Vapers face £600-a-year hit as new vaping duty comes into force across the UK

From the Newshound archive · first published 1 October 2026 · last updated 2 October 2026.

Heavy vapers could pay £600 more a year after the new Vaping Products Duty came into force on 1 October, charging £2.20 per 10ml of e-liquid. A bottle previously sold for £3.99 now costs around £6.63, and any three-for-£10 deals on 10ml liquid rise to £17.92. Smokers face a simultaneous blow, with tobacco duty up by around £1.20 a pack — adding up to £440 extra a year for heavy smokers. Travellers returning from holidays are also hit, with vapes now liable to seizure at UK airports if they bring back more than 50ml of liquid undeclared.

An estimated 5.5 million adults in the UK vape, with the true number probably greater still, since under-18s are excluded from the count.

Health minister Karin Smyth insisted vaping is 'less harmful than smoking' but said 'children and non-smokers should never vape.'

From 29 October, it becomes fully illegal to sell vapes and nicotine products to anyone under 18, including through proxy purchases made on a minor's behalf.