Petrol and diesel cars 20 times more likely to catch fire than EVs

Contrary to common disinformation about electric vehicles, data from the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB)  has shown that EVs are 20 times less likely to catch fire than petrol and diesel cars.

The MSB says that during 2022 there were a total of 106 fires in various electrified modes of transport in Sweden, but that 38 of these were in electric scooters and 20 were electric bicycles.

Only 23 fires were reported in electric vehicles in 2022 making up just 0.004% of Sweden’s fleet of 611,000 EVs.

In contrast, over the same period, some 3,400 fires we reported in 2022 from Sweden’s 4.4 million petrol and diesel cars representing 0.08% of the fossil car fleet.

This means that in 2022 a petrol or diesel car in Sweden was around 20 times more likely to catch fire than an electric vehicle.

EV fires are declining

Furthermore, fires in electric cars are declining. The MSB says the number of fires in electric cars has been around 20 a year over the last three years, although the number of electric cars over that tie has almost doubled. Presumably, this is due to EV makers improving fire suppressing designs in newer models.

So the next time someone starts talking about fire risks associated with EVs, tell them they’re 20 times more likely to have a fire driving a petrol or diesel car!