Safety · Real World Data

EV Fires vs Petrol Fires.What The Data Actually Says.

WhatsApp makes it sound like EVs are ticking time bombs. Reality: petrol and diesel cars have been quietly catching fire for decades, we just got used to it. EV fires are different and more dramatic on video, but that doesn't automatically mean they are more common.

1. How common are vehicle fires in general?

Before EV vs petrol, remember that normal cars burn a lot. According to the US National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), there were on average around 196,000 highway vehicle fires per year in the US between 2018 and 2022. Almost all of these are petrol and diesel vehicles.

In other words, fire departments already respond to roughly one vehicle fire every few minutes. This was true long before EVs became common.

2. Do EVs catch fire more often?

Different countries use different metrics, but the direction is consistent: EVs are not catching fire more often than ICE cars, and in many datasets they are clearly lower.

Sweden (MSB Data)

Fires in EVs: 0.004% (23 out of 611k).
Fires in ICE: 0.08% (3,400 out of 4.4m).
Result: ICE cars had ~20× higher fire rate.

Norway (Norwegian Fire Service)

EV fire rate: 0.005%.
ICE fire rate: 0.03%.
Result: Combustion cars had ~6× more fires per vehicle.

US Combined Analysis (NFPA/IIHS)

EVs: ~25 fires per 100k sales.
Petrol/Diesel: ~1,530 fires per 100k sales.
Hybrids: ~3,475 fires per 100k sales.

Honest summary: Today's data does not support the claim that EVs catch fire more often. Hybrids are often the outlier.

3. Why do EV fires feel so scary online?

Two big reasons: video and behaviour.

  • • EV fires are rare, so each one becomes a viral incident.
  • • When a battery goes into thermal runaway, the fire can be intense and look "sci-fi", which spreads faster on social media.

However, studies in Fire Technology show the overall heat release is comparable to a normal fossil-fuel car fire.

4. What actually causes the fires?

ICE Cars

  • • Fuel/Oil leaks on hot exhaust
  • • Electrical shorts
  • • Overheating engines
  • • Poor maintenance

EVs

  • • Severe crash damage to pack
  • • Internal cell defects
  • • Bad chargers / wiring
  • • Water ingress

5. Indian context: What about those scooter fires?

India had several electric two-wheeler fires in 2022. DRDO investigations pointed to poor cell quality and bad thermal management in low-cost kits.

In response, standards like AIS-156 were tightened. Four-wheeler EV fires in India have been much rarer relative to the fleet size.

6. Why fire services worry

It's not that EVs burn more often, but that they are harder to extinguish. Battery fires can re-ignite hours later and release complex gases. This requires specific training and equipment (like water tanks for quarantine), which is why safety agencies are cautious.

7. Do EVs ignite more in accidents?

Large agencies like NHTSA do not see EVs as having a higher fire risk than gasoline vehicles in serious crashes.

A 2025 Korean study analyzed 17 post-crash EV fires and found they were typically caused by:
1. Extreme high-speed frontal collisions.
2. Impacts from below puncturing the pack.

Regulators are now updating crash tests to focus on battery protection, similar to how they test fuel tanks.

8. Fire vs. Impact Severity

For both ICE and EV, post-crash fires are dangerous mostly because occupants are already injured or trapped. Studies show many fire-related fatalities involve crashes violent enough (e.g., 140–160 km/h) to be life-threatening even without fire.