The public’s view on parking fines

Key findings

• Nearly a fifth (18%) of drivers said they had received a parking fine in the past 12 months.
• Nearly two-thirds (65%) of drivers who were fined thought the amount they were required to pay was unreasonable, in some cases put extra pressure on already stretched household finances.
• Just over half (55%) thought the circumstances of the ticket being issued were unreasonable. In some cases the fine was incorrectly issued, whilst others felt the signage was poor and this led them to mistakenly breaking the parking rules.
• Only half (51%) who thought their tickets were unreasonable, went on to appeal. The most common reasons for not doing so was a feeling they would not be listened to, or a fear of missing out on paying the reduced “within 14 days” amount.
• Of those that did appeal, seven in ten rated at least one aspect of the process as ‘poor’.

Introduction

Parking fines can be a major annoyance for UK drivers, with the number issued having risen sharply in recent years, and accusations of unfair or misleading practices being levelled at parking companies. The issue has recently come under increased governmental and regulatory scrutiny. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) consulted on a new Code of Practice for the industry in 2025. The Government is required to prepare a Code under the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 (the Act) that includes guidance that promotes good practice in the operation and management of private parking facilities, and guidance about appeals against private parking charges. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has also recently announced a package of actions to address how private parking companies operate and made recommendations for how the Government’s Code can help ensure that consumers are treated fairly when parking fines are issued, and when they choose to appeal.  

This article sets out findings from a Which? survey conducted in September 2026 with a nationally representative sample of 2,000 UK adults. The aim of this was to help us understand more about consumers’ experiences and perceptions of parking fines, including whether consumers feel they are issued fairly, whether the fine amount is reasonable, and their experiences of appealing those fines if they did so. For the purpose of this article, we are using the term ‘parking fine’ to refer to both Penalty Charge Notices from local authorities and Parking Charge Notices from private parking companies, since these are not always clearly distinguishable to consumers. 

Nearly two-thirds of those who had received a parking fine thought the amount they were required to pay was unreasonable

Among the nearly one in five (18%) motorists who had received a parking fine in the past 12 months, the median initial parking fine (if paid within 14 days) reported was £60. The majority of those fined (65%) felt the amount they were fined was either ‘fairly unreasonable’ (23%) or ‘very unreasonable’ (42%). 

Of those that had fines up to £50, 49% said the amount was either very or fairly reasonable, whereas for those with fines over £50, just 20% said the amount was reasonable.

When asked to explain why they felt this way, a common reason was that the high charge felt disproportionate to the parking offence committed. For example, several respondents pointed out that the parking ticket itself would have cost just a few pounds, or may even have been free if their car number plate was registered correctly. Others felt it was a harsh fine for a simple mistake in parking, or for arriving only a few minutes after the ticket expired. 

“£60 is a large amount of money for mistakenly parking without paying, when the fee to park would've been a couple of pounds” - female, aged 18 to 25, Wales.

“£90 is a lot for 2 mins unintentional parking” - female, aged 18 to 35, West Midlands

Several respondents also commented on the size of the fine in the context of high cost of living and stretched household finances. In some cases, this could compromise a household’s ability to cover essential spending such as food and household bills.  

“Who can afford to pay a £160 fine and eat and pay bills?” - female, aged 65 to 74, London

“£70 is too expensive with the current cost of living” - male, aged 35 to 44, East Midlands

“[£80] was a significant amount to pay when we are already finding balancing the books difficult” - female, aged 45 to 54, London 

Over half think their fines were unjustifiably issued

55% of the nearly 300 respondents who reported having been fined felt the fine was unjustifiably issued. When asked to explain why they felt this way, a common reason was that the fine was simply issued incorrectly according to the respondent, with some saying that they were fined when a disability badge was displayed or when they did in fact purchase a ticket. 

Another common theme was issues with the car park itself, for example poor signage meaning that they did not understand the parking rules and mistakenly broke them, or simply that the ticket machine itself was out-of-order.

“Signage was very small and not clear” - female, aged 25 to 34, Wales

“I had paid but had parked in a staff area due to poor lighting” - male, aged 25 to 34, South East

“I was unable to purchase a ticket, as the machine was broken” - male, aged 45 to 54, South East

In other cases, the recipient of the fine was in a position where they had no other choice but to break the parking rules and risk receiving a fine. 

“There was a limited time in a disabled space at A&E. I parked there but couldn't leave my husband on his own in A&E and could not walk from the car park up the hill to the A&E. So [I] had no choice but to leave the car in the space and get a parking ticket.” - female, aged 75+, Northern Ireland

“It was at the hospital and nowhere to park, I had to park on the curb otherwise my elderly Mother would have had to see a consultant on her own…there were absolutely no parking spaces” female, aged 55 to 64, West Midlands

Others had used the car park correctly but simply forgotten to register their numberplate, or entered it incorrectly. Some felt that fines were issued based on punishing trivial infringements, or almost wilful issuing mindset and leaving the motorist with the burden of disproof.

“I was seen setting up and leaving my car on a mobility scooter but instead of telling me I had not put my badge in he waited for me to leave then gave me a ticket.” male, aged 65 to 74, North West

“I was parked only slightly on the line of the bay and causing no obstruction or hindrance to pedestrians or drivers” female, aged 25 to 34, East Midlands 

Only half who felt their parking fine was issued unreasonably went on to appeal

Just 51% of those who felt their fine was issued unreasonably went on to appeal. Among those who did not, the most common reasons were that they felt that no reason they put forward would be listened to, or that they were worried about losing out on paying the ‘within 14 days’ reduced amount. 

Figure 1. People were deterred from appealing as they would not be listened to, or for fear of missing out on paying the reduced amount within 14 days

Comments made by respondents reflected this viewpoint, with many considering the exercise as ‘pointless’ as they felt they would not be listened to. In many cases, paying the reduced fine within 14 days was the simpler and least stressful approach.

“I chose not to appeal as I thought they wouldn’t reason with me” - female, aged 18 to 24, South East 

“It is cheaper to pay within 14 days as it is half price, they never usually uphold the appeal either because they just want money” - female, aged 35 to 44, London

“I feel taking on the parking companies is a little pointless. Also if I kept receiving letters this would heighten my anxiety and have a real negative impact on my mental health” - female, aged 25 to 34, Scotland

“[It would be a] Waste of my time and effort when it would likely be rejected by an automated system” - aged 25 to 34, North East 

Of those that did appeal, the majority rated at least one aspect of the process poorly

We asked consumers who appealed to rate different aspects of the appeals process, such as straightforwardness, timeliness, whether their appeal was considered fairly and the language that was used during the process. The proportion who rated it poorly was between 42% and 48% across the four aspects. Seven in ten (69%) rated at least one aspect of the appeals process poor.

Figure 2. A large portion of drivers who appealed their fine rated aspects of the appeals process as ‘poor’

Open-ended responses revealed why many consumers found the process challenging, with many of the comments reflecting reasons why others chose not to appeal - namely that they were not listened to, and their explanations were not fairly considered. Some respondents also commented that the system feels designed against you. 

“I wrote a long & detailed reasoning, hoping for some compassion, but got a generic response like no one had even taken the time to read what I wrote” - male, aged 35 to 44, South East

“It's loaded against you. The language and screens are designed to make you pay as it wears you down” - male, aged 55 to 64, East of England

“My explanation and appeal were ignored and the charge doubled. I despaired and paid” - male, aged 75+, East Midlands

Conclusion

Our survey clearly indicates issues in the way parking fines are issued, the amount drivers are required to pay and how appeals are dealt with. The Government consulted on a statutory code of practice for private parking operators over a year ago, but has not progressed with introducing it despite it being legally required. 

The current industry Code is inadequate and as our research demonstrates, means that people are treated unfairly and find it far too difficult to appeal against private parking notices. The Code that was consulted on would help ensure that consumers are treated more fairly in a number of ways.  This is particularly important at a time when households across the country are struggling with the cost of living. 

Which? set out its proposals for private parking sector reform in a consultation response last year.  This included a cap on parking fees, which we suggested should be £50 rather than £100 as currently set out in the industry Code, removal of an automatic right for private parking companies to issue debt recovery fees, requirements for clearer and more prominent signage and the establishment of an independent, single appeals body to replace the two existing second stage appeals processes