The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is investigating Euro Car Parks amid concerns about its practices at petrol stations and appeals may have broken consumer protection laws.
The CMA has “concerns about potentially unfair practices of some operators – including the way they handle appeals and attempt to recover additional fees on top of the parking charge.”
PARKING CHARGE NOTICES HAVE DOUBLED SINCE 2019
Private parking operators have doubled since 2019. Motorists have been hit with a record 16.5 million Parking Charge Notices in 2025 at places such as gyms, supermarkets, petrol stations, restaurants and retail parks. That’s more than 45,000 a day and one every two seconds.
PARKING CHARGE NOTICES AND CMA CONCERNS
The CMA is aware of common complaints from motorists who feel they have been unfairly issued with a Parking Charge Notice (not a fine). These include:
- Unclear signage
- Broken ticket machines
- Faulty apps
The CMA also has concerns about potentially unfair practices within the unregulated “industry”, particularly on issues such as the opaque appeals process. They have opened an investigation into Euro Car Parks to examine whether its practices at petrol stations and handling of appeals may breach consumer law. The investigation will consider whether it’s fair for motorists to receive Parking Charge Notices while queuing for, or using, petrol pumps and other forecourt services such as car washes and EV charging points.
They are also writing to other private parking operators outlining concerns about the appeal process for motorists and potentially unfair additional charges applied when seeking to recover unpaid Parking Charge Notices.
It is also calling on the wider sector to take action to ensure their practices are consistent with consumer law and writing to the British Parking Association (BPA) and the International Parking Community (IPC – the trade associations – setting out steps they can take now to improve appeals handing and communications with motorists.
They will be making recommendations to government on the long awaited Code of Practice. This includes recommendations that parking firms should be required to make drivers aware of their rights, improve appeals processes to make them fair and consistent and looking at the rules around consideration periods.
Emma Cochrane, Executive Director of Consumer Protection at the CMA, said:
“Being issued with a parking charge can be a stressful experience. Costs are high and often unexpected which is difficult when people are budgeting carefully.
Parking companies must treat motorists fairly at all stages – and a clear and consistent appeals process must be at the heart of this.
We’re setting out a package of actions and recommendations to help drivers and we’ve launched an investigation into the practices of Euro Car Parks.
It’s time for all private parking operators to comply with consumer law or risk action from the CMA.”
CMA AND CONSUMER LAW EXPLAINED
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers (DMCC) Act 2024 has replaced and updated the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. This protects you from unfair trading practices and the right to be treated fairly.
For a practice to be unfair under these rules, they must harm, or be likely to harm, the economic interests of the average consumer.
It makes it unlawful for firms to engage in misleading actions or omissions that would entice a consumer into making a decision they would otherwise not have made.
It also bans aggressive commercial practices that contravene the requirements of professional diligence and is likely to cause the average consumer to take a different decision.
The Consumer Rights Act 2015 also applies and has a fairness test. Key Terms need to be bold, prominent & clear in-line with the Consumer Rights Act 2015 – they cannot be buried in the small print.
The Equality Act 2010 can also help you cancel unfair parking tickets. It protects you from direct and indirect discrimination where reasonable adjustments need to be made. For example, you need an extra few minutes to comply with the grace period when leaving a car park because of a disability.
We have some of the best consumer laws in the world. Knowing your consumer rights is more than half the battle.
HOW THIS WORKS WITH PARKING CHARGE NOTICES IN PRACTICE
The private parking trade associations have introduced a self-authored Single Code of Practice, which it claims goes further than the Government’s long awaited Private Parking Code of Practice, which was shelved after the “industry” launched a legal challenge in June 2022.
The CMA is aware of complaints where parking operators have breached the Single Code of Practice they are meant to adhere to. I regularly see complaints where appeals are routinely declined on:
- Minor keying errors where you input a zero instead of ‘O’ (they should be cancelled at the first stage)
- Major keying errors (motorists should be offered to pay a reduced rate of £20 to cover admin costs)
- Faulty machines misprinting only part of registration details, despite proof of payment being provided
- Consideration and grace periods being routinely ignored
MY ADVICE
Be very careful when you enter different car parks, particularly at pubs where you may be expected to input your registration details and retail parks where different operators manage adjacent car parks. Don’t assume you can park in one car park at a retail car park and wander around the shops, where other car parks are managed by different parking operators.
Keep your evidence. Shopping receipts, car park receipts, screenshots, payment confirmations, photos of faulty machines – in case you need to appeal a Parking Charge Notice.
A private parking operator cannot fine you. A Parking Charge Notice is merely a speculative invoice for an alleged breach of contract for parking on private land. Councils issue fines called Penalty Charge Notices for infringements on public highways such as parking on double yellow lines and in bus lanes.
They look the same and there’s a reason for that. The parking sector estimates that four out of five (80 per cent) are paid without question regardless of whether they have been issued fairly or not to take advantage of the “discount”, thinking it’s a fine and they will be taken to court.
The easiest way to cancel Parking Charge Notices is by speaking to the landowner. So, if you get one in a supermarket car park – speak nicely to Customer Services at the supermarket or Google search their telephone number to cancel it. They can and will do for customers (make sure you have a receipt and be polite).
Don’t worry if your appeal fails at the first and second stage. Only a court can enforce payment.
You can safely ignore standard third-party debt collector letters demanding £170. Debt collectors have no powers whatsoever to enforce an alleged debt owed to private parking operators. The only letter that needs a response is a Letter Before Claim, which is a precursor to court action.
MY VIEW
This investigation by the CMA is welcome and long overdue.
Motorists shouldn’t have to become parking law experts to simply go about their everyday life. While some Parking Charge Notices will be fairly issued, many are not. Private parking operators show no mercy, common sense or compassion. Legitimate appeals are regularly declined and parking operators routinely flout the Code of Practice they are meant to adhere to with no consequences.
The private parking industry has had free rein for too long. Enough is enough. Drivers deserve fairness.
This unregulated private parking industry is potentially worth over £1.5 billion pounds a year and is out of control. It’s hard to believe that over 45,000 motorists are knowingly breaking parking rules every day. Land owners need ways of protecting themselves from parking abuse, but we’re now miles over the line.
ANPR cameras issue most Parking Charge Notices which do not take into account grace and consideration periods or other mitigating circumstances. Motorists remain vulnerable to predatory tactics by private parking operators who routinely flout the voluntary Single Code of Practice which is rarely enforced on its members who fund it.
Motorists cannot rely on the industry to regulate itself and make up the rules as they go along. We urgently need a proper UK Government Code of Practice to create a level playing field for motorists.
There is currently no accountability, no comeback or independent regulator. It’s a free for all.
The UK Government sponsors and supports this industry by allowing the DVLA sell your personal data to private parking companies for just £2.50 a pop! I think it should be £25 a request.
I want to see debt recovery fees banned
Third party debt collectors have no legal powers and are “strangers to the debt”. They use legalese jargon to intimidate and coerce motorists into paying up to £170.
I want to see Schedule 4 of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 enforced
Private parking firms must issue a Parking Charge Notice within 14 calendar days of the parking event to hold the Keeper (owner) liable under Schedule 4 of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 (England and Wales). If they send it later, they will only invite you to name the driver to transfer liability – but most motorists don’t know this.
I want to see that practice banned.
Nothing will change while this industry keeps policing itself. We need a proper Government Code of Practice with tough enforcement.
The new Private Parking Code of Practice, backed by the Government’s promise of a fairer system, could finally make it fairer for motorists. But it won’t happen by itself.
The CMA investigation and findings will be interesting to see.
I say week in week out that we are taken for a bunch of mugs in this country. Doing nothing achieves nothing. We are a nation of moaners, but few of us know how to complain effectively!
What do you think? And share this with anyone you know who has ever had an unfair private parking ticket.
