Will the UK actually ration diesel and petrol?

For most drivers, the thought of pulling up to a petrol station and looking at how much diesel costs easily fills them with dread.

And their fears aren’t without reason. Diesel prices have hit an all-time high of 199.18p per litre, new figures released today show.

Now news reports today say that emergency fuel shortage plans have been unveiled and could soon be brought in.

They include ‘diesel rationing’, reducing speed limits to 50mph and priority filling for emergency services and public transport.

Is there a diesel shortage?

No, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero told Metro.

The price hikes and the contingency plans are two seperate issues, energy officials said, and forecourts are being supplied as normal.

‘We have a diverse and resilient supply,’ the department says.

‘We continue to engage with our international partners and the UK fuel industry.’

Lawrence Rosenberg, a political commentator, agrees.

‘We should take the situation seriously, but we are a long way from needing to panic,’ he tells Metro.

‘I see no evidence that nationwide fuel rationing or an enforced 50mph limit is imminent in the UK, nor any other restrictions beyond prohibitively high prices at the pumps.’

Ministers stressed this was the case in April, when the ongoing Iran war saw a few petrol stations say they were running short.

What are the government’s emergency plans for fuel shortages?

The plan, called the National Emergency Plan for Fuel, isn’t new – guidance was published in 2011 and last updated in 2024.

The government would only activate the policies if an ‘incident has the potential to cause significant and widespread disruption to oil supply’.

The measures to help ‘protect human life’ and ‘alleviate suffering’ include:

• Designated Filling Station scheme: Emergency services would be able to fill up their tanks first.
• Bulk Distribution Scheme: Petroleum products would be sent to emergency services, utilities and public transport first.
• Commercial Distribution Scheme: Oil companies would be ordered to prioritise road disel to commercial vehicles, like food deliveries.
• Maximum Purchase Scheme: How much a motorist at a station could fill their car up would be capped, as would visiting hours.
• Crude Oil and Imported Product Allocation Scheme: The government would decide how to dish out crude oil.

To maintain fuel supplies, tanker fleets could be scrambled to top up, while the armed forces could be the ones doing the deliveries.

They could also ‘relax drivers’ hours’, but the Department for Transport would need to approve that.

Energy officials could also exempt the fuel industry from the Competition Act, a law that stops companies from dominating the market.

Why are diesel and petrol so high at the moment?

Fuel costs are high worldwide due to the impact of the Iran war, ignited when the US and Israel launched surprise attacks in February.

The conflict choked off the Strait of Hormuz, a skinny waterway along Iran’s southern coast that once carried more than 20 million barrels of oil a day, roughly one-fifth of the world’s supply.

This is why an economic measure of the war has been the jittery cost of crude oil, the fossil fuel used to make petrol and diesel.

Wholesale oil prices are above $106 a barrel, up from $72 before the war.

Despite a ceasefire and many countries releasing oil reserves, the price of oil has not decreased as fast as it rose.

Matt Crole-Rees, motoring expert at the price comparison service Confused.com, says retailers have passed on the wholesale price hikes to drivers.

‘But when they drop, it usually takes longer to show at the pump,’ he says. ‘It’s often called the rocket and feather effect, and it’s a big reason record costs can feel like they hit overnight.’

The Strait of Hormuz still remains effectively closed – but the odd oil tanker is now being allowed to pass, according to live ship trackers.

Getting oil flowing from reserves, meanwhile, is easier said than done. Most are stored in far-flung facilities and it takes time to pull from storage.

What’s behind the sudden diesel price jump over the weekend, Rosenberg adds, is partly the attacks on Saudi Arabia oil infrastructure by the Houthis.

What should drivers do?

As Rosenberg already said, don’t panic – and that includes panic-filling your car up.

Crole-Rees has a few tips for motorists to soften the blow:

• Be picky where you fill up, as supermarkets and local forecourts are cheaper than motorway services
• Remove excess weight, as a heavier car burns more fuel
• Keep tyres inflated to the correct pressure to improve efficiency
• Ease off the accelerator and avoid sharp braking on longer journeys
• Cut unnecessary idling, especially in slow-moving traffic

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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