Spending on fuel surged in Britain in the immediate aftermath of the Iran war, as motorists rushed to fill their tanks amid fears of rising prices and supply disruption. Data from Barclays showed fuel spending jumped 10.9 percent in the week after the conflict began on February 28, with crude oil prices climbing above 100 United States dollars a barrel. The average price of unleaded petrol has since risen above 150 pence per litre for the first time in nearly two years.

Although fuel spending quickly returned to more typical levels, there were reports of temporary shortages at some supermarket forecourts. Industry representatives said overall supplies of petrol and diesel remain stable.

At the same time, spending on holidays and travel fell by 7.9 percent in the week beginning March 14, as many consumers adopted a 'wait and see' approach. More than half of the decline was linked to paused holiday bookings, with the rest due to refunds for cancelled trips. Despite the uncertainty, discretionary spending such as dining out and entertainment has so far remained resilient.