Drivers using private car parks in Britain will get new protections under an official code of practice announced by Prime Minister Andy Burnham, the BBC and The Guardian reported Monday.

The rules give drivers a guaranteed five minutes to decide whether to park and 10 minutes to leave once a paid session ends before a fine can be issued. Charges are to be cancelled for problems drivers can't control, such as a breakdown, a medical emergency or a broken ticket machine, and for honest mistakes like stopping to check directions, the BBC reported.

For smaller slip-ups, such as forgetting to display a permit or typing the wrong registration, the most a driver will pay on appeal is £20. The maximum parking charge stays at £100. Operators that don't follow the code risk losing access to DVLA vehicle data, which makes it much harder to chase a car's owner, according to the BBC.

"Being a few minutes late back to your car or typing one digit of your number plate wrong shouldn't end with a hefty fine landing on your doormat," Burnham said, the BBC reported.

The number of private parking tickets has been climbing. RAC analysis of government data showed a record 17 million issued in 2025-26, up 17% in a year, the BBC reported. The Guardian put the RAC figure at 16.9 million.

This is not the first try. Legislation passed in 2019, and an official code unveiled in 2022 was withdrawn within six months after legal challenges from parking firms, The Guardian reported. The new code is due to be laid in Parliament on Tuesday, and it is unclear when it will take effect, the paper said.

Consumer group Which? called the rules "long overdue" but said they fall short. It had pushed for a £50 cap and an independent appeals body, The Guardian reported.

What we know: Drivers get set grace periods, a £20 appeal cap for minor slips and an unchanged £100 maximum charge.
What we don't: When the code will take effect after it is laid in Parliament.