UK rules for prefilled pods, as they stand.
The single-use ban is the reason the replacement pod format matters in the UK. This page sets out what is banned, what survives, and what a UK-bound pod project has to be designed to.
The decisive rule
What the ban actually bans
The Environmental Protection (Single-use Vapes) Regulations 2024 stopped the supply of single-use vapes across the UK in spring 2025 — Scotland from 1 April, England, Wales and Northern Ireland from 1 June. The test is not the shape of the product — it is whether it can be kept.
A vape is treated as single-use if the battery cannot be recharged, or the pod or coil cannot be refilled or replaced. A rechargeable host with swappable prefilled pods fails both tests — which is why the replacement pod format survived the ban.
- In force since
- 1 Apr 2025 (Scotland) / 1 Jun 2025 (England, Wales, NI)
- Applies to
- England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland
- Banned
- Supply of single-use vapes
- Survives
- Rechargeable host + swappable prefilled pods
- Still governing pods
- TRPR 2016
- Notification
- MHRA, before the product is sold
Surviving the ban is not the same as being unrestricted. Everything below still applies to a prefilled pod sold in the UK, and a project that ignores it fails at the border rather than at the shelf.
Hard limits
TRPR 2016, and the duty from October 2026
These are ceilings, not targets. A pod designed to a 2 ml chamber and a 20 mg/ml strength travels to other markets more easily than one designed above them.
| Item | UK requirement | Effect on your project |
|---|---|---|
| Nicotine strength | Maximum 20 mg/ml | Ceiling for every pod SKU sold in the UK |
| Pod / tank capacity | Maximum 2 ml | Fixes the chamber size; drives puff count |
| Refill container | Maximum 10 ml | Applies if you also ship bottled liquid |
| MHRA notification | Before the product goes on sale | Needs ingredient and emissions data |
| Packaging | Child-resistant, health warnings | Dielines must be compliant at artwork stage |
| Vaping Products Duty | £2.20 per 10 ml from 1 Oct 2026 | Per HMRC's worked example: 44p on a 2 ml pod, £2.20 on a 10 ml refill |
| Retail licensing | Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 (c. 18) | Personal and premises licences, no commencement date yet |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column →
The duty is levied per 10 ml of liquid, so it lands hardest on high-volume, low-price product. It is one more reason a 2 ml replacement pod with a rechargeable host compares better in the UK than a disposable equivalent did.
Timeline
How the UK got here
01 JUN 2025
Single-use ban in force
England, Wales and Northern Ireland end supply of single-use vapes; Scotland moved first, on 1 April 2025. Prefilled replacement pods become the mainstream legal format.
29 APR 2026
Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026
Royal assent granted. The Act introduces retail licensing for both people and premises; no commencement date has been set.
10 JUL 2026
Consultation opens
Plain packaging, flavour naming and in-store display are under consultation. No flavour ban is in force at the time of writing.
01 OCT 2026
Vaping Products Duty
£2.20 per 10 ml applies to nicotine and non-nicotine liquid. Landed-cost models for 2027 need it built in.
Buyer checklist
Five things to settle before you quote a UK launch
- 01 · Confirm the format
- Rechargeable host, swappable prefilled pod
- 02 · Fix the chamber at 2 ml
- Design to the limit, not near it
- 03 · Set strength at or below 20 mg/ml
- Including any 0 mg variant messaging
- 04 · Budget the duty
- £2.20 per 10 ml from 1 Oct 2026
- 05 · Name the responsible person
- MHRA notification sits with the brand holder
The AISILE platform is built to the 2 ml / 20 mg/ml envelope by default, so a UK launch does not need a separate tooling set from a mainland-Europe one.
Questions
UK questions buyers ask first
No. The Environmental Protection (Single-use Vapes) Regulations 2024 define a vape as single-use when the battery cannot be recharged or the pod or coil cannot be refilled or replaced. A rechargeable device with swappable prefilled pods fails both tests, so it stays legal, subject to the TRPR 2016 limits.
20 mg/ml. The pod or tank itself cannot exceed 2 ml, and a refill container cannot exceed 10 ml. These are ceilings a UK-bound project has to be designed to from the start, not adjusted afterwards.
From 1 October 2026 the duty is £2.20 per 10 ml, and it applies to nicotine and non-nicotine liquid alike. Zero-nicotine product does not escape it.
We produce the manufacturer-side documentation your notification depends on: ingredient and emissions data, device specification and batch traceability. The notification and market authorisation sit with the brand holder, so we work with your regulatory consultant rather than around them.
No. It is a summary of published rules intended to help a buyer frame a project. Confirm the current position with your own regulatory consultant before you rely on it.
Sources
Official instruments behind this page
- The Environmental Protection (Single-use Vapes) (England) Regulations 2024, SI 2024/1216 — in force 1 June 2025
- The Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016, SI 2016/507 (TRPR)
- Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026, c. 18 — Royal Assent 29 April 2026
- HMRC: Vaping Products Duty in force from 1 October 2026 (£2.20 per 10 ml)
- The Environmental Protection (Single-use Vapes) (Scotland) Regulations 2024 — in force 1 April 2025
Every regulatory claim on this page traces to one of these published instruments. Rules change; the citations stay checkable. This page is guidance, not legal advice.
Related guides
Continue from here
Where disposables are banned
Belgium, France and UK dates, with the French statute's cartridge carve-out.
EU rules and TPD3
The 2 ml / 20 mg/ml envelope and the 27-state notification reality.
Replacement Pod Core spec
The pod this page's rules govern: coil, fitment and chamber data.
Next step
Designing for the UK? Send the brief and the destination.
The factory configures to the 2 ml / 20 mg/ml envelope by default and will say plainly when a requirement sits outside it.
UK enquiries
Selling prefilled pods in the UK?
Send your volume band and pack format and we confirm the TRPR-ready configuration, the documentation that ships with the batch, and the timetable that applies to your launch.
- moyucong@yunmiaonet.cn
- +86 15561912527
- Sampling
- 7–15 days
- Production
- 15–30 days
- MOQ
- Set per SKU — tell us your target volume