Rise in vehicle fire fatalities a “major worry” says AA boss

Fatalities in vehicle fires have risen despite the number of incidents having fallen annually since the COVID-19 pandemic, with the reasons for such an increase puzzling experts.

Cases of vehicle fires fell between 2019 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. Since then, statistics have remained consistently low, however, the number of fatalities has remained stubbornly high, with 135 deaths caused by vehicle fires over the last five years. As many as 35 people died in vehicle fires last year alone – 25 of which were in cars.

Compare this to the five years before the pandemic in which an average of 22 people died per year in vehicle fires, between 2022 and 2024 this number has risen to 28. This is despite the number of vehicle fires annually falling by 13.8 per cent from 21,878 in the five years pre-Covid to 18,906 in the past two years.

Statistics released by the Home Office also show that vehicle fires are nowadays likely to be accidental, as opposed to acts of arson; between 61 and 63 per cent of incidents are now considered accidental, as opposed to between 51 and 54 per cent before Covid.

AA spokesperson, Tony Rich, called the rise in fatalities a “major worry”, but struggled to give a concrete reason as to why there are now fewer vehicle fires than before.

“A lower percentage of deliberate fires is a big indicator, perhaps due to improved security systems now appearing in older cars,” he explained. “Fewer people smoking may be a factor. A less obvious one though is the impact of more modern, much simpler and safer ‘plug-in’ technology for adding electrical items to a car, such as in-car entertainment, dash cams, mobile phones and sat-navs.”

Auto Express has approached both the National Fire Chiefs Council and the Fire Brigades Union for comment but is yet to receive a response.

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