Fuel Finder Explained: How Drivers Can Now Hunt Down the Cheapest Petrol
For years, drivers have suspected they were paying wildly different prices for the same fuel just streets apart and now the numbers are finally out in the open. A new UK government scheme is changing how petrol and diesel prices are shared and it could quietly reshape how millions of motorists decide where to fill up.
The Fuel Finder Scheme now requires every petrol station across the UK to report its fuel prices within 30 minutes of any change. That information flows into a central database and is then picked up by comparison apps, sat-nav systems and mapping services drivers already use. The goal is simple. Let people see the real price differences in real time and let competition do the rest.
Why does this matter? Because price gaps are not small. Motoring groups say drivers can pay up to 20 pence more per litre depending on where they stop. Over a year, that adds up fast. The government says the average household could save around forty pounds annually, not through subsidies or discounts, but by giving drivers clearer information.
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This scheme did not appear overnight. It follows repeated investigations by the Competition and Markets Authority, which found that competition between petrol stations was weak and profit margins stayed high even when wholesale oil prices fell. The watchdog described a pattern many drivers recognise. Prices jump quickly when oil gets more expensive, but fall slowly when costs come down.
Under Fuel Finder, price sharing is no longer optional. Before this, some stations chose to share prices with apps, others did not, leaving patchy and sometimes outdated information. Now, all retailers selling petrol and diesel must upload their prices, creating a far more complete picture of what drivers are really paying.
There is no official government app. Instead, existing platforms like PetrolPrices, Waze, the AA and RAC apps, in-car navigation systems and online maps use the open data to show nearby prices. Drivers are also encouraged to report mismatches if an app price does not match what appears on the forecourt.
Fuel prices themselves are currently at their lowest levels in several years, easing pressure during a prolonged cost of living squeeze. But retailers argue their own costs have risen, from wages to taxes and say today’s pump prices are well below the peaks seen after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent oil markets soaring.
At its core, Fuel Finder is about transparency. When drivers can see prices clearly, stations are forced to compete and small price cuts suddenly matter. For motorists, it means fewer guesses, fewer regrets and more control at the pump.
This is one of those changes that feels quiet at first, but its impact builds with every journey. Stay with us as we track how this data-driven shift affects prices, competition and the cost of everyday driving across the country.
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