Hundreds of UK petrol stations are being investigated for failing to report live price changes to a Government system aimed at saving drivers money, Rachel Reeves has said.
The Chancellor said the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has already issued hundreds of warning letters to businesses failing to meet legal requirements by not providing petrol prices to Fuel Finder, a Government-run price comparison scheme.
It comes after Press Association analysis of data submitted to Fuel Finder revealed many sites have still not provided any petrol prices, despite this being mandatory for more than five months.
Of those sites that have provided data, 1,751 last submitted a petrol price change more than a week ago, including 96 that had not supplied an update for at least a month.
Ms Reeves said: “Our Fuel Finder is increasing transparency and driving down prices for drivers, but it is clear some businesses are failing to do this. That is not right.
“I have given the Competition and Markets Authority powers to investigate, and they have issued hundreds of warning letters to businesses not complying.
“If these businesses continue to fail their customers by not reporting price changes, the CMA have assured me they will step in and issue fines.”
All UK forecourts have been legally required to report price changes to the database within half an hour since February 2.
When it launched, ministers expected Fuel Finder to save households who own a car an average of £40 a year by increasing competition between retailers, resulting in lower prices.
Average petrol prices in the UK remain about 19p per litre more expensive than before the conflict in the Middle East, despite oil prices returning to pre-war levels.
1/2
Our Fuel Finder scheme mandates all UK petrol stations to report their prices, helping households with a car find deals & save around £40 a year.
Apps & websites are now displaying real time fuel prices, so drivers can find the cheapest fuel at their closest station.
— Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (@energygovuk) March 31, 2026
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer previously described the scheme as “the cheap fuel finder”, and hailed it for “forcing petrol stations to publish their live prices” to make it easier for drivers to “choose the lowest price”.
PA analysis showed of the 7,765 open forecourts for which Fuel Finder data is available, 2,229 are supermarket filling stations, 410 of which had not uploaded a price change in at least a week as of Monday.
Some 226 forecourts registered on Fuel Finder have either not submitted data or are listed as being temporarily closed.
Fuel Finder was created on the back of a CMA recommendation in July 2023 after it found competition among retailers had weakened since 2019, with drivers paying nearly £1 billion more for fuel at supermarkets during the previous year because of increased margins.
The scheme is run by the Government and technology company VE3.
A CMA spokesperson said: “The majority of petrol stations are now registered with the scheme and reporting their prices, helping motorists pocket savings every time they fill up by shopping around.
“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.”
The Petrol Retailers Association, which represents independent forecourts, said smaller, rural sites which only receive fuel deliveries about once per month may be among those not providing frequent price updates.
