09 May 2025

Are private parking firms playing fair?

Which? investigates the rise of private parking charges and explains how to challenge them

The number of privately issued parking fines continues to rise, and many motorists feel they're being unfairly penalised.

In the first half of 2023, car park management companies requested more than 5m vehicle-keeper details from the DVLA to issue fines to drivers. This went up again by more than 600,000 by the second half of the same year. Then, by the first half of 2024, well over 6m details had been requested. This year, private parking firms are on track to issue another record number of fines.

These fines often feel wildly disproportionate and, in some cases, simply unfair.

Below, we examine the issues motorists are experiencing with private car parks and tell you how you can appeal a private parking ticket.

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'The signs contradicted each other'

When Adam entered a car park operated by Excel Parking Services, he saw signs that advertised three ways to pay. He began searching for a payment meter, but there wasn’t one.

Adam says: ‘It took me about 30 minutes to pay via an app after being recorded driving into the car park, but I paid the full tariff for the duration of my stay. Those 30 minutes were spent parking, getting myself organised as you’d normally do, particularly as I had my young daughter with me, and looking around for a pay station.’ Because it took Adam 30 minutes to pay, he was sent a parking charge notice.

The entrance sign to the car park, seen by Which?, advertised three payment methods, but had a small A4 laminated piece of paper in the corner stating that the park was actually ‘pay by phone’ only. Adam appealed to Excel and was rejected. He then appealed to the Independent Appeals Service (IAS), with the same result.

Which? contacted Excel Parking Services and it told us: ‘The Pay on Entry car park had to be temporarily operated by “pay by phone” only due to theft of the pay machines. Signs were erected to advertise this. Adam admitted that he parked, left the car park and paid the parking tariff later, but he didn’t attempt to contact our helpline number.’

If you struggle to pay in a car park, take pictures of the signs, as these could be used as evidence later if you’re charged.

Confused by unclear car park signage

Confusing signage is a big gripe when it comes to parking. An RAC survey carried out in 2024 found that nearly eight out of 10 people who read parking signs had issues with seeing or understanding them.

Only a fifth said that the T&Cs were both clear to see and easy to understand. Tracy, a Blue Badge holder, told us that she had to read a parking sign in one private car park three or four times before understanding that Blue Badge holders could park for free, so she displayed her badge with the time she had parked.

She was then fined because even though she had a Blue Badge and didn’t need to pay, she still needed to display a ticket. Unsure of what to do, she paid the charge.

Use our free template letter or parking fine complaints tool to contest an unfair fine

'I was charged but didn't even park'

Melissa went to visit her friend on a residential road managed by parking operator Parking Control Management (PCM), but her friend wasn’t in. So she turned the car around, adjusted her sat nav for a few minutes, then drove to the exit and waited at a stop sign for the road to be clear before pulling out and leaving.

She was sent a parking charge notice for £100 by PCM for parking in a restricted area for four minutes, which included the time she waited at the stop sign to leave.

Melissa appealed this charge, arguing that the parking sign with the terms and conditions on it was obscured, so she didn’t see it. She also argued that all the signs weren’t facing the direction of traffic, so to see them you would have to be looking away from the road when you first drove in.

She also asked whether there was a grace period in place. Melissa’s appeal was unsuccessful. Melissa said: ‘I’ve told my friend who lives there that she’ll have to come to me, as I’ll never drive down her road to her house ever again due to the parking fine risk.’

Which? contacted Parking Control Management, but we didn’t hear back. Taking pictures that show your point of view as the driver can help to demonstrate whether signs were legible at the time you received the charge.

Private parking companies make their own rules

The private parking code of practice was jointly created by the International Parking Community (IPC) and the British Parking Association (BPA), the two DVLA-accredited trade associations that private parking operators must be members of to issue penalty charge notices (PCNs) to drivers.

A new code was announced last year and came into force in October 2024, although some aspects of this code are phased. For example, existing car parks don’t have to make changes to signage until December 2026. But it comes after the government’s statutory parking code under the Parking Act 2019 was withdrawn following legal challenges lodged by several parking firms.

The challenges included concerns that it would lead to a reduction in car parking operators’ revenue, resulting in job losses, business failures and fewer managed car parks.

RAC’s head of policy, Simon Williams, said: ‘It’s blatantly apparent from our research that drivers continue to have severe misgivings about the way private parking companies operate and are therefore very frustrated that the official government-backed code of practice has still not been introduced more than five years after it became law.’

Which? asked the IPC and the BPA why they think parking charges have increased. They told us that this is due to more registered vehicles, inflation impacting the level of the charge, an increase in managed land and more camera-controlled car parks.

Only the introduction of the ‘real, government-backed code will bring fairness to the private parking sector’, says the RAC. It also thinks that the code should include an acceptable cap on PCNs, along with a cap on debt-recovery fees and an independent single appeals system.

This just might happen, as the government is planning to announce plans regarding its code of conduct in ‘due course’.

key information

Three steps to appeal a PCN

You must initially appeal to the car park operator that sent you the charge. You can use our free template letter or parking fine complaints tool to draft your response. You could also write to the landowner to strengthen your appeal. If you were issued a fine in a car park that’s linked to a retailer or business, you can ask it if it would support your appeal or appeal on your behalf. Include as much evidence as possible, such as photos of signs that were unclear and broken ticket machines, or witness statements.
If this is rejected, you can appeal to one of the two independent adjudicators. It will be POPLA if the operator is a member of the BPA, or the IAS if the operator is a member of the IPC. As appeals typically take more than 14 days to resolve, you won’t be able to pay at the discounted rate, but you shouldn’t be asked to pay the charge while it’s being disputed.
If the adjudicator agrees with your appeal, the charge will be cancelled. If not, the operator can continue to ask you to pay the charge and could take you to court. If you go to court and lose, you’ll have to pay the fine and possibly court costs.