New rules now require a like-for-like price comparison at the point of sale, the moment you pay at the pump, charger, or on your energy checkout. No more guesswork between pence per litre and pence per kWh. No more small print before you tap your card. A single, simple figure now sits where your eyes naturally go. It’s meant to change the way you buy energy. It might change your next trip.
The forecourt smelled faintly of rain and rubber. A delivery van idled two pumps down, the driver thumbing a cracked phone while the nozzle thumped into place. Above the card reader, a small new panel glowed: cost to drive 100 miles on petrol, diesel, and electricity, side by side, based on a standard family car. The numbers weren’t showy. Just there. Quietly provocative. The cashier clocked my stare, shrugged, and said it went live last week. “Been asked about it all morning.” A woman behind me snapped a photo for a group chat. The van driver smirked, then swapped pumps. Something had shifted. It felt subtle. It felt big. And slightly overdue.
The rule that finally forces apples-to-apples pricing
Walk into a forecourt today and you’ll see more than a big pence-per-litre sign. Tucked next to the PIN pad, a new line now explains your cost per 100 miles across different fuels, derived from a regulator-set reference vehicle and updated on a fixed schedule. EV chargepoints have it too, alongside p/kWh and session fees. Energy suppliers must show a comparable “typical use” total at checkout, with standing charges included and taxes baked in. **For the first time, the law drags the hidden maths into daylight.** It doesn’t tell you what to buy. It tells you what you’re really paying for the distance you actually drive.
On Tuesday in Leeds, a taxi owner told me he’d always “had a feel” for diesel versus overnight home charging. That feeling got tested: the panel showed his weekly route would be roughly £4 cheaper on electrons at current rates, even after a recent tariff rise. He sent a photo to his business partner. They ran a quick mental sum, then booked a public charger near the airport with a fixed p/kWh cap. In Brighton, a commuter messaged that her station’s board made her think twice about filling a second car. She didn’t switch that day. But she noticed. That’s how habits begin—quiet, incremental, anchored to numbers you can trust.
Here’s the logic. Litres, kWh, and miles don’t line up neatly. The law solves that by using a standard consumption profile—the kind policymakers lean on for regulated price labels—and updating it a few times a year. It’s not your car, your right foot, or your rooftop solar. It’s a yardstick. **The point isn’t perfect precision; it’s comparability.** Petrol stations must place the panel at eye level where you pay. Suppliers must present a like-for-like cost projection during sign-up or tariff changes, not buried in PDFs. If you’re shopping online, the comparison pops up before the “confirm” button. If you’re stood next to a pump, it’s there before you enter your PIN. That is where decisions happen.
How to read the new panels in ten seconds flat
Start with the big number: cost per 100 miles. It will list petrol, diesel, and electricity in a single stack. The figure for electricity often shows a range—home charging overnight versus public rapid charging—because those prices move differently. Scan for the “assumptions” line. You’ll see a reference vehicle class and an update date. If the date is recent, you’re golden. Then look for any add-on fees: connection charges at chargers, or card surcharges on some legacy pumps. One glance, one mental note. *That’s your baseline for the week.*
Common traps? Chasing a rock-bottom p/litre without clocking that your engine’s real-world consumption wipes out the saving. Comparing a premium rapid charger on a motorway to a slow-but-cheap supermarket pod without factoring time. Ignoring standing charges on an energy tariff that make the unit rate look lovely but punish light users. **Let’s be honest: nobody really does that every day.** The new display does it for you, consistently, even when you’re tired, it’s raining, and the kids are arguing about crisps. If a number looks weird—wildly lower or higher—snap a photo, ask the staff, and check the last update date on the panel. Your instincts matter too.
You’ll hear pushback that “my car doesn’t match that label.” True. Labels are scaffolding, not scripture. The trade-off is daylight over darkness. A forecourt manager put it well:
“If we all use the same ruler, customers can finally argue about the journey, not the maths.”
Keep a tiny checklist in your head when you pay:
- Is the comparison recent? Check the update date.
- Are fees included? Look for session or connection charges.
- Am I a home-charger, public-charger, or mixed? Use the right row.
- Does my driving this week skew city or motorway? Adjust expectations.
- Is this a one-off or my normal routine? Don’t overhaul everything on a whim.
What this changes—for wallets, roads, and the small decisions
Policy can feel abstract until it lands on a tiny screen under your thumb. This one lands clean. It nudges decisions at the exact second money moves. You might still fill the tank because you’re late. You might still pick a pricey charger because the baby’s asleep in the back. Yet on a calmer day, those same numbers sit there and whisper a different choice. We’ve all had that moment when a small, boring prompt reroutes a whole habit. The rule banks on that. Not drama. Accumulation.
| Key point | Detail | Interest for the reader |
|---|---|---|
| New legal display | Side-by-side cost per 100 miles for petrol, diesel, and electricity at point of sale | See the real, comparable cost before you pay |
| Standard method | Based on a reference vehicle and scheduled updates, fees and taxes included | Trust the numbers even when offers look messy |
| Supplier checkout | Energy tariffs must show a like-for-like projection with unit rates and standing charge | Pick a tariff without spreadsheet headaches |
FAQ :
- What exactly must be shown at the pump or charger?A single panel with cost per 100 miles for petrol, diesel, and electricity, plus the date of the latest update and any relevant extra fees.
- Does the figure match my car’s consumption?Not precisely. It uses a reference vehicle class. It’s a fair ruler, not a custom fit, designed for comparison rather than perfect prediction.
- Where do the electricity prices come from?Public chargers must display p/kWh; panels use those rates. Home charging uses typical off-peak and peak tariffs published by suppliers.
- What about standing charges on energy tariffs?Suppliers must include them in the like-for-like projection at checkout. You’ll see unit rate, standing charge, and a typical-use total before you confirm.
- Will the numbers change often?Yes. Expect scheduled refreshes and ad-hoc updates when prices swing. The panel shows the date so you know how current it is.
Finaly! Apples-to-apples at the pump. About time.