Google Maps fuel prices will appear in the UK from Thursday, giving drivers live petrol and diesel prices inside the Google app for the first time. That means motorists searching for a local forecourt can compare costs before they pull off the road.
Fuel Finder data on Google Maps
Google will pull the prices from Fuel Finder, the government platform that displays real-time prices at 99% of forecourts. That gives the map listing a national reach that is much closer to live shop-floor pricing than the usual static directory entry.
The scheme itself was launched in February after the Competition and Markets Authority recommended Fuel Finder in 2023. Fuel Finder is already available through Waze, PetrolPrices, the AA, Confused.com and RAC Fuel Watch.
Polly Billington on cheaper fuel
Polly Billington, the minister for energy consumers, said: "Accessing the cheapest fuel should be simple, which is why it is a gamechanger for near real-time fuel prices to be shown on Google Maps for the first time in the UK, helping drivers find the best deal and save money at the pump."
The AA also backed the rollout. Edmund King said: "Getting transparent fuel prices on to Google Maps is a massive step forward and means most drivers will have easy access to pump prices. Hopefully, this high-level pump-price transparency will also encourage more competitive prices from retailers."
CMA pressure on retailers
The timing matters because the average price of diesel in the UK recently hit a record £2 a litre, and diesel prices had risen by more than 40% since late February. In August, the CMA cautioned fuel retailers that many were still slow to pass on falls in wholesale diesel prices, so a wider public display of prices may expose how quickly stations move when costs fall.
Luke Bosdet said the launch would not erase "the demand for fuel price information" and that it could "signal trouble for the fuel trade by revealing the forecourt pricing tactics which keep local prices artificially high in their full horror". The practical test now is whether Google Maps shows enough of the market to make local price gaps obvious when drivers search for a forecourt.
The open question is how quickly the prices on Google Maps will change as forecourt prices move during the day, because that will decide whether the map becomes a live shopping tool or just another price list.
