UK Vape Tax 2026: Why E-Liquid Prices Are Going Up From 1 October

From 1 October 2026, e-liquid prices across the UK are going up — not just here, everywhere. It's down to a new government tax, and it's worth understanding so the price change on your next order doesn't come as a surprise.

What's actually changing

The UK is introducing the Vaping Products Duty (VPD) — a new tax charged on e-liquid at a flat rate of £2.20 per 10ml, whether it contains nicotine or not. Add the usual 20% VAT on top of that, and the real increase works out to roughly £2.64 for every 10ml of e-liquid.

What it does and doesn't apply to

This is a liquid-only tax. Devices, coils, tanks, batteries and pods are completely unaffected — only what's inside the bottle is taxed. So a device you're buying costs the same as it did last month; it's specifically the e-liquid that goes up.

Why bigger bottles feel it more

Because the duty is charged per 10ml, it scales directly with bottle size. A 10ml nic salt picks up about £2.64 in tax. A 100ml shortfill picks up roughly £26.40 — the same rate, just applied ten times over on the bigger bottle. If you buy shortfills, this is the change to pay the most attention to — see our Nic Salts vs Shortfills guide if you're not sure which you're using.

Why you won't see every price jump on day one

There's a six-month transition period, running from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027, during which retailers can still sell existing stock that was made or imported before the duty applied. That means prices will rise gradually as older stock sells through and new, duty-included stock replaces it — not everything on the shelf changes price overnight on 1 October.

What this means for you

Nic salts and shortfills will cost more over time from 1 October — that's true industry-wide, not something specific to any one retailer. It's a government tax applied at source by manufacturers and importers, not a markup any shop is choosing to add.

If you're a regular shortfill vaper, it may be worth looking at whether nic salts suit you better going forward, simply because the tax hits smaller bottles proportionally less — our nic salt strength guide can help you pick the right one.

The bottom line

Nothing about how our products work is changing — this is a tax increase from HMRC, phased in gradually as stock turns over, not a change in what you're getting. We'll keep prices as fair as we can within that, same as always.