The government has made the Motor Fuel Price (Open Data) Regulations 2025, establishing a statutory open-data scheme for petrol and diesel prices across the UK. Core commencement is staggered: initial provisions from 18 December 2025 and full reporting and sharing duties from 2 February 2026. The instrument is SI 2025/1356.
The scheme is created under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 and applies in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. An ‘aggregator’ appointed by the Secretary of State will run the service, while the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has enforcement powers.
Motor fuel traders must register each petrol filling station with the aggregator by 2 February 2026, or within seven days of opening for any station first selling fuel on or after that date. Registration information includes identifiers and operational details for each site, after which the aggregator assigns a unique registration number.
Changes to registration information must be notified within three days, and permanent closures notified 28 days in advance where foreseen (or as soon as practicable if unforeseen). Price changes are not treated as registration updates; instead they fall under the separate real‑time reporting duty set out in Part 4.
From 2 February 2026, when the selling price of any grade changes at a site, the trader must submit the new price to the aggregator within 30 minutes. To support continuous compliance, the aggregator must provide multiple input routes: an online portal, SMS, an automated telephone system and an API.
Price information must then be shared openly. The aggregator is required to keep a ‘price API’ available at all times and update it within five minutes of receiving reportable information. A flat file containing the latest price data must also be issued twice daily. Information recipients must register, and access can be withheld if the aggregator’s published technical standards are not met.
Operational oversight sits with the aggregator, which must publish clear guidance on rights and obligations, implement complaint handling for data inaccuracies, monitor use of input channels and outputs, and request information from traders when needed. Suspected breaches must be referred to the CMA.
Where the CMA considers requirements are not being met, it may issue a compliance notice specifying what must be done and by when. Non‑compliance can be enforced through the courts, and the CMA may publish statements identifying traders who receive compliance notices.
The CMA also holds investigatory powers to require attendance to give evidence, demand documents and information, and take evidence on oath. These powers support decisions on compliance notices and financial penalties.
Financial penalties can be imposed without the need for a prior compliance notice where a trader, without reasonable excuse, provides false or misleading information or fails to meet duties under the Regulations. The maximum fixed penalty is 1% of the worldwide turnover of the undertaking, and daily penalties can reach 5% of worldwide daily turnover until compliance.
Before imposing a penalty the CMA must issue a notice of intent; a final notice follows after representations. Interest is charged on late payments at the Judgments Act rate, and unpaid sums may be recovered as a civil debt. The CMA must publish guidance on its penalty approach and consult before revising it.
Separate criminal offences apply for providing false or misleading information in response to a request or for obstructing access to information, documents, equipment or material. On summary conviction the court may impose a fine.
Appeals against penalties lie to the Competition Appeal Tribunal within 28 days. The Tribunal may quash a penalty, substitute a different type or a lower amount, and make interest directions; further appeals on points of law may be made to the Court of Appeal or Court of Session.
For fuel retailers, the practical workload begins now. Firms should complete site registration ahead of 2 February 2026, nominate a ‘reporter’ and alternative contact, and prepare systems to push price updates within 30 minutes, using the API as default with SMS or telephony as contingency. Internal controls need to timestamp pump changes, record submissions and evidence compliance windows.
Developers and price‑comparison services should plan for two data pathways: the always‑on API (with updates within five minutes of trader submissions) and the twice‑daily flat file for snapshot uses. Registration as an information recipient and adherence to aggregator standards will be essential to maintain uninterrupted access.
The Regulations require a five‑year statutory review by the Secretary of State, aligning with the wider data access framework introduced by the 2025 Act. Stakeholders should expect the aggregator’s standards and CMA guidance to shape the data’s real‑world utility as the scheme beds in during 2026.