CMA investigates Euro Car Parks over petrol forecourt tickets
The CMA has opened a case against Euro Car Parks over tickets for drivers queuing at petrol forecourts, as private parking tickets hit a record 14.4 million.
The Competition and Markets Authority is investigating Euro Car Parks Limited over whether tickets issued to drivers queuing at petrol forecourts are fair. The case puts a spotlight on motorists who may be treated as if they have parked illegally when they are simply waiting to refuel.
Euro Car Parks, one of the UK’s largest private parking operators, is already the subject of a consumer protection enforcement case by the CMA. The regulator’s action sits within a wider push by the CMA and the government to curb potentially unfair practices in the private parking market, where signs, terms and appeals processes have long drawn complaints from drivers.
The scale of that market is substantial. The RAC said private parking companies issued a record 14.4 million tickets between April 2024 and March 2025. Over the same period, car park management companies made nearly 4,000 requests a day to the DVLA for vehicle keeper details, underlining how often motorists are identified and pursued after alleged parking breaches.
The forecourt issue is especially sensitive because petrol stations do not always fit the usual model of a car park. Drivers can be caught in a queue to reach a pump, or waiting for space to move forward, yet still face enforcement action if a private operator treats that time as parking rather than normal forecourt use. That has made the wording on signs, the way terms are set out and the fairness of enforcement central to the CMA’s scrutiny.
The investigation comes alongside government work on a legislation-backed statutory code of practice for private parking. Ministers say the aim is a fairer, more transparent system for motorists, after years of criticism that some operators rely on confusing signage and aggressive ticketing. The government first consulted on a private parking code of practice in 2019, and the issue has returned repeatedly in reform discussions through 2024 and 2025.
Consumer pressure on the sector has also intensified as motorists have sought clearer routes to challenge tickets and understand their rights on private land. Citizens Advice provides public guidance on parking tickets, while the British Parking Association remains a key industry body in a sector now facing renewed regulatory and political attention.
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