About 570 of 8,338 UK petrol stations have submitted no live prices to Fuel Finder; most others are reporting

Hundreds of petrol stations across the UK are not submitting required live price data to the Fuel Finder system. An analysis by the Press Association found that approximately 570 of the 8,338 operating sites had provided no petrol price information at all. Of the 7,765 forecourts that had submitted data as of 10 a.m.

On July 6, 1,751 had not updated their petrol prices for more than a week. Ninety-six of those sites had gone at least a month without new information. All UK forecourts have been required to report price changes within 30 minutes since February 2.

A three-month grace period for enforcement ended May 1. The Competition and Markets Authority recommended the scheme in July 2023 after finding competition among retailers had weakened since 2019. Drivers paid nearly £1 billion more for fuel at supermarkets in the year before the report because of increased margins.

When it launched, ministers expected Fuel Finder to save car-owning households an average of £40 a year. Simon Williams of the RAC said it is “not plausible that so many haven’t changed prices in a week, let alone a month,” noting that most retailers receive new fuel supply at least once a week. He added that Fuel Finder was introduced to help stop drivers paying over the odds when they fill up.

The Competition and Markets Authority has the power to take enforcement action against retailers not meeting the requirements. A CMA spokesperson said the majority of petrol stations are now registered and reporting prices, and that the agency will act when stations fail to comply.

Average petrol prices remain about 19 pence per litre higher than before the conflict in the Middle East, even though oil prices have returned to pre-conflict levels.