 Few EV myths receive more media attention than the claim that electric vehicles burn more often, more violently, and more catastrophically than the gasoline cars they are replacing. Every EV fire is amplified across news cycles, social platforms, and political commentary, while the thousands of ICE vehicle fires that occur every week receive almost no coverage. The result is a deeply entrenched public perception that does not align with the underlying statistics.
MYTH: Electric vehicles catch fire more frequently than internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, making them inherently less safe. FACT: When normalized per 100,000 vehicles in service, battery electric vehicles (BEVs) experience the lowest fire rate of any propulsion type. Gasoline-powered ICE vehicles experience roughly 60 times more fires than BEVs, and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs/PHEVs) — which carry both a fuel system and a high-voltage battery — show the highest fire rate of any category. The Data An analysis of incident reports from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and registration data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) yields the following fire rates, normalized per 100,000 vehicles in U.S. service:
The conclusion is unambiguous: a BEV is statistically far less likely to catch fire than the gasoline-powered vehicle parked next to it, and a hybrid is statistically more likely to catch fire than either. Why Hybrids Lead the Statistics Hybrid vehicles carry the failure modes of both architectures simultaneously. They retain a full gasoline fuel system — tank, pump, lines, and evaporative components — along with all of the heat sources of a combustion engine. They also carry a high-voltage battery pack, power electronics, and a high-voltage cable harness routed in close proximity to fuel and exhaust components. Much of today’s hybrid fleet is also significantly older than the BEV fleet, with first- and second-generation platforms now exceeding fifteen years of service. Aging fuel system components, deteriorated wiring insulation, and end-of-life NiMH packs all contribute to the elevated rate. Why EV Fires Behave Differently EV battery fires are not more frequent than gasoline fires, but they are more aggressive. Lithium-Ion thermal runaway releases stored electrochemical energy as heat over a sustained period, while a gasoline fire releases chemical energy through the rapid combustion of a volatile liquid. A gasoline vehicle fire typically reaches peak heat release within minutes; a battery pack fire can display long burn periods, have areas of latent (heat) that, can/will reignite and require extended suppression. This makes EV fires more visually dramatic and more newsworthy — but not more probable. What Causes EV Fires The primary causes of EV battery fires are mechanical damage to the pack (high-speed impact, underbody intrusion), internal manufacturing defects in cell separators, external fire propagation from an unrelated source or, elevated temperatures during charging. Charging-related fires are rare and overwhelmingly tied to defective aftermarket EVSE wiring or non-OEM cables rather than to the vehicle itself. By contrast, ICE vehicle fires originate from a wide and well-documented set of mechanisms: fuel leaks, oil leaks onto hot exhaust components, electrical shorts, catalytic converter overheating, and engine-bay fluid ignition. Media Coverage vs. Statistical Reality Novelty bias drives the perception gap. An EV fire remains rare enough to be newsworthy, while gasoline vehicle fires occur roughly every three minutes in the United States and are essentially invisible to the public. Until ICE and BEV fires receive proportional coverage — which they do not — public perception will continue to trail the data. Key Takeaways
Contact Us Questions, comments, or topic suggestions for a future Myth Buster: [email protected] Technical References Government and Regulatory Data Sources National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) — Vehicle Fire Incident Reports. U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) — National Vehicle Registration and Fleet Composition Data. Industry and Independent Analyses Recurrent Auto. "Do EVs Catch Fire a Lot?" recurrentauto.com/questions/do-evs-catch-fire-a-lot Kelley Blue Book. "Report: EVs Less Likely to Catch Fire Than Gas-Powered Cars." kbb.com/car-news/report-evs-less-likely-to-catch-fire-than-gas-powered-cars/ Fairfax County, Virginia — Environment & Energy Coordination. "EVs and Fire Risk." fairfaxcounty.gov/environment-energy-coordination/climate-matters/EV-less-fire-risk BlazeStack. "8 Differences Between EV and Internal Combustion Engine Vehicle Fires." blazestack.com/blog/8-differences-between-ev-and-internal-combustion-engine-vehicle-fires EV-Lectron. "EV Fires vs. ICE Fires: Safety Comparison and Analysis." ev-lectron.com/blogs/blog/ev-fires-vs-ice-fires-safety-comparison-and-analysis EVInfo.net (LinkedIn). "EVs Far Less Likely to Catch Fire Than Gas-Powered Cars." Disclaimer The content of this Myth Buster article is provided for educational and informational purposes only. Fire rate statistics cited are drawn from publicly available analyses of NTSB and BTS data and may be updated as new fleet data becomes available. EV Pro+ Program and Quarto Tech Services make no warranties, express or implied, regarding fitness for any particular diagnostic, service, or emergency response purpose. Always follow OEM service information, manufacturer-specified high-voltage safety procedures, and applicable local first-responder guidance when handling damaged or thermally compromised electrified vehicles.
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