From Sunday, it will be illegal for businesses to sell or supply disposable vapes.
The government hopes the ban will reduce environmental damage caused by the devices and help cut the number of children and young people vaping.
How are the rules about vapes changing?
Disposable vapes ban
From 1 June 2025, businesses will be banned from selling or supplying any single-use vapes, whether that's in shops or online.
Retailers caught breaking the law in England face a minimum £200 fine, with a prison sentence of up to two years for repeat offences. Penalties are broadly similar in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Trading Standards will be able to seize any single-use vapes they find.
Only devices considered to be reusable will be legal. That means that they must have a rechargeable battery, a replaceable coil, and be refillable.
It won't be illegal to own a disposable vape after 1 June. Customers can still return them, and retailers have an obligation to get rid of them.
Vaping tax
Vaping products are already subject to 20% VAT but, unlike tobacco, they do not currently attract a separate additional tax.
A new vaping duty will start on 1 October 2026. It will be charged at a flat rate of £2.20 per 10ml vaping liquid.
At the same time, tobacco duty will be increased to preserve the financial incentive for cigarette smokers to switch to vaping.
Advertising and sponsorship ban
The government's Tobacco and Vapes Bill – which is currently making its way through Parliament – will outlaw vape advertising and sponsorship.
It will also restrict the flavours, packaging and display of vapes and other nicotine products.
Children have been targeted with colours, branding and flavours such as bubble gum or candy floss, to push a product that can lead to nicotine addiction, the British Medical Association has warned.
Illegal vapes
The government is also cracking down on iIlegal vapes, which are widely available and are much more likely to contain other harmful chemicals or drugs.
More than six million illegal vaping products were seized by Trading Standards officers across England between 2022 and 2024, according to analysis by the BBC.
