Private parking companies issue a record 14.4m tickets to drivers in a single year

Car park management companies made nearly 4,000 requests a day to the DVLA for vehicle keeper details from April 2024 to March 2025

Image: Getty. No copying permitted

Private parking companies have issued a record 14.4m (14,371,841) tickets to drivers in a single year, according to RAC analysis of just-published government data for the year ending March 2025.*

Requests to the DVLA from car park management companies for vehicle keeper details show the equivalent of almost 1.2m a month (1,197,653) or nearly 40,000 a day (39,375) were made. As each parking charge notice (PCN) is £100 this means drivers could be paying out up to £1.4bn, unless they successfully appeal or decide to pay up at the discounted rate. 

The figure of 14.4m is more than double the number six years ago (6,808,344 in 2018-19), just before the Government passed an Act of Parliament intended to clamp down on rogue private parking operators. It is also 13% up on the 12.8m seen in 2023/2024.

Unfortunately, the Private Parking Code of Practice was withdrawn in 2022 following legal challenges from private parking and debt recovery companies. This has meant the behaviour of private parking companies has not been scrutinised as intended by the Act, which may be part of the reason why so many more parking charge notices have been issued.

RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “Sadly, our prediction earlier this year that private parking companies were on course to issue around 14.5m tickets to drivers for alleged contraventions has come true. This is more than double the number issued six years ago before the Government passed an Act of Parliament intended to clamp down on the dubious practices of too many private parking operators.

“Unfortunately, the government-backed code is still not in force which means drivers don’t have the protection it was intended to provide. As it is, 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. And, we still don’t have a single, truly independent appeals service that drivers can go to if their initial appeal to the operator concerned is rejected.

“We don’t believe the parking industry’s argument that PCNs are only at record levels purely because they're managing more car parks.

“We urge the Government to ensure the official code is launched this year with all the protection it was intended to have so that we don’t see these figures go even higher in the future.”


Notes to Editors

RAC analysis of DVLA Keeper At Date Of Event (KADOE) data

 

Other related stories

Private parking firms on track to issue nearly 14.5m tickets to drivers in a year
Car park management companies have made 41,000 requests a day for vehicle keeper details in six months from April 2024
media.rac.co.uk
Drivers frustrated government-backed Private Parking Code of Practice still not in force five years after becoming law
Drivers are frustrated that the Private Parking Code of Practice is still not in force five years after an act of parliament was passed to clamp down on rogue operators.
media.rac.co.uk

 

Share

Latest stories

Website preview
Portsmouth’s Chris Alexandrou named RAC Patrol of the Year
Roadside technician gets to drive a brand-new RAC Ford Transit van with coveted ‘P1 RAC’ numberplate
media.rac.co.uk
Website preview
Middle East tensions fuel pump price increases in June
Drivers urged to shop around and use myRAC app to save when filling up
media.rac.co.uk
Website preview
Fuel margins remain high despite lower fuel prices, CMA finds - RAC comment
Following the CMA's quarterly report which found fuel margins are still significantly higher than they should be, RAC head of policy Simon Williams said:
media.rac.co.uk

Get updates in your mailbox

By clicking "Subscribe" I confirm I have read and agree to the Privacy Policy.

About RAC Media Centre

The RAC Media Centre provides journalists and news outlets with the latest motoring-related news, comment, data and research.

The RAC is an iconic UK brand, and provides complete peace of mind to nearly 14 million UK private and business drivers - whatever their motoring needs. As well as its premium nationwide breakdown assistance service – with an expert branded patrol workforce attending more than two million breakdowns every year – and European breakdown assistance products, it offers a wide range of market-leading products across insurance, legal services, vehicle inspections and service, maintenance and repair. Included in this is the first-of-its-kind nationwide Mobile Mechanics service which brings the garage to homes and workplaces. 

At the forefront of new solutions for business fleets and consumers, the RAC’s breakdown service is electric-ready with mobile EV charging technology and be called on using myRAC – its all-in-one route planner, fuel finder and breakdown reporting app

Contact

press.office@rac.co.uk

media.rac.co.uk