The Vape Tax Is Here. Our Prices Haven't Changed (Yet).

If you've been vaping for a while, you've probably seen the headlines. As of today, 1 October 2026, there's a new tax on every bottle of e-liquid sold in the UK. It's £2.20 per 10ml, and VAT goes on top of that, so call it £2.64.

We've had a lot of people asking the same thing over the last couple of weeks, on the phone, by email, and in the shop: "Are your prices going up tomorrow?"

No, they're not. Here's why, and how long that'll last.

Why our prices haven't moved

The tax only applies to liquid made in, or imported into, the UK from 1 October onwards. Anything made before that date can still be sold at the normal price until 31 March 2027. The government calls it a "sell-through period". We call it our chance to look after our customers for a bit longer.

So we did what any sensible shop would do. Before the deadline we bought as much pre-tax stock as we could get our hands on and find room for. It's not been cheap tying up that much money in stock, but we've been doing this since 2012 and we weren't going to let our regulars take a 70% price jump overnight.

Everything you can buy from us today is pre-tax stock at the same price it was last week. The 3 for £10 shortfills, the nic salt multibuys, the mystery boxes. All of it.

How long will it last?

Honestly, it depends on the product.

The big sellers will go first. We bought deep on those, but they also fly out the door. Some of the quieter flavours will probably hang around right up to March. When a product gets close to running out of pre-tax stock, we'll put a note on its page so you're not caught out. The next batch after that will be duty-paid, and the price goes up by the tax and nothing more.

Whatever happens, 31 March 2027 is the hard stop. After that, nobody in the UK can legally sell e-liquid without a duty stamp on it. (You might see "30 April" mentioned online. That's wrong. HMRC's date is 31 March.)

What it actually means in your pocket

Because the tax is charged per ml, the more liquid in the bottle, the bigger the hit. Roughly:

• 10ml nic salt: about £2.64 more. A £2.99 bottle ends up around £5.60 or more.
• 100ml shortfill: about £26.40 more. This is the big one. Bottles you're used to paying a tenner for will be in the mid to high £30s.
• 2ml prefilled pod: about 53p more. Not much per pod, but it adds up if you get through a few a day.

Shortfill vapers get the worst of it. If that's you, this is the time to buy a few months ahead. There's no need to panic, but buying ahead makes sense.

What we'd buy if we were you

We're not going to tell you to empty your bank account. But if a friend asked us what to do, this is what we'd say:

Stock up on what you actually vape. Don't buy 40 bottles of something you've never tried. Work out how much you get through in a month and buy two or three months' worth of your usual flavours. E-liquid normally keeps for around two years from when it's made, so it won't go off in the cupboard.

If you're on shortfills, buy shortfills. That's where the saving is biggest. Our 100ml shortfills are still 3 for £10. Once they're duty-paid, the tax on those three bottles alone would be close to £80.

Try new stuff now, not later. It's a lot easier to take a punt on a new flavour at £3 than at £6. If you've been meaning to try something different, now is the time to do it.

Think about a refillable kit. Kits and coils aren't taxed at all. If you're on prefilled pods or a big puff vape, a refillable kit with bottled liquid is still the cheapest way to vape, both now and after the tax. Pair one with pre-tax nic salts and you win twice.

Have a look at the mystery boxes. We're not being cheeky here. Our 100 x 10ml box is £25. The tax alone on that much liquid would be over £260 once it's duty-paid. You won't see deals like that again.

A quick word on dodgy sellers

Taxes like this always bring out the cowboys. From April 2027, if someone's selling e-liquid without a duty stamp, it's illegal, and you've got no idea what's actually in the bottle. Untaxed often means untested too. Buy from shops you trust. If you spot someone selling illegal vapes, you can report them to Trading Standards.

Anything else?

We've put everything about the tax in one place, including a calculator so you can see what it'll cost you personally. Have a look at our Vape Tax 2026 page.

And if you're still not sure what to do, just ask us. We'd rather spend five minutes helping you work out what you need than have you overspend on stuff you won't use.

Thanks for sticking with us. We'll keep prices where they are for as long as the stock lasts.

The Absolute Vape team