Not all UK petrol station operators are following a major new rule change put into place by Labour in early 2026.
UK petrol stations are still breaking a key Labour rule (Image: Getty)
Some UK petrol and diesel fuel stations are still breaking a crucial new rule introduced by Labour well over six months ago, according to a new report. Labour launched its Fuel Finder scheme earlier this year, with petrol stations legally required to publish their live prices from February 2.
The rules state that stations must update their costs within 30 minutes of any price changes, with data then handed to third-party apps such as PetrolPrices.
Fuel Finder allows road users to quickly compare costs (Image: Getty)
The tool helps customers to quickly compare costs in their area, allowing road users to find the cheapest petrol and diesel prices and save on fuel costs. However, a new report into road fuel by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) revealed that only 97% of UK petrol stations are registered with the scheme.
The CMA delayed enforcement activity until May, but the report shows officials have still had to send 1,166 letters to retailers. The CMA has also confirmed that they have had to issue compliance notices covering 53 sites. Despite this, the report states that no financial penalties have been issued to sites not following the rules.
The CMA said: “The CMA’s experience to date is that registration issues are generally resolved quickly through informal engagement with retailers. This has contributed to high levels of registration across the market and the CMA has not yet found it necessary to impose financial penalties.
“The CMA will continue to work with the remaining unregistered retailers – representing approximately 1% of national fuel sales volume – to secure their prompt registration, taking formal enforcement action where appropriate.”
The Competition and Markets Authority waved away any major impact for consumers, explaining that the stations currently registered account for around 99% of UK fuel sales volume. This means that almost all petrol and diesel sold to motorists in the UK is covered by the comparison tool.
However, officials have stressed that they are prepared to take “proportionate enforcement action” if some petrol and diesel stations continue to evade the rules.
The CMA added: “As Fuel Finder becomes more widely used by drivers, high levels of compliance will be important in maintaining confidence in the accuracy of Fuel Finder information and ensuring that greater price transparency supports stronger competition in the road fuel market.
“The CMA will continue to promote compliance with the Regulations through outreach to retailers and targeted, proportionate enforcement action where appropriate.”