Fuel retailers will have less time than expected to prepare for the new Fuel Finder open data scheme after confirmation that registration will no longer open this week as originally planned.
Instead, registration is expected to open at some point in January, with no specific date yet provided. With mandatory fuel price reporting due to begin on 2 February 2026, the delay leaves retailers with potentially less than a month to register sites and put systems in place to meet the scheme’s requirements.
Under the Fuel Finder Scheme, retailers must report any fuel price changes within 30 minutes. In addition to pricing data, forecourts will also be required to submit information on eight facilities and amenities, including Adblue pumps, packaged Adblue, LPG pumps, car washes, air pumps, water filling, 24-hour fuel availability and customer toilets.
The CMA has on Thursday published guidance on how it will enforce the Motor Fuel Price (Open Data) Regulations 2025, alongside the outcome of its consultation with industry and other stakeholders .
In a move likely to offer some reassurance to retailers facing a tight implementation window, the CMA said it will take a supportive approach during the early months of the scheme. In its consultation response, the regulator stated:
“Recognising that the new provisions may require changes to systems and compliance functions, for at least three months from the date forecourts must be registered with Fuel Finder and must start reporting price changes (ie from 2 February 2026 until beginning May 2026), our focus will be on supporting businesses to comply with the new regime rather than enforcement action.”
The CMA confirmed that, while it has significant enforcement powers – including the ability to issue compliance notices and impose financial penalties – it expects most issues to be resolved informally, particularly in the early stages. The Fuel Finder aggregator will be responsible for monitoring compliance day to day and is expected to work with retailers to resolve problems before escalating cases to the CMA.
Looking further ahead, the regulator said its enforcement priorities will focus primarily on registration and accurate, timely fuel price reporting, which it considers most critical to the scheme’s effectiveness. Reporting of amenities and facilities is expected to be a lower priority for enforcement unless significant consumer harm is identified.
However, consultation responses from fuel retailers and trade bodies highlighted widespread concern about the practical challenges of complying with the scheme, particularly in its early stages.
Respondents warned that the requirement to report price changes within 30 minutes, alongside a potentially long list of amenities and facilities, could expose retailers to enforcement action for what they described as “technical” or low-impact breaches.
There were also calls for a formal bedding-in period, with some stakeholders urging the CMA not to issue penalties during the first 12 months of Fuel Finder’s operation, given ongoing uncertainty around how the aggregator will operate and the resource implications for smaller businesses .
While it stopped short of agreeing to a full enforcement moratorium, the regulator said it had clarified its targeted and proportionate approach, including a stronger emphasis on informal resolution and support at the outset. The CMA also signalled that, once the scheme is established, enforcement will focus on the “conduct which is most likely to undermine the effectiveness of Fuel Finder, and which is likely to be more harmful to consumers and competition.”
The guidance document also set out the scale of financial penalties the CMA can impose for non-compliance with the Fuel Finder regulations, with the regulator able to levy fines of up to 1 per cent of a retailer’s worldwide turnover, daily penalties of up to 5 per cent of daily worldwide turnover, or a combination of both in serious cases.
The CMA stressed that penalties will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, taking into account factors such as the severity and duration of the breach, the number of forecourts affected, any harm to consumers, and whether the retailer has previously failed to comply.
While the CMA said it expects to rely primarily on informal action where possible, it warned that persistent or serious failures to register or report accurate fuel prices could ultimately trigger formal enforcement action and financial sanctions.