Vapes

Underage sales of Vapes

By law you must be over 18 to buy vapes or e-cigarettes. Under proposed laws making their way through parliament, this age restriction will rise each year, making it increasingly difficult for young people to purchase these products. Furthermore, there will be new restrictions on flavours and packaging, and increased controls over the way such products are being displayed in shops. There are also plans to ban disposable vapes altogether.

Trading Standards carries out ongoing underage test purchasing operations to test the systems and procedures in shops to ensure they are effective in preventing the sale of these products to young people. We use Intelligence from the public to direct these activities.

Change to the law on the sale of disposable vapes 1 June 2025

From 1 June 2025, it will be illegal for businesses to sell or supply all single-use vapes. The ban includes all ‘disposable’ vapes which are not refillable and use a battery which cannot be recharged. This applies to sales online and in shops, and all vapes regardless of whether they contain nicotine

These changes in the law are being led by DEFRA on the basis that single-use vapes harm our environment and wildlife, releasing substances like lead and mercury into our soil, rivers and streams. They are also extremely wasteful of the valuable resources contained in these products, such as lithium, cobalt and copper.

You can read more about the background to the legislation on DEFRA’s blog

Sale of Illegal Vapes

Trading Standards carries out extensive enforcement in relation to the sale of illegal vapes. Often these are intended for sale in other countries and don’t comply with UK safety standards.

Common issues we find include:

• Tank sizes that are illegal in the UK due to the quantities of liquid they contain
• Vapes that wrongly state they contain no nicotine

Its remit will extend to enforcement in relation to the single-use disposable vapes from 1 June 2025.

How to spot an illegal vape

Things to look for to identify if a vape is illegal:

Check the health warnings

• In the UK, the health warning must cover 30% of the front and back of the pack
• The health warning must read "This product contains nicotine which is a highly addictive substance" - use of the word 'chemical' is only used in the USA market. In the UK, we use 'substance'.

Check for nicotine content

• The product must indicate the nicotine content and delivery per dose
• The maximum e-liquid capacity is 2ml
• The maximum nicotine strength is 20mg (2%)

Check the manufacturer details

• The vape packaging must contain the manufacturer or importer name and contact details
• The manufacturer or importer must be registered on the MHRA website (MHRA = Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency)

Check if it falls into the single-use disposable vape category

Things to look out for are:

• Single stick devices that have the mouthpiece, tank and battery fixed together. The liquid and the coil are not accessible. Even if the device contains a USB port, suggesting that the battery can be recharged, it will still be illegal to sell or supply it.
• Devices that allow you to refill the tank and charge the battery, but where the coil is encased in the device and cannot be replaced. This kind of device is not reusable because once the coil has burnt out, it’s not possible to replace it with a new one.
• Devices that appear to be reusable but where it’s not possible for a user to separately buy the refill e-liquid, pre-filled pods or replacement coil (in your shop or anywhere).

Cambridgeshire Stats to 31 December 2024 to 30 April 2025:

Illegal vapes

Underage sales of vapes 

Report concerns about illegal vape sales

If you would like to report concerns about illegal vape sales, please report to the Citizens Advice Consumer Service. You can remain anonymous if you wish.

The Citizens Advice Consumer Service log the reports on our behalf and pass them onto us. They can also give you free, independent advice on consumer issues and your rights at the same time.