South Africa’s petrol stations are changing, but not in the simple, dramatic way some headlines suggest. This is not really a story about forecourts vanishing. It is a story about forecourts being forced to do more than sell fuel. Across the country, service stations are becoming broader roadside hubs: places for coffee, hot food, quick shopping, payments, errands, loyalty rewards and, over time, alternative vehicle charging too.
For everyday drivers, that matters because the local petrol station has always been more than a pump. On a long South African drive, it is where people stretch, buy snacks, pick up airtime, grab coffee, use the bathroom and reset before the next leg. What is changing now is the business logic behind that stop. Fuel still matters, but operators increasingly need food, convenience retail and service partnerships to keep sites profitable as traditional fuel volumes come under pressure.
That pressure is real. BusinessTech, citing Nedbank’s latest forecourt research, says declining fuel demand, rising costs and sharper competition are reshaping the industry. Moneyweb reported that fuel consumption declined by 6.3% in 2024, while analysts also pointed to hybrid work, tighter budgets and broader behavioural shifts that reduce routine driving. Business Day added that forecourts are competing harder with supermarkets, quick-service restaurants and delivery platforms, which means the old model of “fuel first, shop second” is under strain.
That is why the shop at the garage is no longer a side feature. It is becoming central. Recent industry reporting says convenience retail is now one of the clearest growth areas in the forecourt economy. Moneyweb reported that Trade Intelligence valued South Africa’s forecourt convenience-store segment at R40 billion in 2024, while Business Day said the category grew 4% in the same year. In practical terms, that means operators are investing more seriously in supermarket-branded formats, ready-to-eat meals, barista coffee, deli counters, travel essentials and loyalty-driven retail offers.
Some of the strongest signs of change are not happening at the pump at all. They are happening in the extra things motorists now expect from a stop. Moneyweb reported examples from local BP test sites, including enhanced BP Express stores, tyre changes, licence-disc renewals, expanded quick-service restaurants and battery-rental services. That is the deeper shift in one picture: the successful forecourt is moving from being a place where you buy petrol to a place where you solve three or four small needs in one visit.
This is where the Nedbank framing is useful. As Karen Keylock, National Retail Franchising Manager at Nedbank Commercial Banking, put it: “As fuel volumes come under pressure, growth in convenience retail, strategic partnerships, and technology is creating new pathways to sustainable profitability.” That captures the change neatly. The modern forecourt is not abandoning fuel; it is building a more resilient business around it.
Still, South Africa is not at the point where fuel becomes a side issue. Moneyweb reported comments from the Fuel Retailers Association that fuel still makes up roughly 60% to 80% of retailer revenue, depending on location. That is why the country’s forecourt transition is likely to be uneven. Urban sites in Gauteng, Cape Town and major highway corridors may evolve quickly into hybrid retail-and-service destinations, while smaller-town and rural stations are likely to remain more traditional for longer. Fuel remains the anchor, even if it is no longer enough on its own.
Electric vehicles are part of the long-term picture, but they do not yet tell the full South African story. The dtic’s EV White Paper says South Africa is moving toward a dual platform in which internal combustion vehicles and EVs coexist, with the broader industry transition tied to 2035. naamsa has also reported strong growth in new energy vehicle sales, with Q1 2024 NEV sales up 82.7% year on year, from 1,665 to 3,042 units. That is an important signal, but it still describes a transition phase rather than a sudden replacement of petrol and diesel.
That slower, more mixed transition is exactly why recent South African reporting has pushed back against the idea that EV charging will simply take over the forecourt. Moneyweb reported research suggesting traditional fuels will decline gradually and that EV recharging and alternative-energy refuelling are only likely to gain much stronger traction from around 2040. Business Day likewise noted that EV charging may become part of the offer, but not necessarily the big profit engine by itself. In plain terms, future stations will probably need charging bays and better digital services, but they will also still need coffee, food, retail and a reason for people to stop.
South Africa’s regulatory environment also keeps the local forecourt model distinct. The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy states that self-service by consumers at licensed petroleum retailers is prohibited. The DMRE also notes that petrol retail prices are regulated by government and are changed every month, typically on the first Wednesday. That means South African petrol stations are adapting within a more tightly managed retail framework than in some other markets, which helps explain why the economics of staffing, compliance, margins and non-fuel sales remain so important. The final sentence here is an inference based on the official rules.
There is also a national-roads dimension to this shift. In February 2026, government published draft amendments to SANRAL’s policy for rest and service facilities on national roads. The draft explicitly includes EV charging, battery swapping and alternative fuels in the broader future of roadside services. That does not mean every petrol station is suddenly becoming an EV hub, but it does show how the next phase of the South African forecourt will be shaped not only by consumer demand, but also by infrastructure planning, road policy, grid readiness and access rules.
For motorists, the change will probably feel familiar before it feels revolutionary. Stops will become more useful. Food will improve. Small errands will be easier to do in one place. Rewards and retail partnerships will matter more. Charging points will slowly appear in more strategic places. Some sites will feel more like compact travel centres than old-school garages. But most drivers will still recognise them for what they are: essential parts of the road network.
So yes, South Africa’s petrol stations are changing. The important point is that they are not changing by disappearing. They are changing by expanding their role. The forecourt of the future is still a place to fill up, but it is increasingly also a place to eat, shop, recharge, pause and continue the journey. In South Africa, that is likely to be the real transformation: not the end of the petrol station, but the end of the petrol-only petrol station.
Sources
BusinessTech on South Africa’s forecourt shift
Moneyweb on forecourts evolving into lifestyle destinations.
Business Day on shrinking fuel margins and convenience growth.
DMRE licensing and compliance material.
South African Government notice on SANRAL policy amendments.