Fuel Finder is a new initiative recommended by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) following its in-depth study of the UK’s road fuel market.

The CMA found that competition in the sector has weakened since 2019, leading to inconsistent pricing and reduced transparency for consumers.

To tackle this, the CMA proposed two major reforms:

• The creation of a live, station-by-station fuel price tracking system, known as Fuel Finder;
  
  
• The establishment of a statutory monitoring body to oversee pricing behaviour across the industry

The UK government accepted both recommendations, confirming that the CMA would take on the monitoring role. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 granted the CMA the necessary powers to do so, which came into force in January 2025.

In parallel, the government committed to launching the Fuel Finder scheme by the end of 2025, subject to legislation and available parliamentary time. The Data (Use and Access) Bill will provide the legal framework needed to deliver the scheme.

The Fuel Finder scheme is a direct response to rising concern over a lack of competition in the UK fuel market.

A 2023 study by the CMA revealed that supermarket fuel margins nearly doubled between 2019 and 2023, leading to a £1.6 billion increase in fuel costs for drivers in 2023 alone. 

These findings raised questions about how wholesale savings were being reflected at the pump and highlighted a lack of clarity for consumers when comparing prices between stations.

Fuel Finder is intended to enhance transparency, encourage informed consumer choice, and promote a more competitive retail environment.

Fuel Finder is designed with the everyday driver in mind. Making fuel prices easier to compare gives motorists the tools to find cheaper, more convenient options, especially important during a cost-of-living crisis.

The Motor Fuel Price (Open Data) Regulations 2025 have now been formally laid before Parliament, paving the way for the Fuel Finder scheme.

Here’s what retailers need to know:

• All UK Petrol Filling Stations must join the scheme
  
  
• Fuel price changes must be submitted within 30 minutes
  
  
• Registration Opens: 18 December 2025
  
  
• Price Reporting Begins: 2 February 2026

The previous version of the scheme (PumpWatch) was originally intended to go live in 2024, but political changes and legislative delays pushed the timeline back. With a new bill now in progress and the CMA already granted monitoring powers, 2026 is set to be a pivotal year for getting Fuel Finder off the ground.

In response to the Fuel Finder scheme, EdgePetrol is building a solution designed to automate compliance with these new rules, reduce operational burden, and minimise risk to its customers. 

The new Fuel Finder module is being developed in close collaboration between EdgePetrol’s product, engineering and commercial teams, ensuring it fits seamlessly into the workflow of modern forecourt operators.

Among the core features under development are:

• Automatic submission of pole price changes in near real-time
• Direct price retrieval from POS* to avoid delays
• Alerts for manual overrides and connectivity issues
• Compliance audit trail for peace of mind

According to Sarah Kind, VP of Customer Success at EdgePetrol:

 “Retailers have made it clear that they need a solution, so we’re taking away the complexity and developing the tools they need to stay compliant without adding operational headaches. This is about helping them adapt quickly, with confidence.”

EdgePetrol will be rolling out early access to the Fuel Finder module later in 2025, ahead of the government’s deadline, to give customers the time they need to prepare.

* Availability dependent on your ePOS setup

• 1% of worldwide turnover.
• 5% of daily turnover.