Nine in 10 drivers pay private parking fines without checking if they're correct
Wed, 22 Jul 2026
Rushing to pay a reduced-rate fine when parking on private land? New survey data suggests you're not alone.
Almost 90% of Brits say they'd cough up to meet the pressure of a reduced-payment deadline for a parking fine rather than checking whether the charge was correct.
The data is from a survey undertaken by ParkingPack, a UK company that helps drivers appeal unfair parking charges.
Payments under pressure
When asked if they'd pay a £100 parking fine that's reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days, the survey found that almost 90% would just pay up.
The results suggest that private parking firms could exploit a driver's desire to relieve the time pressure of a decision, rather than taking the time to challenge the fine in the first place.
On top of this, 84% of drivers were not at all confident that a private parking company would even consider an appeal fairly and impartially.
When asked what would stop them from appealing an unfair private parking charge, drivers reflected a wider dissatisfaction with how parking fines are administered.
Almost 65% said they expected the parking company to reject their appeal while 58% were concerned about missing out on the reduced fine amount for paying up early.
Parkingeye under the microscope
The survey also asked for opinions about Parkingeye, one of the UK's largest carpark management companies, with over 4000 sites on its books, including NHS, university and supermarket locations.
It found that 63% of respondents would not feel confident knowing what to check before paying or appealing a Parkingeye charge.
The results further explain why many drivers just put their hand in their pocket, rather than appealing a fine, with the pressure of reduced-payment deadlines driving drivers to pay before properly checking a charge or considering how to appeal if it appears unfair.
