Single-Use Disposable Vapes Now Banned in the UK – Here’s What To Do Next

As of 1 June 2025, the sale of single-use disposable vapes is illegal in the United Kingdom.

This nationwide ban, introduced under new environmental and public health legislation, means you won’t see those one-time-use vape pens on shop shelves anymore.

Whether you’re a long-time vaper or just getting started, this is a major shift in what’s available to buy legally. Retailers can no longer sell disposables, and it is also illegal to import them for resale.

If you’ve relied on disposables for convenience, you’re probably wondering what your next move should be. The good news is that there are still plenty of legal, easy-to-use alternatives.

 

What Exactly Is Banned?

The ban covers all single-use disposable vapes – basically any e-cigarette that you use until it’s empty and then throw away.

These devices are not refillable/reloadable and have a battery you can’t recharge. That includes popular models that were widely sold in supermarkets, corner shops, and online.

In other words, if you can’t top it up with e-liquid or new refill pods, or you can’t plug it in to recharge, it’s now off-limits for sale in the UK. Devices must be either refillable, rechargeable, or both in order to meet the new legal standards.

 

Legal Alternatives (TPD-Compliant Vapes)

The good news is there are plenty of other vaping options that are still legal. These alternatives all comply with UK vape regulations (often called “TPD-compliant”) and offer a similar experience without being single-use. All these devices are available to buy right now on our disposable vape alternatives page.

• IVG SAVR
• IVG 2400
• IVG Pro
• Hayati Pro Max
• Lost Mary BM6000
• Dojo Blast 2000
• Dojo Blast 10K
• Bloody Bar Crystal 10K
• Argus Bar Neon 2K
• Elf 600
• Lost Mary 600
• Pyne Pod

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All of these products can be reused or recharged, which keeps them within the law and cuts down on waste. So you can keep vaping without breaking the new rules or throwing away device after device.

 

Why Did the UK Introduce This Ban?

The government brought in this law for two big reasons: to protect young people and to reduce environmental harm. First, there were concerns about kids getting addicted to nicotine due to the low barrier to entry and ease of use of the devices.

Despite the fact it was already illegal to sell nicotine containing products to minors, the government believed that those colourful, sweet-flavoured disposable vapes were tempting to teenagers, and over half of under-18 vapers were using disposables as their go-to.

By banning single-use vapes, the UK government aims to curb youth vaping. Not by improving enforcement of existing laws that prohibit this, nor by penalising rogue retailers for breaking those laws in the first place, but by making a new law to ban them entirely.

Although it is not clear why rogue retailers previously breaking the law by selling vapes to minors wouldn’t just ignore the new law as well, at the very least it may contribute towards preventing a new generation from developing nicotine addictions. Of course, this has no affect on the growing and illicit black market for vapes, and may in fact lead to a new influx of previously legal vapes being sold on the black market.

Secondly – and undeniably – single-use vapes were causing a huge waste problem.

Millions of these little plastic gadgets were being thrown away every week in the UK (about eight every seconds!). Discarded vapes littered streets, parks and beaches, and their batteries and plastic can harm wildlife and pollute the environment. By outlawing throwaway vapes, the government is tackling this litter problem and encouraging people to use more sustainable, reusable vaping products instead.

In short, the 1 June 2025 disposable vape ban is about making vaping harder to access for young people and better for the environment, while still letting adult vapers have satisfying alternatives that meet the rules.