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Drivers warned as thefts surge with 'repeat offenders' pushing their luckA surge in motorists 'bilking' has been called 'an insult to the vast majority of people who continue to obey the
law'CommentsNewsRyan Price and William Morgan Senior reporter23:46, 03 Jun 2025Thousands of British motorists are leaving petrol stations without paying(Image: 2012 Getty Images) Motorists
are being urged to pay for their petrol and diesel as new statistics reveal a significant surge in fuel thefts over the past year.
Fresh data, sourced by the RAC Foundation, a motoring research charity, indicates that bilking - the act of filling up your vehicle at a petrol station and then driving off without paying -
has risen from 44,631 instances between February and April last year to 66,378 during the same period this year.
This represents a 49 per cent increase, with the rise attributed to repeat offenders "pushing their luck" and gaining confidence from the perception that police forces are too stretched
elsewhere to focus on this issue.
The figures are based on the number of requests made to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) for vehicle keeper information in relation to fuel theft. Petrol station owners,
already grappling with current economic uncertainty, have made desperate attempts to track down offenders in numerous cases.
READ MORE: Drivers face having to stay out of major UK city over unwelcome new chargeREAD MORE: Millions of drivers face £500 charge but motorists over age 50 will be sparedThe number of
incidents is up from 44,631 between February and April last year to 66,378 during the same period this year (Image: Joe Giddens/PA Wire) A recent probe by trade publication Forecourt Trader
discovered that £6.6 million worth of fuel was stolen from the end of 2019 to the end of 2024. This is based on data provided by 33 UK police forces in response to freedom of information
requests.
Article continues below Discussing the recent data, RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding remarked: "It would be tempting to suspect that the cost of living crisis is pushing normally
law-abiding people into committing this type of offence, but that would be an insult to the vast majority of people who continue to obey the law whatever their circumstances.
"Repeat criminals might well be pushing their luck more than ever because they believe other pressures on the police are such that they'll get away with it."
What is being done about 'bilking'? Gooding added: "Drive-offs might be seen as relatively low-level crimes in the grand scheme of things but they are corrosive to society, damaging to
businesses and ultimately push up pump prices for law-abiding motorists and riders.
"More is being done to prevent these crimes through adoption of better surveillance systems and pay-at-pump options, but the numbers suggest the problem has been getting worse, with tens
of thousands of drive-away fuel thefts each year.
"Those tempted to refuel without paying need to feel there is a real threat of being caught and punished."
The severest punishment for drivers found guilty of making off without payment can be a two-year jail term and/or an uncapped fine.
Article continues below The Crime and Policing Bill, presently under consideration in the House of Commons, proposes to amend legislation that typically handles theft of goods from a shop
valued at up to £200 in a magistrates' court, rather than being an offence that can be heard in either a magistrates' court or crown court.
This would imply that the maximum sentence would be seven years, irrespective of the value of the stolen goods.
According to the Ministry of Justice, the current legislation gives offenders the impression that they can commit shop theft of goods worth £200 or less without facing serious consequences.