The UK's transition to electric vehicles (EVs) is accelerating, with a bold new report predicting that all petrol stations will stop selling diesel by 2030. This shift is already underway in London, where some filling stations have ceased diesel sales within the past four years. The analysis, conducted by the electric vehicle think tank New AutoMotive, forecasts that by 2035, the majority of the UK's approximately 8,400 filling stations will have stopped stocking diesel fuel. This trend is expected to encourage more drivers to switch to EVs, as the number of diesel vehicles and their fuel usage steadily decline nationwide. In a decade, only around 250,000 diesel cars are projected to remain on the roads, down from 15.5 million at the end of June 2025. London is set to lead this change, becoming the UK's first city with no diesel cars, thanks to the expansion of the Ultra-Low Emission Zone in 2023, which imposes a daily fee on diesel cars registered before September 2015. The report highlights the declining sales of diesel, attributing it to the reduction in car numbers. While it's challenging to predict the exact timing, the report suggests that many filling stations will stop selling diesel during the 2030s. Some stations now offer EV charging, and the Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) acknowledges the shift, with only 57% of its members expecting fuel to be a core revenue source in a decade. The report also notes that diesel sales peaked in 2017 and have been declining since, with 2023 sales 22% lower than the peak. The government's plan to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 doesn't affect existing vehicles. The market share of new petrol cars is 46.4%, while pure battery electric cars account for 23.4%. As the diesel market shrinks, New Automotive's CEO, Ben Nelmes, predicts that filling stations will stop stocking diesel due to its poor storage properties. Delvin Lane, CEO of InstaVolt, a chargepoint supplier, emphasizes that the shift is a rational choice driven by better technology, offering smoother, cleaner, and more convenient journeys. Despite the PRA's lack of definitive plans to cease diesel sales, they are adapting to changing customer preferences, investing in retail shops, EV charging, and valeting services. However, Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, questions the timing, suggesting that the focus on public EV chargepoints might shift when diesel drivers seek service stations. He predicts a tipping point where the commercial viability of stocking diesel at every forecourt disappears, but calls it premature to declare the death of diesel today, given the dominance of diesel-fuelled vans and trucks in the economy.
