Private parking penalties to be capped at £100 – as drivers will be granted fresh rights to challenge unfair charges
The Government has announced new rights for drivers to challenge private parking charges, alongside a five-minute period to decide whether to park and 10 minutes to leave after a parking session ends. The code aims to reduce penalties for honest mistakes and circumstances beyond a driver’s control, while giving operators clearer rules to follow.
The maximum charge will remain capped at £100. On appeal, charges for mistakes such as entering a registration incorrectly or forgetting a permit will be limited to £20; charges must be cancelled for specified uncontrollable events, including breakdowns and broken ticket machines. Private operators will report their charges and appeals to an independent oversight board, and could lose access to DVLA keeper data if they breach the code. Private parking firms issued a record 16.9 million tickets in the year to March, up from 14.4 million the previous year.
- Private parking charges remain capped at £100.
- Drivers get new grace periods and appeal rights.
- Firms risk losing DVLA data access for breaking the code.
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Private car parks are run by companies rather than councils, and those companies can issue charges when drivers break their parking rules. The charges are separate from council parking fines, and firms may use vehicle registration details to contact a car’s registered keeper.
Drivers can dispute a charge, but the rules for doing so have been criticised as unclear. The Government’s code sets out how operators should handle common mistakes and events outside a driver’s control, with an independent board overseeing reports of charges and appeals.
The issue affects many motorists: private parking firms issued 16.9 million tickets in the year to March, compared with 14.4 million the year before. The code also gives firms clearer standards to follow and links compliance to access to DVLA keeper details.