Fuelling the future: trends & insights for forecourt operators in 2025

In 2025, the petrol filling station market is set against a backdrop of government targets to reach Net Zero emissions by 2050, as well as an ever-increasing cost base for operators caused by higher levels of Minimum Wage, Living Wage and National Insurance contributions announced in the government’s Autumn Budget.

Nevertheless, the transaction market remains hot, and we are seeing consistently high demand for sites across the UK. We have seen a 24% increase in the number of petrol filling stations brought to market in H1 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, and a 50% increase in completions, with the average price of forecourts increasing 69% over the last five years.

Here are some of the key issues affecting forecourts across the UK this year.

The impact of the Fuel Finder scheme

The Fuel Finder scheme is a government initiative which aims to increase price transparency in the fuel retail market. It requires retailers to share real-time fuel prices with a central database, allowing drivers to compare prices and find the cheapest deals.

For operators, this may impact margins, as retailers are encouraged to be more competitive. Whilst this is not likely to impact demand in the market, it will mean additional cost and resource for operators to be compliant.

The impact of EVs on forecourt values

The growing uptake of electric vehicles continues to shape the market, with June 2025 seeing a +6.7% year-on-year increase in monthly electric car registrations, according to SMMT data. In June, battery electric vehicle registrations accounted for 24.8% of the UK car market, up from 19% last year, and there have been over 1 million new EV registrations in the UK year-to-date, up 3.5% from last year.

However, despite this gradual rise in EV take-up, demand for petrol filling stations remains resilient. The strong trading fundamentals of forecourt businesses, including established consumer habits, strategic locations, and constant diversification of services, continue to underpin values in the sector, and this is reassuring investors and operators alike.

The importance of tackling crime on forecourts

The sector is responding to growing levels of crime against staff and theft at sites, which continues to be costly to many operators. As a result, operators are employing enhanced security measures, often at significant cost, such as ANPR systems and face recognition software.

However, increasingly we are seeing retailers engage directly with local law enforcement within the community, at little or no cost, for better results in helping to deter crime. 

The incoming Tobacco and Vapes Bill

This is another important topic: currently making its way through Parliament, the bill would give the government the ability to introduce a new licencing scheme for the sale of retail tobacco products, herbal smoking products, cigarette papers, vapes and nicotine products, across both online and in-person retail, including petrol stations.

Once introduced, a personal licence will be required to sell these products, and a premises licence required to store and sell them. The scheme would be administered by the local licencing authority, and the lead-in time is expected to be between six and 12 months from adoption of the bill.

Our predictions for the rest of the year

We expect to see continued exceptionally high demand for sites. It is likely that all group operators will look to acquire sites that improve their portfolios and perhaps sell those that do not fit their future plans.

Fuel pricing changes will reflect the wholesale cost of fuel, which is currently favourable compared to the last year or so. However, inflation has started to rear its head again, as increased costs from the last Autumn Budget start to filter through to product pricing.  Nonetheless, forecourt values are likely to remain resilient to wider economic challenges due to consistently strong demand.

Our recent activity

We have completed on the sale of 20 forecourts across the UK so far this year, including the sale of three freehold petrol stations on behalf of Hockenhull Garages (HGS Leicester Ltd).

Two of the sites were located in Peterborough, with the third located in Wigston, Leicester. The Hockenhulls operate a number of other forecourts across the Midlands, and approached us to assist with the sale of these sites after taking the strategic decision to pursue and invest in other sectors to diversify their portfolio.

The sites were sold to Park Garage Group who, prior to these acquisitions, operated 77 petrol stations across the UK. Park Garage Group, who first started operating in 1975 and are still a family-owned business, identified the sites as a strategic fit for their existing estate. For more information on the sale, click here.

For more insights from our Retail Market Review 2025, click here.

For a confidential chat about your forecourt property, disposals or acquisitions, contact Dave Morris at Dave.Morris@christie.com or +44 7712 198 835.