Google Maps begins showing live UK petrol and diesel prices from Fuel Finder data

Mixed · 2From Thursday 8 October, a search for forecourts on Google Maps in the UK displays their locations and fuel prices, using data supplied through the government's Fuel Finder scheme. 1 2 Mixed · 2The launch follows the average price of diesel passing £2 a litre for the first time, which the Guardian says is a rise of more than 40% since late February; the BBC adds that the price has since fallen by 2p. 1 2 Centre · 1The BBC says the AA puts the cost of filling an average 55 litre tank at around £110 for diesel and £96 for petrol. 1

Mixed · 2Both outlets link the price rises to wars: the BBC cites the US war with Iran and Russia's war with Ukraine, while the Guardian cites a global supply squeeze prompted by the US-Israel war on Iran. 1 2 Mixed · 2Forecourts are legally required to add their prices to Fuel Finder within 30 minutes of changing them. The scheme was launched in February, after a 2023 recommendation by the Competition and Markets Authority, and the BBC says former chancellor Rachel Reeves said it could save households £40 a year. 1 2 Mixed · 2The data is already available in Waze, which the BBC says has around 2 million UK users, and the Guardian lists PetrolPrices, the AA, Confused.com and RAC Fuel Watch among other apps using it. The BBC notes Google Maps is used by 77% of Britain's adult population for navigation, according to Ofcom, and that Apple Maps does not show fuel prices. 1 2

Mixed · 2The Guardian says Fuel Finder displays real-time prices at 99% of forecourts. The BBC reports that Clare Lafferty, director at PetrolPrices, said the feed alone lacks the coverage and accuracy needed, with some sites unregistered and others not updating on time, and that her firm identified 200 forecourts in September that it believed had not updated diesel prices in time. 2 1 Centre · 1Sarah-Jayne Williams, director of product partnerships for Google Maps and Waze, said Google would check the data independently and show a price only if it has high confidence it is right; the station would still appear without one. The Retail Motor Industry Federation said its members were complying with the scheme. 1 Left · 1AA president Edmund King called the move "a massive step forward" and hoped it would encourage more competitive prices and reduce price-matching between stations. AA spokesperson Luke Bosdet said it could expose pricing tactics that keep local prices artificially high, but would not necessarily dampen interest in existing apps. 2

Left · 1Energy consumers minister Polly Billington called it a "gamechanger". The Guardian adds that the CMA warned retailers in August that many were slow to pass on falls in wholesale diesel prices, and that "passive pricing strategies" may have dented competition. 2