Classic car owners in the UK may face rising costs as the country’s 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel vehicle sales draws closer. Existing gas-powered cars won’t be pulled off the road, but industry analysts say the shift toward EV infrastructure could reshape the cost of keeping older vehicles running.
How Charging Infrastructure Could Squeeze Fuel Access
According to Adrian Flux Insurance, the buildout of EV charging networks ahead of the 2030 deadline could have side effects for owners of older, gas-powered vehicles. As charging stations and EV-only parking spaces expand, petrol stations may become less common, tightening fuel supply and potentially pushing prices higher for drivers who still rely on gasoline.
Parts and Maintenance May Get Harder to Find
Industry voices aren’t predicting classic cars will disappear, but they do expect the parts and fuel that keep them running to become scarcer and more expensive over time. Rising road tax, shrinking fuel station access, and increasingly specialized maintenance needs could combine to discourage newer collectors from entering the hobby. Manufacturers shifting production focus toward EV components could also make sourcing replacement parts for older combustion engines more difficult.
A Possible Split in Classic Car Values
Some analysts expect the classic car market itself to diverge. Ultra-rare, highly collectible vehicles could see values climb further as they’re treated more like investment pieces, while everyday petrol and diesel classics could see their values decline. Diesel vehicles have already been targeted by some UK scrappage schemes, and some in the industry expect petrol models to face similar pressure eventually.
What This Means for Weekend Drivers
Charging network provider PodPoint has echoed similar concerns, suggesting that as petrol demand drops, fuel stations could close at a faster pace than expected. For classic car owners, that could turn routine weekend drives into more of a planning exercise, with fewer places to refuel and higher costs along the way. For now, classic cars remain a fixture of UK car culture, but the ownership landscape could look meaningfully different by 2030.