e-bike battery fire

Safety comes first, always. If a fire is still active, or you are at all unsure whether it is fully out, treat it as an ongoing hazard and follow the fire service's instructions on site — a lithium-ion battery that has been through thermal runaway can reignite even after it appears to have stopped burning. Once the immediate danger has passed, note down the fire service incident reference number, because it matters later whichever route you end up taking. Just as importantly: resist the urge to tidy up. The damaged bike, battery, charger and any packaging you still have are exactly the evidence we would want to see, and once they have gone they cannot be recovered. Our evidence checklist sets out what is worth keeping and how.

Was it a factory e-bike or a conversion kit?

We ask this early, because it changes where responsibility is most likely to sit. If your e-bike was bought as a complete, factory-built unit, the questions that matter most are about the product itself — was the battery or charger faulty, and did the retailer or manufacturer meet their obligations under UK product-safety law? Our guides on how we assess eligibility and faulty charger and product liability claims go into this in more depth.

If the e-bike was fitted with an aftermarket conversion kit — a common setup, particularly among delivery riders — the picture is different, because the battery and its certification may have come from a different supplier to the bike itself. UK safety rules still require sellers of these kits to ensure the components they supply are safe, and uncertified batteries and chargers carry particular risk. Our guide to faulty charger and product liability claims covers what those obligations involve.

Where did it happen?

Where the fire happened is often as important as what caused it, because it can point to a different route entirely. If it happened at a home you own, the questions are largely about the product, as above. If it happened in a rented home, your landlord or housing provider's fire-safety obligations may also be relevant, and the law on this differs across the UK's nations. And if it happened at work, or while working for a delivery platform — a bike charging in a staff area, say, or a battery that failed mid-shift — workplace and gig-platform responsibilities come into play. Our guide to how we assess eligibility sets out how we approach each of these.

It is entirely possible that more than one applies, or that the real cause only becomes clear once the facts are properly looked into. That is normal, and it is exactly the sort of assessment we would expect to make with the evidence in front of us rather than from a page like this one.

Where we are on enquiries

We are not taking enquiries yet. We have no form, telephone number or email address in service on this site, so nothing you send can reach us and we collect nothing.

We are not taking enquiries. We have no enquiry form, telephone number or email address in service, and nothing you send can reach us at present.

When we open a route, we will publish it on our contact page. This page is general information about how these claims work — it is not advice about your own case.