Euro Car Parks Fined £473,000 by the CMA: What It Really Means for UK Parking

A Parking Giant Penalised — But Not for What You Might Think

When the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) slaps a nearly half-million-pound fine on one of the UK's biggest parking operators, it's natural to assume the firm has been caught overcharging drivers, issuing dodgy tickets, or running some kind of consumer scam. But the reality behind this particular penalty is both more nuanced and, in many ways, more significant than that.

Euro Car Parks — a company that operates thousands of car parks across the United Kingdom, from hospital sites to retail parks and airport facilities — was fined £473,000 by the CMA in early 2026 after failing to comply with an information notice issued back in July 2025. Crucially, the regulator made clear that this penalty does not allege any breach of competition law or consumer protection law. The fine is purely procedural: Euro Car Parks simply didn't hand over the information the CMA asked for, and it paid dearly for that silence.

That distinction matters enormously — both for understanding what the CMA is actually doing in this sector, and for what it signals to millions of UK drivers who park in privately operated car parks every single day.

What Actually Happened

Under the Enterprise Act 2002, the CMA has broad powers to gather information from businesses as part of its investigations and market studies. When it issues a formal information notice, compliance is not optional — it is a legal obligation. Failure to comply, or providing false or misleading information, can result in substantial financial penalties.

In July 2025, the CMA issued Euro Car Parks with one such notice, likely as part of its ongoing scrutiny of the private parking sector. Euro Car Parks failed to comply within the required timeframe, triggering the enforcement action that culminated in the £473,000 fine reported by DWF Group.

The CMA was explicit: this is not a finding that Euro Car Parks broke competition rules or treated consumers unlawfully. But that framing shouldn't lull anyone into thinking this is a minor administrative hiccup. The CMA doesn't fine companies nearly half a million pounds for missing a deadline on a form. This level of penalty reflects a deliberate and sustained failure to cooperate with a statutory regulator — and it sends a very clear message to the entire private parking industry.

Why This Matters: The CMA's Tightening Grip on Parking

The UK private parking sector has been under sustained regulatory pressure for years. The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 transformed the enforcement landscape by removing the right to clamp vehicles on private land in England and Wales, and by introducing the concept of "keeper liability" — meaning parking operators can pursue the registered keeper of a vehicle even if they weren't driving at the time.

More recently, the British Parking Association (BPA) and the International Parking Community (IPC) — the two main trade bodies governing private parking operators — have been subject to increasing scrutiny over their codes of practice, appeals processes, and how their members treat consumers.

The CMA launched a formal investigation into the private parking market, and its concerns go well beyond individual ticket disputes. Regulators are looking at systemic issues: whether operators are transparent about charges, whether signage is adequate, whether appeals processes are genuinely fair, and whether the overall market functions in consumers' interests.

Against that backdrop, Euro Car Parks' failure to comply with an information notice is particularly striking. The CMA needs accurate, timely data from operators to do its job. When a major player refuses to engage, it doesn't just obstruct one investigation — it potentially undermines the entire regulatory framework designed to protect drivers.

The £473,000 fine is, in effect, the CMA asserting its authority. And given that the regulator has been increasingly willing to use its enforcement powers in 2025 and 2026, this won't be the last time we see action of this kind.

The Legal Angle: What Powers Does the CMA Actually Have?

It's worth understanding exactly what legal machinery sits behind this fine, because it's more powerful than many people realise.

Under Section 174 of the Enterprise Act 2002, the CMA can require any person to produce documents or provide information in connection with a market investigation. Failure to comply — without reasonable excuse — is a criminal offence under Section 174A, punishable by an unlimited fine and, in serious cases, imprisonment of up to two years.

In civil enforcement terms, the CMA can also impose financial penalties under Schedule 4 of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013, which is the route taken here. The maximum penalty for non-compliance with an information notice is 1% of worldwide turnover for a single infringement, with daily penalties of up to 5% of daily worldwide turnover for continuing breaches.

Euro Car Parks' £473,000 fine gives us a rough indication of the scale of its operations — and underlines just how seriously the CMA is now treating non-cooperation.

It's also worth noting the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, which together give the CMA expanded powers to investigate consumer markets and impose direct financial penalties on businesses that breach consumer protection rules — without needing to go through the courts. The parking sector falls squarely within the CMA's consumer enforcement remit, and that toolkit is only getting sharper.

What Drivers Should Know: Practical Takeaways

You might be wondering: if Euro Car Parks hasn't been found guilty of ripping off drivers, what does this mean for you as a motorist? Quite a lot, actually.

1. The CMA's investigation is ongoing — and outcomes could reshape private parking. The fact that the CMA issued an information notice to Euro Car Parks in the first place means regulators are actively scrutinising how major operators conduct their business. If the investigation ultimately finds systemic problems, drivers could benefit from stronger protections, fairer charges, and more robust appeals processes.

2. You still have rights when parking in a Euro Car Parks facility. This fine changes nothing about your existing rights. If you receive a Parking Charge Notice (PCN) from Euro Car Parks that you believe is unfair or incorrect, you can still:

• Appeal directly to Euro Car Parks within 28 days of the notice
• If rejected, escalate to POPLA (Parking on Private Land Appeals) — the independent appeals service for BPA members
• Use photographic evidence, signage failures, or payment confirmation to support your case

3. Check whether the operator is a BPA or IPC member. Both trade bodies require their members to follow a Code of Practice, which sets minimum standards for signage, grace periods (currently a mandatory 10 minutes), and appeals. Euro Car Parks is a BPA member, which means POPLA is your escalation route.

4. Document everything. When parking in any privately operated car park, photograph the signs on entry, your payment confirmation, and your vehicle's position. This takes 60 seconds and can be the difference between winning and losing an appeal.

5. Be aware of debt escalation tactics. Euro Car Parks, like many private operators, uses debt collection agencies to pursue unpaid charges. However, a Parking Charge Notice from a private operator is a contractual claim — not a fine — and cannot result in a criminal record. If a charge reaches court, it is dealt with as a civil matter in the County Court.

Looking Ahead: What This Fine Signals for the Industry

The £473,000 penalty handed to Euro Car Parks is not an isolated event. It is part of a broader pattern of the CMA asserting itself across consumer-facing markets in 2025 and 2026, from drip pricing in the motoring sector to transparency in subscription services.

For the private parking industry specifically, the message is stark: regulatory cooperation is not optional. Operators who stonewall information requests, fail to engage with investigations, or attempt to delay scrutiny can expect substantial financial consequences.

There is also a wider political dimension. The government has been under sustained pressure from consumer groups, MPs, and motoring organisations to clamp down on what critics describe as a "wild west" private parking market. The CMA's willingness to fine a major operator nearly half a million pounds — purely for failing to hand over paperwork — signals that the era of light-touch oversight is firmly over.

For drivers, this is broadly good news. A better-regulated parking sector means more transparent charges, fairer appeals, and operators who know they are being watched. The CMA's enforcement action against Euro Car Parks won't cancel your last parking ticket — but it may well shape the conditions under which your next one is issued.

The bottom line: when regulators start fining parking giants for refusing to answer questions, it usually means the questions themselves are quite revealing. Watch this space.

Source: DWF Group legal analysis of CMA enforcement action against Euro Car Parks, March 2026.