Watch: Parking Garage Collapse

The London Luton Airport car park collapse in October 2023 was caused by a fire that originated in a diesel-powered vehicle, not an electric vehicle (EV). Initial social media speculation that an EV was to blame was false. 

A significant criticism following the incident was that the car park lacked fire suppression sprinklers, which were not mandatory for that type of open-sided structure at the time of construction. The fire service recommended a change in national legislation to make such systems mandatory in all new open-sided multi-storey car parks.

While the Luton fire was not caused by an EV, the incident highlighted the evolving risks in parking garages with modern vehicles (both ICE and EV), prompting increased scrutiny from insurers and discussions about fire safety standards. Current data suggests that the chance of an EV fire is considerably lower than that of an internal combustion engine vehicle fire.