'Pump Anxiety' Is the New Range Anxiety — And It's Changing the EV Conversation for Good

Every time a driver pulls up to a petrol forecourt and watches the numbers spin past £80, £90, £100, something shifts. Not just in their wallet — but in their thinking about what kind of car they want next.

That's the argument being made by Polestar's chief executive, and it's one that deserves far more attention than a single punchy headline can give it. The idea that "pump anxiety" has replaced "range anxiety" as the dominant emotional force shaping UK drivers' relationship with their vehicles isn't just clever marketing spin. It reflects a genuine, measurable shift in consumer behaviour — and it has implications that stretch well beyond which car you choose to buy next.

What Polestar's CEO Actually Said

Speaking to Auto Express, Polestar's boss argued that the psychological calculus around electric vehicles has fundamentally changed. For years, the dominant narrative was that EVs were impractical — you'd run out of charge, there'd be nowhere to top up, and you'd be stranded on a motorway hard shoulder somewhere outside Wolverhampton. That fear — range anxiety — was real, and it kept millions of buyers firmly in the petrol and diesel camp.

But petrol prices in the UK have been on a punishing trajectory. After a brief dip, pump prices have surged again in 2026, with unleaded regularly nudging or exceeding 140p per litre at many forecourts, and diesel often higher still. For a driver filling a typical family SUV with a 60-litre tank, that's £84 or more every single fill — and many drivers are doing that weekly.

The Polestar chief's point is that this financial pain is now creating its own form of anxiety. The dread isn't about running out of electrons anymore. It's about watching your monthly fuel spend eat through your budget like a slow puncture. "Pump anxiety," in other words, is the new psychological barrier — except this time, it's pushing people towards EVs rather than away from them.

Why This Matters: The Bigger Picture

This isn't simply one EV manufacturer's CEO trying to sell more cars. The shift he's describing is backed by hard data and wider market forces.

UK petrol prices are influenced by a complex web of factors: global crude oil benchmarks (predominantly Brent crude, priced in US dollars), the sterling-dollar exchange rate, wholesale fuel costs, retailer margins, and — crucially — fuel duty and VAT. The UK currently levies 57.95p per litre in fuel duty on petrol and diesel, unchanged since the 2022 freeze. Add 20% VAT on top of the total pump price, and roughly 40–45% of what you pay at the forecourt goes directly to the Treasury.

This means UK drivers have very little control over their fuel costs. When global oil prices rise, or when sterling weakens against the dollar, pump prices follow almost immediately — yet when wholesale costs fall, retailers have historically been far slower to pass savings on. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has investigated this asymmetry and found evidence of exactly what drivers have long suspected: prices rise like a rocket and fall like a feather.

Against this backdrop, the appeal of a vehicle with a fixed, domestically-priced energy source — electricity — becomes obvious. Home charging in the UK currently averages around 24–28p per kWh on a standard tariff, with off-peak overnight rates on dedicated EV tariffs falling as low as 7–10p per kWh. At those rates, covering the same distance as a petrol car costs a fraction of the price — often 70–80% less per mile.

The Legal and Regulatory Landscape Shaping the Shift

The move away from petrol isn't purely market-driven. UK law is actively pushing it — and understanding the regulatory framework helps explain why "pump anxiety" is likely to intensify rather than ease.

The Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate, introduced under the Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018 and subsequently strengthened, requires that 22% of new cars sold by manufacturers in 2024 must be zero-emission, rising incrementally to 80% by 2030 and 100% by 2035. Manufacturers who miss their targets face fines of £15,000 per non-compliant vehicle sold — a penalty structure that is already reshaping fleet composition and, in turn, the second-hand market.

This matters for drivers because it directly influences vehicle availability and pricing. As manufacturers prioritise EV production to meet their mandated quotas, the range of new petrol and diesel models will narrow, and their relative cost compared to EVs will shift.

Additionally, fuel duty policy remains a live political issue. The freeze on fuel duty — maintained since 2022 — costs the Treasury approximately £5 billion per year in foregone revenue. With EV uptake rising and petrol consumption gradually declining, there is significant pressure on government to either restore fuel duty increases or introduce alternative revenue mechanisms such as road pricing. Either way, the long-term direction of travel makes petrol more expensive, not less.

Consumer protection law is also relevant here. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and associated regulations, drivers purchasing vehicles — whether petrol or electric — are entitled to goods that are fit for purpose and as described. This becomes particularly important in the used EV market, where battery health disclosures and range accuracy are emerging areas of consumer concern.

What Drivers Should Know Right Now

Whether you're firmly in the petrol camp, already driving electric, or hovering somewhere in between, here's what the current landscape actually means for you in practical terms:

If you're still running a petrol or diesel car:

• Track your fuel spend carefully. Many drivers dramatically underestimate their annual fuel costs. A car averaging 40mpg covering 10,000 miles per year at 140p/litre costs approximately £1,590 in fuel alone — before insurance, servicing, or road tax.
• Use fuel price comparison apps such as Petrol Prices or Zap-Map's fuel finder to locate the cheapest local forecourts. Even a 5p/litre saving on a 60-litre fill is £3 — it adds up.
• Know your rights at the pump. Under the Weights and Measures Act 1985 and associated regulations, fuel dispensed must be accurately measured. If you believe a pump is inaccurate, you can report it to your local Trading Standards authority.

If you're considering switching to an EV:

• Calculate your real-world cost comparison before buying. Factor in your typical mileage, your home electricity tariff, and whether you have off-street parking for home charging. The savings are real, but they vary significantly depending on your circumstances.
• Check eligibility for the UK EV Grant. As of 2026, grants of up to £3,750 remain available on qualifying new EVs priced under £35,000 through the Plug-in Car Grant scheme administered by Innovate UK. Eligibility criteria apply and the scheme has been revised multiple times, so verify current terms directly.
• Understand your workplace charging rights. Employers with more than ten parking spaces are now subject to EV charging point installation requirements under regulations introduced in 2022, meaning workplace charging is increasingly available.

If you already drive an EV:

• Review your energy tariff annually. Dedicated EV tariffs from suppliers including Octopus Energy, OVO, and others offer significantly lower overnight rates. Switching could cut your per-mile charging cost substantially.
• Be aware of public charging costs. Rapid and ultra-rapid public chargers can cost 65–85p per kWh — comparable to or exceeding petrol costs per mile for some vehicles. Public charging should be a top-up option, not your primary method, wherever possible.

Looking Ahead: A Tipping Point, Not Just a Trend

What Polestar's CEO has identified isn't a passing moment — it's the beginning of a structural realignment in how UK drivers think about personal transport costs.

The era of cheap, stable petrol is over. Global energy markets are volatile, sterling remains susceptible to external shocks, and UK government policy is unambiguously pointing away from fossil fuels. Meanwhile, EV technology continues to improve — ranges are longer, charging is faster, and the used EV market is maturing in ways that make electric motoring accessible to a far wider income bracket than just a few years ago.

"Pump anxiety" is a pithy phrase, but the underlying reality it describes is serious. For millions of UK drivers, the monthly cost of keeping a petrol car running is becoming a genuine financial strain — and that strain is doing more to accelerate EV adoption than any government campaign or manufacturer incentive ever could.

The question is no longer really whether the UK transitions to electric vehicles. It's how quickly, how fairly, and whether the infrastructure — charging points, grid capacity, equitable access — keeps pace with the demand that rising pump prices are now actively creating.

For now, every time the pump clicks past £90, another driver starts doing the maths. And increasingly, the maths points in one direction.

Source: Auto Express — "Polestar boss says 'pump anxiety' is the new range anxiety"