The best fuel price apps and websites in the UK
Published - 5 min read
How UK fuel price apps compare: where their prices come from, how up to date they are, alerts, routes and costs, so you can choose the one that suits how you drive.
Where the prices come from
The biggest difference between fuel price apps is where their data comes from. Since the government's Fuel Finder scheme, forecourts must report their prices to an official open data feed, and many apps now use it. Some also add prices reported by drivers, or prices from fuel card networks.
- Official data covers forecourts across the UK, reported by the retailers themselves.
- Driver reports can fill gaps, but depend on someone having visited recently.
What to compare
- Freshness: how often prices are updated, and whether the app shows when each price was reported.
- Coverage: supermarkets, independents and motorway services, not just the big brands.
- Alerts: whether you can be told when prices near you drop.
- Routes: the cheapest fuel along a journey, not just near your home.
- Cost: what's free and what's behind a subscription, and whether there are adverts.
- Privacy: what the app does with your location.
The main options
- Dedicated fuel price apps, such as PetrolPrices and Pennyfill, focus on comparing forecourts, with extras like alerts and price history.
- Motoring organisations such as the RAC publish average prices and fuel-finding tools.
- Navigation apps such as Waze and Google Maps can show fuel prices along your route, though coverage and freshness vary.
Most drivers are best served by one app for checking prices and a navigation app for driving. Try a couple and keep the one whose prices match what you see at the pump.
How Pennyfill works
Pennyfill uses the official Fuel Finder data, updated twice a day, and shows when each price was reported. Searching, the map, city and brand pages are free with no account. Pennyfill Pro adds price alerts, cheaper-nearby tips, loyalty-card prices, multi-stop routes and longer price history.