Vaping spend
Here is what vaping costs and what you are saving.
Your details
Never smoked? Put 0 in the last box. Single use vapes have been banned in the UK since 1 June 2025.
4 pods a week
£727
a year on vaping
- A week£13.98
- A month£61
- E-liquid a week8.0 ml (2 ml each, £1.75 per ml)
- UK size limit for podspods and tanks up to 2 ml
- Nicotine a week160 mg at 20 mg/ml
- At the next strengths down12 mg/ml = 96 mg, 6 mg/ml = 48 mg, 3 mg/ml = 24 mg
- What you spent smoking each week£70.00
- Saved compared with smoking£2,913 a year
If you have swapped cigarettes for a vape, that is a big step: the NHS says vaping is far less harmful than smoking. The aim is to stop smoking completely and, in time, to come off the vape too, often by stepping down the nicotine strength. UK pods and tanks hold no more than 2 ml, refill bottles no more than 10 ml, and nicotine is capped at 20 mg/ml. Vaping is not for non-smokers or anyone under 18.
Expert help gives you the best chance of quitting for good, and it is free: your local NHS Stop Smoking Service, a pharmacist, your GP or the free NHS Quit Smoking app. Your Stop Smoking Service can help you come off the vape as well.
The working
4 pods a week at £6.99 for 2
Each pod is £3.50, so 4 a week is £13.98, about £727 a year. Four 2 ml pods are 8 ml of e-liquid a week (£1.75 a ml), and at 20 mg/ml that is 160 mg of nicotine. At 12 mg/ml the same use would be 96 mg, which is how stepping down works. Against £70 a week on cigarettes (£3,640 a year), that is about £2,913 a year saved. Bottles of liquid are priced the same way, with 10 ml in each.
What the NHS says
The short version
- Vaping is not completely risk free, but it carries a small fraction of the risk of smoking
- The long term risks of vaping are not yet clear
- You only get the full benefit once you stop smoking cigarettes completely
- Vapes are not recommended for non smokers and cannot be sold to under 18s
Getting the most from it
Vaping to stop smoking
The NHS says to use your vape as much as you need, with the right nicotine strength, so cravings do not tip you back to cigarettes. Expert help from your local Stop Smoking Service gives you the best chance of quitting smoking for good. Once you are sure you will not go back to smoking, you can plan to stop vaping too.
Coming off the vape
A step down plan and a goal
Many people come off vaping by stepping the nicotine down through the common strengths, 20, 12, 6 and 3 mg/ml, then stopping. Pick a pace and we date each step from today: one step every 4 weeks from 20 mg/ml means 12 from 18 November, 6 from 16 December, 3 from 13 January and stopping around 10 February. Add something you are saving for and we show how many weeks of vaping money it is: £500 at £13.98 a week is about 36 weeks. Your local Stop Smoking Service can support you with this too.
Read with care
What this cannot tell you
- Know your deviceCoils, chargers and kits add to the cost.
- Choose your strengthYour Stop Smoking Service can help you pick one and step down.
- Advise young people to vapeVapes are for adults who smoke.
Questions
Common questions
Is vaping cheaper than smoking?
Usually. At 4 pods a week it is about £727 a year, compared with several thousand for a pack a day.
Is vaping safe?
The NHS says it is not completely risk free and the long term risks are not yet clear, but it carries a small fraction of the risk of smoking. It is not recommended for non smokers.
Are disposable vapes banned?
Yes, single use vapes have been banned across the UK since 1 June 2025.
Where can I get help to stop smoking?
Your local NHS Stop Smoking Service, a pharmacist or your GP. The NHS says expert help gives you the best chance, and it is free.
Sources
- NHS: using e-cigarettes to stop smoking
- GOV.UK: single use vapes ban (from 1 June 2025)
- NHS: quit smoking (NHS Stop Smoking Services and other support)
- GOV.UK: e-cigarettes, regulations for consumer products (2 ml tanks, 10 ml refills, 20 mg/ml)
Last checked 21 October 2026. Spotted something wrong? Tell us and we will fix it.
Free help to stop
Your local NHS Stop Smoking Service, a pharmacist or your GP can help you stop smoking for good, and it is free. Talk to your GP if you have any worries about vaping and your health.
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