Best Fuel Cards for UK Small Businesses
Fuel cards can make life easier if your business runs vans, cars or a wider fleet. They help control fuel spend, reduce receipt chasing, simplify VAT records and give you better visibility over what drivers are buying and where.
Nationwide networks compared
Fuel + EV options included
Which fuel cards should a UK business compare first?
The best card depends on where your drivers refuel, how many vehicles you run and whether you need petrol, diesel, HGV sites or EV charging as well.
Best overall coverage
Allstar One
Best for businesses that want the widest practical choice of filling stations.
- Accepted at around 90% of UK fuel sites
- Major oil brands and supermarkets
- Discount diesel locations available
- Strong reporting and online management
Best for vans & HGV fleets
UK Fuels
Best for fleets that value independent sites, HGV facilities and broad UK coverage.
- Cards accepted at 6,900+ UK fuel stations
- Own network covers 4,500+ stations
- 900+ HGV-accessible sites
- EV charging access also available
Best major-brand network
BP Plus
Best for businesses whose routes regularly pass BP and partner filling stations.
- Use at BP plus selected Texaco, Esso and Gulf sites
- Fuel and charge options available
- Online account controls and security tools
- Useful for mixed UK and European fleet needs
Compare the main fuel card options
Network size is important, but it should be compared with pricing method, vehicle type and the routes your drivers actually use.
| Fuel card | Best for | Network / coverage | EV option | Useful if… |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allstar One | Broad UK coverage | Around 90% of UK fuel sites | Separate combined fuel/EV products available | Drivers refuel across different brands and supermarkets |
| UK Fuels | Vans, HGVs and mixed fleets | 6,900+ accepting UK sites across its broader card range | Yes | You need independent, truckstop and HGV-friendly coverage |
| BP Plus | BP and partner networks | BP plus selected Texaco, Esso and Gulf sites | Fuel & Charge products available | Your regular routes already suit BP’s network |
| Shell Card | Fuel + EV fleet management | Large Shell and partner network | Yes | You want one fleet-payment relationship covering fuel and charging |
| Texaco / Fastfuel | Businesses using Texaco regularly | Network depends on the specific card product | Check product | Texaco sites are convenient for your drivers |
What is a fuel card?
A fuel card is a payment card designed for business vehicle costs, most commonly petrol and diesel. Instead of employees paying personally and submitting receipts, drivers use the business fuel card at participating stations and the company receives transaction records and invoices through one account.
That can make the biggest difference to businesses that run several vehicles. A plumbing company with six vans, a courier firm with 20 drivers or a construction business moving between sites has far more to gain from centralised fuel records than a business that fills one car twice a month.
A fuel card is mainly an admin and control tool
Do not choose a card purely because it advertises a fuel saving. The practical value often comes from reducing receipt chasing, controlling what drivers can buy, getting clearer VAT records and seeing fuel spend by vehicle or driver.
Who benefits most from fuel cards?
Fuel cards fit particularly well with businesses where vehicle mileage is part of the job rather than an occasional expense.
Trades and field services
Plumbers, electricians, builders, heating engineers, locksmiths, cleaners and maintenance firms often have vans moving between customer sites every day.
Couriers and delivery fleets
High mileage makes fuel one of the biggest controllable operating costs. Network coverage and reporting become especially important.
Construction and plant businesses
Fuel cards can simplify spending across vans, pickups and HGVs moving between depots and sites.
Taxis and private hire
Drivers refuelling frequently can benefit from easier expense tracking and less reliance on paper receipts.
What should you compare before choosing a fuel card?
1. Where can your drivers actually use it?
A huge headline network means little if none of the convenient stations are on your routes. Map your regular journeys and depots before deciding. Allstar is particularly strong here because its network covers around 90% of UK fuel sites, including the major supermarket brands.
2. Pump price or fixed weekly price?
Fuel cards do not all price fuel in the same way. Some charge the pump price, some offer discounts at selected sites and others use weekly commercial pricing. Ask the provider exactly how your price will be calculated rather than assuming the word “discount” guarantees the cheapest fuel in your area.
3. Card fees and account charges
Look beyond the fuel price. Depending on the provider and account, there may be card fees, account charges, replacement-card costs or transaction fees. The cheapest fuel rate can be poor value if your fleet is tiny and the fixed charges are high.
4. HGV and motorway access
If you operate trucks, location matters differently. UK Fuels says its own network includes more than 900 HGV-accessible sites, nearly 200 motorway or truckstop sites and more than 500 pumped AdBlue locations.
5. EV charging
If your fleet is gradually moving to electric vehicles, choosing a provider that can support both fuel and charging may save another migration later. Shell now positions its fleet card as a combined solution for fuel, EV charging and other on-road services, supported by its Fleet Hub.
6. Fraud controls and spending limits
Check whether cards can be restricted to fuel only, tied to a vehicle or driver and monitored for unusual activity. This becomes increasingly important as the number of vehicles and drivers grows.
Running several vehicles?
Fuel cards become much more useful when combined with vehicle tracking. Tracking tells you where vehicles are and how they are being driven, while fuel-card data shows where money is being spent. Together they give a small fleet much better visibility over mileage, routes and fuel costs.
Our view on the main fuel card providers
1. Allstar One
Allstar is the easiest starting point for businesses that care more about convenient coverage than loyalty to one fuel brand. Its current network reaches around 90% of UK fuel sites and includes major oil brands plus supermarket forecourts such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Asda.
The Co-Pilot tools can also help drivers locate accepting stations and participating discount diesel locations.
2. UK Fuels
UK Fuels is particularly strong for businesses with vans, trucks and drivers travelling through a mix of independent and branded sites. Its wider card network covers more than 6,900 UK fuel stations, while its own UK Fuels network spans more than 4,500 locations in 97% of postcode areas.
The HGV proposition is also useful, with hundreds of truck-accessible and AdBlue locations.
3. BP Plus
BP Plus remains a strong option where BP and its partner stations naturally fit your drivers’ routes. BP’s current SME guidance says BP Plus cards can be used at BP stations as well as Texaco, Esso and most Gulf sites.
For businesses beginning to electrify the fleet, BP also has Fuel & Charge products designed to bring fuel and charging expenditure into one account.
4. Shell Card
Shell’s modern fleet proposition goes well beyond a traditional fuel-only card. Shell Card can cover fuelling, charging and other on-road services, with online card controls and reporting through Shell Fleet Hub.
Shell also has a simpler Fleet App aimed at smaller fleets of up to 30 vehicles, which makes the proposition more relevant to SMEs than older fleet products that were designed mainly around large corporate fleets.
5. Texaco fuel-card options
Texaco can still make sense when its filling stations fit your regular routes, particularly for regional businesses and drivers who already refuel there. The exact network, pricing and card terms depend on the card issuer and product, so compare the commercial offer rather than assuming every Texaco-branded fuel card works in the same way.
Fuel cards and vehicle tracking work particularly well together
Fuel cards answer one question: what did the vehicle cost to refuel? A vehicle tracking system answers a different set of questions: where did it go, how far did it travel and how efficiently was it driven?
For a business with several vans or cars, using the two together can help highlight:
- unexpected increases in fuel consumption
- unnecessary mileage or inefficient routes
- fuel purchases that do not appear to match vehicle activity
- which vehicles are becoming more expensive to run
- whether route or driver changes reduce fuel usage
Shell is one example of a provider actively combining these areas. Its Fleet Insights service brings telematics and Shell Card data together to analyse fuel consumption, driver behaviour and route efficiency.
Fuel cards for sole traders
A sole trader does not need a large fleet to use a fuel card. The question is whether the admin saving and any pricing benefit outweigh the account costs.
A self-employed electrician running one van might value having all fuel spend kept away from the personal bank account and receiving cleaner transaction records for bookkeeping. But if the van is only filled occasionally, a business debit or business credit card may sometimes be simpler.
If you are still separating personal and business finances, it may also be worth comparing business bank accounts and accounting software alongside the fuel-card decision.
Fuel cards for electric and mixed fleets
The fuel-card market is increasingly becoming a fleet-energy market. A business may have diesel vans today, add an electric company car next year and eventually replace part of the van fleet with EVs.
Allstar offers Chargepass as a combined fuel and electric charging product, while Shell and BP both provide fleet products that bring charging and conventional fuel into the same wider account structure.
If that transition is likely, ask about EV support now rather than choosing purely on today’s diesel price.
Frequently asked questions
Are fuel cards worth it for small businesses?
They can be, particularly if the business runs several vehicles or refuels frequently. The main benefits are usually better expense control, simpler records and easier fleet administration. Compare fees and pricing before assuming a card will automatically reduce your fuel bill.
Can sole traders get fuel cards?
Yes. Many fuel-card providers serve sole traders and small businesses, although eligibility and account terms vary. For a single low-mileage vehicle, compare the total fees against simply using a dedicated business debit or credit card.
Do fuel cards give cheaper fuel?
Some cards offer discounted diesel, fixed commercial pricing or negotiated rates, while others mainly provide convenience and reporting. The actual saving depends on the card, station and your normal pump prices.
Can fuel cards be used at supermarkets?
Some can. Allstar One, for example, includes major supermarket fuel sites in its network. Always check the individual card’s site locator before choosing.
Can fuel cards be used for electric charging?
Some modern fleet cards now support both fuel and EV charging, either through one card or a related product. Allstar, Shell and BP all have options aimed at mixed fleets.
What is the best fuel card for vans?
Allstar One and UK Fuels are strong starting points because of their broad networks. UK Fuels is especially relevant where commercial, independent and HGV-friendly sites matter.
Bottom line
For most UK small businesses, we would compare Allstar One and UK Fuels first, then look at BP Plus, Shell and Texaco depending on the routes your vehicles actually use.
The right fuel card is not necessarily the one advertising the biggest discount. It is the one that gives your drivers convenient coverage, keeps fees sensible and gives you cleaner control over business fuel spending.
If you run several vehicles, the next logical step is to compare vehicle tracking systems as well. Fuel-card data and vehicle tracking solve different problems, but together they can give a small fleet much better visibility over operating costs.