The RAC predicts that private parking companies will issue a record 17 million private parking charge notices (PCNs) in the current financial year, a jump of three million from 14.4 million in 2024–25, according to a report by the RAC. Interim data shows more than 13 million tickets were already dispatched in the first three quarters, averaging 4.3 million per quarter. The surge is accompanied by widespread confusion: half of drivers do not realize these private invoices are legally distinct from council-issued penalty charge notices, the RAC found.

17 million tickets and a three-million-jump in one year

The scale of enforcement is accelerating sharply. In the year to September 2025, a record 15.9 million tickets were issued — a 17 percent increase on the previous period, according to RAC analysis of government data due out next month. The RAC's policy spokesman,Simon Williams, told the report that the record figure should trigger “alarm in Parliament” and suggests something is “going badly awry.” During the summer of 2024, roughly 48,000 tickets were issued each day, a pace the RAC calls “ominously high” given that most drivers do not intentionally violate parking terms.

Why half of drivers mistake a private invoice for a council fine

The RAC's research reveals a core driver of the problem: only 44 percent of respondents knew there were important differences between private parking charge notices and council penalty charge notices, even though both are commonly called PCNs and look nearly identical. Fully 37 percent were unsure, and 13 percent believed there were no differences at all. nine in ten drivers surveyed said the shared acronym “parking charge notice” is confusing. The confusion is costly because the two types of notices have entirely different legal statuses and appeals routes. A council fine is a legally backed penalty for parking on public land, appealable to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal. a private charge is an invoice for an alleged breach of contract on private land, with appeals handled by POPLA or the IAS.

The RAC's four proposed acronyms to end the PCN confusion

To reduce the confusion, the RAC has proposed renaming private notices entirely. Their suggestions include: Private Parking Charge (PPC), Private Car Park Charge (PCPC), Charge for Private Parking (CPP), or Invoice for Private Parking (IPP). The proposals are part of the RAC's submission to the government's ongoing Private Parking Code of Practice consultation. Until a change is adopted, the report notes, the lack of clarity leaves many motorists uncertain about their rights and obligations when they receive a ticket from a private operator.

What a 48,000-tickets-per-day summer means for the system

The daily rate of 48,000 tickets during the summer months of 2024 suggests a systemic issue rather than a seasonal blip. The RAC acknowledges that part of the rise is due to more car parks coming under private management, but the volume — three million extra tickets in one year — points to deeper problems in enforcement practices. The financial burden on households is substantial: private parking charges typically range from £60 to £100, and with tens of thousands issued daily, the cumulative cost runs into hundreds of millions of pounds per year. The government's delayed Private Parking Code of Practice, which aims to set caps on charges and improve transparency, remains in consultation. the RAC's Williams underscored the urgency, stating that drivers must be “assured of fair treatment whenever they use private car parks.”

Open questions remain: Will the code of practice actually reduce the number of tickets or merely cap their value? What timeline does the government have for implementation? And crucially, will the proposed name change — if adopted — be enough to bridge the knowledge gap that half of drivers currently face?