Google Maps Adds UK Forecourt Fuel Prices

Google Maps began displaying reported petrol and diesel prices for UK forecourts on Thursday, using data from the government’s Fuel Finder scheme to let drivers compare prices at nearby stations. The prices appear with individual station listings when users search for forecourts in the app. The feature covers standard petrol and diesel prices at each site, rather than an average for a wider area. Fuel Finder requires retailers to submit price changes within 30 minutes, so the information reflects reported prices and is not an instant reading of the pump. Google said it would check the government data independently and display a price only when it had confidence the figure was current. If it lacked that confidence, the station would still appear on the map without a price. The rollout comes as UK diesel prices have been around or above £2 per litre. The RAC reported an average of 200.11p per litre on Wednesday, while the AA put its Wednesday average at 199.98p. The AA estimated that filling a typical 55-litre diesel tank cost about £110, with a comparable petrol fill costing about £96.