Residents paying up to £1,073 to park outside their own homes
- The London Borough of Islington has the most expensive residents parking permit – up to £1,073 a year for an older diesel car
- Of the 100 towns and cities across the UK reviewed by Churchill insurance, just seven do not have a residents parking permit scheme – or do not charge for permits
- Councils are increasingly targeting those with older, more polluting cars or non-EVs with higher charges
- The emissions levels used by councils to tier parking charges are not consistent across the UK
The average cost of a 12-month residents parking permit in towns and cities across the UK is now £128, although the London Borough of Islington charges its residents up to £1,073 to park outside their own home - making it the most expensive place in the UK to park outside your house. Whilst London boroughs have some of the most expensive residents parking costs, Edinburgh, Brighton and Glasgow are all amongst the top ten priciest.
Analysts at Churchill motor insurance reviewed1 residents parking in 100 of the UK’s largest towns and cities. Just seven - including Manchester City Council, Leeds City Council, Swansea Council and Nottingham City Council - either do not have a residents parking scheme or do but don’t charge (at least for the first car registered).
Council |
Highest annual residents parking cost for the first car |
Notes |
London Borough of Islington |
£1,073.60 |
Cost is for a diesel car with an engine over 2751cc or emissions over 256g/km. The lowest cost for an EV is £111.70 |
City of Edinburgh |
£777.90 |
Cost is for larger engine sizes or emissions over 226g/km. Includes £60 diesel surcharge |
London Borough of Camden |
£741.40 |
Cost is for a car with emissions over 225g/km. Includes the £195.20 diesel surcharge (petrol cars pay a lower air quality surcharge of £68.20) |
London Borough of Tower Hamlets |
£497.00 |
Cost is for a car with emissions over 186g/km. EV permits vary between £38 and £79 |
Brighton and Hove City Council |
£441.65 |
Cost is for a car with emissions over 166g/km in a high demand zone |
London Borough of Brent |
£429.00 |
Cost is for a car with emissions over 201g/km OR over 2400cc. Includes the £100 diesel surcharge |
London Borough of Enfield |
£395.00 |
Cost is for a car with an engine size over 2000cc |
London Borough of Lewisham |
£384.00 |
Cost is for a car which is non-Euro 6 compliant in emissions band 13 |
Westminster City Council |
£371.00 |
Cost is for a car with emissions over 256g/km. Includes the £50 diesel surcharge |
London Borough of Southwark |
£336.10 |
Cost is for diesel non-ULEZ compliant cars |
City of Glasgow |
£328.00 |
Cost is for the city centre |
Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea |
£324.00 |
Cost is for a car with unknown emissions and an engine size over 1549cc. Includes the diesel surcharge of £82 |
Source: Churchill Motor Insurance 2025
Rather than basing the cost of parking on the size of the car, most councils tier the cost of residents parking based on the cars’ emissions. This means owners of smaller, older, and diesel cars will pay far more than those who drive a large 4x4 electric car. There is also no consistency in how councils charge: For example, Camden’s top cost tier starts at emissions over 226g of CO2 per km, whereas Brighton’s starts at 166g of CO2 per km. As well as higher parking costs, residents of London boroughs could end up paying congestion charges, the Ultra Low Emissions Zone charges and potentially higher tiers of car tax (Vehicle Excise Duty) if their car is older and has worse emissions.
Most councils also penalise families who have more than one car. For example, Islington charges and extra £108.55 for a second permit, on top of the permit price. Edinburgh charges an extra £215.40, bringing the cost of parking a second car to a potential £933.30.
Applying for residents parking permits often presents an administrative burden too – it isn’t uncommon to be asked to upload a driving licence, car insurance policy, the car’s V5 and a copy of the lease or hire agreement (where relevant). Company car drivers may also be asked to provide a letter from their employer – for example Tower Hamlets requires: ‘a letter or email from your employer, dated within the last 28 days, which includes the company registration number, your job title, your full first and last names, your home address, the vehicle registration, and whether the company own or lease the vehicle’.
Those with disabilities may be asked to provide a copy of their Blue Badge and a letter from the DWP in order to qualify for concessionary parking prices.
Nicholas Mantel, Head of Churchill Motor Insurance, commented: “Residents parking schemes are now widespread in towns and cities across the UK. However, every council has taken a different approach, meaning that what might be considered a high emissions car by one council, isn’t in the next. Overall, residents with older and more polluting cars are typically paying far more than those with more modern cars and EVs, regardless of how much room the cars take up when parked.”
- ENDS -
Notes to Editors
1. Research completed on council websites in April 2025
For further information please contact:
Churchill PR Manager: Unni Henry
Email: unni.henry@directlinegroup.co.uk
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