User Guidance
The 30 minute reporting rule
A measured explanation of the Motor Fuel Price (Open Data) Regulations 2025, written for drivers who wish to understand the rules that shape what they see at the forecourt.
What the regulations require
Participating retailers must publish each road fuel price to the government appointed aggregator, and any change to that price must be reported within 30 minutes of taking effect at the pump. The aggregator then makes those prices available as open data, which independent services such as WiseDrive use to inform drivers.
Why 30 minutes
The 30 minute window is intended to keep the public dataset closely aligned with reality. A shorter interval would burden smaller forecourts, while a longer interval would allow material differences to develop between the price shown to the driver and the price advertised through open data. The chosen interval seeks a proportionate balance.
The role of the CMA
The Competition and Markets Authority is the statutory body responsible for monitoring road fuel markets in the United Kingdom. Persistent or material discrepancies between reported prices and forecourt prices may be investigated, and the CMA relies in part upon evidence supplied by members of the public to identify patterns of non compliance.
What counts as a reportable discrepancy
- The pump price for a given grade differs from the aggregator reported price by a non trivial margin.
- The difference persists for longer than the 30 minute reporting window, suggesting a failure to update.
- The same forecourt repeatedly shows a difference between displayed and reported prices.
A single brief mismatch may simply reflect an in flight update. The pattern matters more than any single observation.
How to gather useful evidence
- Photograph the pump display clearly, including the grade and price per litre.
- Photograph the roadside totem from a safe vantage point.
- Note the date, time, station name, and address. WiseDrive captures these in your submission summary.
- Optionally, retain a receipt or photograph of the till display showing the price charged.
A note on tone and intent
A report to the CMA is a compliance notification, not a personal complaint. The aim is to support a fair and competitive market. WiseDrive provides this tool so that drivers may participate in market transparency with the same composure they bring to their daily journey.