Fuel prices added to Google Maps as petrol and diesel costs soar
A search for forecourts will now display their pricing, using the government's Fuel Finder scheme.
Fuel prices have been added to Google Maps as petrol and diesel costs continue to rise sharply
Prices will appear when users search for fuel, and will also be shown beneath forecourt listings
Google Maps will now display fuel prices to help drivers locate cheaper petrol and diesel in the UK as costs keep climbing.
From Thursday, searching for forecourts on the app will show both their locations and their prices, using data provided through the government's Fuel Finder scheme.
UK forecourts are legally required to upload their prices to Fuel Finder within 30 minutes of changing them.
The move comes days after diesel passed £2 per litre for the first time, which RAC policy head Simon Williams called "a price threshold no one wanted to cross".
Although there are several apps focused on helping people find the cheapest fuel, Google Maps is used by 77% of Britain's adult population for general navigation, according to Ofcom.
Fuel prices worldwide have been heavily affected by the US war with Iran and Russia's war with Ukraine.
Diesel has since dropped by 2p, but the AA says an average 55 litre tank of diesel still costs about £110, while the petrol equivalent is around £96.
The feature is already available in the navigation app Waze, which is used by around 2 million people in the UK.
Apple Maps does not display fuel prices, though some third-party apps can connect to its maps on iPhones.
Some experts say Fuel Finder is not fully dependable.
"At the moment, we still have to supplement the Government's Fuel Finder feed with other data sources because, on its own, it does not provide the level of coverage and accuracy needed to deliver a complete and reliable service to motorists," said Clare Lafferty, director at the price comparison site PetrolPrices.
"There are still sites that have not registered with the scheme at all, alongside sites that have registered but are not consistently updating their prices within the required timeframe."
She said the company identified 200 forecourts in September which it did not believe had updated their diesel prices in time.
Sarah-Jayne Williams, director of product partnerships for Google Maps and Waze, said the company would verify the data independently and would not show prices it believed were out of date.
"Accuracy is very important, so we will still show the petrol station and where it is, but you'll only see a price if we have high confidence that it's the right price," she said.
The Retail Motor Industry Federation, which represents thousands of UK forecourts and petrol retailers, said its members were complying.
Fuel Finder was launched in February by former chancellor Rachel Reeves, who said at the time it could save households £40 per year.