E-bikes and e-scooters are everywhere now, and guests increasingly bring them or expect to charge them. For Wiltshire owners that raises a question worth taking seriously, because the e-bike fire risk from lithium batteries is real, growing fast, and ferocious when it happens.
Why the e-bike fire risk is rising
The numbers are stark. According to government data from the Office for Product Safety and Standards, 93 per cent of e-bike and e-scooter fires reported in 2024 had the battery or generator as the source of ignition, and there were fires resulting in fatalities that year. The London Fire Brigade has warned that these batteries, when damaged or failing, can start incredibly ferocious fires within seconds.
The Airbnb and NFCC guidance notes that e-scooters and e-bikes can present a particular hazard if faulty, and that if you allow them, they should be charged during the daytime only and outdoors if possible.
What causes these fires
The London Fire Brigade points to incompatible chargers, modifications, and faulty or counterfeit products bought online, including conversion kits and replacement batteries. Many fires happen during charging, and crucially, when batteries are charged in communal areas or escape routes, a fire can quickly block the way out. A lithium battery fire is also extremely hard to put out and releases toxic gases, so prevention is everything.
The rules to set for guests
Fire services give consistent advice you can pass to guests. Use the manufacturer’s approved charger. Charge while someone is awake and alert, never overnight or unattended. Do not charge in hallways, by doors, or anywhere that would block an exit. Do not charge near combustible materials. And make sure your smoke alarms are working.
The safest option
Where you can, provide an outdoor or detached space for charging, such as an external garage or outbuilding, well away from sleeping areas and the main escape route. That single measure removes most of the risk to your guests. The NFCC’s e-bike and e-scooter guidance sets out the full picture.
Put it in writing
Cover e-bikes in your guest information pack and your fire risk assessment. If guests regularly bring them, a competent assessor can help you plan safe charging arrangements.
What the data shows and how to reduce the risk
Lithium battery fires from e-bikes and e-scooters are a fast-growing hazard. Government data published in 2024 found that the battery was the ignition source in the overwhelming majority of these fires, and that they can take hold with little warning and spread very quickly. If guests may bring an e-bike or e-scooter, set clear rules in your guest information. The advice from fire services and the National Fire Chiefs Council is to charge only with the manufacturer’s own charger, charge during the day while someone is awake rather than overnight, and never charge on or near an escape route or by the only way out. Charging outdoors or in a detached outbuilding, where practical, is safer still, and damaged or swollen batteries should never be charged at all. Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service and the London Fire Brigade have both highlighted how quickly these fires escalate.
If you would rather not host charging at all, say so plainly in your listing, since setting the expectation before arrival is far easier than managing it once a guest has settled in for the week.
Get the right advice for your property
Guests charging e-bikes and not sure how to manage it? For advice tailored to your property from a competent professional, speak to Jamie at ESI: Fire Safety on 01276 300 351.
