Guide
How Much Does Vaping Cost a Year in the UK?
A refillable vape runs to roughly £300 to £500 a year, and the October 2026 duty adds to it. Here is the full breakdown of device, e-liquid and coil costs.
A refillable pod kit runs to roughly £300 to £500 a year, depending on how much you vape. The device itself is cheap. The ongoing cost is e-liquid and coils, and from October 2026 the new vape duty adds to it. Here is the breakdown.
The upfront cost
A starter pod kit costs between about £10 and £25, and you buy it once. A more advanced kit costs more, but for most vapers the device is a small one-off next to what they spend on liquid over a year.
The ongoing cost
This is where the money goes. A typical refillable vaper spends somewhere around £15 a month on e-liquid and £10 a month on replacement coils, which puts the running cost near £300 a year before the new duty. Prefilled pod kits are simpler but work out dearer over time, because you pay for the pod and the liquid together. Heavier vapers getting through 10ml a day sit closer to £50 to £70 a month.
What the October 2026 duty adds
From 1 October 2026 the Vaping Products Duty adds £2.20 to every 10ml of e-liquid, with VAT on top, so about £2.64 a bottle at the till. A nic salt vaper buying two or three 10ml bottles a week picks up an extra £230 to £345 a year. Shortfills get hit hardest, because the duty is charged on volume. Hardware is not taxed, only the liquid. Once the duty lands, a refillable kit is more like £480 a year.
The hidden extras
The headline figures miss the small stuff. Replacement pods, spare batteries, chargers and the odd new device when one dies all add up over a year. Sweet liquids gunk up coils faster, which means buying more of them.
For context
A pack of cigarettes now averages around £16. A ten-a-day smoker spends close to £2,920 a year, so vaping stays far cheaper even after the duty. That gap is the reason the duty was set where it was.
Where a melt sits
Oral nicotine takes the device costs off the table. A melt has no device behind it, so there are no coils or e-liquid to keep buying, and it is not a vaping liquid, so the October duty does not touch it. NYXE is a melt that dissolves in the mouth, with none of the running costs that come with a device.
FAQ
How much does vaping cost a month in the UK?
Most refillable vapers spend around £25 to £40 a month, rising once the October 2026 duty lands. Heavy users spend more.
Will vaping get more expensive in 2026?
Yes. From 1 October 2026 the new duty adds £2.20 plus VAT to every 10ml of e-liquid.
Is a pod kit or a refillable cheaper?
Refillable kits cost less over a year, because you buy the liquid separately. Prefilled pods are simpler but dearer per ml.
Does the vape tax apply to devices?
No. Only the liquid is taxed. Devices, coils and pods carry standard VAT only.