The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is investigating Euro Car Parks Limited (ECP), one of the UK's largest private parking operators. The investigation will examine whether ECP's practices at petrol stations and its handling of customer appeals comply with consumer protection law. This follows ECP being issued with an administrative penalty for non-compliance with a CMA Information Notice earlier this year. ECP has appealed the CMA's decision to issue the penalty, and the appeal is ongoing.
What is the CMA investigating?
The two main points of the investigation are whether:
- it is fair for drivers to receive parking charges while queuing for, or using, petrol pumps and other forecourt services, such as car washes; and
- ECP's wider appeals processes, relating to both petrol stations and car parks, comply with consumer protection law.
The CMA has emphasised that the investigation is at an early stage and that no finding of infringement has been made. Over the coming months, it intends to gather evidence, issue information requests and analyse ECP's responses before deciding whether consumer law has been breached. The current timetable anticipates an initial investigation running from July 2026 until Spring 2027.
Why does this matter?
The investigation highlights growing scrutiny of the private parking sector and the way automated enforcement systems interact with consumers in everyday situations.
Motorists have long complained about receiving parking charges in circumstances where they were not genuinely "parked", but were instead waiting to access petrol pumps, car washes or other services on a forecourt. The CMA's investigation suggests that it is considering whether consumers may be disadvantaged by parking management systems that fail adequately to distinguish between parking and legitimate use of site facilities.
The regulator is also focusing on appeals processes. Effective complaint and appeals mechanisms are becoming an increasingly important consumer protection issue, particularly where businesses rely heavily on automated monitoring, algorithmic decision-making or standardised enforcement processes.
The CMA's enforcement priorities
The case is notable because it concerns a major parking operator, and also because it demonstrates the CMA's willingness to use its enhanced consumer enforcement powers to investigate practices that affect large numbers of consumers in routine, everyday transactions.
The CMA is writing to other private parking operators outlining concerns about the appeal process for drivers and potentially unfair additional charges applied when seeking to recover unpaid parking charges. You may wish to review:
- whether charges or fees can arise in circumstances consumers would not reasonably expect;
- the clarity and prominence of information provided before charges are incurred;
- whether automated systems produce outcomes that could be perceived as unfair;
- the accessibility, transparency and independence of appeals and complaints processes; and
- whether customer communications clearly explain consumers' rights and available remedies.
If you need our help to review your business practices, please contact us, or consult our Consumer Law Hub.
