Some UK petrol stations will stop selling diesel in 2030 due to lack of demand, thinktank claims
Petrol stations in London will stop selling diesel to drivers within the next four years due to a lack of demand for the fuel in the capital as electric cars become more popular, a thinktank claims.
New AutoMotive estimates that as many as 8,400 filling stations across the UK as well as London will stop selling diesel by 2035 as motorists and car makers steer away from the fuel.
Last year, just 103,906 new diesel passenger cars were sold in Britain, which accounted for just one in 20 registrations in 2025.
Just a decade ago, some 1.28 million diesel models entered the road in a calendar year, making up almost half (49 per cent) of all new vehicles purchased in the UK in 2015.
The report said the dramatic decline use of diesel cars in London will in 2030 reach a 'tipping point' where stocking the fuel simply won't be worthwhile for retailers located in the capital. And five years later, this will be the scenario in other major towns and cities.
The demise of diesel comes in the wake of the emissions cheating scandal of 10 years ago, when Volkswagen admitted installing defeat devices to its cars to lower pollutants in test conditions.
Pressure from climate groups and governments to oust 'dirty diesel' has seen auto makers roll back their sales, instead focusing on the development of cleaner electric vehicles to meet Net Zero targets and uphold their green reputations.
Petrol stations in London will stop selling diesel to drivers within the next four years due to a lack of demand for the fuel in the capital while electric cars become more popular, a thinktank has estimated
The number of registered diesel vehicles on our roads has dropped significantly over the last decade.
According to the latest motor parc data for 2024 published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, just under a third (32 per cent) of all vehicles registered on the road are powered by diesel. This represents some 11.6 million motors.
In comparison, three in five run on petrol (21 million vehicles), while just 3.7 per cent are EVs (1.33 million vehicles).
Hybrids - both self-charging and plug-in - make up the remaining 6 per cent of vehicles on the road.
The Department for Energy Security & Net Zero also says there were 2.8 million fewer diesel vehicles on UK roads in 2024 compared to 2019.
Over the five-year period, the number of registered diesel cars fell by 3.7 million, though offset by a 0.9 million increase in diesel vans and trucks, which remain reliant on the fuel.
But New AutoMotive says that by 2035, there will only be around 250,000 diesel cars being used by Britons.
And the capital is predicted to be the UK's first city with no diesel cars at all.
This DfT chart tracks the dramatic decline in sales of new diesel cars since the VW Dieselgate scandal hit in 2015
New AutoMotive estimates that as many as 8,400 filling stations across the UK will have stopped selling diesel by 2035 as motorists and car makers steer away from the fuel
The expansion of the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in 2023 means using a diesel car registered before September 2015 anywhere in the capital incurs a £12.50 daily fee.
The report stated: 'It is likely that some, and perhaps many, filling stations in London will stop stocking diesel before the end of the decade.'
It added: 'Nationwide, it is clear that diesel fuel sales are falling, and this is being driven by the reduction in car numbers.
'Whilst it is impossible to accurately predict when the majority of filling stations will stop stocking diesel, it is clear that that there is a distinct possibility that many will over the 2030s.'
Some filling stations across London and the UK have already installed EV chargers in preparation for the car parc's shift to plug-in vehicles.
The Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) - which represents independent and supermarket fuel stations up and down the country - said last year that only 57 per cent of its members believe fuel will be a core source of their revenue in a decade.
Last year, just 104k new diesel passenger cars were sold in Britain, which accounted for just one in 20 registrations in 2025. Just a decade ago, some 1.28m diesel models entered the road, making up half of all new vehicles purchased in the UK in 2015
The latest figures for 2024 show that just under a third of all cars in the UK run on diesel. New AutoMotive says numbers will dramatically decline in the next decade
Share this article
The Government plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030, but there is no proposal to outlaw the use of existing vehicles.
Figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders show just 5.1 per cent of new cars bought last year were diesels.
The market shares of petrol and pure battery electric new cars were 46.4 per cent and 23.4 per cent respectively.
New Automotive chief executive Ben Nelmes said as fewer people drive diesel cars, filling stations will 'stop stocking their fuel' as 'diesel does not keep well'.
He went on: 'If fuel sits in tanks without selling at pace, it degrades.
'As diesel availability tightens, many motorists will conclude the smartest option is to avoid the headache and go electric.'
Delvin Lane, chief executive of chargepoint supplier InstaVolt, said some filling stations have already started offering high-powerered EV charging to 'deliver journeys which are smoother, cleaner and more convenient'.
He added: 'For drivers, this is not about being pushed into electric.
'It's a rational choice, driven by better technology.'
A PRA spokesman said its members have 'no definitive plans to cease selling diesel'.
He continued: Nonetheless, they consistently track evolving customer preferences and adjust their services in response.
'This is reflected in investments such as expanded retail shops, EV charging facilities and first class valeting services.'
Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said 'it might seem ironic' that concerns over the lack of public EV chargepoints will be 'reversed' when diesel drivers 'anxiously seek service stations where they can still fill up'.
He added: 'There will come a tipping point when the number of diesel cars and vans on the road falls so far that the commercial viability of stocking the fuel at every forecourt falls away.
'But it feels like a brave move to call the death of diesel today when the vast majority of the vans and trucks that power our economy are still diesel-fuelled.'
