Millions of petrol and diesel drivers have been backed by a major new scheme that could help them save money when visiting their local filling station.
Labour has unveiled the long-awaited Fuel Finder scheme to help drivers find the cheapest fuel in their local area to force prices down and increase competition.
The Fuel Finder scheme was promised under the previous Conservative administration and has been brought forward under the Labour Government to cut prices.
From today, Monday, February 2, 2026, forecourts must submit fuel price updates within 30 minutes of any change.
Drivers will now be able to see the cheapest petrol and diesel prices in their local area through the Fuel Finder service, which will eventually be available on sat navs.
Forecourt owners will need to update their prices and alert the service to the unavailability of fuel within 30 minutes of a change.
Fresh data shows that drivers are paying an average of 131.8p for their petrol, while diesel drivers are forking out around 140.88p.
RAC Fuel Watch suggests that prices of both unleaded and diesel, in addition to the premium versions of both fuels, should continue to fall in the coming days and weeks.
The Government’s new Fuel Finder tool has launched today for petrol and diesel drivers across the UK
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Simon Williams, head of policy at the RAC, said he hoped this would spark a change in fuel prices for motorists with cheaper costs around the UK.
He added: “The Government has set up this scheme with the intention of increasing competition among retailers to give drivers better value at the pumps.
“As a growing number of the country’s 8,300 forecourts submit their prices on a daily basis, drivers will be able to easily find the cheapest forecourts near them using their favoured app or sat-nav.”
Drivers will likely have to wait for the full data to be collated once all fuel station operators around the UK have signed up to the service.
The Fuel Finder scheme could help cut prices by between one and six pence per litre | PA
Early data shows teething problems, with some forecourts appearing to show the price of super unleaded E5 fuel costing either almost £15 per litre, or for a fraction of a penny.
The service also provides information from forecourts in Northern Ireland, which already benefits from a fuel price checker from the Consumer Council.
The tool shows a map of Northern Ireland, as well as the average, cheapest and most expensive petrol and diesel prices across the country.
The average price of petrol is 124.3p, while diesel sells for 131.9p. Motorists in Carrickfergus, Newtownabbey, Belfast and Craigavon all pay less than 123p for petrol.
Drivers in Northern Ireland already benefit from the Consumer Council’s Fuel Price Checker
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CONSUMER COUNCIL
Similarly, forecourts in Newtownabbey, Limavady, Cookstown and Downpatrick are charging less than 130p for diesel.
People must report their prices to the Fuel Finder service if they run a petrol station of any size in the UK, operate a chain or franchise, manage unmanned or automated stations, sell fuel as part of another business, or are a multi-site operator.
While forecourts can be slapped with fines, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is focusing on supporting businesses until the beginning of May 2026.
However, from May, forecourts could be slapped with a fine based on the “severity and frequency of non-compliance”, which could be up to one per cent of their global annual turnover.
