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Switch & Save: disposables or e-liquid?

Switch & Save: disposables or e-liquid?

John Boughey |

Thinking of moving away from disposables? In this week’s switch-and-save guide we’ll show you how you can keep vaping for significantly less money. All you need to do is upgrade from disposables to e-liquid.

How much can you save with e-liquid?

Disposable vapes are certainly the most convenient way to vape — pre-loaded with 2ml of e-liquid, you just need to take it out of its packet and start puffing. The problem with disposables is the environmental waste they generate (more here), and the cost. Every time you buy a new disposable, you pay for a new battery, coil and case. It all adds up.

For most vapers, buying your own separate e-liquid is a much cheaper way to vape. You need to spend a little up-front cash on a vape starter kit, but beyond that there really is no contest. 

There is a small group of vapers who can save money by sticking to disposables. But for most vapers, switching from disposables to e-liquid will save you money. We’ll explain the figures in more detail further down in this guide, but in summary…

  • If you’re a heavy vaper, switching could cut your monthly vaping costs in half. 
  • If you vape a typical amount, the switch to e-liquid could shave nearly 10% off your monthly vaping bill.
  • Light vapers might be financially better off sticking with disposables … but e-liquid is still a better choice for the environment, if nothing else.

These savings calculations are based on the buying habits of real customers. We made a list of repeat customers who have bought either disposables or e-liquid from us in at least two of the past six months. We split these lists into three equal groups: ‘heavy’ (the top third of customers, by sales volume), ‘regular’ (the middle third) and ‘light’ (the bottom third). We then took an average monthly spend for each group. This way, we can report on a typical vaper’s behaviour rather than just the cost-per-ml of vape juice. 


Light vapers:

Average monthly spend: £12 on disposables, £23 on e-liquid
On average, a customer in our ‘light vaper’ group spent £12 on disposables or £23 on e-liquid. It depends on the brand and the model, of course, but you can usually get around 3 disposable vape bars for our ‘light vaper’ average spend figure of £12. Disposables have a maximum capacity of 2ml, so this works out at about £2 per ml (£12 for 6ml of e-liquid). If you spend the ‘light vaper’ average of £23 on e-liquid, that will get you around 50ml to 100ml of juice (a cost of, at most, 46p per ml).
If you already own a vape device and you would class yourself as a light vaper (vaping fewer than 3 disposables a month), disposables will cost less than e-liquid, because you haven’t had to add in the cost of a basic starter vape kit. The moment you exceed around 3 disposable vapes a month, e-liquid starts to become a lot more cost-effective. 
In any case, e-liquid is much better for the environment than disposables, so you might still want to consider making the switch, even if you’re a very light vaper.

Regular vapers: 

Average monthly spend: £39 on disposables, £36 on e-liquid
You can buy a lot of disposables for an average monthly spend of £39, but £36 will get you a lot of e-liquid, too. At this point, there’s no question that e-liquid is cheaper.
For instance, 300ml of Berry Lemonade by Tasty Fruity adds up to £36.98 including nicotine shots: a total cost of 12p per ml. By contrast, £39 will get you 9 of the Red Lemonade Elux Firerose Nova 600 Disposables. These disposables are very convenient and tasty, but at 18 ml for £39, it works out at a whopping £2.17 per ml. That’s almost twenty times more expensive than e-liquid alone. 
Even when we add the cost of a  brand new vape kit, our ‘regular vapers’ - that middle third of our customer base - will be better off with e-liquid than with disposables. E-liquid switchers should start saving money within two or three months. 

Heavy Vapers:

Average monthly spend: £112 on disposables, £60 on e-liquid
For heavy vapers, e-liquid is much much cheaper than disposables. Per-millilitre, the numbers don’t change much more than they do for the middle-tier of vapers. When we look at the bottom-line monthly costs, however, there’s a huge difference of £72 a month. Switching from disposables to e-liquid can cut a heavy vaper’s vaping bill in half. 
If you’re vaping very heavily, and you have already switched from tobacco smoke to vaping, it might be time to wean yourself off nicotine. Nicotine is a very addictive substance and it will take time and planning, but it can be done. Take a look at our guide to tapering off for more advice.

Best vape kit & e-liquids for switchers right now

If you’re ready to make the switch, then you’re in the right place. Just take a look at our vape starter kits and our 10ml e-liquid range, or our mystery boxes collection, to get started. 

Don’t forget the real savings you’re already making. 

If you aren’t ready to walk away from disposables completely yet, don’t lose heart. You’re still saving money compared to smoking. Tobacco smoking still claims thousands of lives in this country every year (source: nhs.uk), and costs people a fortune in the process. By quitting smoking, you’ve improved your finances and your physical health (source: nhs.uk). 

Quitting smoking is a good thing, and we’ll do everything in our power to support you with the very best products, at the best possible prices, all delivered in the fastest possible time. 


Stay safe and happy vaping!

John Boughey





* For these ‘typical savings’ calculations, we focused purely on repeat customers who have placed orders in at least two of the last six months (Dec 2023 to May 2024). 

We divided these customers into three groups, based on how much they bought, on average, over that six month period: ‘heavy’, ‘regular’ and ‘light’. 

Pricing is correct as of June 2024. 

Quoted savings are based on the average price of e-liquid and/or disposables, including postage costs.

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