Drivers charging electric cars handed shock parking fines
SkimNews Take
Fines for lingering at EV chargers expose that private charging bays are layered onto parking rules designed for quick retail turnover, turning drivers into violators the moment any charging session runs long.
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- Kevin Laban received a £70 parking charge notice after using a Pod Point charger in an Aldi car park in Weymouth outside store opening hours, with no signage at the charger, in the car park, or on the app warning that EV charging counted as parking; Aldi cancelled the fine after he complained.
- Clive Sanders was hit with a £100 PCN from Smart Parking in Devon after using an InstaVolt charger because he had paid only the charging fee and not the car park tariff; InstaVolt offered him a £50 credit after Guardian Money questioned the clarity of the signs.
- Anthony Stone received a £100 PCN at a Holiday Inn car park after using an advertised charger without registering his number plate at the hotel, raising his own question of "how many contracts should a driver be expected to enter to charge a vehicle"; Holiday Inn cancelled the charge after Guardian Money intervened.
- Charge point operators Pod Point and InstaVolt said the landowner — not the charger company — is responsible for posting notices about parking restrictions, while Smart Parking told drivers it was up to them to check the car park's terms before plugging in.
- The RAC's head of policy Simon Williams said signage needs to be clearer so drivers know immediately whether parking fees apply, how long they can stay, and what hours the charger is usable, and called for charge point operators to add warnings to devices and apps.
- The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said private car parks are governed by contract law and that tariffs for using EV chargers must be clearly displayed, adding that it plans to publish a new code to raise standards for private parking later this year.
Why it matters: EV drivers are absorbing £70-£100 fines at chargers run by Pod Point, InstaVolt and Holiday Inn because car park operators treat charging as parking yet signage rarely makes that rule visible. The Ministry of Housing has confirmed it plans a new private parking code, so regulators are now conceding the gap — but until that code lands, individual drivers are the ones paying for it unless a journalist intervenes.
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