How Much Will E-Liquid Prices Rise in 2026? 

We’ve explained what VPD actually is and how HMRC enforces it in a couple of other articles, so this one skips the background and gets straight to the numbers: what’s this going to cost you from October?

Here’s the short version. Across the industry, yes, prices are going up from 1st October 2026. At Totally Wicked, they’re not, at least not yet.

We’ll explain exactly why below, but the honest headline is that we’ve built up stock ahead of the duty coming in specifically so our prices can stay where they are through the transition period, while everyone else (presumably) adjusts theirs on day one.

We call this: Price Lock.

Key Takeaways

• VPD adds £2.20 per 10ml, plus VAT on top, working out at roughly £2.64 extra per 10ml once both are included
• Most retailers will need to reflect that in their prices from 1st October 2026
• We’ve stocked up on pre-duty stock ahead of that date, and plan to sell through it across the six month transitional period explained in our piece on the duty stamps and HMRC timeline, keeping our prices where they are for as long as that stock lasts
• Once our pre-duty stock is gone, our prices will need to reflect VPD too, the same as everyone else’s, we’re just not rushing that
• We’ve still broken down exactly what the duty adds to different product types below, so you know what to expect elsewhere, and what to expect from us further down the line

Why our prices aren’t changing on 1st October

The Vaping Duty Stamps Scheme gives retailers a six month grace period. Stock that was already in circulation before duty stamps became compulsory can still legally be sold without one, right through to 31st March 2027. We’ve gone into the mechanics of that properly in our piece on VPD enforcement and the HMRC timeline.

We’ve used that window deliberately. Ahead of the October deadline, we’ve built up stock made before the duty kicked in, and our plan is to sell through that stock across the transition period rather than repricing everything the moment VPD starts.

Practically, that means our prices should hold at today’s levels for a good stretch of the grace period (hopefully right through till the end, which is 31st March 2027). While other retailers who haven’t planned the same way adjust theirs straight away.

To be upfront about it, this isn’t a permanent workaround, it’s a head start. VPD still applies to the industry as a whole, and once our own pre-duty stock runs out, our prices will need to reflect the duty too, same as anyone else’s. We’ll update this article when that point gets closer. For now though, if you’re a Totally Wicked customer, the prices below on our side of the table are the ones you can expect to keep seeing for a while yet.

The maths behind the number

VPD is charged at a flat £2.20 per 10ml of vaping liquid. That’s the duty itself, and standard 20% VAT then applies on top of that duty as well, the same way it already works for alcohol and tobacco.

Once you add both together, the real increase on a 10ml bottle works out at about £2.64. That figure is fixed regardless of what the product costs to start with. It’s the number most other retailers will be adding into their prices from October, and it’s the number we’re absorbing for now by working through our existing stock instead.

Totally Wicked vs other retailers, by product

Here’s what that actually looks like once you put the two side by side, our Price Lock prices against what the same flat-rate duty adds elsewhere in the market.

The “elsewhere” column is our own calculation of what the duty and VAT add to each product, not a specific competitor’s actual pricing, since we can’t speak for how any other retailer chooses to price their stock. It’s there to show what the duty itself is worth, the same number you’d expect to see reflected in most retailers’ prices once their own pre-duty stock runs through.

The Hayati Pro Ultra Plus Pods row is worth a second look. Because that refill holds a large 22ml of liquid priced relatively cheaply per ml, the duty makes up a bigger share of its price than almost anything else on this list, an 83% difference between our held price and what the flat rate adds elsewhere. If you’re a big puff user, that’s genuinely one of the biggest gaps to be aware of.

Monthly cost, the same comparison

Here’s what that looks like across a typical month, based on Red Label at standard RRP, comparing what you’d pay staying with us against the same usage elsewhere post-October.

Those figures use RRP throughout for consistency. Mix & Match and subscription pricing bring the starting cost down further on our side too, on top of the fact that we’re not adding the duty in yet.

Why cheaper bottles take the bigger hit

Worth understanding regardless of who you buy from. VPD is a fixed amount per ml, not a percentage of the sale price. That means the tax doesn’t scale with how much something already costs, it’s the same £2.64 per 10ml whether the liquid is a budget line or a more premium one.

The practical effect is that anything priced cheaply per ml of liquid, a bulk bottle deal or a big puff refill pack, ends up seeing a bigger percentage jump once the duty’s added than something priced higher per ml, like a small 2ml pod. It’s simply how a flat-rate duty behaves mathematically once you compare price against actual liquid volume. We covered the scope of what is and isn’t taxed in our What is VPD article if you want the fuller picture.

FAQ

Sources

1. HMRC - Prepare for Vaping Products Duty and the Vaping Duty Stamps Scheme
2. HMRC - Introduction of Vaping Products Duty from 1 October 2026
3. Totally Wicked product pricing, correct pre-VPD: Red Label E-liquid, NICO-ICE Nic Shot, Disposable Vape Pen