Nicotine is often the first thing people talk about when comparing cigarettes and vapes. Most smokers know it’s the addictive part of tobacco, but fewer understand how much nicotine is actually in a cigarette.
Many smokers are thinking about calling it quits in 2026 and switching to vaping. If you are considering making the switch or are already a vape user, it helps to know the level of nicotine in a cigarette vs in a vape. It’s only after you know about the level of nicotine that you can pick your first vape kit to manage your cravings effectively.
This article breaks down vape nicotine levels in cigarettes and how that compares to the nicotine in a vape. It’s not really a one-on-one comparison. But still, it helps to understand the context when transitioning and choosing the best vape to quit smoking.
Nicotine In a Cigarette
A typical cigarette contains a modest amount of nicotine in the tobacco, often between about 8mg and 12mg. But that doesn’t mean your body absorbs all of it. Since cigarette smoking involves the burning of tobacco, it destroys much of the nicotine. Your lungs actually only absorb a small portion of what’s in the stick.
On average, smokers absorb roughly 1 to 2 milligrams of nicotine per cigarette. That is generally true for cigarettes from different brands and of various styles of cigarettes, whether you are puffing on a “light” or “full flavour” smoke.
Put another way, if you smoke a pack of 20 cigarettes in a day, your total nicotine absorption is most likely in the range of 20 to 40 mg. It's useful to keep this baseline in mind when you're comparing it with vaping products.
Nicotine In a Vape
Unlike cigarettes, vaping devices don’t burn tobacco. They heat a liquid and turn it into an inhalable vapour. Nicotine in this vape juice is measured in milligrams per millilitre (mg/ml). You can refer to an e-liquid guide to learn more about it. The total nicotine in a vape kit depends on two things: the strength of nicotine content in e-liquid and the volume of liquid in the tank or pod.
In the UK and EU, regulations restrict nicotine strength to 20mg per millilitre. So you will find various nicotine strengths, starting from 0mg (nicotine-free vapes) all the way to 20mg/ml, the legal maximum limit. So it gives you a total nicotine content of 40mg.
But as was the case with cigarettes, not all nicotine in the device ends up in your bloodstream. The device’s particular delivery mechanism, your individual puff style, and the device’s overall design all affect how much nicotine is actually absorbed.
Why Raw Nicotine Totals Are Misleading
At first glance, if you saw vaping pods with vape juice strengths of 40mg next to cigarettes that deliver 20–40mg per pack, you might think vaping is heavier on nicotine. That’s misleading for two reasons:
Absorption rates vary
Smoking involves nicotine delivery through combustion. It reaches your bloodstream relatively quickly. When you are vaping, it tends to absorb more slowly, and there is great variability between devices. This is the reason some smokers have to adjust in the start, as the nicotine from many puffs on a vape does not match the spike they got from a single cigarette.
You don’t absorb all the nicotine in e-liquid
If your vape juice has 40mg of nicotine, that’s what’s present in the e-liquid. The amount your body actually takes has to do with your inhalation depth and the efficiency of the device in heating the liquid.
So if you are comparing total nicotine absorbed from smoking and vaping, keep in mind the context of how the substance enters your body matters.
Puff-for-Puff Nicotine Comparison
Broadly speaking, 15 to 20 vape puffs from a 20mg/ml device is equal to the nicotine you get from one cigarette. That gives a sense of scale when you’re trying to match cravings or plan your transition.
Another way of looking at it is that a typical 20mg/ml vape with 2ml of liquid (40mg total) might feel like the nicotine in about 1 to 2 packs of cigarettes. This, however, doesn’t mean you should treat it like smoking. A vape doesn’t produce smoke or the same harmful byproducts of combustion. It is just to put your nicotine into perspective.
For some people, breaking it down by puffs instead of milligrams is more intuitive. A standard cigarette averages about 10–15 puffs. A vape might give you several hundred puffs (and even thousands) in total.
Ideal Nicotine Strength When Switching to Vaping
If you’re thinking about using vaping as a tool to quit smoking, understanding and controlling nicotine content matters. It’s this crucial ingredient that manages cravings and keeps you from picking up a cigarette again.
- If your vape has too little nicotine, you will feel stronger cravings, and in desperation, you might reach for a cigarette instead. If it’s too high, you can feel uncomfortable or “nic sick.” So a good starting point is to go for the strength that roughly matches what you get from cigarettes (for many smokers, this is where a 20mg/ml nicotine salt pod sits). You can later adjust it based on how you feel.
- If you take long, slow puffs, you will take in more nicotine than if you take short, quick ones. That’s partly why different vape kits feel stronger or weaker even at the same labelled nicotine level.
- Start at a higher strength for their first few weeks, then step down as cravings settle and smoking lapses become rarer.
Shop Smart for Your Smoke-Free Journey
It is only after understanding how nicotine in cigarettes translates to nicotine present in vape liquid that you can make an informed decision. Start by trying to find the right device and e-liquid strength to match your previous smoking habit and comfortably manage cravings. You can visit our online vape store in UK for a carefully curated range of starter kits and e-liquids designed to support your transition.
