Euro Car Parks, a prominent UK parking operator, is currently facing a Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigation concerning its practices at petrol stations. The consumer protection regulator has launched an inquiry into the company, which manages over 3,000 parking locations across the UK and Ireland, following numerous complaints from motorists.
The central focus of the CMA's investigation will be the fairness of issuing parking tickets to drivers who are merely queuing for fuel pumps or utilising other forecourt services, such as car washes. Additionally, the regulator plans to scrutinise Euro Car Parks' broader appeals processes, aiming to ensure that motorists have clear and consistent avenues to challenge what they perceive as unfair charges.
This latest action comes after the CMA imposed a significant fine of £473,000 on Euro Car Parks in February of this year. That penalty was levied due to the company's repeated failure to respond to information requests from the regulator over a three-month period. The CMA also noted that Euro Car Parks had unsuccessfully sought a High Court injunction to prevent its naming in connection with that earlier compliance issue.
The investigation into Euro Car Parks forms part of a wider push by the CMA to address concerns within the private parking industry. The regulator recently published an open letter to all private parking operators, highlighting issues such as tickets not being cancelled despite successful appeals and charges being issued for payments not made within as little as five minutes of entering a car park. Emma Cochrane, executive director of consumer protection at the CMA, emphasised that parking companies “must treat motorists fairly at all stages” and that a clear appeals process is paramount.
Recent data underscores the scale of private parking charges across Britain. Analysis by the Press Association of government figures revealed that private companies issued an average of nearly 48,000 parking tickets every day during the final nine months of 2025. This equates to 13.1 million tickets over that period, a 19 per cent increase from the 11.0 million issued during the same timeframe in 2024. With each ticket potentially costing up to £100, the daily financial burden on drivers could be almost £4.8 million.
The CMA has also put forward recommendations to the Government for a new code of practice. These proposals suggest that parking companies should be mandated to inform drivers of their rights and significantly improve their appeals procedures. Simon Williams, head of policy at RAC, welcomed the CMA's intervention, stating it represents “a major step forwards in ensuring drivers are treated fairly by private parking operators.”