The issue is contentious and new figures have been published
Around 48,000 motorists in Britain are being hit with charges of up to £100 every day, new figures show. New data shows drivers receiving an average of nearly 48,000 parking fines daily from private firms.
Some 13.1 million fines were handed out by parking management companies between April and December last year, according to Press Association analysis of Government figures. This represents a 19% rise from 11.0 million during the equivalent period the previous year, and equates to an average of 47,749 each day.
Motoring research charity the RAC Foundation said the statistics indicate “something is awry with the system”. Individual fines can reach £100, meaning the daily total burden on drivers could be nearly £4.8 million at the present rate.
Private parking firms have faced accusations of employing misleading and confusing signage, aggressive debt collection tactics and unreasonable charges. Numerous motorists have received fines they maintain are unjust due to how certain payment machines function.
RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding said: “With fuel prices through the roof, the last thing anyone wants to receive is a parking charge notice. While there will always be some drivers who choose to disregard legitimate rules and regulations, you have to ask whether such vast numbers of people are purposefully setting out to run up big bills or whether something is awry with the system.”
A Bill enabling the introduction of an industry code of practice received royal assent in March 2019. This code, scheduled to take effect across Britain by the end of 2023, included cutting the cap on tickets for most parking offences to £50, establishing a fairer appeals system, and prohibiting the use of aggressive language on tickets.
However, it was scrapped by the Conservative government in June 2022 following a legal challenge from parking companies. A fresh consultation on the code by the current Labour Government concluded in September 2025.
Mr Gooding said: “Successive ministers have accepted the need for a new private parking framework to provide better, clearer protections for drivers and landowners, but progress has been painfully slow. Perhaps the additional cost-of-living pressure from sky-high fuel prices will be the prompt needed to get the much-needed regulatory framework in place.”
The average price of a litre of petrol and diesel at UK forecourts has risen by 26p and 49p respectively since the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East on February 28.
The parking ticket analysis was based on the number of records obtained from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) by companies pursuing UK vehicle owners for alleged infringements in private car parks, such as at shopping centres, leisure facilities and motorway service areas. They exclude council-run car parks. A total of 195 parking management firms requested vehicle owner records in the final quarter of last year. ParkingEye was the most prolific, purchasing 619,000 records.
The DVLA charges private companies £2.50 per record. The agency states that its fees cover the cost of supplying the information and that it makes no profit from the process.
A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: “Motorists must be protected when using private car parks and we are determined to drive up standards in the industry. That’s why we plan to introduce a code of practice to Parliament this autumn to help fix the problems drivers are facing.”
Isaac Occhipinti, head of external affairs at industry body the British Parking Association, said: “Statistics show that the overwhelming majority of motorists follow the rules and pay their way. Effective parking management is essential to keeping towns and cities moving and ensuring people can access shops, hospitals, transport hubs and other vital services safely and conveniently.
“We continue to be on the side of decent drivers. Parking management exists to protect them and ensure that everyone can park where and when they need to.”
