Google Maps is introducing a fuel price feature for users in the United Kingdom, making price information available through the navigation app beginning Thursday. The functionality will display locations and pricing for forecourts, drawing data from the government’s Fuel Finder scheme, which requires petrol stations to update their prices within 30 minutes of any changes.
The move comes as fuel costs have risen significantly. Diesel recently exceeded £2 per litre for the first time, a milestone that industry observers described as a notable threshold. While diesel prices have since declined by 2 pence, motoring organizations estimate that filling a typical 55-litre tank still costs approximately £110 for diesel and around £96 for petrol. Global fuel price increases have been attributed to geopolitical factors, including conflicts involving the United States, Iran, Russia, and Ukraine.
Google Maps reaches approximately 77% of Britain’s adult population for navigation purposes, according to data from Ofcom, giving the feature substantial potential reach compared to dedicated fuel-price apps. The navigation application Waze, which is owned by Google, already offers similar fuel price functionality and serves around 2 million users in the UK. Apple Maps does not currently provide fuel pricing through its platform, though third-party applications can integrate with Apple’s mapping service on iPhones.
Some experts have raised concerns about the reliability of Fuel Finder as a data source. Representatives from price comparison services have noted that the government scheme lacks complete coverage and that not all forecourts have registered or consistently update their information as required. Google stated it would independently verify data accuracy and only display prices when confidence in their currency is high, even if location information remains visible.
The Fuel Finder scheme was introduced in February by the former chancellor and was promoted as potentially saving households £40 annually. The Petrol Retailers Association, representing thousands of UK forecourts, indicated that members were complying with the scheme’s requirements.
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