Millions of drivers are being “unfairly” hit with private parking tickets, according to new analysis from the RAC. Latest data from the breakdown group shows that private parking firms are on course to issue a record 14.5 million tickets to drivers this year.
Analysis of the figures shows that DVLA requests from car park management companies for vehicle owner details hit 7.2m over the first half of the 2024/25 financial year. This was the equivalent of 41,000 requests per day in what was a staggering 12% increase on the same period last year. If the current trend continues in the same direction, by the end of the financial year, a staggering 14.5 million drivers will have been caught out.
With each road user likely to have paid a £100 fee for the penalty, drivers may have splashed out around £1.4billion in fees, more than double the amount paid out six years ago.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “It’s very concerning that private parking firms are growing and on track to issue a record 14.5m parking charge notices to drivers in the space of just 12 months.
“As drivers don’t generally set out to break the rules, we fear more may be being treated unfairly by private parking companies that are still operating without government scrutiny.”
The Private Parking Code of Practice, aiming to scrutinise the behaviour of private parking firms was withdrawn in 2022.
Instead, the British Parking Association (BPA) and the International Parking Community (IPC) have launched their own Code of Practice.
This sets certain guidelines for private parking firms including the necessity for an appeals process and the introduction of grace periods on charges.
However, the RAC has warned eight in 10 road users they polled were still frustrated by the lack of a proper Government-run code.
The RAC has urged road users to always consider challenging a parking ticket if they feel the penalty is disproportionate.
Simon added: “If anyone feels they’ve been wrongly told to pay £100 by a car park management company, they should challenge it.
“With firms prone to sending debt collection letters after 28 days and then threatening court action, we realise the process can be pretty daunting.”
