UK government launches fuel forecourt price API

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Practical use cases and consumer behavior

  • Many note large price differences over short distances; they rarely drive out of their way purely for fuel, but do want to choose the cheapest station along existing routes.
  • Several envisage satnavs using the API to pick the best station on a long journey, factoring in current fuel level and route.
  • Some already use Waze / apps showing prices and speed limits; others point out that irrational habits and brand/status preferences often dominate fuel decisions.

Time vs money trade‑offs

  • Multiple comments crunch numbers: small per‑litre savings (e.g., 5–7p) rarely justify extra trips once time, fuel, wear, and depreciation are included.
  • Consensus: data is most useful when price differences exist between stations you already pass, not for special trips.
  • Side discussion on fuel tank weight shows savings from running lighter are negligible for normal cars.

Data quality, coverage, and enforcement

  • Current CSV has few entries; people observe patchy coverage (e.g., only a handful in major cities, ~650 rows total).
  • Reporting became mandatory only from 2026 with a grace period; many stations have not yet integrated.
  • Enforcement guidance is seen as weak and slow, leading to fears of “dead on arrival” compliance.
  • One suggestion: citizen‑reported discrepancies with bounties to create effective decentralized auditing.

Market effects and ideology

  • Supporters say better price information improves market efficiency and benefits cost‑sensitive drivers.
  • Critics call it unnecessary meddling and predict price convergence that could slightly hurt those near historically cheap stations.
  • Others argue expensive stations may finally face real downward pressure.

Implementation, APIs, and tooling

  • Developers welcome a central, regulated data source and have already built map dashboards.
  • Some want richer API filters (e.g., geospatial queries) and a simple web UI for station operators; web and phone reporting options exist but look cumbersome for small sites.
  • Geoblocking (403s abroad) and beta‑quality issues (CSV link failures, 500s on some endpoints) are reported.

Broader context

  • Compared to earlier UK trials (station‑hosted JSON) and user‑reported apps, this is seen as a big step forward.
  • Commenters note similar government‑backed systems in Australia, Germany and France, and suggest doing the same for EV charging prices in future.