Motorist advocacy groups are urging the government to stop the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) from selling driver records to private parking operators for £2.50 each, following a record year for parking charge notices. New data shows that 16.9 million private parking tickets were issued in the year ending March, a 17% increase from 14.4 million the previous year.
Record rise in parking tickets
Data analysed by the Press Association and the RAC Foundation reveals the steep rise in tickets issued. Parking operators claim this growth stems directly from managing a larger volume of private car parks nationwide. However, consumer campaigners argue that the private parking sector has become out of control, while government plans for a binding code of conduct remain delayed.
Government statistics confirm that 204 private parking firms bought keeper details from the DVLA during the 2025/26 financial year. Each parking notice can cost drivers up to £100, meaning motorists face a combined daily charge exceeding £4.6 million.
Campaigners demand change
Consumer rights campaigner Scott Dixon highlighted the scale of the issue and called for systemic changes. “Enough is enough. Drivers deserve fairness. This unregulated private parking industry is potentially worth over £1.5bn a year and is out of control,” Dixon said. He recommended increasing the DVLA record access fee tenfold to curb excessive requests. He noted: “Hard to believe that 46,000 motorists were knowingly flouting the rules on a daily basis.”
Parliament passed legislation in March 2019 to introduce a mandatory code of practice designed to cap fines at £50 and curb aggressive debt recovery. Although intended for implementation by late 2023, ministers withdrew the draft code in June 2022 following legal challenges from parking operators. A subsequent consultation on the proposed rules closed in September 2025 under the Labour administration.
Industry response and next steps
The analysis of parking tickets was based on the number of records obtained from the DVLA by companies that chase vehicle owners for alleged infringements in private car parks, such as shopping centres, leisure facilities and motorway service areas. The figures do not include council-run car parks.
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.”
Some 204 parking management businesses requested vehicle owner records in 2025/26. ParkingEye was the most active, buying 2.5 million records, according to the data. Private companies are charged £2.50 per record by the DVLA. The government body says its fees recover the cost of providing the information, and it does not make any money from the process.
Industry body the British Parking Association defended the current system, highlighting that private firms introduced a self-regulated code in 2024. Isaac Occhipinti, representing the association, said: “The suggestion that rising parking charge numbers are, in themselves, evidence of a failing system is misleading and ignores the wider picture. The increase reflects the growing number of private car parks being professionally managed across the retail, healthcare, residential and transport sectors, as well as increasing demand for parking. Enforcement action is only required in a small minority of cases where parking terms and conditions have not been followed.”
The government has yet to announce a timeline for implementing the new code of practice, leaving drivers and campaigners awaiting further action.
