How Much Are Vapes? UK Price Guide

Thinking about getting a vape? The price question has two honest answers: the sticker price of the device, which is small, and the running costs, which are where your money actually goes. Here's the full picture for the UK in 2026, including a tax change landing in October that's worth planning around.

Device prices at a glance

Type	Up-front cost	Ongoing	Best for
Pod-style bars (rechargeable)	£6–13	Pods £3–6 each	Absolute beginners
Pod kits	£15–40	Liquid + pods/coils	Switching smokers
Vape pens	£20–50	Liquid + coils £2–5	Simple refillable step up
Box mods	£40–100+	Liquid, coils, batteries	Hobbyists, cloud chasers

Pod-style bars (£6–13). These replaced disposables after the UK banned single-use vapes in June 2025 — same shape, same flavours, but with a USB-C port and replaceable pods. The device is cheap; the per-puff cost is the highest of any option if you buy pods forever.

Pod kits (£15–40). The sweet spot for most people switching from cigarettes: small, draw-activated, refillable with any nic salt liquid you like. This is the category I point every new switcher toward.

Vape pens (£20–50). A refillable tank, a proper battery, replaceable coils at £2–5. More vapour and more flexibility than a pod, still nothing to learn.

Box mods (£40–100+). Adjustable power, big clouds, batteries sometimes sold separately. Nobody needs one to quit smoking; people buy them because vaping became their hobby, which is a perfectly good reason.

The running costs, honestly

The device is a rounding error. The habit costs are:

• E-liquid: £1–5 per 10ml bottle (see my 88 Vape £1 liquid review for the budget end). A typical ex-smoker gets through 10–20ml a week — call it £8–25 a month.
• Coils or pods: £2–5 each, lasting one to four weeks depending on use and liquid. Budget £5–15 a month.
• Pod-style bars, if that's your route: at £6+ per bar every couple of days, £80–120+ a month. Convenience has a price, and this is it.

So a refillable setup runs £15–30 a month all-in. For comparison, a pack-a-day smoker at £16 a pack burns about £450 a month — the savings calculator on the home page will do your exact numbers, including what the difference compounds to if you invest it.

The October 2026 tax change

Worth knowing before it lands: from 1 October 2026 the UK's new Vaping Products Duty adds £2.20 per 10ml of e-liquid, whatever its strength. That roughly triples the price of a £1 budget bottle and takes mainstream £4 bottles toward £6+.

Two practical takeaways. Devices aren't affected, so the duty punishes liquid-heavy habits — another point for efficient pod kits over thirsty setups. And liquids keep for a long time stored cool and sealed, so stocking up on your regular juice before October is the rare bit of vape frugality with a deadline.

Keeping it cheap

• Go refillable. The single biggest lever. A £25 pod kit pays for itself against bars inside a month.
• Buy liquid in multipacks or sales. Budget ranges and 3-for deals cut the per-bottle cost sharply.
• Look after your coils. Prime new ones, don't run the tank dry, keep wattage in range — a coil that lasts three weeks instead of one saves real money over a year.
• Don't buy a mod to quit smoking. Start with £25 of kit; upgrade later if vaping turns out to be your thing.

Funny how this site started, actually: I once got chatting with an SEO agency owner about vaping costs, and his advice was "start a blog about it". So I did.