Drivers will be able to see live petrol prices on Google Maps for the first time from Thursday, in a move that will help motorists shop around for the cheapest fuel.
Millions of motorists will be able to find the cheapest petrol and diesel prices by searching for a local forecourt in the Google app, in what could prove to be “a major development” in making fuel prices more fair, according to campaigners.
The tech company will use data from the government’s Fuel Finder platform, which displays real-time prices at 99% of forecourts, to show Google Map users the cheapest in their local area.
It is expected to make forecourt pricing more transparent and encourage competition between fuel retailers, as millions face record-high road fuel costs due to the global squeeze on supplies prompted by the US-Israel war on Iran. The average price of diesel in the UK recently hit a record £2 a litrehaving risen by more than 40% since late February.
Edmund King, the president of motoring group the AA, said: “Getting transparent fuel prices on to Google Maps is a massive step forward and means most drivers will have easy access to pump prices. Hopefully, this high-level pump-price transparency will also encourage more competitive prices from retailers.
“More transparent prices should reduce the extent of rampant price-matching between fuel stations that is currently seen in many areas. Those competitive forecourts that break rank and offer lower fuel prices can be found if drivers look hard enough and will now stand out more.”
The government’s Fuel Finder scheme was launched in February to help drivers get more competitive fuel prices after a recommendation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in 2023. It is already available via apps including Waze, PetrolPrices, the AA, Confused.com and RAC Fuel Watch.
Luke Bosdet, a spokesperson for the AA, said the Google launch would not necessarily dampen interest in the existing apps, such was “the demand for fuel price information”.
However, the development could “signal trouble for the fuel trade by revealing the forecourt pricing tactics which keep local prices artificially high in their full horror, he said.
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The CMA cautioned fuel retailers in August that many were still slow to pass on falls in wholesale diesel prices. These “passive pricing strategies” may have dented competition in the market and kept household costs higher than they needed to be, the watchdog said.
Polly Billington, the minister for energy consumers, said: “Accessing the cheapest fuel should be simple, which is why it is a gamechanger for near real-time fuel prices to be shown on Google Maps for the first time in the UK, helping drivers find the best deal and save money at the pump.”
Source: www.theguardian.com
