Electric Car Fires – Facts vs Myths. New Report by PSP and PSNM

• There were 30 recorded fires of Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) in Poland in 2024, accounting for 0.31% of all vehicle fires. In comparison, combustion engine cars were responsible for 98.85% of cases in our country. The number of fires in electric cars is significantly lower, but there are opinions that this is due to the smaller number of BEVs on Polish roads.
• That’s why PSNM, in cooperation with the State Fire Service and F5A New Mobility Research and Consulting, has launched the regular EV Fire Safety Report. The study, published quarterly, provides information on the number of fires in electric and combustion engine cars per 1000 vehicles.
• According to the PSNM, PSP and F5A report, the fire rate for BEVs per 1000 vehicles is 0.372. For combustion engine vehicles, it increases to 0.424. This means that combustion engine vehicles in Poland are 14% more likely to catch fire than electric cars.

There are over 21 million combustion engine cars in Poland and just under 81,000 electric ones. To present reliable data on car fires and determine how often – combustion engine and electric – they catch fire, PSNM, PSP and F5A prepared the “EV Fire Safety Report”.

The State Fire Department’s 2024 data published in the EV Fire Safety Report issued by PSNM showed that the fire rate of battery electric (BEV) cars was 0.372 per 1000 registered vehicles. For combustion engine models, it is significantly higher – 0.424. Last year in Poland, there were only 30 BEV fires, which accounts for only 0.31% of all incidents. For comparison, during the same period, as many as 9,487 fires of combustion cars were reported, accounting for 98.85% of all cases. There was a total of 64 fires of fully electric vehicles in the years 2020-2024, during the same time, there were 46,197 incidents involving combustion engine vehicles

“In 2024, the State Fire Department recorded 30 fires of electric vehicles. This is only 0.31% of all cases of car fires. Of course, the number of electric cars on the roads is currently significantly lower. Therefore, the key data concerns the number of fires per 1000 registered vehicles. But even taking this factor into account, according to PSP data, electric cars catch fire 1.14 less often than combustion cars. This means that views on the greater susceptibility of electric cars to fires are a myth,” says Albert Kania from F5A New Mobility Research and Consulting.

“Every year, the State Fire Department deals with more incidents involving electric and hybrid vehicles. This is no surprise, as every year there are more vehicles of such type on Polish roads. Fires and other incidents (accidents, collisions) involving vehicles with modern drives and structures are new challenges for rescuers, but we are prepared for that. The procedures for dealing with BEV and HEV are outlined in the updated in May 2023 “Standard rules of conduct during incidents with electric and hybrid cars”, which have been implemented in the State Fire Service and Volunteer Fire Department units. The action time for incidents with modern electric drive vehicles is in fact longer, as it includes checking the temperature of the batteries, but the firefighting activities themselves do not essentially differ for combustion engine vehicles and those with a fully electric drive,” says senior brigade Tomasz Jonio from the Main Command of the PSP

“The EV Fire Safety Report” is a unique tool, the first in Europe to contain data on the fires of electric and combustion engine cars. The report is issued quarterly by PSNM in cooperation with the State Fire Service and F5A New Mobility Research and Consulting. Its purpose is to provide reliable, verified data on the fire safety of electric vehicles (BEV).

“The prepared report is a continuation of PSNM’s activities aimed at deepening industry and social awareness as well as educating, among others, communities and cooperatives in the field of disinformation (myths) about electromobility. It is impossible to forget about the “Guidelines for fire protection in garages in buildings intended for charging electric and plug-in hybrid cars”, which we issued together with the Main Command of the State Fire Service and the Joseph Tuliszkowski Fire Protection Research and Development Center – National Research Institute (CNBOP-PIB). This unique document on a European scale is a collection of good practices concerning the design and installation of electrical installations, as well as ensuring optimal fire protection conditions in garages where EVs are charged. The guidelines also increase the safety level of the charging process of electric cars and clarify important issues that are not regulated by the current legislation,” points out Maciej Mazur, Managing Director of PSNM.