Across the U.K., motorists face record-breaking fuel costs at the gas pump as the Gulf energy shock ripples around the world. One of the clearest second-order effects now emerging is a surge in petrol station thefts, spanning from organized crime gangs to even drivers in exotic cars simply filling up and driving off.
British newspaper The Times cited new data from 500 UK filling stations showing that the daily value of stolen fuel jumped 27% from February to March. The spike coincided with the start of the U.S.-Iran conflict, which sent energy prices sharply higher. This means around £1.2 million worth of fuel is now being stolen every week across Britain.
What stands out in the report is that folks stealing fuel are not just desperate working poor folks or criminal gangs, but in fact, some petrol station owners report that even drivers of Ferraris and Mercedes are filling up and zooming off without paying.
Research firm Forecourt Eye, which helps petrol stations detect, track, and recover unpaid fuel bills, said that current theft levels across the UK have exceeded those of the early days after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Michelle Henchoz, managing director of Forecourt Eye, said:
With someone taking fuel you think that you'd have a vision of what they look like but they aren't what you think. They are driving supercars.
One came up yesterday and the car was a Mercedes AMG GT and they did a drive-off at one of our petrol stations. I checked online what the value of the car was. It was beautiful. I was thinking, how can they drive off? The fuel energy crisis in 2022 wasn't as bad.
What we're seeing is not just more fuel theft, but a different kind of behaviour that shows a clear increase in first-time offenders and in people who aren't attempting to flee, but instead are declaring they cannot pay.
Henchoz noted:
The data suggests this may reflect growing financial pressure, with more drivers filling full tanks rather than taking small amounts. Career criminals continue to do it but now ordinary people do it too because they can't cover the cost of fuel.
Goran Raven, who runs a petrol station in Essex, told the outlet that fuel thefts are noticeable and alarming:
You'll see everything from a crappy Fiesta going to a Ferrari. It really depends. The people who do it are brazen. They don't worry about covering up their faces, they will even wave at cashiers.
On one occasion we had an Aston Martin and Ferrari drive off within 30 seconds here. It was just short of £300 for two cars.
I'm sure there are people on the breadline who are desperate, that must be the case, but I reckon that would be single-digit percentage of people committing these crimes out there.
The energy shock is taking longer to materialize in the U.S. because of robust domestic energy supplies and President Trump's continued push for "drill, baby, drill." While there are no indications that fuel theft is surging at gas stations across the country, there are early signs that consumers are starting to look at EVs again, given that the national average price for regular 87-octane gasoline is trending above the politically sensitive $4-per-gallon line.