Official survey data covering late September 2026 puts business concern about fuel-price increases at a record high since the question was first asked, with transport and storage firms the most worried.
Seventy-three per cent of UK businesses reported some degree of concern about increases in fuel prices in late September 2026, according to the Office for National Statistics — the highest proportion recorded since the fuel-price question was introduced in May 2026. The figures come from Wave 165 of the ONS Business Insights and Conditions Survey, covering the period 21 September to 4 October 2026.
The transportation and storage industry stood out sharply: 60 per cent of firms in that sector said they were “very concerned” about fuel-price increases, the highest rate of acute concern across all industries measured.
Separately, 72 per cent of businesses reported some concern about energy prices over the same period, with accommodation and food service activities recording the highest overall energy-price concern at 91 per cent.
Producer-price data adds context. ONS figures show producer input prices rose 8.3 per cent in the year to September 2026, with refined petroleum products making the largest single contribution to the annual rise in producer output-price inflation — up 9.1 per cent on the month alone.
The survey is voluntary, and the ONS classifies its BICS estimates as official statistics in development. The figures measure reported concern; they do not establish that fuel-price increases caused specific changes in costs, prices or employment at any individual business.
Source: @ONS
Nearly three-quarters of UK businesses concerned about fuel-price rises, ONS figures show Quiz
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