Parking tickets that 'can go straight in the bin' and how to dispute them

Returning to your vehicle only to discover a parking penalty notice stuck to the windscreen can be infuriating — particularly when you're uncertain what rule you've broken or whether payment is actually required. Experts and consumer organisations say that while some charges are valid and legally enforceable, others can be challenged, and in certain circumstances may not require any action whatsoever, depending on who issued them and whether proper procedures were followed. The consumer organisation Which?, one of Britain's foremost consumer rights bodies, reports that the volume of privately issued parking charges continues to climb. It notes that car park management firms submitted more than five million requests for vehicle keeper information from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) during the first half of 2023, with a further 600,000 requests in the latter half of that year. More up-to-date figures suggest this upward trajectory has persisted, with RAC analysis showing that approximately 7.2 million requests were submitted in just the six-month period leading up to September 2024. Based on these figures, private parking operators are now projected to be issuing around 14 million parking charges annually throughout the UK, reports the Liverpool Echo . Which? has previously outlined some of the grounds on which motorists can challenge certain parking tickets, alongside guidance on the appeals procedure. In a video posted on social media, Which? stated: "Some parking tickets can go straight in the bin. Really. And the rest can be disputed. So let's break it down. "You can appeal if the signs aren't clear, if you're charged more than £100, or if you have a mitigating reason like ill health or your vehicle broke down. "So the big question is: is the parking company a member of an accredited trade association - either the British Parking Association (BPA) or the International Parking Community (IPC)? "If it's not, ignore it because it won't be able to get your details from the DVLA to make you pay. If the parking company is accredited, write an appeal letter to it, including evidence of mitigating circumstances and photos of poor signage. "For members of the BPA, you have 28 days after rejection to appeal to Parking on Private Land Appeals (POPLA). For the IPC, you have 21 days after rejection to take it to the Independent Appeals Service. "Then, if the independent adjudicator disagrees with you, your final option is to take the parking company to court. But do this and lose and you'll have to cover its legal costs too. For more information, head to which.co.uk." Which? provides free sample letters on its website for drivers wishing to challenge a parking fine. In April 2025, the RAC revealed that private parking firms are on course to issue a record-breaking 14.5 million penalty notices to motorists across Britain within a single year, based on new research findings. The RAC, which carried out the study, found that just five companies were responsible for issuing almost half of all tickets. The research discovered that during the six-month period ending in September 2024, parking management firms submitted 7.2 million requests to the DVLA.