Parking fail: three-quarters of drivers have run into difficulties when paying to park by mobile app

Three-quarters of UK drivers (73%) who have used a mobile app to pay for parking in the last 12 months experienced difficulties doing so, with most preferring the reliability that comes from using bank cards or cash, new RAC research has found.* 

Of those that ran into problems, top of the list of frustrations by a considerable margin is a lack of reliable mobile phone signal in the car park (70%). This was followed by the mobile app not correctly recognising the car park the driver was in (36%), and the app in question crashing (35%).

Three-in-10 drivers (30%) reported other functionality problems with the app, while 24% said the app they were using didn’t accept their bank card. A smaller proportion of drivers (13%) said they couldn’t work out how to use the parking app in the first place – a figure that doubled to 26% for drivers surveyed aged 75 and over.

When it comes to how drivers prefer to pay for parking, the simplicity and ease that comes from using a bank card or Apple Pay/Google Pay makes this the most popular option (favoured by 46% of drivers), with cash and paying by mobile app preferred by 33% and 30% respectively. Just 6% of drivers prefer to scan a QR code and then paying using card – something that leaves them vulnerable to so-called ‘quishing’ operations that the RAC has previously warned about.**

Nearly two-thirds of drivers (64%) who use mobile apps to pay to park have at least two installed on their phones, while 36% have at least three and around one-in-10 (15%) have as many as four or more installed at any one time.

In May, the Government announced the launch of the National Parking Platform which, if adopted widely by councils and private parking operators, should mean drivers can use a single mobile app of their choice when parking – the simplicity of which could make paying by app much more popular. Currently 10 local authorities are live including Manchester, Liverpool and Coventry city councils but the RAC understands more are expected to be announced shortly.

RAC senior policy officer Rod Dennis said: “There’s no doubt mobile apps have an important and increasing role to play when it comes to parking our vehicles, and the best ones make parking an easier task for many of us. But our figures show there’s still plenty drivers find frustrating about using them – whether that’s a lack of mobile signal, problems registering bank cards, or the app crashing or behaving strangely.

“Parking should, in theory at least, be one of the simplest tasks any driver completes but having to navigate a variety of differently designed apps – and register an account, vehicle details and bank cards with each one – can be a pain. Having card details saved with a myriad of different providers also isn’t ideal from security perspective, as unlike using conventional websites there’s generally no reassuring padlock symbol on parking apps to show card details are being shared securely.

“The launch of the National Parking Platform, which we welcome, should spell the end of drivers needing to download lots of separate apps just to park and simplify things enormously. This does depend on enough local authorities and parking companies up and down the country signing up, though.

“In the meantime, we encourage drivers to ensure they’re always using the latest versions of each parking app they use. This reduces the chance of the app not functioning and ensures they always benefit from the app’s latest features. But even then, those with older smartphones need to be aware that over time, parking app developers stop supporting their devices. This means these drivers will no longer be able to update their apps, which could lead to future problems using them to pay for parking.

“For anyone running into difficulty when paying by app is the only option, whether that’s struggling with phone signal or the app just not working, we strongly recommend they collect evidence of their attempts to park, including screenshots of any app errors. This can be used to challenge the parking operator in the event they send the driver a parking charge notice for apparently not paying to park, as it shows the driver did everything they reasonably could to pay.

“We also continue to believe that all parking operators, whether public or private, should offer drivers at least two different ways to pay. No-one should be forced to use to a mobile app when parking if they don’t want to, especially those who struggle with technology or just don’t have a smartphone.”

Recently published figures show that revenue from parking is big business, for both councils and private operators. Councils in England recorded a £1.2bn surplus for on- and off-street parking over 2024-25, and while private parking companies don’t report their profits, they’re likely to be sizeable, given these firms collectively issued a record 14.4m parking tickets to drivers in the space of just 12 months.

Avoid a parking fail – RAC’s advice for a smooth parking payment experience

• Stay updated: always ensure your smartphone has the latest versions of any parking apps installed, to reduce the chances of apps not working as expected
• Carry an alternative: if struggling to pay by app and other options are available, have another form of payment ready – like a physical bank card or even cash
• Be vigilant: if the car park is equipped with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras, which more and more are, the car park operator will know precisely when you have entered and exited the car park. If your only option when paying to park is using a smartphone app and you have difficulty, collect evidence that shows you’ve done everything you can to pay – phone screengrabs could be helpful

^{* A nationally representative sample of 1,709 UK drivers were surveyed for the RAC by Online95 between June and July 2025}

^{** RAC, 15 August 2024: Be ‘QRareful’: RAC warns drivers to watch out for parking payment scams}