Is it fair to give someone a parking fine when queuing at a petrol station? That’s the question being asked in an investigation into one of the UK’s largest car park operators by the Competition and Markets Authority. Following complaints from motorists, the CMA has confirmed that it’s launched an enquiry into the practices of Euro Car Parks. Not only is the watchdog evaluating whether its practices at petrol stations break consumer law, but the CMA also says it will “examine aspects of the company’s wider appeals processes – relating to both petrol stations and car parks”. Executive director of consumer protection at the CMA, Emma Cochrane, said: “Parking companies must treat motorists fairly at all stages – and a clear and consistent appeals process must be at the heart of this.” And she warned: “It’s time for all private parking operators to comply with consumer law or risk action from the CMA.” At the time of writing it has not been ruled whether or not Euro Car Parks broke consumer law; the CMA will continue to gather evidence until Spring 2027. Auto Express has approached the parking firm, which operates more than 3,000 sites across the UK, for comment. In addition to launching a probe into Euro Car Parks, the CMA has also published an open letter to the Government calling for a review into car park consideration (grace) periods, early payment discounts for fines and appeal processes. The RAC’s head of policy, Simon Williams, said: “The CMA's findings and recommendations are a major step forwards in ensuring drivers are treated fairly by private parking operators. The points made by the watchdog in open letters to the Minister and private parking operators highlight many of the issues we've been trying to get action on for years and confirm that drivers aren't consistently getting fair outcomes when they challenge tickets.” This comes as private car park operators are handing out more tickets than ever; research by the RAC found that parking firms issued just shy of 14.5 million penalty charge notices (PCNs) in 2024/25 – more than double those issued six years prior. Last year, the Government announced a consultation into the Private Parking Code of Practice which advises car park operators in the UK. The consultation ended in September 2025 and has yet to produce a revised code. However, the AA accused No 10 of “bending the knee” to parking firms after proposals included raising the maximum fine from £50 to £100 and maintaining debt collection fees.
