Fuel Finder Enforcement — Are Stations Breaking the Law?

From 1 May 2026, the Competition and Markets Authority began enforcing the UK's mandatory fuel price reporting rules. Petrol stations that fail to update the Government Fuel Finder system within 30 minutes of a price change now face fines of up to 30% of their annual UK turnover. After a three-month grace period, the rules finally have teeth — and the data shows compliance remains a serious problem.

1,613

Petrol stations estimated to be in breach of Fuel Finder rules as of May 2026

30%

Maximum fine as a percentage of annual UK turnover

30 mins

Time allowed to report a price change under the scheme

What is the Fuel Finder scheme?

Fuel Finder is a mandatory price reporting scheme introduced under the Motor Fuel Price (Open Data) Regulations 2025. It came into force on 2 February 2026. Every petrol station in the UK is legally required to report any change in pump prices to a central government database within 30 minutes of the change taking effect. The data is managed by aggregator VE3 Global on behalf of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, and published as open data for use by comparison tools and apps — including Save at the Pump. (source)

The scheme was recommended by the CMA in July 2023 after a market study concluded that competition at the pump was not working well for consumers. The CMA found that retail fuel prices rise quickly when wholesale costs increase but fall slowly when they decrease — the so-called rocket and feather effect — and that drivers often cannot easily compare prices across nearby forecourts. (source)

What changed on 1 May 2026?

For the first three months of the scheme, the CMA said it would focus on helping forecourts comply rather than issuing fines. That grace period ended on Friday 1 May 2026. In an open letter to forecourt operators dated 2 April 2026, CMA executive director Juliette Enser stated: "We will not hesitate to take more direct action, where we have grounds to do so."

The CMA confirmed it will start prioritising enforcement action against non-compliance from 1 May. This includes formal investigations and financial penalties of up to 30% of annual UK turnover for the most serious breaches.

How widespread is non-compliance?

The scale of non-compliance is significant. According to industry trade publication Forecourt Trader, approximately 1,613 petrol stations are thought to be in breach of Fuel Finder regulations. This figure combines two groups: around 647 stations that have not registered with the scheme at all, and a further 913 forecourts that have registered but have not updated their prices in the last fortnight — a near economic impossibility given current market volatility.

CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell told Forecourt Trader: "All retailers must register and provide accurate data — we will take enforcement action where they do not."

If the CMA were to impose maximum fines on all non-compliant stations, the total exposure across the sector would be an estimated £3.5 billion — though in practice, enforcement is expected to focus on clear-cut and persistent cases first.

Stations gaming the system

Non-compliance is not the only concern. Forecourt Trader reported that during the grace period, some forecourt operators were reporting cheaper prices to the Fuel Finder database than they were actually charging at the pump — giving the appearance of competitive pricing while charging more in practice. This creates a misleading picture for drivers using comparison tools.

Operator Oliver Blake described the situation during the grace period as a "Wild West" scenario, warning that the CMA would not have the resources to effectively enforce against wrong prices being posted.

What does a stale price look like?

On Save at the Pump, we flag stations whose prices have not been updated for more than seven days with a warning. Stations that have not updated for more than 30 days receive a more prominent alert noting that they may be in breach of Fuel Finder reporting rules.

Across our data covering 7,500 UK stations, a small number of stations show prices that have not been updated for weeks or even months. At current market prices of around 156p per litre for petrol, a station showing 130p is almost certainly not reflecting reality — and from 1 May, such stations risk formal enforcement action from the CMA.

How to report a petrol station

If you visit a petrol station and the price on the board does not match the price shown on Fuel Finder or comparison tools, the government's own guidance states you can report it directly. The reporting mechanism is available at gov.uk/government/collections/fuel-finder.

The CMA has confirmed it treats reports from members of the public as a source of intelligence for enforcement investigations.

What this means for drivers

Enforcement should, over time, improve the reliability of Fuel Finder data. Stations that have been gaming the system by reporting artificially low prices should face consequences. Stations that have simply failed to register should now come into compliance or face fines.

In the short term, drivers should be aware that not all prices shown on comparison tools are accurate. Our staleness warnings on the map help identify stations whose data may not reflect current pump prices. For the most accurate picture, check when a station's prices were last updated before making a detour.

If a station shows a price more than a week old, treat it with caution
If a station shows a price more than a month old, assume the displayed price is likely wrong
If the pump price differs significantly from what was displayed, report it to the government

Update — 9 May 2026

Since publishing this article, we can report one concrete example of enforcement having an effect. A station in Cheshire that our staleness filter had flagged as showing prices 106 days out of date, displaying petrol at 130.9p against a national average of 156p, has now updated its price to 159.9p. The update occurred within the first week of CMA enforcement beginning on 1 May. Whether prompted by a CMA warning letter or simply coincidence, the result is the same: a driver who had previously been misled by a 29p discrepancy is now seeing an accurate price.