How this page ranks fuel cards
One formula for all 7 cards: the per-litre saving times the litres that actually land on the card's network for your routes, minus account and per-card fees. That produces an estimated annual saving in pounds, and cards whose network fits your routes poorly are flagged rather than quietly ranked on a discount your drivers would rarely collect. Unlike our credit card data, most fuel card pricing is not published: providers quote by fleet size and volume, so the per-litre and fee figures here are labelled indicative assumptions, and the structure of the ranking, network fit and fee shape, is the part to trust. The assumptions are on the methodology page.
Network fit beats pence per litre
The biggest number in fuel card marketing is the discount; the biggest number in your saving is coverage. A card taking 7p a litre off at sites your drivers pass twice a month is worth less than 2p off everywhere they already stop, and a detour to reach an on-network site spends the discount on fuel. That is why the calculator asks where drivers mostly fill up, supermarkets, branded stations, motorways or a mix, and weights every card's saving by it.
The kinds of fuel card
- Wide multi-network cards accept at most UK forecourts and suit fleets that refuel anywhere, usually for a monthly account fee.
- Branded network cards (Shell, BP, Esso) discount deeply on their own stations and suit routes built around them.
- Supermarket cards ride supermarket pump prices, which are already below average, often with no fees at all.
- Commercial and HGV cards use fixed weekly pricing across truck stops and motorway networks, built for vans and heavy vehicles.
- Reseller cards negotiate one deal across several branded networks.
The calculator holds examples of each, and which kind wins is almost entirely a function of your routes and volume.
Fees, and the small-fleet trap
Fees come as a monthly account charge, an annual charge per card, and sometimes an underused-account fee below a minimum volume. For a three-van fleet, a couple of pounds a month plus per-card fees can eat most of a small discount, which is why the calculator asks for your card count and litres before it ranks anything. Large fleets amortise fees into irrelevance and should chase the network fit and the negotiated rate instead.
Common questions
Is a fuel card a credit card?
No. A fuel card is a charge account: drivers fill up on the card, the provider invoices the business, and the balance is settled in full by direct debit, usually weekly or monthly. There is no borrowing facility and no interest rate, but providers do run a credit check on the business before opening an account.
How much does a fuel card actually save?
It depends less on the advertised pence per litre than on how much of your fuel lands on the card's network. A deep discount on a network your drivers cannot reach saves nothing, and detouring to reach it burns the saving. That is why our calculator weights every card's discount by an on-network share for your route type before subtracting fees. Most providers price by fleet size and negotiate, so treat any advertised figure, and our estimates, as indicative until you have a quote.
What is the difference between pump-price discount and fixed weekly pricing?
Two pricing models. A pump-price card takes pence per litre off the price at the pump. A fixed weekly price card sets one national price for the week, whatever the forecourt charges, which is typically cheapest for vans and HGVs filling at commercial sites and motorway stops. Commercial networks and reseller cards usually use fixed weekly pricing; branded and supermarket cards discount at the pump.
Do fuel cards work for electric vehicles?
Some do. Of the cards we track, some include public EV charging on the same account and invoice while others are fuel only. If 30% or more of your fleet is electric, the calculator flags fuel-only cards as a weak fit, because a card that cannot pay for charging covers a shrinking share of your energy spend.
Why do businesses use fuel cards instead of a normal card?
Three practical reasons: consolidated VAT invoices that satisfy HMRC record-keeping without collecting paper receipts from drivers; purchase controls, since the card pays for fuel rather than anything a forecourt shop sells; and per-transaction reporting by vehicle or driver. The per-litre saving is often the smallest of the three benefits for an admin-heavy fleet.
What fees should I look for?
Three shapes: a monthly account fee, an annual fee per card, and, on some accounts, an underused-account fee if your volume falls below a minimum. A free card with a small discount can beat a discounted card whose fees outrun a small fleet's saving, which is exactly the trade our calculator prices. Always check the fee schedule in the quote, not the headline.
Why don't fuel card providers publish their prices?
Most price by fleet size, volume and route profile, and negotiate. That is why our figures for this vertical are labelled as indicative assumptions rather than checked published prices, unlike our credit card data, which is read from issuer pages. The ranking is still useful for structure, which network fits your routes and which fee shape suits your fleet size, but the final pence per litre comes from the provider's quote.
Per-litre savings, fees and network coverage in this vertical are indicative assumptions, stated on each card, and vary by fleet size and negotiated pricing. Fuel cards are charge accounts settled by direct debit and involve a credit check on the business. This is a comparison service, not advice; accounts are opened directly with the provider.