Electric Car Fires: Latest PSP Report Offers Fuller Picture

Recent data from Poland's State Fire Service (PSP) reveals that fires involving electric cars, while attention-grabbing, are statistically rare. Between January and June 2026, only 26 fires involving fully electric cars were reported nationwide. This contrasts sharply with the 4,935 fires involving internal combustion engine vehicles, 61 hybrid vehicle fires, and two hydrogen car fires during the same six-month period.

However, a direct comparison of these raw numbers can be misleading due to the significantly larger number of gasoline and diesel-powered cars on Polish roads. To provide a more accurate picture, the authors of the "EV Fire Safety Report" calculated fire incidents per 1,000 registered vehicles. For fully electric cars, this rate was 0.168 fires per 1,000 vehicles, while for internal combustion engine cars, it was 0.201. Hybrid vehicles had the lowest rate at 0.038.

Notably, the fire rate for electric vehicles improved compared to the first half of 2025, when the rate was 0.230, despite a smaller electric vehicle fleet at that time. The number of fully electric cars in Poland increased by nearly 57% from 98,813 to 154,947 over the past year, while the number of fires only rose from 23 to 26. This suggests that the rapid growth of electromobility has not led to a proportional surge in fire incidents.

The report also clarifies that not all electric car fires involve the traction battery. In 46.2% of incidents in early 2026, the battery was not affected by the fire. The battery was involved in 26.9% of cases, with the extent of damage unclear in another 26.9%. The cause of fires often remains unknown (53.9%), with system failures accounting for 34.6%, arson or fire spread from other objects for 7.7%, and traffic accidents for 3.8%. The two hydrogen cars that burned were likely ignited by a nearby gasoline car, not their own fuel systems.

Despite their rarity, fires involving electric vehicles can present unique challenges for firefighters. Damaged battery cells require prolonged cooling, and the risk of reignition exists. The average response time for electric car fires in the first half of 2026 was 3 hours and 41 minutes, partly due to extended operations like one that lasted over 15 hours for an electric pickup. Fires involving hybrid plug-in vehicles could take even longer, with one incident requiring 19 hours of work.