If you’ve been thinking about how to quit smoking but haven’t quite found the right moment, VApril might be exactly what you need.
Every year, thousands of smokers across the UK use this campaign as a starting point to finally move away from cigarettes. And unlike going cold turkey, switching to vaping offers a more manageable and realistic path forward.
You don’t have to get everything right straight away. It can start with a small change, and VApril is built around exactly that idea.
What is VApril?
VApril is an annual vaping awareness campaign that takes place throughout April. It is the UK's largest initiative promoting switching from smoking to vaping, and it is run by the UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA).
The campaign isn't about glamourising vaping for its own sake. Its purpose has always been harm reduction, giving smokers the evidence-based information they need to understand vaping as a quitting tool and helping them find the right device and nicotine strength to make the switch actually stick.
It also covers everything from responsibly disposing of devices to public vaping etiquette, making it a genuinely well-rounded resource rather than a simple promotional push.
How VApril Grew From a Small Campaign Into a National Conversation
VApril has been running consistently since 2018, making 2026 its ninth consecutive year. What started as a modest challenge month has grown into a fully fledged public health movement. Here's how it got here:
2018: The Launch
The UKVIA launched VApril as a new month-long national vaping awareness campaign. Smokers were encouraged to take the Vape Challenge, trying a vape pen instead of smoking during April and monitoring their health progress throughout the month.
Participants were invited to sign up for vaping masterclasses at locations across the UK, where they received a free vaping kit and were introduced to the range of devices and e-liquid flavours available.
2019: Bigger and Bolder
The following year, VApril came back bigger, launching in London's Leicester Square. Forty-seven vape shops offered masterclasses across 10 cities, and over 500 people took the challenge.
A new initiative called "Speak Up for Vaping" brought vapers together with parliamentarians, public health advocates, and independent researchers to create a space where scientific evidence and policy discussion could directly inform one another.
2020 and 2021: Going Digital
The pandemic forced VApril to adapt, and it did remarkably well.
Rather than in-store classes, 2020 saw VApril engage audiences through social media and a dedicated digital hub, with an expert panel available online to answer questions. In 2021, the digital experience was expanded further and made more inclusive.
Surprisingly, this made it even more effective for some people. Instead of attending events, smokers could explore vaping privately. They could watch guides, ask questions, and take their time without feeling watched or rushed.
2022 and 2023: Hybrid Support, Real Stories
As things returned to normal, VApril combined digital support with in-person guidance.
At the same time, the campaign started focusing more on real experiences. The hashtag #VaprilWorks became a space where people shared how they actually managed to quit smoking, and a ‘Stop Smoking, Start Vaping’ plan was made available to download during the month.
2024: Focusing on Facts
By its sixth year, VApril had refined its approach into something genuinely useful for smokers sitting on the fence. The 2024 campaign brought together everything the previous years had built and layered it with expert-backed vaping facts.
Instead of broad awareness, VApril 2024 leaned into specifics, addressing the most common misconceptions head-on and presenting real data on how vaping compares to smoking in terms of health impact.
2025: Cracking Down on Fake Vapes
With the rise of counterfeit products and the disposable vape ban taking effect, safety became a major talking point.
VApril shifted attention toward helping people recognise fake products and understand why buying from trusted retailers matters. It also introduced more guidance around recycling and disposal, which had not always been part of the conversation before.
Why 2026 Is the Most Important Year Yet for VApril
Framed as the world's largest vape awareness campaigns, VApril 2026 returns for its ninth year at a particularly significant moment, as the proposed Tobacco and Vapes Bill continues its passage through Parliament.
While the government has presented the Bill as a way to reduce youth access to vaping, which the UKVIA fully supports, there are wider concerns about what else the legislation might bring. The Bill would give ministers broad powers to restrict flavours, packaging and product displays. The UKVIA has warned that such measures risk limiting the appeal of vaping as a harm reduction tool for adult smokers.
Alongside its main objective of supporting smokers to quit, VApril 2026 will raise awareness of the proposed legislation and encourage vapers to share their views with policymakers about the products that helped them stop smoking. A new "Switch That Stuck" testimonial series will highlight moments when retailers helped smokers successfully transition away from cigarettes.
VApril 2026 will also see the launch of new consumer research exploring awareness of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, attitudes towards potential restrictions, and whether vapers believe the government has their best public health interests at heart.
Why Does VApril Actually Matter?
VApril isn't just a feel-good awareness push. It’s underpinned by public health data that makes the case for switching from cigarettes to vaping.
There Are Now More Vapers Than Smokers in the UK
Recent figures indicate that there are now more people in Great Britain who vape than who smoke. An estimated 5.4 million people aged 16 and over vape compared to 4.9 million current smokers. And as it turns out, a lot of those vapers are former smokers who made the switch deliberately.
Vaping Is the Most Popular Quitting Method
Data from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) show that 53% of smokers and recent quitters used vaping products to help them stop smoking. That is more than twice as many as those who used gum or patches.
NHS Stop Smoking Services back this up directly. In the period from April 2024 to March 2025, nicotine vapes used alone accounted for 39,644 quit attempts and achieved a 56.2% success rate, outperforming single nicotine replacement therapies.
The NHS Has Made Its Position Clear
Almost two-thirds of people who use a vape alongside support from their local Stop Smoking Service successfully quit smoking. It's also worth knowing that in 2022, UK experts reviewed the international evidence and found that in the short and medium term, vaping poses a small fraction of the risks of smoking.
Cigarettes release thousands of chemicals when they burn. Vape aerosol simply doesn't carry that same toxic load.
Misconceptions Are Growing
Here's where things get frustrating. Over a quarter of adults who currently smoke have never tried vaping, and the proportion of current smokers who believe vaping is equally as harmful as cigarettes has climbed from 27% in 2019 to 63% in 2025.
That's a dramatic jump in the wrong direction, driven largely by the noise around youth vaping and ongoing regulatory debates. Vaping is now considered by half of UK adults to be as harmful as smoking, or worse, which goes directly against the scientific consensus. This is precisely why campaigns like VApril matter so much. They cut through the misinformation with evidence-backed guidance, particularly for the smokers who stand to benefit the most.
How To Get Involved With VApril This Year
Getting involved with VApril is refreshingly simple. The official home of the campaign is vapril.org, where you'll find expert advice, real success stories, and up-to-date guidance on making the switch responsibly. The UKVIA is also encouraging vape retailers to take part in the "Switch That Stuck" testimonial series, a great opportunity for anyone in the industry with a genuine story of helping a customer walk away from cigarettes.
If you're a smoker who has been thinking about giving vaping a go, April is genuinely one of the best times to start. The resources are plentiful, the expert guidance is freely available, and the community sharing their journeys online makes the whole experience feel far less intimidating than doing it alone.
For vapers who want to have a say on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, both the UKVIA's VApril campaign and the New Nicotine Alliance's Save Vaping campaign are providing resources for vapers to contact their MPs and ensure consumers have access to reliable information on vaping as a safer alternative to smoking.
Not Sure Where to Start? Here’s What to Look for in Your First Vape
If VApril has you thinking about finally stepping away from cigarettes, you don’t need to have it all sorted just yet. Most people don’t. What matters is starting with something simple that you can stick with.
With the UK's disposable vape ban in effect since June 2025, a refillable pod kit is the most practical and travel-friendly choice for anyone initiating. At Vapoholics, our range of starter pod kits is ideal for new vapers, giving you a device that's easy to use right out of the box without overcomplicating things.
Nicotine strength is the other thing worth getting right from the start. A 20mg nicotine salt works well for heavier smokers, while those who smoke lighter will often find 10mg or 5mg more comfortable. Once you’re off cigarettes, lowering your nicotine level can feel much easier.
Our vape juice range covers all strengths, and can be paired with a wide variety of flavours to help you find something you'll actually look forward to. That part matters more than people realise. Finding a flavour you genuinely enjoy is often what keeps people off cigarettes for good. Given how varied our flavour choices have become, there's no shortage of options to explore.
If you’re ready to take that first step, you can explore our selection to find what suits you best. VApril is a great time to give it a proper go, especially when you have access to products that make the switch feel more easygoing.
The Bigger Goal VApril is Helping the UK Reach
The UK has long been considered a world leader in tobacco harm reduction, and VApril has played a quiet but consistent role in that story. Smoking remains responsible for over 75,000 annual smoking-related deaths in the UK, and with over six million smokers still in the country, there is still a great deal of ground to cover.
The Smokefree 2030 ambition, the government's goal to reduce smoking prevalence below 5% by the end of the decade, is bold. But vaping has been one of the key tools that made it feel genuinely achievable. Vapril, at its best, is a practical, people-first campaign that arms smokers with the information they need to make a better choice for their health.