Overview
- From 2 February, all UK forecourts must report any pump price change to the Fuel Finder database within 30 minutes under new open‑data rules.
- The energy department is taking a compliance‑first approach until May, after which enforcement action with financial penalties may begin for non‑compliance.
- Early rollout has been bumpy, with about three quarters of stations registered by Monday morning and data‑format issues limiting usable price feeds.
- There is no government app; third‑party services such as PetrolPrices, AA, RAC, Waze and in‑car sat navs will display the data, and drivers can report discrepancies.
- Officials say increased transparency should boost competition, with the CMA estimating up to about £4.50 saved per tank and government guidance citing roughly £40 a year per household.