Parking fees and charges
Information on parking fees and charges
Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) pricing increases from 7 April 2025
From 7 April 2025, the price of a PCN has increased for the first time in 14 years.
Following a determination by the London Councils' Transport and Environment Committee, approval by the Mayor of London, and having received no objection within the period of one month of notifying the Secretary of State for Transport, an increase in penalty charges and additional fees has taken effect in the 32 London boroughs and the City of London from 7 April 2025.
As such, the changes to the penalty charges issued within the City of Westminster from 7 April 2025 are as follows:
- Parking penalties have increased by £30 to:
- Higher level - £160
- Lower level - £110
- Moving traffic contraventions penalties have increased by £30 to £160
The 14-day 50% discount still applies to all.
The Charge Certificate still adds 50% to the outstanding charge and debt registration still adds £10.
Pre-cutover charges will continue to apply to any PCN issued prior to the cutover for the duration of its lifecycle. The increased charges apply to any PCN issued from Monday 7 April 2025.
Prior to this change, higher level and moving traffic contravention penalties last increased in 2011. Lower level penalties hadn't seen an increase since the introduction of differential charging in 2007.
View the official notices of this change:
Scan to Pay - QR sticker scam
We are aware of scam 'Scan to Pay' QR code stickers being applied to some of our pay-to-park Conditions of Use signs across Westminster, especially in zones E (Mayfair and St James') and F (Hyde Park, Marylebone and Fitzrovia)
The QR code stickers are being removed by marshals and council officers as they are being discovered, but if one is present at a bay in which you are parking, do not use them under any circumstances.
The council does not use QR codes for payment on its pay-to-park signage, and the only way to pay for parking is through the RingGo app, by phone or by Parking Card.
Current parking fees and charges
View our current parking-related fees and charges.
Search for your local parking zone or view a map of Westminster's controlled parking zones and residents' parking zones and sub-zones.
Find more information on electric vehicle parking
Changes to the way the council charges for parking
From Monday 8 April 2024 for pay-to-park and Monday 3 June 2024 for resident permits, vehicles are being charged primarily based on their level of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions. This is ascertained via a DVLA look-up at the point of purchase. The charging is banded dependent upon emission levels, meaning the least polluting vehicles paying the least and the most polluting paying the most. We are also now operating a diesel surcharge for pre-2015 diesel vehicles.
Introducing these schemes aims to encourage the use of low-polluting vehicles and discourage the use of those that are more polluting. The schemes aim to 'nudge' those who park regularly in Westminster when making choices about vehicle use and ownership, in terms of the type of vehicles they own, or whether they actually need to use those vehicles in Westminster at all or could alternatively rely on public transport or the council's car club schemes.
These changes mean that for pay-to-park, we have withdrawn the concession for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids which allowed those vehicles to park up to the bay's maximum stay for a minimum 10-minute payment.
The new charging regime applies for resident permits purchased or renewed from 3 June 2024. Upon permit purchase, renewal or replacement from this date, each vehicle will require a separate permit, but we will allow individuals up to three permits each. However, extra charges apply for a second and a third permit.
Further information about these changes.
The cabinet member's decisions approving the introduction of the new charging schemes are published online.
Published: 11 January 2021
Last updated: 9 April 2025
