Fuel Finder fail: petrol stations break pricing scheme rules at scale
Analysis suggest that hundreds of petrol stations are failing to comply with Fuel Finder's rules, despite the threat of fines
Hundreds of petrol stations have failed to report their fuel prices as part of the Government’s Fuel Finder plan to bring down prices at the pump. New analysis of the scheme’s data also suggests that a significant portion of those that do haven’t done so in a significant period of time, putting themselves in-line for hefty fines.
Statistics from fuel pricing firm My Automate say that there are 8,338 petrol stations in the UK. However, Press Association analysis of Government figures uncovered the fact that as many as 570 of these have not submitted pricing data as required by the Fuel Finder scheme. In addition, around 1,750 have not submitted a change in more than a week, while 96 have not done so in more than a month.
The RAC’s head of policy, Simon Williams, said: “[It’s] not plausible that so many [fuel stations] haven’t changed prices in a week, let alone a month,” especially given that “most retailers receive new fuel supply at least once a week”.
Introduced in February 2026 by the Competition and Markets Authority under the Motor Fuel Price (Open Data) Regulations 2025, the Fuel Finder scheme was designed to instigate competition in what has been deemed a stagnant fuel market. By law, fuel operators are legally required to report any alterations in pump prices to a central government database within half an hour of them taking effect. Failing to do so could result in fines as high as one per cent of the offending firm’s global turnover.
“It’s vital that all retailers follow the rules by recording price changes within half an hour,” Williams continued. “Steps must be taken to ensure those not reporting prices begin doing so immediately.”
In response, the Competition and Markets Authority said: “We will take action when petrol stations fail to comply with the law. While retailers are required to report price changes promptly, some sites may change their prices less often due to their pricing strategy.”
According to the RAC, the average price for petrol and diesel sits at 150.68 and 164.76 pence per litre respectively. This marks an eight and 17 pence drop in prices respectively since the beginning of June, as the oil markets continue to calm in the wake of a cease of hostilities in the Middle East.
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