Polish EV fire rate matches gasoline cars, report shows

Data from the State Fire Service for the first quarter of 2026 recorded 14 fires involving fully electric vehicles (BEVs) in Poland, representing 0.59 % of all vehicle fires. The fire rate per 1,000 registered vehicles for electric cars (0.097) is identical to that of gasoline‑powered cars, while hybrid vehicles have a lower rate (0.017) and no hydrogen‑fuel fires were reported. Overall, 98.3 % of vehicle fires involved combustion engines.

The number of electric cars on Polish roads is rising rapidly: 80,699 battery‑electric vehicles were registered at the end of 2024, 132,775 at the end of 2025, and 143,689 by the end of Q1 2026. Correspondingly, the absolute number of EV fires has increased, with 14 incidents in Q1 2026 compared with an average of 11 per quarter in previous years.

Investigation of the EV fires found that 14 % were linked to vehicle faults, while the cause remained unknown in 86 % of cases. Firefighters note that extinguishing an electric‑vehicle fire typically takes longer, averaging 3 hours 26 minutes, and may require special water usage or containment methods.