Shortfill E Liquid

Shortfill E Liquid

A shortfill e-liquid is a nicotine-free (0mg) bottle of vape juice packaged in a larger container than the liquid inside, leaving headroom for you to add nicotine shots yourself. UK law under the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 caps any nicotine-containing e-liquid bottle at 10ml. So brands ship bigger sizes at 0mg and supply the nic shots separately.

The shortfill format is the legal workaround for buying e-liquid in larger volumes.

A 100ml shortfill arrives in a 120ml bottle. Inside is 100ml of liquid at 0mg nicotine. The 20ml of headroom takes two 10ml 18mg nic shots, which dilute to a full 120ml of finished juice at 3mg/ml nicotine.

Pour, cap, shake for 30 seconds, leave to stand 5-10 minutes for the flavour to settle, then vape. The whole process is a one-minute job.

Best Shortfill Vape Juice in 2026

Six brands handle around 80% of UK shortfill demand. The table below is the buying shortlist - tap any brand to see the full range. All picks are in-stock with free nic shots included on every order.

Smaller ranges from Fantasi, Just Juice, Drifter Bar, Bare Fruits, Lancashire Creamery, Bakd, 99.1 Pure, Twelve Monkeys and many more sit alongside. Free nic shots dispatch with every 50ml and 100ml shortfill order.

Shortfill Sizes - 50ml, 100ml and 200ml Compared

Three bottle sizes cover the UK shortfill market. The 100ml is the volume leader by some distance, but 50ml and 200ml each have specific use cases. Pick by how much juice you want at once and how committed you are to the flavour.

The 100ml is the sweet spot - lowest price per ml on most ranges, broadest flavour availability and the right size to commit to a recipe without overcommitting. 50ml works for sampling and 200ml is for the recipe you already know you love.

Nic Shot Maths - Mixing Your Shortfill to Strength

UK nic shots ship at 18mg/ml in 10ml bottles as standard. The dilution maths is straightforward - the strength of the finished mix is the nic shot strength divided by the total final volume.

3mg is the standard sub-ohm vaping strength. 6mg is the practical upper limit for shortfill - any higher needs nic salt e-liquid instead. 0mg works straight from the bottle without adding anything.

Need to go higher than 6mg? Pick a 50/50 shortfill and add two nic shots, or switch to the nic salt format.

VG/PG Ratio - 70/30 vs 50/50 Shortfills

Two main VG/PG ratios exist in shortfill format. The mix you need depends on your hardware, not your flavour preference - the wrong ratio burns coils, leaks pods or wastes vapour. Always pick the ratio first, the recipe second.

• 70/30 high-VG shortfill - thicker juice built for sub-ohm DTL tanks and big-mesh coils. Bigger clouds, smoother throat hit, lower flavour intensity. Pair with kits from the sub-ohm kits hub.

  This is the dominant UK shortfill ratio.

• 50/50 shortfill - thinner juice for MTL pod kits and starter tanks that accept shortfill. Less cloud, sharper flavour, higher throat hit at the same strength. Sits between sub-ohm and nic salt territory.

  Doozy, Fantasi, Ohm Brew Double Brew and Zeus Juice 50/50 all make 50/50 shortfills aimed at pod hardware.

• 80/20 max-VG - rare in UK shortfill; cloud-chase territory only and almost exclusively from boutique brands. Most UK shortfills sit at 70/30 because that is the ratio mainstream sub-ohm hardware is tuned for.

Quick check: if your kit uses pods and refillable cartridges, pick 50/50. If it uses a tank with a sub-ohm coil head (under 1.0 ohm), pick 70/30. Anything in between - 60/40, 65/35 - is rare in the shortfill format and not worth hunting for.

Longfills - the 10ml Concentrate Cousin

Longfills are the smaller, more concentrated relative of the shortfill. A longfill is a 10ml flavour concentrate diluted into a much larger empty bottle (usually 60ml or 120ml) with VG/PG base liquid and your own nic shots.

The concentrate is 4-5x stronger than ready-mixed shortfill juice, so you get a stronger, more authentic flavour at a lower price per ml of finished liquid.

• More flavour intensity - the 10ml flavour concentrate carries more punch than the diluted-down shortfill equivalent. Big Bold, Riot Squad and Twelve Monkeys all make longfill ranges with bolder profiles than their shortfill siblings.

• Cheaper per ml - a 10ml longfill mixes up to 60ml or 120ml of finished juice, often working out at half the price per ml of pre-mixed shortfill.

• You control the ratio - mix your own VG/PG, dial the final nicotine strength to taste, and steep longer if you want the flavour to mature.

See the dedicated longfills collection for the full UK longfill range. Longfills are aimed at vapers comfortable with a bit of DIY mixing. If you want a one-step pour-and-shake, stick to shortfills.

How to Mix a Shortfill - 3-Step Method

Mixing a shortfill is a one-minute job. Three steps cover every bottle in the range. No mixing kit, no syringes, no maths beyond what is printed on the nic shot bottle.

• Open the shortfill bottle. Most UK shortfills use a child-resistant cap that needs a push-and-twist. Older bottles use a screw cap. Pop the inner dropper top off if it has one.

• Pour the nic shot in. One 10ml 18mg shot per 50ml of shortfill = 3mg final strength. Two shots per 100ml = 3mg. Four shots per 200ml = 3mg.

  The maths is always the same ratio.

• 3. Cap and shake. 30 seconds of vigorous shaking blends the nic shot through the juice. Stand the bottle for 5-10 minutes so the flavour and nicotine settle, then it is ready to vape.

Some brands now mix and bottle "pre-mixed" shortfills at 3mg or 6mg, sold as ready-to-vape 60ml or 120ml bottles. Check the strength on the label rather than assuming the bottle is 0mg - if it says 3mg, do not add a nic shot on top.

UK Vape Tax (Vaping Products Duty) on Shortfills

The UK Vaping Products Duty was confirmed in the 2024 Budget and is set to take effect from 1 October 2026 at a flat rate per 10ml of e-liquid, regardless of nicotine strength. The duty applies to the shortfill plus any nic shots added once they ship at 18mg.

The single flat rate means strength no longer changes the duty - a 0mg shortfill is taxed the same as a 20mg nic salt, so the cheapest way to mix your own nicotine is still a 0mg shortfill plus shots.

Until the duty lands, shortfill prices are at pre-duty levels. Longer-term vapers stocking up now lock in current pricing on bottles they would otherwise buy at higher prices from October 2026 onwards.

The Vaping Products Duty is being introduced alongside an equivalent tobacco duty rise, with the aim of keeping vape products cheaper than smoking - but the gap will narrow significantly once the duty applies.

Pairing Shortfill with a Sub-Ohm Vape Kit

Most UK shortfills are 70/30 VG/PG and designed for sub-ohm hardware. That means a kit with a tank that takes coil heads rated under 1.0 ohm, with at least 40W of power and adjustable airflow.

The match between juice and hardware matters: too thin a juice in a sub-ohm tank gives weak flavour and risk of leaks; too thick a juice in a pod kit burns the coil.

Three buying anchors when you pair a shortfill with new hardware:

• Sub-ohm tank with a 0.15-0.4 ohm coil - flagship sub-ohm option, big clouds, best flavour from 70/30 shortfill. See the sub-ohm kits hub.

• Refillable pod-mod with a sub-ohm pod - sits between pod kit and sub-ohm tank. Vaporesso Armour G, OXVA Xlim Pro and similar take 70/30 shortfill in their sub-ohm pods.

• MTL pod kit with a 50/50 shortfill - if you have got a pod kit you like, look for the 50/50 ratio shortfills rather than the 70/30 ones. Doozy 50/50, Fantasi 50/50 and Ohm Brew Double Brew all sit here.

For the broader hardware grid, browse the full refillable vape kits page. Shortfills and refillable kits are designed as a pair.

Shortfill vs Nic Salt - Quick Decision

If you are still deciding between formats, the choice comes down to hardware and nicotine strength. Two simple rules cover most vapers:

• Sub-ohm tank vaper or cloud chaser - shortfill at 70/30 VG/PG, 0-6mg final strength after nic shots. Big bottles, lower per-ml cost, designed for big-vapour hardware.

• Pod kit user, ex-smoker, or someone who needs 10mg+ nicotine - nic salt at 50/50, 10mg or 20mg. See the nic salt e-liquids page. Shortfills are not designed for high-strength MTL vaping.

• Zero nicotine - vape the shortfill straight as 0mg. No nic shot needed.

For the full pre-mixed range across both formats, browse the e-liquid hub.

Free Nic Shots with Every Shortfill Order

Every 50ml, 100ml and 200ml shortfill ordered from Ecigone ships with the matching number of free 10ml 18mg nic shots in the box. One shot per 50ml, two per 100ml, four per 200ml. No minimum spend, no separate nic shot order, no surcharge.

If you want 0mg nicotine, leave the free shots in the box and vape the shortfill straight. If you want higher than 3mg, order additional 10ml 18mg nic shots from the longfills and nic shots page (note: stock varies by brand).

Storing and Steeping Shortfill E-Liquid

Shortfill juice keeps for 18-24 months unopened. Once mixed with a nic shot, finished juice keeps for 12 months in a cool, dark place. Heat, sunlight and air all degrade nicotine over time.

Store the bottle upright with the cap tight.

Steeping is the process of letting a freshly-mixed shortfill develop in flavour over a few days. Most 70/30 sub-ohm shortfills are ready to vape immediately after shaking. Dessert, custard and tobacco recipes benefit from 3-7 days of steep at room temperature - the flavour deepens and rounds out.

Fruit and menthol recipes generally do not need steeping.

Quick steep: shake the bottle, leave the cap off for 10 minutes, recap and store for 24-48 hours. The change in flavour intensity is most noticeable on dessert and tobacco recipes; fruit shortfills are usually best straight off the shake.

Flavour Categories in the Shortfill Range

Shortfills cover every major flavour category the UK vape market recognises. Recipes broadly fall into one of these five buckets:

• Fruit shortfills - the biggest category by volume. Single-fruit (mango, blackcurrant, strawberry), fruit blends (tropical, summer fruits) and ice variations (fruit + menthol). IVG, Doozy, Bare Fruits and Just Juice lead this category.

• Dessert and bakery shortfills - custards, creams, cheesecakes, cookies and pastries. Dinner Lady, Bakd, Lancashire Creamery and Wick Liquor sit here. Often benefit from 3-7 days steep before vaping.

• Menthol and ice shortfills - pure menthol, ice-fruit, koolada profiles. Lower flavour intensity than fruit but stronger throat hit. Riot Squad and the original IVG Menthol range are reference points here.

• Tobacco shortfills - the smallest category but a loyal following. Classic RY4, smooth Virginia, dark tobacco profiles. Most need 5-10 days steep to mature.

• Drinks and sweets shortfills - cola, lemonade, energy drink, gummy bear, sherbet recipes. The novelty end of the shortfill market - bold profiles, very flavour-forward.

What Hardware Will Run 100ml Shortfill?

Any sub-ohm tank that accepts 70/30 VG/PG juice will run a 100ml shortfill - the vast majority of refillable sub-ohm hardware sold in the UK today. The match between tank coil resistance and juice viscosity matters more than the bottle size:

• 0.15-0.4 ohm mesh coil - flagship sub-ohm coils, big mesh surface area, ideal for 70/30 shortfill at 40-80W. Best flavour and cloud production.

• 0.4-0.6 ohm restricted DTL coil - sits between sub-ohm and MTL. Works with 70/30 shortfill at lower wattage (20-35W) or with 50/50 shortfill at slightly higher wattage. Flavour-forward, less cloud.

• 0.6-1.0 ohm MTL pod or coil - traditionally nic salt territory but accepts 50/50 shortfill at 10-20W. Restricted draw, sharp flavour, low cloud.

• 1.0+ ohm MTL coil - very rare for shortfill use. Stick to nic salt at this resistance.

Buying Shortfill in 2026 - The Quick Brief

Three rules cover most first-time shortfill buyers:

• Match the ratio to your kit. Sub-ohm tank = 70/30. Pod kit = 50/50. Pod-mod with sub-ohm pod = 70/30.

  Get this wrong and the kit either burns the juice or leaks it.

• Start with 100ml. The sweet spot for value, flavour availability and bottle commitment. Drop to 50ml if you want to sample, jump to 200ml once you have a confirmed favourite.

• Pick a recognised UK brand. Dinner Lady, IVG, Doozy, Wick Liquor, Zeus Juice, Riot Squad and Ohm Brew are reliable benchmarks. Smaller brands like Bakd, 99.1 Pure, Lancashire Creamery and Bare Fruits punch above their price tier.

Stock rotates regularly as brands refresh their flavour ranges. New shortfill launches drop in weekly across the 1,400+ active bottles in the range. Free nic shots ship with every order.