Smoking, vaping, HTP, NRT and snus in United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, e-cigarettes are allowed and regulated under national tobacco and nicotine product laws. However, recent legislation bans the supply, offer to supply, and possession for supply of disposable or single-use e-cigarettes. Health benefit claims promoting e-cigarettes as smoking cessation aids are permitted, provided they are evidence-based and compliant with relevant regulations. Advertising of these products is allowed but strictly regulated. E-cigarettes can be legally purchased online and are commonly available in general retail outlets. Currently, there are no excise taxes levied on e-cigarette products in the UK.

The United Kingdom has a comprehensive regulatory framework around e-cigarettes. Based on that, product notifications are required before market entry, and child-resistant, tamper-proof containers are mandatory. Additionally, health warnings must appear on all packaging, and sales are restricted to individuals aged 18 years and above. E-liquids should not exceed a nicotine concentration of 20 mg/ml, and tank sizes are limited to 2 ml or less. While there are no restrictions on flavour range, vaping in public places is regulated and subject to local policies.

In terms of prevalence, approximately 4.5 million people were reported to be current vapers in the UK as of 2022. The adult current vaping prevalence was estimated to be 10.4% in 2025. In 2023, 8.3% of adult women and 11% of adult men were reported to be current vapers. An estimated 2.9 million adults were daily vapers as of 2022, representing an adult daily vaping prevalence of 5.2%. Daily vaping prevalence was 3.5% among females and 6.4% among males in 2021. In 2020 in a survey, 14.2% of respondents in the UK stated that they had ever tried e-cigarettes.