Map reveals UK's most expensive parking hotspots where YOU could be charged over £1k a year just to pull up outside home

The Sun

16-05-2025

A MAP has revealed the UK's most expensive parking spots, where some drivers fork out over £1,000 per year.
Some unfortunate motorists face whopping fees just to leave their cars on the street outside of their home each and every day.
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The average charge has reached £128 for an annual parking permit for residents across the largest towns and cities, the study by Churchill Car Insurance found.
Islington in London has the most expensive residents parking permit (for their first car) in the country, with some paying up to £1,073 for an older diesel car.
This is more than eight times more expensive than the rest of the UK, according to Churchill Motor Insurance.
The City of Edinburgh is second highest on the list.
Drivers living in the Scottish capital can pay up to £777.90 for the year if they have a car with a larger engine putting out over 226g/km.
And this is inclusive of a £60 surcharge for diesel models.
Camden is third in the order, with owners of diesel cars emitting over 225g/km CO2 stung for £741.40 a year
Most London councils also base their charges on emissions rather than vehicle size.
Tower Hamlets is next at £497, with Brent charging £429 and Enfield at £395.
In fact, excluding Edinburgh, Brighton is the only other non-London area to feature in the top 10 most expensive parking locations.
Michael McIntyre remonstrates at parking warden's as his car is being towed away for parking in a restricted bay
Some residents in the East Sussex city have to pay as much as £441.65 each and every year to park their car outside their home.
This is if it produces more than 166g/km of emissions in a high demand zone.
The London Boroughs of Lewisham, Southwark, and the City of Westminster round out the top 10 list.
However, they vary on how they calculate the highest charges.
Lewisham charges the worst rate for cars which are non-Euro 6 compliant and in emissions band 13.
Southwark charges their £336.10 for motors which are diesel and non-ULEZ compliant, while Westminster City Council places a £50 surcharge as part of its £371 fee on vehicles which produce emissions over 256g/km.
10 worst councils for parking fees
London Borough of Islington (Highest annual residents parking fee of £1073.60)
City of Edinburgh (£777.90)
London Borough of Camden (£741.40)
London Borough of Tower Hamlets (£497)
Brighton and Hove City Council (£441.65)
London Borough of Brent (£429)
London Borough of Enfield (£395)
London Borough of Lewisham (£384)
Westminster City Council (£371)
London Borough of Southwark (£336.10)
However, one way to avoid these major charges is by using an electric vehicle (EV).
For example, if you were living in Islington and wanted to get a 12-month permit for your zero emissions motor, instead of paying a ridiculous £1073.60, you could pay just £111.70.
The near 90 per cent saving is incredible and a fantastic option to consider in order to gain long-term savings.
This comes just weeks after The Sun revealed a map which showed the UK cities with the most parking fines issued.
Manchester City Council topped the rankings as the authority that issued the most parking fines throughout 2024, handing out over 460,000 tickets.
Although Manchester is a tourist hotspot, with two Premier League football teams, it may be surprising to many that the city issued more fines than every council in London.
The capital has strict Ultra Low Emission Zones (ULEZ), public transport lanes and limited public parking offering.
Dorry Potter, vehicle expert at National Scrap Car, said: 'While we would expect to see high levels of fines in a large city like Manchester, it is interesting to see that it outperforms the capital in penalties.
'The complexities of driving transport infrastructure could be a reason behind Manchester topping the list as motorists are less likely to attempt driving around areas they are unfamiliar with in the capital and thus not make risky parking decisions.'