Private parking companies issued a record 14.4 million tickets to British motorists in 2024/25, marking a staggering 13 per cent increase compared to last year.
The figures reveal that private parking enforcement has more than doubled since 2018/19, when 6.8 million tickets were issued.
Motoring organisations have called the surge in penalties evidence of an “urgent” need for Government intervention to reintroduce regulatory oversight of the sector.
The dramatic rise in parking charge notices has prompted renewed criticism of private parking operators, with experts rejecting industry claims that the increase simply reflects more car parks coming under private management.
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Millions of drivers have been slapped with parking fines over the last few years
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The daily rate of parking tickets issued by private companies reached 39,374 in the year to March, with each penalty potentially costing drivers up to £100.
This means motorists could be facing collective charges of nearly £3.9million every day at current rates.
The analysis, based on Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency records obtained by parking management businesses, shows 184 companies requested vehicle owner information during 2024/25.
ParkingEye emerged as the most prolific operator, purchasing 2.3 million records from the DVLA at £2.50 per record.
Industry experts are calling for law changes to be introduced to protect motorists
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The DVLA maintains that this fee only covers administrative costs and generates no profit for the agency.
These figures exclude penalties issued by council-operated car parks, focusing solely on private facilities including shopping centres, leisure venues and motorway service areas.
Steve Gooding, director of motoring research charity the RAC Foundation, said: “Business is clearly booming for private parking firms.
“Frankly, it is now more urgent than ever that this Government puts years and years of false starts behind it and gets on with implementing both a code of practice and an independent appeals service.”
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“Only then are we likely to see the number of tickets starting to fall, which must be the success measure we’d all like to see.”
Legislation to introduce a code of conduct for private parking companies received royal assent in March 2019, but was withdrawn by the Conservative government in June 2022 following a legal challenge from parking firms.
The abandoned code had been scheduled to take effect across Britain by the end of 2023.
Its provisions would have halved the maximum charge for most parking offences to £50, established a fairer appeals system, and prohibited aggressive language on penalty notices.
The Private Parking Code of Practice was withdrawn following legal intervention
PA
The withdrawal left motorists without the protections that had been years in development.
Industry bodies, including the British Parking Association and the International Parking Community, introduced their own voluntary code in June 2024, but motoring groups criticised it for omitting key safeguards such as charge caps and the elimination of debt recovery fees.
Simon Williams, head of policy at automotive services company the RAC, said: “Too many unfair tickets are still being handed out by operators who haven’t been forced to adhere to stricter rules, and too many drivers are still being hounded by debt collection companies.
“We don’t believe the parking industry’s argument that PCNs are only at record levels purely because they’re managing more car parks.”