Motoring & Fleet
Compare fuel cards
A fuel card is sold on a saving per litre. Whether that saving exists depends entirely on which pricing model you are on and where your drivers actually fill up.
Fuel cards do two things: they may cut the pence per litre, and they replace a shoebox of receipts with one HMRC-compliant invoice showing the VAT. For a lot of small fleets the administrative saving is the larger and more certain of the two.
The pricing models are what make comparison hard. A pump-price card charges whatever the sign says. A fixed weekly price card sets one national rate every Monday, which can beat or lose to the pump depending on the week. A wholesale-plus card tracks a published index plus a margin. None is universally best — it depends on your network coverage and your route pattern.
What it should cost
| What you are buying | Indicative UK cost |
|---|---|
| Card fee | £0 – £1.50 per card per week |
| Transaction or service fee | £0 – £0.02 per litre on some networks |
| Typical saving against forecourt price | 1p – 10p per litre, entirely network dependent |
| Account or monthly minimum | £0 – £25 |
| Replacement card | £5 – £15 |
Bunkered and motorway prices differ enormously. A card that saves 8p at a truck stop can save nothing at a supermarket forecourt, and supermarkets are often already the cheapest option for a car fleet.
What changes the price
- Where your vehicles actually refuelThe single most important factor. Pull three months of receipts and map the sites before you compare cards, because a card is only as good as its network on your routes.
- Cars or HGVsCar and van fleets do best on wide-coverage networks including supermarkets. HGVs do best on bunkered diesel at truck stops, where the per-litre saving is far larger.
- The pricing modelPump price, fixed weekly, or wholesale-plus. Ask which one you are being quoted and model it against last quarter's actual fills.
- Credit termsWeekly or fortnightly direct debit is typical. The credit period is a genuine cash-flow benefit worth pricing in.
- Reporting and integrationMileage capture, driver-level reporting, and whether it exports into your accounting system.
How to compare properly
Take these to every supplier. The answers are usually more revealing than the prices.
- Take three months of real fuel spend and ask each provider to price it retrospectively. That is the only comparison that means anything.
- Get the pricing model named explicitly, plus any card fee, transaction fee, and monthly minimum.
- Check network coverage against your actual sites, not the total site count in the brochure.
- Confirm the invoice is HMRC-compliant with VAT shown, since reclaiming the VAT is a large part of the benefit.
- Ask about contract length and whether pricing is guaranteed for the term or reviewable.
- Check the fraud controls: per-transaction limits, vehicle registration prompts, odometer capture and out-of-hours alerts.
Ready to compare fuel cards?
Compare Fuel Cards is our dedicated site for this category, with the detail, local coverage and a quote form.
Common questions
Do fuel cards actually save money?
On HGV diesel through bunkered networks, usually and substantially. On a car fleet using supermarkets, often not on the litre price — the saving there is administrative and in VAT recovery.
Is there a credit check?
Yes for account-based cards, since they are a credit facility. Prepay options exist for newer businesses.
Can it be used for personal fuel?
Technically yes, which creates a benefit-in-kind and a tax problem. Use the card controls to prevent it and set a clear driver policy.
How many vehicles do I need?
Many providers will issue for a single vehicle. The savings scale with volume, but the admin benefit applies from one.
Still deciding between options?
Single-brand or multi-network fuel card?
A single-brand card usually gives the better price per litre. A multi-network card gives you somewhere to fill up. Which matters more depends entirely on your routes.
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