This feature added to Google Maps could save drivers a packet

Drivers in the UK are facing higher fuel prices than ever, but now information about those fuel prices is a little bit closer, as they have been included in Google Maps in a surprisingly official way.

Fuel prices in driving apps aren't new - Waze users have been able to report prices manually for years - but thanks the Fuel Finder scheme in the UK, mandated by the Competition and Markets Authority, fuel stations now have to legally report the price of their fuel within 30 minutes of making a change.

That centralises the data, meaning that services like Waze, the AA and others can provide searchable fuel station prices. That's now integrated into Google Maps too, with the UK Government issuing an official press release about it.

That was echoed by Google, confirming the news that fuel prices are now in Google Maps, visible when viewing details about a fuel station.

Just tapping on a fuel station in Google Maps will show the price of fuel in the card about the business. That seems to elevate unleaded to the top of the card, while more information is available further down.

The aim is to make it easier to find the cheapest fuel in your area, so you're not wasting money when you fill up. That requires some effort on your part, but in my quick testing, it seemed easy enough to check the prices at a range of stations.

The default listing of unleaded seems to be wishful thinking: although my profile has diesel listed as the fuel of choice, that information only shows lower down on the information card, so there's still the chance to optimise the information further.

I also know that the cheapest fuel is available from Costco, but when I tapped on the Costco station, Google Maps reported that it was "unable to connect".

The news seems to have gone down well, with favourable comments on Reddit, with the UK Government suggesting that drivers could save £40 a year.

Ironically, tapping the "Petrol" button in Google Maps pulls up a list with no visible prices (and including some petrol-adjacent companies), but using voice searching gave me a list with prices included.