Parking Postcode lottery - UK's most expensive residential parking permits
Residential parking permits are seen as a way of managing parking and pollution in our towns and cities. They allow local residents to park on the street (but not in public car parks). But where are residents being charged a premium to park?
Looking at data from 47 councils covering the UK’s largest towns and cities, including each London borough, we’ve discovered the most expensive areas for resident parking. Our findings are based on one residential parking permit for a petrol car.
The average cost of residential parking permits in UK cities
Manchester is the most expensive place for a parking permit. Here, on average, a residential parking permit costs £538 per year. This beats London, which ranked sixth in our list at £120. Manchester is, on average, £418 more expensive than the capital, and £331 more expensive than Birmingham where residential parking, on average, costs £207 per year.
The cheapest average residential parking permits are Liverpool, Nottingham, and Leeds, where permits are free. They’re closely followed by Cardiff which charges an average of £7.50 per year for permits.
Free residential parking in UK cities
Three cities in the UK offer free residential parking for their residents – Leeds, Liverpool and Nottingham.
The average cost of residential parking permits in London
The most expensive London borough for residential parking is the City of London, with a cost of £1,420 on average.
This is followed by Camden, with residents paying £258 per year on average for residential parking.
Ranking third is Lambeth at £185.36 on average per year for residential parking permits.
Hillingdon is the only borough in London which gives residents free parking for their first vehicle.
The most expensive residential parking permits in the UK (excluding London)
The most expensive residential parking permit (excluding London) is in Manchester’s Zone 3 district at an eye-watering £750 per year. The zone includes three of the main train station areas: Deansgate, Manchester Oxford Road and Piccadilly.
Coming in second is Manchester yet again, this time in Zone 1 at £650 per year. This covers the central retail district.
Taking third place is Edinburgh where residential parking in zones 1-4 costs £524 per year. This covers New Town, Tollcross, Canongate, and the West End.
London boroughs with the most expensive residential parking permits
The most expensive London borough is the City of London, where parking in the Barbican Estate will set residents back by £1,420 per year.
Coming in second is Islington at £490 per year for residential parking, and taking third place is Camden at £475 annually for residential parking.
Brought to you by the car insurance experts at comparethemarket.com
Methodology
We compiled a list of prices for one residential parking permit for a petrol car for all 15 major cities in the UK, sourced from the 47 individual council websites (or borough councils in the case of London). Data correct as of 5th March 2021.
We then calculated an average for every city, including London, to compare the average cost of residential parking across the country, including each London borough.