Car parks: national private firms to end five-minute rule ticket fines for parking - payment changes explained

• Private parking firms will no longer fine drivers for delayed payments
• Industry bodies BPA and IPC are updating their code of conduct to introduce safeguards for motorists
• The change follows cases of drivers being taken to court over minor delays
• But critics argue the reform lacks detail and impact, and may do little to improve fairness
• Private parking companies issue over 41,000 tickets daily, costing motorists up to £4.1 million per day

Private parking companies have committed to ending penalties for drivers who take too long to pay.

Previously, motorists using private car parks faced fines if they did not complete their payment within a set time after arriving.

In November 2024, the BBC reported that a woman was taken to court by a private parking firm for £1,906 after a weak mobile signal repeatedly caused delays of more than five minutes when making her payment at a Derby car park.

From Monday (February 17), two industry bodies representing the sector will update their code of conduct to introduce a “safeguard” for motorists facing delays in making parking payments.

The British Parking Association (BPA) and the International Parking Community (IPC) have announced that drivers using private car parks with fixed cameras monitoring entry and exit should no longer receive fines, provided they pay before leaving.

This change, which does not apply to council-run car parks or those patrolled by wardens, is being implemented by a panel set up by the industry bodies last month.

IPC chief executive Will Hurley said: “It is crucial that there is a mechanism to identify and resolve issues quickly. I am pleased that the panel has acted swiftly to introduce safeguards for motorists.

“It is important drivers play their part by reading and following instructions on signage when parking their vehicle.”

But some do not think the change goes far enough, with RAC head of policy Simon Williams saying: “This is the latest attempt to make the private parking industry look fair.

“As there’s no information on how the change will work in practice, we fear it will make little difference to drivers.”

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In March 2019, a Conservative government-backed Bill allowing the introduction of a regulated code for private parking companies received royal assent. But it was withdrawn in June 2022 following a legal challenge from parking firms.

The proposed code aimed to halve the cap on most parking fines to £50, establish a fairer appeals process, and ban aggressive language on tickets.

Private parking companies have faced criticism for using misleading signs, aggressive debt collection tactics, and imposing excessive fees. In Britain, drivers receive an average of more than 41,000 parking tickets per day from private firms.

Analysis of government data by the PA news agency and motoring research charity the RAC Foundation found that 3.8 million tickets were issued between July and September 2024.

With fines reaching up to £100 per ticket, the total daily cost to motorists could be as high as £4.1 million.

What do you think of these changes to private parking policies? Will they make a real difference for drivers, or is it just another attempt to appease critics? Share your thoughts in the comments section.