VApril 2026 Aims to Help Smokers Switch to Vaping

Next month brings VApril, the world’s largest vaping education campaign from the UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA). The goal of the programme is to raise awareness of vaping to quit smoking. It offers helpful tips on switching from cigarettes to vapes.

At OK Vape, we’re proud to support VApril with tips and information of our own to help you start your journey.

What Is VApril?

VApril is an annual campaign developed by the UKVIA to raise awareness of vaping every April. Launched in 2018, the month-long initiative provides smokers and vapers with information to help them quit smoking.

Benefits of Vaping to Quit Smoking

There’s plenty of evidence to show the benefits of quitting smoking and vaping instead. We’ve talked about vaping to quit smoking before, but here are the key facts to keep in mind:

• Vaping is at least 95% less harmful than smoking, according to Public Health England.^[1]
• The University of Oxford and Cancer Research UK found that smokers are more likely to quit long term if they use vapes. It also showed that e-cigarettes carry a much smaller risk than cigarettes.^[2]
• A 2024 survey by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) UK found a third of ex-smokers switched to vaping because it’s cheaper than smoking.^[3]
• The same ASH survey revealed half of all successful quit smoking attempts over the past five years involved a vape.

And the benefits don’t stop the moment you make the switch. The longer you successfully quit smoking, the better you’ll feel.

What happens when you quit smoking and start vaping? According to the NHS, this is how your health improves over time:

• After two weeks, your blood circulation improves and lung function increases by as much as 30%.
• After six months, your airways are less inflamed and physical activity gets easier.
• After one year, your chances of suffering a heart attack halve compared to a smoker.
• After five years, your chances of developing mouth, throat or voice box cancer drop by 50%.
• After 10 years, your risk of dying from lung cancer falls to half that of a smoker.
• After 15 years, your risk of heart attack is the same as someone who has never smoked.

With all of these figures in front of you, VApril is the perfect time to switch to vaping to help you kick the habit.

Best Vape to Quit Smoking

If you are thinking about moving from smoking to vaping but haven't done it yet, you may feel confused by all the vapes and e-cigarettes out there. It can be difficult to know where to start.

You can start by reading our helpful guide to choosing the best vape for beginners. The right choice for you will depend on your smoking habits and might involve a bit of trial and error.

The familiarity and flavour match of e-cigarettes like our OK Cigalike range can be a comfort when switching. They’re designed to look, feel and taste like a traditional cigarette. They also come in different nicotine strengths, which allows ex-smokers to reduce their intake over time if they want.

On the other hand, almost half of adult vapers surveyed by the University of Oxford said they prefer fruit flavours. If that sounds like you, a pod vape like the OK Pod would be a good match. You can also choose a refillable vape kit used with our BAR LAB e-liquids.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to personal choice, but the OK Vape blog is full of guides to help you find your perfect match.

How to Stay Smoke-Free with Reusable Vapes

On the topic of choosing the right vape, you might have tried disposable vapes in past quit attempts. However, disposable vapes are now banned for sale in the UK.

Worry not. Despite a higher up-front cost, research shows refillable vapes are cheaper than disposables overall. The UKVIA says that a refillable vape can cost about £562 a year on average. In comparison, single-use vapes used to cost around £1,460 a year.

We have plenty of guides to help make the transition to refillable kits easier, from choosing the best alternative to disposable vapes to how to use rechargeable cigalikes.

How to Recycle Vapes

Many vapes are highly recyclable, but awareness of vape recycling is limited. A study by Material Focus found that 77% of vapers in the UK think there isn't enough information on how to dispose of their devices properly.^[4]

UK vape retailers must provide a waste return scheme, so it’s best to check if your local shop has a vape recycling bin. You can also use the Recycle Your Electricals website to find vape recycling near you. The UKVIA’s Recycle Vapes website also has helpful information.

You should never try to take apart a vape yourself. Trained professionals will do this once they reach a recycling centre.

And remember that any cardboard or plastic vape packaging can usually be recycled at home.

10 Facts About Vaping

The media is rife with myths about vaping, many of which paint them as being as dangerous to your health as smoking cigarettes. While it’s true that it’s not risk free, studies show vaping is much less harmful than smoking.

Here are 10 facts about vaping you might not know.

• As of 2025, there are now more people in the UK who vape than smoke. Around 5.4 million people aged 16+ reported vaping daily, compared to 4.9 million smokers.^[5]
• Research by the University of Oxford shows nicotine vapes and e-cigarettes are one of the most effective stop smoking tools.^[6]
• Thanks in part to vaping awareness, UK smoking rates have fallen to 10.6%, the lowest level since records began.^[7]
• Legal vapes and e-cigarettes are regulated and do not contain any chemicals linked to popcorn lung or EVALI. These chemicals are banned for use in vapes in the UK. That is why it’s important to only buy vapes from trusted retailers.
• Nicotine alone does not cause cancer. In fact, the Royal Society for Public Health found nicotine is no more harmful to health than caffeine.^[8]
• Smokers are more likely to quit for at least six months when using nicotine e-cigarettes than they are by using nicotine replacement therapies.^[9]
• Although you might find yourself vaping more often than you smoke, this doesn’t mean you’re at greater risk of harm. Vapes deliver nicotine more slowly than cigarettes, so it’s normal to vape more to get the same nicotine hit, especially when you first start. In fact, the NHS recommends vaping as much as needed to stay smoke-free.^[10]
• Vaping is cheaper than smoking. The average annual cost for a pack-a-day smoker is upwards of £6,000, while a vaper would spend between £562 and £1,460, depending on which type of vape they use.
• Thanks to the range of nicotine strengths available with e-cigarettes, they’re a great tool for quitting nicotine altogether. You can reduce the amount you use over time until you’re ready to quit.
• Studies show second-hand vaping exposure is low compared to second-hand smoke.^[11] However, it is still best to avoid vaping indoors near children.

Join OK Vape this VApril

If you’re feeling more prepared to make the switch and quit smoking this VApril, sign up to OK Vape to get 10% off your first order. Visit vapril.org for more information on the national campaign.

Sources

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/e-cigarettes-around-95-less-harmful-than-tobacco-estimates-landmark-review
[2] https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2022-11-17-latest-cochrane-review-finds-high-certainty-evidence-nicotine-e-cigarettes-are-more
[3] https://ash.org.uk/media-centre/news/press-releases/nearly-3-million-people-in-britain-have-quit-smoking-with-a-vape-in-the-last-5-years
[4] https://materialfocus.org.uk/?press-releases=big-puff-vapes-are-surging-onto-the-market-adding-to-the-vape-environmental-crisis
[5] https://ash.org.uk/media-centre/news/press-releases/fall-in-smoking-means-more-people-now-vape-than-smoke
[6] https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2022-11-17-e-cigarettes-are-more-effective-nicotine-replacement-therapy-helping-smokers-quit
[7] https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthandlifeexpectancies/bulletins/adultsmokinghabitsingreatbritain/2024
[8] https://www.rsph.org.uk/insights/nicotine-vs-caffeine-which-is-more-harmful/
[9] https://www.cochrane.org/evidence/CD010216_can-electronic-cigarettes-help-people-stop-smoking-and-do-they-have-any-unwanted-effects-when-used
[10] https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/quit-smoking/ready-to-quit-smoking/vaping-to-quit-smoking/vaping-myths-and-the-facts/#:~:text=It%27s%20important%20to%20use%20your%20vape%20as%20much%20as%20you%20need%20to%20help%20you%20stop%20smoking%20and%20stay%20quit
[11] https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2024/jul/second-hand-vaping-exposure-very-low-compared-second-hand-smoking