Some filling stations in London will stop selling diesel within the next four years as demand dwindles, according to a new report.
The analysis by electric vehicle (EV) think tank New AutoMotive also predicted that many of the roughly 8,400 filling stations across the UK will have stopped selling the fuel by 2035.
It predicted this will encourage more motorists to switch to EVs.
Diesel vehicle numbers and fuel use are consistently falling nationwide.
In 10 years, there will only be about 250,000 diesel cars left on the roads, the report forecast, down from 15.5 million as of the end of June 2025.
London is expected to be the UK’s first city with no diesel cars.
The expansion of the ultra-low emission zone 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 there is a distinct possibility that many will over the 2030s.”
Some filling stations now offer EV charging.
The Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) said last year only 57 per cent of its members believe fuel will be a core source of their revenue in a decade.
New Automotive said the amount of diesel sold for cars rose steadily from 2005 to 2017, but has been declining since then.
Sales in 2023 were 22 per cent lower than the peak.
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-powered 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 spokesperson 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.”
