Electric Vehicle Fire Safety: Debunking Myths with Latest Data

Despite widespread misconceptions and anecdotal fears, current data strongly indicates that electric vehicles (EVs) are not inherently more susceptible to fire hazards compared to their gasoline-powered counterparts. A comprehensive report from Poland's State Fire Service, disseminated by the New Mobility Association (PSNM), provides compelling evidence to challenge the notion that EVs pose an elevated fire risk. The findings, which encompass vehicle fires recorded in Poland during the first half of 2025, show that fully electric vehicles were involved in less than 0.5% of the total incidents. In stark contrast, 98.4% of all vehicle fires in the country during this period involved combustion-powered vehicles, making up 4,636 out of 4,712 reported incidents, while EVs accounted for only 23, and hybrids/PHEVs for 54.
A deeper analysis, adjusting for the market share of different vehicle types, further corroborates the comparable safety of EVs. Considering Poland’s 8% EV market share by July 2025, the incident rate per 1,000 registered vehicles reveals that both combustion vehicles and EVs share an identical fire incident rate of 0.23. Hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles exhibit an even lower rate at 0.04 fires per 1,000 vehicles. Historical data from 2020 to 2025 reinforces this trend, with internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles making up the vast majority (99.39%) of the 51,142 reported vehicle fires, while EVs constituted a mere 0.17%. While EV battery fires do present unique challenges in extinguishment, often requiring specialized techniques like full vehicle submersion, the overall statistics from both Poland and Sweden consistently demonstrate that EVs are not a greater fire risk than conventional cars.
The collected statistics from Poland, mirroring similar findings from other nations like Sweden, underscore a crucial message: the perceived heightened fire risk of electric vehicles is largely unfounded. While the nature of EV fires, particularly those involving high-voltage batteries, can be more complex and demand specific firefighting protocols, the frequency of such occurrences is not disproportionate. This growing body of evidence serves to alleviate public concerns and foster greater confidence in the safety of electric mobility, encouraging a more informed perspective on this evolving automotive landscape.