What Is A Disposable Vape? Everything You Need To Know
Disposable vapes began appearing en masse in the UK around 2021, and their popularity exploded over the next three years, albeit with some serious controversy.
In this guide we will explain what disposable vapes are and how they work, answer common FAQs about them, and explore why they have been banned in the UK since June 2025, alongside advice to help you find the best alternative products.
If you somehow missed the headlines and buzz around these products and want to learn more about them, or if you are planning to find an alternative vaping setup in the wake of the disposable ban, this guide should tell you everything you need to know.
What Are Disposable Vapes?
Disposable vapes, also called vape/puff bars, are pre-filled, pre-charged, single-use vape kits.
They were designed to make vaping as accessible and simple as possible, with the user simply activating, using and discarding the entire unit once the e-liquid inside runs out or the battery loses charge. They cannot be refilled or recharged.
They came in a wide range of funky colours and designs, with brands like Elf Bar, SKE Crystal, Elux, and Lost Mary dominating the disposable market. They are ready to use right out of the box, are super lightweight, and feature no buttons or menus, which is what made them a natural starting point for many new vapers.
As vape kits go, disposables are about as stripped-back and simple as it gets. Far from representing the latest and best in vape tech, they took a far more old-school and rudimentary approach to device design, which contributed to their relatively low cost to consumers.
Take a look at the diagram below* to explore the key parts of a disposable vape kit. While they were sold in various shapes and sizes, their internal workings remained largely the same even across different brands.
*Our vaping experts have deconstructed this disposable vape kit safely so you don't have to, please DO NOT attempt to take your own vape kits apart at home as the batteries are highly flammable and e-liquid may cause irritation.
Mouthpiece
Disposable vapes have a standard moulded plastic mouthpiece like many other vapes. The mouthpiece has a silicone insert to help prevent leaks and forms the topmost section of their single sealed unit design.
Wick & Coil
Disposable vapes have a very basic coil design, lacking the refinement and technology of modern vape coils. Their e-liquid content is soaked into a cotton pad, which has a thin wire running through it which heats up when you inhale and produces the vapour.
This system is very inefficient, and the heating is uneven. This means you will almost never be able to make full use of all the e-liquid they contain before the battery expires, making them very wasteful and contributing to their false economy.
Battery
Disposable batteries are incredibly basic and are one of the most hazardous components of the kit. As you can see, they almost look homemade and are responsible for fires and explosions caused after the kits have been discarded in general waste bins or littered on streets.
While functional, they hold a very small charge, often not enough to support a full day of regular vaping and almost never enough to fully use up the e-liquid inside their wick/coil.
They also lack any safety protections against overheating, short circuits, or other electrical issues.
Outer Shell
Disposable vapes are almost always plastic or, in some rare cases, thin aluminium. This makes them very lightweight and portable, but also quite fragile compared to most refillable kits.
They are a single sealed unit, not intended to be opened up by the user for any reason, but only provide minimal protection for the rudimentary battery inside.
How Do Disposable Vapes Work?
Disposable vapes work in largely the same way as any other vape kit. They are inhale-activated, which signals the battery to pass a charge through the coil wire which vaporises the e-liquid soaked into the wick, which you can then inhale.
Where they differ from refillable vape kits is that they are a single sealed unit with no removable pods or coils. This means you can't top them up with more e-liquid, recharge them, or replace the coil.
While this stripped back functionality is expected of a throwaway device, disposable vape users often complained about varying performance from kit to kit, even from the same brand. This reinforced many vaper's concerns around their build quality and the safety/quality of the e-liquid they contain.
Many people found the batteries held inconsistent charge with some running out faster than others for no obvious reason. This also led to many people complaining that they were not getting as many puffs per device as advertised, or not using up the e-liquid they have paid for before the battery died.
What E-Liquid Is In A Disposable Vape?
Disposable vapes only ever contain nic salt e-liquid. This type of e-liquid is designed to be very smooth, even at the highest possible nicotine strength under UK law (20mg). In fact, 20mg was the most common strength disposables were sold in, with other options being extremely rare.
Their trademark smoothness is achieved by using a specially modified form of nicotine that has a neutralised pH level, reducing throat hit significantly. Salt nicotine also absorbs faster, and satisfies cravings for longer than standard freebase nicotine, the latter used in ranges like our Original £1 collection.
Disposable vapes also notably used double-concentrated flavourings in their e-liquid blends, which have redefined the current flavour standard for modern nic salt e-liquids sold in 10ml bottles.
10ml nic salt ranges like our LiQuid Bar Salts replicate these same bold flavours, albeit with much greater quality and safety, to meet consumer expectation and demand. A demand driven by former disposable vape users seeking a like-for-like alternative following the ban.
How Much Vape Juice Is In A Disposable Vape?
Legally, the maximum amount of e-liquid that should be found in a disposable vape is 2ml.
Most standard models of disposable vapes advertised as such, and often described themselves as providing up to 600 puffs.
Amongst these TPD-compliant examples, however, were "big puff" disposable vapes, which claimed to offer thousands of puffs per device. This became a major red flag for consumers and authorities, however, as it almost certainly meant they contained more than 2ml of e-liquid, which means they were illegally imported and not subject to any UK safety checks.
Even supposedly TPD-compliant models faced controversy around their e-liquid content. Elf Bar saw a number of their 600 puff disposable bars stripped from supermarket shelves after authorities discovered that they contained over the legal 2ml limit.
The irony, is that most disposable vapers were seldom able to use all the e-liquid their device contained anyway, due to poor battery performance and inefficient wick/coil design.
How Long Will A Disposable Vape Battery Last?
In theory, a disposable vape battery should last as long as it takes to use up all the e-liquid inside, ensuring good value for the consumer. This would typically be around 1 day's use for an average vaper.
In reality, however, disposable vape batteries were the source of significant disappointment. Most people who regularly used disposables before their ban, reported that the devices held inconsistent charge, with some lasting as expected, and others lasting far less.
In many cases people found the devices would only last a few hours, and the majority depleted before the e-liquid inside was used up, or well short of the advertised puff per device count.
As the diagram above shows you, disposable battery cells are very basic and rudimentary. This makes it less surprising that they perform so poorly when compared to refillable kits, which have properly rated power cells with built in protections and smart chips that manage power and performance.
Why Are Disposable Vapes Banned In The UK?
As we have touched on in this guide, disposable vapes have been banned from sale since June 2025. The UK Government had to navigate a great many obstacles before reaching this final decision, but their reasons for doing so are more than justifiable.
These reasons included:
- Curbing Youth Vaping Uptake
Disposable vapes made vaping attractive and easy for under-18s, amidst a huge wave of illegal sales to minors that Trading Standards battled, often in futility.
This led to a huge rise in underage vaping, and of people who were not using vaping as intended: a method of tobacco harm reduction for adult smokers.
As disposable vapes are most often 20mg, the sheer volume of nicotine consumed by these children posed huge developmental risks both mentally and physically, and created a new generation of nicotine addicts almost overnight.
Schools reported record numbers of vapes being seized, and headlines regularly reported hospitalisations and other issues affecting children who vaped, often secretly, to dangerous excess.
- Limiting Environmental Damage
Due to their throwaway nature, coupled with the number of underage people using them illegally, disposable vapes were at the heart of an environmental crisis.
At the height of their use in 2023, it was widely reported that over 5 million disposable vapes were littered or sent to landfill each week, jumping up from 1 million the year before.
The low-grade batteries in these kits made news for exploding in public bin after being exposed to the elements, and even igniting entire waste collection vehicles after they exploded when crushed.
The amount of disposable vapes littered was skyrocketing at this time, and it was noted that the cheap batteries were prone to leaking dangerous chemicals into the soil and water of areas where littering was most common.
Sustainability experts also raised the growing issue surrounding the amount of lithium, a finite resource vital for technology, being locked off in landfills as disposable batteries were not cost-effective to recycle. At their peak, it was estimated that enough lithium to make 2000 electric car cells was lost annually as disposable vape waste.
- Prioritising Public Safety
Disposable vapes became so trendy, that retailers across the UK faced challenges in supply and demand. This led many to both knowingly and unknowingly buy into black market supplies which boomed before the eventual ban.
These illegal examples of disposables had not been subject to any of the established safety checks or legal parameters currently in place to ensure vaping is safe for consumers. They often breached nicotine and e-liquid volume limits, and were found to produce harmful chemicals due to inferior components.
Due to budget and manpower constraints, Trading Standards faced constant struggles to police the vaping black market, which fed directly into the youth vaping epidemic as well as putting adult vapers at risk.
When the idea of a UK-wide ban on disposable vapes was proposed by Government, it was met wirth overwhelming positivity from the public, with 70% of respondents to a Uk Gov poll on the matter being in favour of outlawing them.
What Are The Best Alternatives To Disposable Vapes?
From false economy to health risks and irreversible environmental damage, disposable vapes have caused so many issues that both the public and industry stakeholders alike were largely in favour of them being banned in the UK.
Unfortunately, while the ban makes it easier to police black markets and reduce public and underage health risks, those vapers who used disposables with honest intentions have been left wondering how to continue vaping.
As disposable vapes made things so simple, many of these people lack the knowledge to find the best vaping products that can offer them the closest experience to the disposable vaping they loved.
Thankfully, vape stores like ours have everything you need to continue your vaping journey responsibly, and you will almost certainly save money long-term too!
You only need two things to build your perfect disposable vape alternative setup, as we explain below:
Choose A Beginner-Friendly Pod Vape Kit
The first thing you'll need to build the ideal disposable alternative setup is a good quality pod device, designed for beginners or on-the-go vaping.
Why A Pod Vape Kit?
Pod vape kits, especially entry-level examples, offer like-for-like convenience and ease of use when compared to disposables.
While there is no getting around having to buy replacement pods and fill them yourself, everything else about pod vapes matches the simplicity of disposable vaping.
Why A Beginner-Friendly Device?
Even if you have vaped with disposables for a long time and consider yourself experienced, entry-level devices have specialised features tailored to maximise convenience.
They have no buttons, screens, or menus to navigate. They automatically set the best power output for your chosen pod, and are almost always designed to work best with 50-50 e-liquids, like the nic salt vape juice you loved in your old disposable kits.
We have a specialised guide to help you find the best device based on what type of vaper you are, which includes a section dedicated to disposable vapers looking for an alternative.
Choose Modern 10ml Nic Salt E-Liquids
To complete your disposable alternative setup, you will need a bottle of good quality nic salt e-liquid to pair with your pod device.
Why Nic Salt?
Nic salt e-liquid is the same type found in disposables. 10ml bottled nic salts will offer the same trademark smoothness and satisfaction, with the added bonus of offering multiple nicotine strengths, allowing you to find the best level for your actual needs, instead of being forced to use 20mg.
Why "Modern" Nic Salts?
Nic salt e-liquids pre-date disposable vapes, but the double-concentrated flavours used in single use vapes redefined what consumers look for in this product type.
Modern nic salts, also called bar salts, utilise double concentrated flavours, and feature the same flavour profiles as all the best-selling disposables of their day.
In fact, most of the biggest disposable brands have since shifted to producing 10ml bar salt style e-liquids in all their most popular flavours, to remain relevant after the ban.
We are producing our own range of modern 10ml nic salts called LiQuid Bar Salts, which you can buy for only £2. These offer the same smoothness and amazing flavour options as all the best disposable products, but with far greater safety and quality assurances.
Disposable Vape FAQs
Check out the FAQs below to get answers to some of the most common questions surrounding single-use vape kits.
Are Disposable Vapes Safe?
Are Disposable Vapes Safe?
While its true that, prior to their ban, the majority of disposable vapes sold in the UK were used without issue, their safety relative to proper refillable vape kits and bottled e-liquid from reputable brands is severely lacking.
From issues of inferior components leaching harmful chemicals into e-liquid vapour, to unregulated illegal imports and even explosions and fires - disposable vapes pose far more risk to consumers than any other product type.
Their inconsistent and cheap construction played a big role in this risk, as did their trending status which meant the associated issues leading to their eventual ban grew exponentially.
How Can You Stay Safe in 2026?
Many UK vapers will still be working their way through stockpiles of disposable vapes, either sold cheaply in bulk in the run-up to the ban, or illegally after the fact.
If this applies to you, we strongly recommend caution, especially if any remaining disposables are over 12 months old. The longer they hang around, the greater the risk of contamination of the e-liquid inside or battery failure.
It is far safer in 2026 to simply call it quits with disposables and move onto refillable kits - you can still enjoy the same smooth nic salt e-liquid and bold flavours, as post-ban, most big disposable brands now produce 10ml bottled versions of their most popular disposable flavours.
How Many Puffs Do You Get From A Disposable Vape?
How Many Puffs Do You Get From A Disposable Vape?
Most legally compliant disposable vape kits are advertised as delivering approximately 600 puffs per kit.
Any devices claiming to offer more, known as "big puff" devices, are almost always a red flag, as to deliver more than 600 puffs the device would need to contain more than the legal 2ml limit of e-liquid.
In reality, most disposables produce far less than the advertised puff count, owing largely to battery failure and inferior wick/coil design.
Can You Refill A Disposable Vape?
Can You Refill A Disposable Vape?
No - disposable vapes were designed to be a single sealed unit, thrown away once used up.
Some people attempt to open them up and refill them manually, however this is ill advised and dangerous.
Can You Recharge A Disposable Vape?
Can You Recharge A Disposable Vape?
No - disposable vapes are not designed to be recharged and cannot be done so safely.
You may see videos online of people using DIY cables and rewiring to try to recharge single-use vape batteries, but this is very dangerous and should never be attempted.
As the ban approached, some brands released disposables with a charge port in an attempt to get around the law.
The UK Gov caught on quick, however, and expanded the legal definition of a disposable vape to include the lack of a removable pod or coil, so these examples soon vanished from shelves in favour of those with removable pre-filled pods or refillable options.
Summing Up: Disposable Vapes Are Gone But Their Legacy Remains
We hope this guide has helped you build your understanding of disposable vapes and the roll they have played in the vaping world. While they may now be illegal to buy or sell in the UK, their influence on the industry as a whole will last for a very long time.
The brands that shot to fame amidst the disposable boom are here to stay, with all of them now producing refillable kits, 10ml e-liquids, or both. The flavour UK vapers expect from their e-liquids has also changed, with nic salts moving to double-concentrated flavours following the trend set by single-use vapes.
While disposables certainly seemed to cause more harm than good for the UK in general, it would be unfair to claim they were all bad. A huge wave of new adult smokers found a less harmful alternative by switching to disposables, and it is those people we are here to help guide towards future-proofed alternative products that will allow them to continue the vaping journey they started with single-use vapes.
