Fire at Southampton docks that destroyed electric Jaecoo SUVs occurs weeks before China's strict new laws to tackle EV battery blazes

A fire at Southampton docks on Wednesday morning that destroyed 33 Chinese Jaecoo cars – many of them £27,500 E5 electric SUVs – has occurred less than a month before China introduces strict new battery safety standards to reduce risks of fire and explosions in the fast-growing sector.

At the height of the incident, there were 10 fire engines, two water carriers, an aerial ladder platform and support vehicles on scene tackling the blaze, the fire service said.

The Jaecoo E5 went on sale in August 2025 and is the only all-electric model that Jaecoo – the fastest-growing mainstream automotive brand in the UK – currently offers.

It remains unclear what triggered the fire, which spread to other vehicles parked in close proximity – in some cases leaving just charred remains. Jaecoo UK says the incident is 'under investigation'.

But its timing could not be worse for Chinese lawmakers ahead of a new 'no fire, no explosion' EV battery safety rules arriving on 1 July.

Despite this week's worry event, experts say EVs are incredibly safe, despite claims that they are prone to fires and therefore more dangerous than internal combustion cars.

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has issued a set of technical standards for the batteries in EVs and plug-in hybrid cars.

The new safety requirements are part of a revised list of 294 national standards spanning 13 sectors for EV battery safety.

These cover everything from energy consumption to recycling and, crucially, safety.

The rules set out stricter mandatory tests which will require companies to ensure their batteries won't catch fire or explode in tests with a specified time period, seeking to reduce risks for drivers, passengers and surrounding properties due to what is termed 'thermal runaway', the most common cause of battery-related fire.

It also adds new tests relating to crash impacts and tolerance of fast charging.

Seven government departments signed off on the joint action plan, which has now been approved, published and will take effect in a month's time.

China's new EV battery safety regulations come into effect on 1 July.

Will they end EV fire myths for good? And how will they make EVs safer for British drivers? We take a look.

Reports say that the Standards Technology Department at the State Administration for Market Regulation expects carmakers and battery producers to improve their cell structures and thermal management to prevent fires and other thermal incidents.

It is not yet clear how these new standards will be enforced, or what the penalties will be if an EV does still catch fire.

EV batteries are already very safe, but the new rules are expected to push manufacturers to further improve design and safety systems.

This will likely increase development costs, which in turn could have an impact on EV prices, as the battery is the largest cost component.

China is the dominant force in EV battery production.

Chinese producers accounted for 83 per cent of global output in 2023, compared with the EU's seven per cent, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA).

China is also the world's largest EV battery exporter, with around 12 per cent of its batteries shipped overseas.

Of the EU's €27billion worth of batteries imported in 2023, China accounted for 87 per cent.

In 2025, Chinese producers supplied 42 per cent of Europe's EV batteries, gaining four percentage points year-on-year and eating into South Korea's majority share of 56 per cent.

The world's two largest EV battery makers are Chinese: CATL and BYD.

The impact these new regulations could have on global battery safety standards is not yet known. However, if Chinese manufacturers are subject to higher safety thresholds – and supply many European marques – Europe's EVs could soon use these newly regulated, safer batteries.

Other countries could also follow suit and implement similar 'no fire, no explosion' standards.

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The belief that EVs are prone to catching fire is one of the most common – yet inaccurate – myths surrounding electric cars.

On the contrary, data shows that electric cars are much less likely to catch fire than petrol and diesel vehicles.

Fire data records from sources including the UK Government and the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency contradict this narrative.

It states: 'The fire service estimates there are around 100,000 vehicle fires every year in the UK, and records for 2022 to 2023 show only 239 EV fires – or 0.24 per cent. The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency reported that 'petrol and diesel cars are 20 times more likely to catch fire than EVs'. In 2022, 611,000 vehicle fires were recorded in Sweden, of which 23 were EV fires – or 0.004 per cent.'

Last month, This is Money revealed that fire brigades across the UK attended 279 electric car fires last year, up 133 per cent from the 120 cases recorded in 2022.

However, the number of incidents is increasing at a slower rate than the growth in EV numbers – meaning such fires remain extremely uncommon.

Between the end of 2022 and 2025, EV registrations more than tripled (up 203 per cent), rising from 664,150 battery-powered passenger cars to around two million.

As a result, the fires that did occur affected fewer than 0.02 per cent of the nation's electric car parc.

Additionally, Kia points out that while there was a 33 per cent increase in EV fires between 2022 and 2023, this equated to just 29 additional incidents – at a time when there were more than one million EVs on UK roads.

In reality, that represents only 0.0118 per cent of UK electric vehicles, and the rise in incidents coincides with rapid EV adoption.

It is important to note, however, that extinguishing an EV battery fire typically takes longer than an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle fire, and there is also a risk of reignition.

Chinese rules aimed at eradicating all fires would remove this issue and make EVs even safer.

Naturally, Chinese EVs – of which there are now many on sale in Britain.

There are around 30 Chinese brands currently on sale in Britain, and roughly 30 per cent of all EVs sold in the UK are Chinese.

BYD is the country's most famous EV battery maker having been dubbed a 'Tesla killer'.

Over nearly three decades of innovation, BYD has refined its Blade Battery – a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) unit – into one of the safest electric and hybrid battery systems available.

Impact-resistant, highly stable, energy-dense and ultra-thin, the Blade Battery is now in its second generation.

Around five per cent more energy-dense than its predecessor, the updated version supports BYD's fast-charging technology, enabling some models to gain significant charge in just minutes.

Even this ultra-safe battery may need to become safer still under China's new regulations – and, in turn, so too will the EVs using it in Britain.

And that is a significant number: BYD is the UK's best-selling EV brand of 2026 so far.

BYD sold 12,754 electric cars between January and April, according to SMMT data, giving it more than seven per cent of the market and making it the most popular EV brand among private buyers.

All BYD models (such as the Atto 2, Sealion 7 and Dolphin Surf) use BYD's Blade Battery. All MG EVs (including the MG4 EV and Cyberster) use batteries made in a joint venture between parent company SAIC Motor and CATL.

Newer models like the Omoda E5 from parent brand Chery use BYD's Blade Battery.

However, European brands, including Volvo – owned by China's Geely – use Chinese batteries from CATL, and Vauxhall will use its Chinese partner Leapmotor's EV battery technology in future models.

Data shows electric cars are much less likely to catch fire than petrol and diesel cars. BYD's Blade Battery is widely regarded as one of the safest in the world and is used in all its EVs on British roads.