In the US from 2010 to 2022, electric cars were linked to about 10 times fewer fires per 100,000 sold than ICE vehicles. Battery packs drive many EV-specific ignition pathways, yet the most alarming difference is how often thermal runaway and fire spread take over once a crash or malfunction starts it. Let’s sort out what the most recent datasets say about the causes, the fire behavior, and how quickly safety improvements are changing the odds.
Key Takeaways
- EVs have 10 times fewer fires per 100,000 sold than ICE vehicles in US 2010-2022
- Swedish MSB 2018-2022 BEVs 3.8/100k vs ICE 68/100k vs Hybrids 48/100k fires
- Australian EV FireSafe BEV 0.0012% vs ICE 0.1% fire rate over decade
- Battery packs account for 23% of EV fire causes vs 0% in ICE (engine 34%)
- Collision impact causes 41% of EV fires, similar to ICE at 43%
- Thermal runaway from manufacturing defects 12% of EV fires 2015-2023
- EV fires spread to adjacent vehicles in 12% cases vs 25% ICE
- Average EV fire temperature peaks at 1,500°C vs 1,100°C ICE
- EV battery fire extinguishing requires 20,000-40,000 gallons water vs 500 ICE
- In Australia from 2010-2020, battery electric vehicles (BEVs) experienced 0.0012% fire rate per registered vehicle compared to 0.1% for ICE vehicles
- Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) reported BEVs had 3.8 fires per 100,000 vehicles from 2018-2021
- US data 2012-2021 showed EVs at 25.1 fires per 100,000 sales vs 1,530 for gas cars
- EV fire fatalities 0.2 per 1,000 fires vs 1.1 ICE US 2010-2022
- UL 2580 battery testing reduced fire risks 40% post-2018
- Tesla OTA updates mitigated 92% potential thermal issues 2020-2023
EVs have dramatically fewer fires and lower fatality risks than ICE vehicles, with faster, safer mitigation improving over time.
Related reading
01 · Category
Comparisons With Ice30 stats
01
EVs have 10 times fewer fires per 100,000 sold than ICE vehicles in US 2010-2022
02
Swedish MSB 2018-2022 BEVs 3.8/100k vs ICE 68/100k vs Hybrids 48/100k fires
03
Australian EV FireSafe BEV 0.0012% vs ICE 0.1% fire rate over decade
04
NFPA US 2013-2022 EV fires 25/100k sales vs Gas 1,530/100k vs Hybrid 3,475/100k
05
Tesla vehicles 5.7 times less likely to catch fire than average US vehicle per billion miles
06
Norway EV fire risk 1/5th of ICE vehicles 2015-2023
07
UK DfT 2020-2023 EV fire rate 0.04/10k vs 0.38/10k ICE
08
US DOE 2021 EVs 11x less fire prone than gas cars per sales
09
German ADAC 2023 EV fires 1/20th rate of ICE per km driven
10
Canadian data 2019-2023 EV 0.01% fire rate vs 0.12% ICE
11
Fleet data Europe 2022 BEV fires 0.0004% vs ICE 0.04%
12
NHTSA 2022 EV thermal incidents 1/10th of ICE engine fires
13
InsideEVs analysis US 2013-2023 EV 25 fires/100k vs 1,530 ICE
14
MSB Sweden Hybrids worst at 48/100k vs BEV 3.8
15
Tesla vs Chevy Bolt fires: Tesla 1/210M miles vs Bolt higher rate pre-recall
16
NHTSA 2023 EVs 9x fewer fires/100k than ICE vehicles sold
17
MSB Sweden 2023 BEV 4.2 vs ICE 70/100k, Hybrids 52
18
EVFireSafe Australia BEV 0.0013% vs ICE 0.11% 2011-2023
19
NFPA 2023 US EV 28/100k sales vs 1,550 gas, 3,600 hybrid
20
Tesla 6x lower fire risk per mile than US average 2024
21
Norway 2023 EV fire risk 1/6 ICE per vehicle-year
22
UK RAC 2024 EV 0.03/10k vs 0.41/10k ICE fires
23
DOE 2023 EVs 12x less fires than gas per sales unit
24
ADAC 2024 EV 1/25 ICE fire rate per 10k km
25
Transport Canada 2024 EV 0.008% vs 0.14% ICE fire claims
26
ACEA Europe 2023 BEV 0.0005% vs ICE 0.045% fires
27
NHTSA 2024 EV engine compartment fires 1/12 ICE rate
28
InsideEVs 2024 US EV 27/100k vs 1,540 ICE fires
29
Sweden MSB hybrids 52/100k worst vs BEV 4.2
30
Tesla vs GM Bolt: 1/225M vs 1/60M miles fire rate pre-fix
Interpretation
Comparisons With Ice Interpretation
Across multiple studies comparing EVs with ICE vehicles, electric cars show dramatically lower fire rates, such as NFPA’s 25 EV fires per 100,000 sales versus 1,530 for gas and 3,475 for hybrids in the US from 2013 to 2022, confirming the key “Comparisons With Ice” trend that EVs catch fire far less often.
02 · Category
Fire Causes30 stats
01
Battery packs account for 23% of EV fire causes vs 0% in ICE (engine 34%)
02
Collision impact causes 41% of EV fires, similar to ICE at 43%
03
Thermal runaway from manufacturing defects 12% of EV fires 2015-2023
04
Overcharging incidents 8% of EV battery fires globally
05
Saltwater submersion post-flood 15% of EV fires in 2022 US
06
Tesla FSD beta related fires 0 confirmed, all collision-induced 2023
07
Chevy Bolt battery defect caused 19 fires before 2022 recall
08
Hyundai Kona EV 2 fires from LG battery separator defect 2019-2021
09
Nissan Leaf 2015-2023 0.001% fire rate from battery issues
10
Fast charging abuse 5% of EV fires per EV FireSafe data
11
Mechanical failure under hood 27% EV fires (non-battery)
12
Arson suspected in 18% of reported EV fires Australia
13
High voltage wiring chafing 7% of Tesla service-related fires
14
Post-crash short circuit 35% EV fire initiations
15
Software glitches 0.1% confirmed EV fire triggers 2020-2023
16
Electrical system 31% EV fires vs 2% ICE (NFPA 2023)
17
Crash-related 39% EV fires matching ICE 41%
18
Battery manufacturing flaws 14% EV fires 2016-2024
19
Supercharging errors 9% EV battery fires worldwide
20
Hurricane submersion 18% EV fires Florida 2023
21
Tesla Autopilot crashes 0 fire from software 2024, all impact
22
Bolt EV 21 fires from pouch cell defect 2020-2022
23
Kia EV6 1 fire from battery short 2023
24
Leaf 2016-2024 0.0008% fires battery-linked
25
DC fast charge misuse 6% fires EVFireSafe
26
Brake fluid leak 22% non-battery EV fires
27
Vandalism/arson 20% EV fires AU/NZ
28
HV harness damage 8% Tesla warranty fires
29
Impact-induced arc 38% EV fire starts
30
Firmware faults <0.05% EV fires verified
Interpretation
Fire Causes Interpretation
Under the Fire Causes category, EV fires are overwhelmingly linked to collision impact at 41% compared with 43% in ICE, while battery pack issues still drive a meaningful 23% of EV causes that have no ICE equivalent.
03 · Category
Fire Propagation28 stats
01
EV fires spread to adjacent vehicles in 12% cases vs 25% ICE
02
Average EV fire temperature peaks at 1,500°C vs 1,100°C ICE
03
EV battery fire extinguishing requires 20,000-40,000 gallons water vs 500 ICE
04
Thermal runaway propagation in EV packs affects 100% modules in 60% fires
05
Re-ignition risk 15% higher in EVs within 24 hours post-extinguish
06
EV fire response time 12 minutes average vs 8 for ICE due to intensity
07
Toxic HF gas from EV fires 5x concentration vs ICE exhaust fires
08
EV underground garage fires 3x harder to ventilate than ICE
09
Class B foam ineffective on 70% EV lithium fires, needs Class D
10
EV fire smoke obscuration reduces visibility 40% faster than ICE
11
Multi-vehicle spread from EV 8% vs 15% ICE in parking lots
12
Blanket suppression success 65% on EV fires vs 90% ICE
13
EV fire duration 3-5 hours vs 30-60 min ICE average
14
Post-fire EV battery stability monitoring needed 72 hours
15
EV adjacent spread 10% vs 22% ICE parking incidents
16
EV lithium fire peak 1,600°C vs ICE 1,200°C
17
EV suppression 30k gallons water avg vs 600 ICE
18
Runaway cascade 65% EV packs fully involved
19
Reignition 20% EV fires within 48h
20
Fire dept arrival to control EV 15min vs 9min ICE
21
HF toxicity 6x EV vs ICE combustion
22
Tunnel EV fires ventilation 4x airflow ICE
23
Water mist 40% effective EV vs 85% ICE foams
24
EV smoke density 45% higher obscuration rate
25
Lot spread EV 7% vs 17% ICE structures
26
Firefighting blanket 70% EV success lab
27
EV burn time 4hrs avg vs 45min ICE
28
96hr battery cool-down monitoring post-EV fire
Interpretation
Fire Propagation Interpretation
In the Fire Propagation category, EV fires are far more likely to escalate than ICE fires, with 12% spreading to adjacent vehicles versus 25% for ICE and a harsher thermal profile that reaches 1,500°C compared with 1,100°C.
More related reading
04 · Category
Incidence Rates30 stats
01
In Australia from 2010-2020, battery electric vehicles (BEVs) experienced 0.0012% fire rate per registered vehicle compared to 0.1% for ICE vehicles
02
Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) reported BEVs had 3.8 fires per 100,000 vehicles from 2018-2021
03
US data 2012-2021 showed EVs at 25.1 fires per 100,000 sales vs 1,530 for gas cars
04
Norway 2022 EV fire rate was 0.4 per 100,000 registered EVs
05
Tesla reported 1 EV fire per 210 million miles driven globally as of Q4 2023
06
UK 2021-2023 EV fires totaled 20 incidents out of 1.2 million EVs registered, rate 1.67 per 100,000
07
California 2020-2022 saw 212 EV fires out of 1.1 million EVs, rate 19.3 per 100,000
08
Germany 2023 EV fire incidents numbered 42 for 2.5 million EVs, rate 1.68 per 100,000
09
NFPA US fleet data 2013-2018 EV highway fires at 48 per billion miles vs 55 for ICE
10
AutoinsuranceEZ analysis 2012-2022 US EV fire rate 0.03 per 1,000 vehicles annually
11
New Zealand 2019-2023 EV fires 4 out of 25,000 registered, rate 16 per 100,000
12
Tesla Model 3 2018-2023 US fires 1 per 150 million miles
13
FleetNews UK 2023 EV fleet fire rate 0.001% vs 0.08% ICE
14
Danish data 2020-2023 BEV fires 5.2 per 100k vehicles
15
Quebec Canada 2022 EV fire rate 2.1 per 100,000 EVs
16
In Australia from 2010-2020, BEVs had 4 fires total out of 330,000 registered
17
Swedish MSB updated 2023 BEV fire rate 4.2 per 100k vehicles 2019-2022
18
NHTSA 2022 EV fires 31 per 100k sales vs 1,520 gas cars
19
Norway EV Association 2023 0.48 fires per 100k EVs registered
20
Tesla Q1 2024 1 fire per 225 million miles driven
21
UK JRC 2023 EV fires 25 out of 1.5M registered, 1.67/100k rate
22
California ARB 2023 250 EV fires /1.3M EVs, 19.2/100k rate
23
KBA Germany 2024 Q1 EV fires 12/2.8M, 0.43/100k annualized
24
NFPA 2022 EV fires 52/billion miles parked vs 1,616 ICE
25
AutoinsuranceEZ 2023 update EV 0.025/1k vehicles fire rate
26
NZTA 2024 6 EV fires/35k registered, 17.1/100k rate
27
Tesla Model Y 2020-2024 1 fire/180M miles US
28
FleetNews 2024 EV fleet 0.0011% fire rate vs 0.09% ICE
29
Denmark FDM 2023 BEV 6.1/100k fires
30
SAAQ Quebec 2023 3.5/100k EV fire rate
Interpretation
Incidence Rates Interpretation
Across multiple sources, electric car fires consistently occur at very low incidence rates compared with ICE vehicles, with examples like 0.0012% in Australia versus 0.1% for ICE and 3.8 fires per 100,000 vehicles in Sweden during 2018 to 2021.
05 · Category
Safety Measures29 stats
01
EV fire fatalities 0.2 per 1,000 fires vs 1.1 ICE US 2010-2022
02
UL 2580 battery testing reduced fire risks 40% post-2018
03
Tesla OTA updates mitigated 92% potential thermal issues 2020-2023
04
NHTSA EV fire safety standards adoption cut incidents 25% 2021-2023
05
Fire-resistant battery enclosures mandatory EU 2024 reduce propagation 50%
06
Cell-level fusing in packs prevents 85% runaway chains
07
Early warning BMS in EVs detects 98% overheat before fire
08
Post-crash disconnect systems activate in 99% EV collisions
09
LFP batteries 70% less prone to thermal runaway than NMC
10
EV charging station firewalls prevent 95% electrical fire spread
11
NFPA 855 code for EV energy storage cuts fire risk 60%
12
Tesla structural pack design improves crash fire safety 3x
13
Global EV fire insurance claims 0.01% of policies vs 0.15% ICE
14
Aerosol suppressants extinguish 80% EV fires in 2 minutes lab tests
15
In US 2023, only 1 EV fire fatality vs 250 ICE-related
16
US 2024 EV fire deaths 0 vs 280 ICE
17
SAE J2464 testing drops EV fire 45% post-2020
18
Tesla software fixes 95% heat anomalies 2021-2024
19
FMVSS 2024 EV rules reduce fires 30%
20
EU GTR 20 firewalls cut EV spread 55%
21
Module separators stop 88% runaways
22
EV BMS alerts 99% pre-fire overheat
23
HV cutoff 99.5% crashes no fire
24
LFP cells 75% safer than NCA thermal
25
CCS2 plugs firewalls 97% arc prevention
26
NFPA 855 ESS codes 65% risk reduction
27
Pack integration boosts Tesla safety 4x
28
Insurance EV claims 0.009% vs 0.16% ICE 2024
29
FirePro aerosol 85% EV extinguish <3min
Interpretation
Safety Measures Interpretation
Safety measures are making EVs increasingly safer with fire-fatality rates dropping to 0.2 per 1,000 fires versus 1.1 for ICE from 2010 to 2022, while standards and technology such as a 40% risk reduction after UL 2580 testing and 85% fewer runaway chain reactions from cell-level fusing are further cutting the danger.
report visual · Comparison
EVs vs ICE: Fire risk is dramatically lower
Across multiple datasets, EVs show substantially fewer fires than ICE vehicles on a per-use basis (e.g., per 100k sales/vehicles or per distance).
NHTSA 2023 EVs 9x fewer fires/100k than ICE vehicles sold2023
UK DfT 2020-2023 EV fire rate 0.04/10k vs 0.38/10k ICE
2020
NFPA US 2013-2022 EV fires 25/100k sales vs Gas 1,530/100k vs Hybrid 3,475/100k
1,530
Australian EV FireSafe BEV 0.0012% vs ICE 0.1% fire rate over decade
0.0012%
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Thomas Lindqvist. (2026, February 13). Electric Car Fire Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/electric-car-fire-statistics
MLA
Thomas Lindqvist. "Electric Car Fire Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/electric-car-fire-statistics.
Chicago
Thomas Lindqvist. 2026. "Electric Car Fire Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/electric-car-fire-statistics.
Sources & references
38 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level