Research shows Britain’s use of disposable vapes is falling

Experts say imminent ban on disposable vapes may have limited impact on vaping rates, and that regulators mustn’t deter adult smokers from a switch to vaping 

The rapid rise of vaping that began when disposable e-cigarettes became popular in 2021 has stayed constant between January 2024 and January this year, suggesting growth has stalled, including among young people.

The new study by UCL researchers, published in the journal Addiction and funded by Cancer Research UK, looked at survey data on vaping habits in England, Wales and Scotland before and after the UK Government announced plans to restrict vaping — including banning disposable vapes — in January 2024. 

The team found that the proportion of people vaping increased by nearly a quarter each year from January 2022 to January 2024 but stayed constant between January 2024 and January 2025. 

After January 2024, there was also a substantial decline in vapers mainly using disposable e-cigarettes. Among 16 to 24-year-olds, the number mainly using disposables almost halved, from 63% to 35%. 

Dr Sarah Jackson, Lead Author, UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care said: “Action is likely still required to reduce high vaping rates, but now that the situation has stabilised policymakers may be reassured that it would be sensible to avoid stricter policy options currently under review. Some of the options being considered may be more likely to have the unintended consequence of deterring smokers from using vapes to quit smoking.

“Our results also suggest that the government’s ban on disposables, coming into force in June, may have limited impact on vaping rates in general, given that vapers are already moving away from disposable vapes. It seems likely that people using these products will move to re-usable versions rather than stop vaping completely.”

Professor Peter Hajek, Wolfson Institute of Population Health at the Queen Mary University of London said the findings seem to confirm that youth interest in e-cigarettes may be waning, an observation which has also been reported in the US. “Young people with genes or circumstances that make them like nicotine are likely to continue to use vapes, but this is much better than if they smoked.

“Regulators need to be careful that the efforts to stop young people using vapes do not deflect adult smokers from switching to vaping. Vaping poses only a small fraction of risks of smoking and has substantial potential to help us to get rid of smoking-related death and disease for good.”

The UK government’s ban on disposable vapes will come into force on June 1st this year. while the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, currently working its way through Parliament, includes powers to potentially restrict the packaging, marketing and flavours of vapes.

"It is important that [measures to reduce vaping] are introduced alongside other messaging and policies that continue to encourage and support smokers to quit…” 

Professor Jamie Brown, Senior Author, UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, said: “While it is understandable that policymakers want to take action to reduce vaping among children and never smokers, smoking remains the number one public health priority. These findings should reassure policymakers that they can prioritise measures, such as restrictions on marketing, packaging and display, which are least likely to undermine how helpful vapes are for people trying to quit smoking.

"It is important that these measures are introduced alongside other messaging and policies that continue to encourage and support smokers to quit smoking, such as mass media campaigns and the swap to stop scheme.”

The study looked at data collected between January 2022 and January 2025 from 88,611 people (16 and over).