If a station cannot sell your fuel, check a current local update or call another forecourt before changing your route. Drive only to an alternative you have confirmed you can reach with the fuel remaining. If you cannot safely reach one, stop somewhere safe and arrange another way to travel or appropriate roadside help. A single station stockout does not, by itself, mean national rationing has begun.
What should I do if the petrol station has run out?
- Confirm another option before setting off. Check a reliable, up-to-date local availability notice if one is available, or call another station to ask whether it has your fuel grade. Stock at an individual forecourt can change quickly, so treat an earlier listing as provisional.
- Check whether you can reach the confirmed station. If your vehicle has enough fuel to get there safely, go directly. Do not drive around hoping to find an open pump if you do not know whether you have enough fuel to reach it.
- If you cannot reach fuel, make a safe plan where you are. Move out of the way of pumps and traffic if you can do so safely, and avoid blocking the forecourt. Arrange a lift, other transport or suitable roadside assistance rather than attempting an unsafe drive.
- Reconsider whether the journey needs to happen now. For non-essential travel, postponing the trip may be the simplest option. During wider disruption, consider public transport, walking, cycling or car sharing where practical. A UK government fuel-disruption risk document recommends alternative transport and limiting journeys to essential travel.
Can I drive to another petrol station if mine is out of fuel?
Yes, if you have confirmed that the alternative sells your fuel grade and have enough fuel to reach it safely. Check the distance and route before leaving; do not assume a nearby station has stock simply because it is open. If the remaining fuel is not enough for a confirmed route, stay somewhere safe and arrange another option.
Should I keep petrol in a can in case stations run out?
Do not treat a fuel can as a routine solution to a local stockout. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) warns that petrol is highly flammable and says, “Don’t store petrol unless you have to.” If you must fill a portable petrol container, put it on the ground while filling and follow the station’s safety instructions. This HSE guidance concerns petrol; do not assume its storage rules apply identically to diesel.
Does a local stockout mean fuel is being rationed?
No. One forecourt being out of one grade does not establish that national rationing or emergency restrictions are in force. The National Emergency Plan for Fuel (NEP-F), produced by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, is a contingency framework for significant and widespread disruption to oil supply in Great Britain. The government says it would consider activating the plan only if that threshold were met, and would choose measures according to the circumstances, starting with the least invasive option.
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What the national plan could involve
Options to help maintain supply include coordination with industry, reserve fuel tankers and drivers, possible temporary relaxation of drivers’ hours for specific operations, and release of emergency oil stocks during a significant global supply disruption. In a severe national shortage, possible controls could include designated stations prioritising emergency and critical-service vehicles, prioritised bulk deliveries to critical services, prioritised road diesel for commercial vehicles supporting key supply chains, or limits on public purchases per visit or on sale hours. These are contingency options, not instructions that apply because a local station is out of fuel. See the government’s summary of NEP-F response tools.
What the latest dated national statement said
In a written answer on 20 April 2026, Martin McCluskey, responding for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, said the UK remained well supplied across fuel types and was “not currently at, nor approaching, the threshold for their use, and fuel continues to be available through normal supply routes.” That is a dated national assessment, not a live check of stock at your local forecourt. It cannot guarantee what a particular station has now. Read the UK Parliament answer to question 125219.
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Could panic buying cause wider shortages?
It can contribute to disruption: a UK government fuel-disruption risk document, in its account of September 2021, attributed station shortages then to consumer panic buying rather than supply-chain issues. That historical explanation does not establish the cause of any current stockout. Avoid buying more fuel than you need or making extra journeys to search for it; confirm availability and keep travel essential.
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