EVs catch fire more often than petrol cars
The reality
EVs catch fire far less often than petrol cars, not more. EV FireSafe — the Australian-government-funded research project that tracks every EV battery fire globally — recorded 4 confirmed EV battery fires in Australia in 2024, against an estimated 100,000+ EVs on Australian roads. By contrast, NSW Fire and Rescue alone responds to over 5,000 vehicle fires every year, the vast majority of which involve internal-combustion engines.
The international data is just as clear. A 2023 study by Sweden's MSB civil-protection agency found EV fires occur at about 0.004% of registered vehicles per year, compared with 0.1% for petrol vehicles — roughly 25× lower. Insurance data from AutoinsuranceEZ in the US shows hybrids actually have the highest fire rate, followed by petrol cars; pure EVs are last.
The reason EV fires get more news coverage is that they are harder to extinguish — lithium-ion thermal runaway can re-ignite hours after the initial blaze, and fire crews need different protocols. That's a legitimate operational issue for emergency services, but it's not the same as a higher fire risk for the driver.