The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has opened a market investigation into so-called data comparison tools (DCTs), including price comparison websites, across many industry sectors. The Authority says such tools have played an increasingly important role over the past 15 years and have helped customers make better-informed choices and improved customer engagement and competition in industries from financial services to energy.

However, the CMA said there were concerns over consumer trust and how effectively tools compete. It wants to look at: