E-liquid is the part of vaping people think about least when they start and most after a month or two. The device gets all the attention in the shop, but it is the liquid that determines whether you actually enjoy this, whether cravings settle, and whether the switch away from cigarettes holds.

This guide covers the whole subject in one place. What is in the bottle, what the numbers on the label mean, how to choose a strength that works, which flavours suit which situation, and the UK rules that shape all of it. It is written for people in this country, so every limit quoted here is the one that applies to you.

We have been advising people on this across our stores since 2012, and the advice below is the same advice our friendly advisers give in person. No pressure, no jargon, and no attempt to steer you towards the most expensive thing on the shelf.

What e-liquid actually is

Compliant UK e-liquid contains four things, and that short list is deliberate.

• Propylene glycol, or PG. Thin and clear. It carries flavour well and produces the slight catch at the back of the throat that many former smokers find familiar.
• Vegetable glycerine, or VG. Thicker and faintly sweet. It makes the visible vapour and softens the draw.
• Flavourings. Food-grade concentrates, selected and tested for inhalation.
• Nicotine. Optional. A great deal of e-liquid contains none at all.

There is no tobacco in it and nothing is burned. That absence of combustion is the central difference between vaping and smoking, and it is why the health picture differs so much between the two. Every bottle sold legally here is notified to the MHRA before it reaches a shelf.

Vaping is widely recognised as substantially less harmful than smoking. It is not risk-free, nicotine is addictive, and these products are for adults aged 18 and over who already smoke or vape. We would not put it any other way.

The UK rules, in one place

Four limits shape everything you will see in a UK shop, and knowing them protects you from anything sold outside the rules.

• Nicotine strength is capped at 20mg/ml, which is the same as 2 per cent. Nothing stronger is legal here.
• Nicotine-containing bottles are capped at 10ml. This is why every nicotine e-liquid comes in a small bottle.
• Tanks and pods are capped at 2ml. A compliant device holds 2ml at a time.
• Single-use disposable vapes have been banned since June 2025. Refillable and reusable pod systems are the compliant path, and they were always the better value anyway.

Larger bottles do exist, in 50ml and 100ml, but they are sold nicotine-free as shortfills with headroom for you to add a nicotine shot yourself. If anyone offers you a 100ml bottle with nicotine already in it, or a liquid stronger than 20mg, it is not compliant and we would steer well clear.

One more thing to plan for: a vaping duty of £2.20 per 10ml applies to e-liquid from 1 October 2026. It falls on nicotine-containing liquid, so it affects 10ml bottles and nicotine shots rather than the nicotine-free portion of a shortfill.

PG and VG, and why the ratio matters

The two base liquids are always blended, and the balance is printed as a ratio. A 50/50 is an even split. A 70/30 is 70 per cent VG to 30 per cent PG.

More PG means sharper flavour, a firmer throat hit and a thinner liquid that wicks easily through small coils. More VG means a softer draw, more vapour, and a thicker liquid that needs a larger coil to keep up.

This is really a hardware question rather than a taste one. Pod kits and mouth-to-lung devices want 50/50. Sub-ohm kits want 70/30 or higher VG. Putting a thick liquid through a tight pod coil starves it, and the dry scorched taste that results is the single most common complaint we hear from people who bought the wrong bottle. Our short guide to what is in e-liquid covers the ingredients in more detail.

Nicotine strength: the decision that matters most

If you get one thing right, make it this. Flavour is enjoyable. Strength is what determines whether vaping actually replaces cigarettes for you.

Strength is printed in milligrams of nicotine per millilitre. A 10mg liquid holds ten milligrams in every millilitre, and you will sometimes see the same figure as a percentage, so 1 per cent is 10mg and 2 per cent is 20mg.

Work from your device first

The same number behaves completely differently depending on what you put it in, because vapour volume per puff varies so much.

In a pod kit or mouth-to-lung device, the practical range is 10mg to 20mg. Heavier previous smokers usually settle at 20mg, moderate smokers around 10mg to 12mg, lighter smokers at 5mg or 6mg.

In a sub-ohm or direct-to-lung kit, the range is 3mg to 6mg. Each puff delivers several times more vapour, so anything higher is genuinely unpleasant.

How to tell you have it right

You have landed in the right place when a few unhurried draws settle an urge and you can put the device down. That is the whole test.

Too low and you will find yourself vaping almost constantly while still thinking about cigarettes. Too high and you may feel briefly lightheaded or slightly queasy. Neither is dangerous and both are fixed by adjusting. Give any change several days before judging it.

Freebase or nicotine salts

The same nicotine comes in two preparations and they feel different.

Freebase is the traditional form. It is comfortable at 3mg or 6mg, but above around 12mg it becomes sharp in the throat for most people.

Nicotine salts pair the nicotine with an acid, which lowers the pH and removes most of that harshness. A 20mg salt often feels smoother than a 12mg freebase, and it is absorbed a little more quickly, so a craving settles sooner.

For anyone in their first weeks away from cigarettes, that combination of comfort at high strength and a prompt response is why salts have become the standard recommendation. Our nicotine salts range covers the options, and our own-brand QSalts sits at around £3.32 for a 10ml bottle.

If you prefer a firmer throat hit, which some former smokers genuinely do because it feels closer to smoking, freebase is the choice. Our own-brand Pure range is freebase, at around £4.16, and comes in a full ladder from 0mg to 20mg so you can step down over time without changing flavour.

Bottle formats: 10ml or shortfill

There are two ways to buy, and your device decides which suits.

10ml bottles contain nicotine and are ready to use. Unscrew, fill, vape. They come in every strength up to 20mg, which is why they are the format for anyone using a pod kit. Our 10ml range is the broadest part of what we carry.

Shortfills are 50ml or 100ml bottles sold nicotine-free and deliberately underfilled. You add a separate 10ml nicotine shot, shake, and the result lands at roughly 3mg. That low finished strength is not a limitation to work around, it is the point: shortfills exist for sub-ohm vapers who need exactly that. Our shortfill range covers them.

The arithmetic is worth knowing. A 100ml shortfill in a 120ml bottle takes two 10ml shots. Two 18mg shots into 120ml of finished liquid gives roughly 3mg. There is no combination that reaches 10mg or 20mg, so if you need a higher strength the format has decided itself. Our explainer on what shortfills are and our comparison of shortfills against 10ml bottles both go further.

Choosing a flavour

Once strength and format are settled, flavour is the enjoyable part. The categories break down roughly as follows.

Tobacco

The natural starting point for most people in their first weeks, because keeping one familiar thing while everything else changes makes the switch easier. Tobacco blends will not taste identical to a cigarette, since nothing is burning, but the good ones capture the earthiness and dryness well. They are also the lightest on sweeteners, so they are kindest to your coils.

Menthol and ice

Significant in this country because menthol cigarettes were banned, leaving a large group of smokers without the flavour they had used for years. Worth understanding that menthol and ice are different: menthol is a mint flavour in its own right, while ice is a cooling effect added underneath another flavour. Buying an ice expecting menthol is a common and avoidable disappointment.

Fruit

The biggest category by a distance, and where most people end up once cigarettes are behind them. Bright, suited to all-day use, and far kinder to coils than desserts. Splits into single fruits, blends, and iced fruits, the last being the bridge from menthol.

Dessert and sweet

Custards, ice creams, bakery and coffee flavours. Richer and better suited to evenings than to breakfast. Two things to know: they wear coils faster because the sweeteners caramelise onto the wire, and they often taste better after a few days sitting in the bottle.

How much e-liquid costs to run

Worth doing the sum on your own numbers rather than taking anyone's word for it, because the answer varies enormously with how you vape.

A 10ml bottle typically costs between about £1.66 and £4.16 depending on brand. How long it lasts depends entirely on your device. A moderate pod kit user commonly gets several days to a week from one, because a tight mouth-to-lung draw uses very little liquid. A sub-ohm vaper can go through ten times that volume, which is precisely why shortfills exist.

Per millilitre, shortfills are considerably cheaper once mixed. But that saving only materialises if you actually get through the bottle while it is fresh. Buying 100ml for a pod kit usually means the last third fades before you reach it, and that is no saving at all.

Two other running costs belong in the sum. Coils are consumable and need replacing every week or two. And from 1 October 2026 the vaping duty of £2.20 per 10ml applies to nicotine-containing liquid, which narrows the gap against smoking without coming close to closing it.

Common problems, and what usually causes them

Most complaints about e-liquid turn out to be something else. Working through these in order solves the large majority.

The flavour has gone dull

Almost always a worn coil. They fade gradually rather than failing outright, so you acclimatise and only notice when a fresh one tastes vivid again. Change it before assuming the bottle is at fault.

If a new coil does not help and other flavours taste fine, it is likely palate fatigue rather than the kit. Drink more water and switch to a contrasting flavour, ideally a menthol or citrus, for a few days.

It tastes burnt

Either the coil was not primed before first use, or the liquid is too thick for the coil. Prime a new coil by putting a few drops directly onto the wick, filling, and letting it stand five to ten minutes before the first puff. A burnt coil cannot be recovered.

It is leaking or spitting

Usually a liquid that is too thin for the coil, so a 50/50 in a sub-ohm tank. Check the ratio matches the hardware.

It tastes of the last flavour

Residue in the wick and the plastic. Menthol is the worst offender and can linger for days. Fit a fresh pod when changing to something very different, or rinse the empty pod with warm water and dry it thoroughly.

A sensible way to start

If all of this feels like a lot to take in at once, it collapses to four decisions in order.

1. What device do you have? Mouth-to-lung pod kit, or sub-ohm. This determines everything downstream.
2. What strength? 10mg to 20mg for a pod kit, 3mg to 6mg for sub-ohm.
3. Which format? 10ml bottles for a pod kit, shortfills for sub-ohm. The strength you need usually decides this for you.
4. Which flavour? Tobacco if you have just stopped smoking and want something familiar, menthol if you smoked menthols, fruit for most people after that.

Buy two bottles rather than six. You want somewhere to switch to when a flavour stops registering, without a cupboard of half-finished experiments going stale.

Looking after your liquid, and your coils

E-liquid keeps well but not indefinitely. Light, heat and air are what spoil it, so store bottles cool, dark, upright and with the caps tight. A drawer or cupboard is ideal. Never leave a bottle in a car, which is by far the most common way people ruin one.

Unopened liquid generally keeps around two years. Once opened, aim to finish it within a couple of months for the best flavour. Buy two or three bottles at a time rather than six, so nothing is fading before you reach it.

Coils are the other consumable. They last roughly one to two weeks depending on how much you vape and what you vape, and they fade gradually rather than failing outright. When a flavour starts to flatten, the coil is usually the reason rather than the liquid. Keep a couple of spares at home so a tired coil never becomes a reason to reach for a cigarette. Our guides to coil changes and looking after your pods and coils cover the detail.

Stepping your nicotine down, if you want to

Plenty of people find a strength that works and stay there indefinitely, and that is a perfectly reasonable outcome. Being off cigarettes is the thing that matters. But if you would like to reduce, there is a way to do it that works and a way that tends to backfire.

Wait until the switch itself feels settled, which for most people means at least a couple of months rather than a couple of weeks. Then move down one step at a time and stay there for weeks or months before the next. A common path is 20mg to 15mg, then 10mg, then 5mg, and eventually nicotine-free if you want it.

The practical trick is to keep the flavour constant while the number changes. Altering both at once makes it impossible to tell whether any discomfort is the lower nicotine or the unfamiliar taste. This is one of the arguments for a range that offers the same flavour across every strength, since you can step down without ever changing what you are tasting.

Dropping too fast is among the most common reasons people drift back to cigarettes. There is no prize for reaching a lower number quickly, and being comfortable at 20mg is a far better outcome than being unsettled at 5mg. This is your informed choice to make at your own pace.

Frequently asked questions

What is the strongest e-liquid I can buy in the UK?

20mg/ml, which is the same as 2 per cent. That is the legal maximum under the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations and applies to every compliant retailer. In nicotine salt form, 20mg is comfortable for almost everyone.

Why is nicotine e-liquid only sold in 10ml bottles?

UK regulations cap nicotine-containing bottles at 10ml. Larger 50ml and 100ml bottles are sold nicotine-free as shortfills, with a separate 10ml nicotine shot added if you want nicotine.

What nicotine strength should I start with?

It depends on your device more than anything else. In a pod kit, most people switching from a regular smoking habit start at 20mg in a nicotine salt, or 10mg to 12mg if they smoked lightly. In a sub-ohm kit, 3mg to 6mg.

What does 50/50 or 70/30 mean on a bottle?

The ratio of PG to VG. A 50/50 is balanced and suits pod kits and mouth-to-lung devices. A 70/30 is 70 per cent VG, thicker, and suits sub-ohm kits. Matching the ratio to your device solves most taste and wicking problems.

How long does a bottle of e-liquid last?

It depends entirely on how you vape. A moderate pod kit user typically gets several days to a week from a 10ml bottle. A sub-ohm vaper can work through a 100ml shortfill in a fortnight, which is exactly why the larger format exists.

Does e-liquid go off?

It ages rather than spoiling dangerously. Flavour dulls and the liquid darkens as nicotine oxidises. Unopened bottles keep around two years. If it smells faintly chemical or of nothing much, replace it.

Where to go next

If you are just starting, the order that works is device, then strength, then format, then flavour. Get the first two right and the rest is enjoyable rather than stressful.

Browse our full e-liquid collection when you are ready. We are rated 4.8 out of 5 by over 4,800 UK customers, and if any of the above is still unclear, our friendly advisers are in all our stores and online. Bring your kit in and someone will match a liquid to it in a couple of minutes. There is no pressure and no question too small.