The NHS advises using e-cigarettes as a tool to quit smoking, so out of the estimated 4.7 million vapers, 2.7 million are ex-smokers, which shows the decline in tobacco consumption and the positive effect vapes can have in being a deterrent.
So, with vapes on the rise, we decided to find out where the UK’s vaping hotspots are and which brands are the most popular.
We analysed the search volume of the most popular vape brands to determine where in the UK are searching the most, per 100,000 residents.
Where in the UK is searching for vapes the most?
Glasgow was found to be the UK’s vaping hotspot, with 973 vape brand searches per 100,000 residents and 2,530 average monthly searches.
This is closely followed by Norwich, with 943, and Milton Keynes with 930 searches per 100,000 residents.
Unsurprisingly, London has the highest number of vape-associated searches, with an average of 38,830 monthly searches.
| Rank | Area | Searches | No. Searches Per 100,000 Residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glasgow | 2,530 | 973 |
| 2 | Norwich | 780 | 948 |
| 3 | Milton Keynes | 950 | 930 |
| 4 | Sunderland | 260 | 620 |
| 5 | Leeds | 2,330 | 591 |
| 6 | Birmingham | 5,530 | 562 |
| 7 | Stoke-on-Trent | 480 | 544 |
| 8 | Brighton | 700 | 542 |
| 9 | London | 38,830 | 514 |
| 10 | Manchester | 3,850 | 512 |
| 11 | Nottingham | 410 | 504 |
| 12 | Belfast | 1,200 | 437 |
| 13 | Liverpool | 2,860 | 428 |
| 14 | Cardiff | 670 | 413 |
| 15 | Sheffield | 2,000 | 394 |
| 16 | Wakefield | 490 | 366 |
| 17 | Southampton | 640 | 346 |
| 18 | Plymouth | 1,410 | 342 |
| 19 | Bristol | 2,430 | 331 |
| 20 | Middlesbrough | 410 | 304 |
| 21 | Edinburgh | 2,750 | 292 |
| 22 | Doncaster | 480 | 287 |
| 23 | Swansea | 710 | 260 |
| 24 | Bournemouth | 890 | 241 |
| 25 | Aberdeen | 680 | 236 |
| 26 | Newcastle | 1,790 | 155 |
| 27 | Coventry | 1,230 | 150 |
| 28 | Salford | 690 | 129 |
| 29 | Bradford | 720 | 78 |
| 30 | Leicester | 790 | 56 |
Where in the UK is searching for vapes the least?
Leicester is searching for vapes the least with just 56 searches per 100,000 residents, followed by Bradford and Salford with 78 and 129 searches respectively.
However, Sunderland was found to have 260 overall average monthly searches, the least in the UK.
What are the UK’s most popular vape brands?
We then analysed the top vape brands, finding that Elfbar was the most popular brand, with almost 50,000 average monthly searches.
Smok was found to be the second most popular vape brand, followed by Vaporesso, both known for their vape kits.
| Rank | Vape Brand | UK Average Monthly Searches |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elfbar | 49,600 |
| 2 | Smok | 49,500 |
| 3 | Vaporesso | 49,500 |
| 4 | Lost Mary | 27,100 |
| 5 | Crystal Bar | 14,800 |
| 6 | Dinner Lady | 9,900 |
| 7 | Geek Bar | 9,900 |
| 8 | VooPoo | 8,100 |
| 9 | OXVA | 6,600 |
| 10 | Ploom | 4,400 |
| 11 | SKE | 2,900 |
| 12 | Uwell | 1,300 |
| 13 | Juul bar | 70 |
Which UK cities are searching for Elfbars the most?
In terms of search volumes, the disposable vape Elfbar is the most popular brand in the UK. But some cities are searching for the brand more than others.
The data shows that Elfbar is the most popular in Manchester, with 182 searches per 100,000 residents, closely followed by Newcastle, then Salford with 166 and 151 searches, respectively.
| Rank | Area | “Elfbar” Searches Per 100,000 Residents |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester | 182 |
| 2 | Newcastle | 166 |
| 3 | Salford | 151 |
| 4 | Bournemouth | 128 |
| 5 | Edinburgh | 127 |
| 6 | London | 107 |
| 7 | Birmingham | 102 |
| 8 | Brighton | 101 |
| 9 | Plymouth | 100 |
| 10 | Glasgow | 100 |
What are the UK’s most popular sustainable vape options?
Under the Labour government, disposable vapes are set to be banned by June 2025. We expect vapers to lean more on sustainable options like refillable vape kits, e-liquids or investing in a vape tank.
Other than disposable vapes, our research found that Smok, Vaporesso, and VooPoo are the most popular, sustainable vape brands, all being a vape kit or using e-liquids.
Not only are these kinds of vapes going to become the new norm post-June 2025, but they also are more sustainable, and convenient and come at a much lower cost than disposables.
Methodology
Internal and external sources were used to list the most popular vape brands.
Google Keyword Planner was then used to identify the average monthly search volume of the top vape brands in the UK’s biggest cities, which was then combined to find the overall UK average monthly searches.
World Population Review was used to identify the population size of each UK city and therefore find the number of searches per 100,000 people.
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