Drivers issued a record 17 million private parking tickets

New analysis of Government data shows a 17% increase in the number of parking tickets issued by private companies, reaching a record 16.9 million in 2025/26.

The previous 12 months saw 14.4 million sent to drivers, a 148.5% increase since 2018/19.

With each charge potentially reaching £100, the data, analysed by the Press Association and the RAC Foundation, suggests drivers could collectively face private parking charges worth more than £4.6 million a day.

The figures are based on the number of vehicle keeper records requested from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) by private parking operators seeking to identify motorists following alleged parking breaches.

These requests typically relate to privately managed car parks, such as those at shopping centres, retail parks, leisure facilities, hospitals, and motorway service areas.

It is important to note that the data does not show the total number of parking tickets issued. Instead, it reflects the number of occasions on which private parking companies applied to the DVLA for vehicle owner details to pursue a parking charge.

The figures relate solely to parking enforcement on private land and does not include penalties issued by local authorities in council-run car parks or on public roads.

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “In the period since parliament unequivocally recognised the need for reform of the private parking industry, some 76 million tickets have been issued in total – an average of well over two for every car in the country.

“Andy Burnham has plenty of big things to worry about, but if his Government could get round to fixing this problem, millions of drivers would have one less thing on their minds.”

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Numbers of parking tickets issued by private companies:

• 2018/19: 6.8 million
• 2019/20: 8.4 million
• 2020/21: 4.4 million
• 2021/22: 8.6 million
• 2022/23: 11.1 million
• 2023/24: 12.8 million
• 2024/25: 14.4 million
• 2025/26: 16.9 million

Last month, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced a package of measures aimed at improving fairness for motorists dealing with private parking charges.

The move follows concerns about the rapid rise in private parking tickets.

The CMA says it has received complaints about unclear signage, faulty payment machines, app problems, inconsistent appeals processes, and additional debt recovery fees added to parking charges.

Following the Competition and Markets Authority’s announcement on measures to tackle issues with private parking, RAC head of policy Simon Williams: "The CMA's findings and recommendations are a major step forwards in ensuring drivers are treated fairly by private parking operators.

“The points made by the watchdog in open letters to the Minister and private parking operators highlight many of the issues we've been trying to get action on for years and confirm that drivers aren't consistently getting fair outcomes when they challenge tickets.

"The timing couldn't be better because it comes ahead of the Government's response to the latest consultation on getting the withdrawn Private Parking Code of Practice back into force to protect drivers.

“The CMA has shone a much-needed light on the appeals process and found major problems that need to be addressed.

“We strongly hope the code will give us a single independent appeals body, instead of the two we have now – one for each of the two trade associations.

"It's also very positive to see a recommendation that drivers who appeal parking charge notices should retain access to the early payment discount and that time spent deciding whether to park should count towards the overall parking period.

“We also welcome the proposal that operators should seek additional evidence from drivers before deciding appeals."