When the UK banned single-use disposable vapes on 1 June 2025, it removed the most popular product category in the entire vaping industry overnight. Disposables accounted for roughly 60 percent of all vape sales in the UK at the time. Millions of adult consumers suddenly needed an alternative, and the brands behind those disposables had to move fast or risk losing their customer base entirely.
Twelve months on, the market looks very different. The winners are not new companies or radical inventions. They are the brands that already had bottled e-liquid ranges ready to go and the retailers who pivoted quickly enough to meet demand. The shift has been less about innovation and more about logistics, availability, and pricing.
The Brands That Were Already Prepared
Several major disposable brands had launched their own bottled nic salt e-liquid lines well before the ban came into effect. Elf Bar created the Elfliq range. Lost Mary launched Maryliq. SKE introduced Crystal Original Salts. Each range replicated the exact flavour profiles from their disposable products in a 10ml bottle format, giving existing customers a familiar option without the learning curve.
Elux followed the same playbook. Already one of the top-selling disposable brands in the UK, Elux had built out a full lineup of bottled e-liquids in multiple nicotine strengths and formats, including 10ml nic salts and 100ml shortfills. When the ban hit, retailers stocking a full range of Elux liquid were able to redirect their disposable customers straight to the bottled alternative without losing the sale.
That preparation mattered. Brands without a bottled range in place before June 2025 found themselves scrambling to develop, manufacture, register with the MHRA, and distribute new products in a compressed timeline. Several smaller disposable-only brands have since exited the UK market entirely.
What Consumers Actually Changed
The assumption before the ban was that many disposable users would simply stop vaping. The reality has been more nuanced. Most adult vapers who used disposables regularly made the switch to refillable pod kits paired with bottled e-liquid. The transition was smoother than many in the industry expected, largely because the nic salt formulations used in bottled ranges deliver a very similar experience to a disposable.
The biggest adjustment for consumers has been getting used to a two-part purchase. Instead of buying a single product that arrives ready to use, they now buy a rechargeable kit and separate bottles of liquid. For some, that felt like a step backwards in convenience. For others, the lower ongoing cost more than made up for it.
Buying habits have also shifted. Disposable users typically bought one or two units at a time from corner shops or petrol stations. Bottled liquid buyers are more likely to purchase online, often in bulk through multi-buy deals. That has pushed more revenue toward specialist online vape retailers and away from general convenience stores that were heavily reliant on disposable sales.
The Pricing Shift
A single disposable vape costs between £4 and £6 and contains 2ml of liquid. A 10ml bottle of nic salt e-liquid costs between £2.50 and £4.00, depending on the brand and retailer. That 10ml bottle contains five times the liquid. On a weekly basis, most consumers who made the switch are spending noticeably less than they were on disposables.
This cost advantage becomes even more relevant from October 2026, when the new Vaping Products Duty adds £2.20 per 10ml to every bottle of e-liquid sold in the UK. Even after the tax, bottled nic salts remain cheaper per millilitre than prefilled pod systems, which face the same per-ml duty charge on a smaller volume of liquid.
The 100ml shortfill format, popular with higher-volume vapers, faces the steepest price increase under the new duty. But for the average former disposable user vaping 2 to 3ml per day, a 10ml nic salt bottle still represents the most cost-effective legal option.
What the Market Looks Like Now
The UK e-liquid market in early 2026 is dominated by branded nic salt ranges from former disposable manufacturers. Elfliq, Maryliq, Elux, SKE Crystal Salts, and a handful of others account for the majority of 10ml nic salt sales. Independent e-liquid brands still hold ground in the shortfill and freebase segments, but the high-volume, entry-level nic salt category belongs to the disposable crossover brands.
Retail has consolidated, too. Online specialists with broad stock, competitive multi-buy pricing, and fast delivery have taken market share from the high street. The physical vape shop still plays a role, particularly for first-time buyers who want in-person guidance, but the repeat purchase cycle has moved online for most regular vapers.
The next test for the market arrives in October 2026 with the vape tax. How brands price their products after the duty is applied, and whether consumers absorb the increase or reduce their consumption, will shape the next phase of this rapidly evolving sector. For now, the brands that planned ahead and the retailers that adapted quickly are the ones sitting in the strongest position.
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