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Diesel is at 190.7p per litre and rising. Running costs are up 29% year on year. If you have been thinking about selling, now could be the time.
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Diesel has been out of favour since 2020, and the pressure has not let up. Clean air zones keep spreading to new cities. Fuel is climbing again. The 2035 cut-off for new diesel sales gets a year closer every year. None of that is good news if you are holding one.
That does not mean panic. It does mean the car is unlikely to be worth more in twelve months than it is today. Diesel values have generally been drifting down for five years, and most of the forces behind that appear to still be in play.
The most reliable way to know where you stand is to get real offers. A valuation takes a couple of minutes, costs nothing, and you can walk away. Even if you decide to keep the car, it is worth knowing the number.
Diesel has risen sharply this year. Tensions in the Middle East have pushed crude higher, and the pumps followed. The UK average hit 190.7p a litre in September 2026, up from 141p in February. That is a 29% jump in seven months.
Sources: GOV.UK weekly fuel prices (historical). Projections are illustrative and based on current market trends as of September 2026.
Put that in real terms. A driver covering 10,000 miles a year at 45mpg is now spending roughly £1,930 a year on fuel. At the start of 2025 the same driver was paying around £1,425. That is an extra £500 a year, for the same car and the same journeys.
The dotted section of the chart is a projection, not a forecast anyone can guarantee. But the trend in the data points upwards, and diesel has sat above petrol since 2021. Our guide on whether fuel prices are going up goes into what drives the numbers.
From 2035, new diesel cars cannot be sold in the UK.
It is a ban on selling new diesels. It is not a ban on driving the one you already own. Used diesels will still be legal to drive, buy, sell, tax, and insure after 2035. Nobody is coming to take your car away.
The real effect is slower and quieter. Fewer new diesels on the road could mean a smaller pool of buyers for used ones, which may put downward pressure on values. There is no need to rush. But if moving the car on was already somewhere on your list, doing it sooner rather than later could be the more practical call.
London charges £12.50 a day for driving a non-compliant vehicle inside the ULEZ. Birmingham, Bristol and several other cities run their own clean air zones with similar charges.
Broadly, diesels registered before September 2015 fall short of the Euro 6 standard and get caught. If you drive into a charging zone a couple of times a week, that is a few hundred pounds a year before you have bought any fuel. It may also narrow the pool of private buyers, because anyone living near a zone could think twice.
Worth checking where your car stands before you do anything else. Our free tax and ULEZ checker tells you in seconds from the registration.
Yes. Newer Euro 6 models with a full service history and sensible mileage are typically still in demand, particularly with buyers who do long motorway miles and want the economy.
Diesel SUVs and 4x4s tend to hold up particularly well. If you tow a caravan or a horsebox, a diesel may still be the most practical option, and electric equivalents are typically more expensive.
What matters most is condition and compliance. A tidy Euro 6 car with paperwork is more likely to attract competitive bids than a scruffy pre-2015 one. Rather than guess which camp yours falls into, put the reg in and let dealers tell you.
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Value Your CarGet it valued before you commit
Enter your reg and see what dealers will actually pay. It takes a couple of minutes and costs nothing, and you are under no obligation to sell.
Get the MOT done
A car with eleven months left on its MOT is likely to be worth more than the same car with one month. If yours is due soon, get it done first.
Gather your paperwork
Service history, the V5C, and receipts for any recent work. Full service history is important on any car, and buyers may want to see proof the DPF and injectors have been looked after.
Be honest about condition
Dealers inspect the car at collection. Declaring the kerbed alloy up front is better than having the offer revised on your driveway.
Do not leave it too long
Diesel values have been drifting down for five years. Every month you wait could be another month of depreciation on a fuel type the market appears to be moving away from.
Check your current MOT status and history with our free MOT checker before you list.
The running cost gap is often the biggest difference. Charging at home works out around 2p to 5p a mile. Diesel at today's prices is closer to 15p to 20p. Over 10,000 miles that is a meaningful difference, and there are no clean air zone charges to think about either.
The catch is the price. Electric cars still cost more to buy, though the used market has grown and there is typically more choice at sensible money than there was two years ago. Our electric vehicles hub covers charging, range and running costs, and you can compare EV insurance before you commit.
Electric is not the only option. A petrol or hybrid car sits in the middle: cheaper to buy than an EV, no clean air zone charge, and simpler to live with if you cannot charge at home. If that sounds closer to the mark, see what your options look like when you sell a petrol car, or read our cost of running a car guide to compare the totals properly.
Common questions about diesel values, the 2035 ban, and clean air zones.
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