E-cigarettes are now the most popular form of support to stop smoking, overtaking nicotine gum and skin patches, researchers say.
More than one million smokers in England used an electronic cigarette in a bid to kick the habit last year, according to academics at University College London (UCL).
They estimated 2.6 million of England's eight million smokers tried to quit last year. Two fifths of those who tried used an e-cigarette compared with 26 per cent who used a licensed nicotine product in their attempt.
"E-cigarettes have overtaken more traditional methods as the most widely used support for smokers wanting to quit," said Robert West, professor of health psychology at UCL.
"Their impact on public health at present comes from attracting people who would otherwise have tried to stop without any useful form of support.
"We estimate that e-cigarettes have probably helped around 20,000 smokers to quit each year, that wouldn't have otherwise."
Mike Knapton, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation, added that although e-cigarettes were much less harmful than smoking cigarettes, more research was needed into the potential long-term effects of their use.
"This unique study shines a light on just how popular e-cigarettes have become as an aid for smokers trying to quit and we need to listen to what is helping people the most on their path to a smokefree life."
Meanwhile, Cancer Research UK (Cruk) called on the Government to force big tobacco companies to pay a penny levy on every cigarette sold in the UK.
Cruk said the move would raise an extra STG500 million ($A952.56 million) to invest in public health services and advertising campaigns.
It was to submit a petition of more than 16,000 signatures to Parliament supporting the move.
The charity said the decline in smoking rates was "stalling".
Labour MP Sir Kevin Barron, vice-chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health, said: "Smoking still kills 100,000 people in the UK each year and increasingly the burden falls on the poorest communities.
"The Government can't be complacent and must set bold ambitions to achieve a tobaccofree future, matched with the necessary funding to make this happen."
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