London: Google Maps has introduced fuel price information in the UK, allowing motorists to compare petrol and diesel prices at nearby forecourts while using the navigation app.
The new feature, available from October 8, displays fuel prices alongside the locations of petrol stations when users search for forecourts on Google Maps. The pricing information is supplied through the UK government’s Fuel Finder scheme, which requires fuel retailers to submit updated prices within 30 minutes of changing them.
The move comes as fuel costs remain elevated across the UK. Diesel prices recently exceeded £2 ($2) per litre for the first time, with RAC policy head Simon Williams describing the milestone as a price threshold motorists had hoped to avoid. Although the average diesel price has since fallen by around 2p per litre, the AA estimates that filling a typical 55-litre diesel tank still costs about £110 ($145), compared with approximately £96 ($126) for petrol.
Google Maps’ move could make fuel-price comparison more accessible to motorists, given the app’s widespread use in the UK. According to Ofcom, Google Maps is used by around 77 percent of Britain’s adult population for general navigation.
The fuel-price feature already exists on Waze, another navigation platform owned by Google, which is used by around two million people in the UK. Apple Maps, meanwhile, does not currently display fuel prices directly, although some third-party services can integrate with Apple’s mapping platform.
However, questions remain over the accuracy and coverage of data provided through Fuel Finder. PetrolPrices director Clare Lafferty remarked that the service still needs to supplement government data with information from other sources because some forecourts have not registered with the scheme or are not consistently updating their prices within the required timeframe.
Google Maps and Waze product partnerships director Sarah-Jayne Williams stated that Google would independently assess the data before displaying fuel prices. She remarked that the platform would continue to show petrol station locations but would only display a price when it had a high level of confidence that the information was current.
The Retail Motor Industry Federation, which represents thousands of UK forecourts and fuel retailers, emphasised that its members were complying with the Fuel Finder requirements. The government launched Fuel Finder in February, with former Chancellor Rachel Reeves saying the scheme could help households save around £40 ($52) a year by making it easier to compare fuel prices.
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