From 2026, UK drivers will have access to more transparent fuel price data than ever before. A new government-backed scheme known as Fuel Finder is being introduced to make it easier to see petrol and diesel prices before arriving at the pump.
The scheme follows detailed monitoring by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which found that fuel prices are not always passed on to drivers as quickly or as fairly as expected.
So what exactly is Fuel Finder, and what difference will it make?
What is Fuel Finder?
Fuel Finder is a new open-data scheme that will require petrol stations across the UK to publish their fuel prices digitally and keep them up to date.
Under the rules:
- Stations must report petrol and diesel prices
- Price changes must be updated shortly after they happen
- Data will be made available for comparison tools and apps to use
The aim is simple: give drivers clearer, more reliable price information so they can choose where to fill up with confidence.
Why Fuel Finder is being introduced
The CMA’s fuel monitoring identified ongoing issues in the UK fuel market, including:
- Weak competition in some areas
- Prices rising faster than they fall
- Drivers struggling to compare prices easily
Fuel Finder is designed to tackle these problems by making price transparency the norm rather than the exception. When drivers can see prices clearly and compare them easily, retailers face more pressure to compete.
How Fuel Finder will work in practice
Not Just an App
Fuel Finder itself is not a single website or app. Instead, it provides a standardised data feed that comparison sites, apps (like ours!), and navigation tools can use.
In practice, this means:
- Petrol stations submit live price data
- Approved platforms collect and display it
- Drivers see up-to-date prices before travelling
The scheme removes reliance on manual reporting, outdated listings or guesswork.
Will it make fuel cheaper?
Fuel Finder doesn’t directly control prices, and it won’t force stations to cut costs. However, it is expected to increase competitive pressure, especially in areas where prices have remained stubbornly high.
When drivers can easily spot cheaper alternatives nearby:
- High-priced stations risk losing customers
- Price differences become harder to justify
- Retailers are encouraged to respond faster to wholesale cost changes
Over time, this transparency should help prices better reflect market conditions.
What it means for supermarket vs local stations
Fuel Finder puts all stations on a level playing field when it comes to visibility. This could:
- Highlight cases where supermarkets are not the cheapest locally
- Expose high prices at isolated or dominant stations
- Encourage independents to compete more actively on price
For drivers, it removes assumptions and replaces them with facts.
Why comparison will still matter
Even with Fuel Finder in place, drivers will still need tools that:
- Present prices clearly
- Allow postcode-based searches
- Compare multiple stations at once
- Show distance, brand and fuel type
Raw data alone doesn’t save money — usable comparison tools do. Fuel Finder improves the quality of the data, but drivers will still benefit most from platforms that turn that data into clear choices.
What drivers should expect in 2026
When Fuel Finder launches, drivers can expect:
- More consistent and reliable fuel price listings
- Fewer surprises at the pump
- Greater awareness of local price differences
However, price variation will still exist. The biggest advantage will go to drivers who actively check prices rather than filling up out of habit.
The bigger picture
Fuel Finder represents a shift towards greater transparency in the UK fuel market, following years of concern about pricing behaviour and weak competition. It won’t solve every issue overnight, but it gives drivers something they’ve long lacked: clear, timely information. As fuel prices remain a major household cost, tools that help drivers compare and choose wisely will only become more important in the years ahead.