Welcome to 2025: What the year ahead means for parking

Parking in the UK is moving towards a more integrated and user-friendly experience, says RingGo’s Peter O’Driscoll

From connecting parking policies with wider transport planning to embracing the innovations of a digital world, the parking industry is on course for significant change in 2025. Cities and streets are evolving, and the ambition for urban mobility to become more digital is putting a big emphasis on greater integration and standardisation.

In 2025, we predict that the biggest themes in the UK will focus on improving efficiency, reducing congestion and tackling emissions. How will the parking industry use dynamic pricing to support sustainability goals? How will parking apps become a one-stop shop for users? From the integration of digital and hardware solutions to the ‘Open Market’ in parking and what it means for drivers, here are five predictions for the year ahead.

Increased consolidation and expansion

Parking apps will become a one-stop shop for motorists, while operators continue to set their sights on expansion in terms of vehicle-related services and new markets.

It is already possible to book a plane, train, coach and car hire from the same tool, and this joined-up approach is expected to be adopted by mobility and parking services, with apps set to become a one-stop shop for users.

As parking systems strategically consolidate, there is greater choice for motorists with more hardware and digital solutions impacting the use of ticket vending and validations. Other vehicle-related services, such as paying for fuel or EV charging, will become more commonplace as providers like RingGo draw on their international experience and bring new innovations to the UK.

UK-based parking operators are increasingly setting their sights on expansion, not only from a services point of view but also geographically, capitalising on their expertise and technology to tap into new markets overseas.

This outward expansion by UK operators reflects a growing trend of cross-border collaboration and knowledge sharing within the European parking industry. For example, Interparking made a major move by acquiring Saba to expand its operations across Spain and Portugal, and Smart Parking and ParkingEye are following by actively seeking opportunities to deploy their systems in European cities, aiming to improve parking efficiency and reduce congestion.

Growth of emissions and weight-based parking charges

To support sustainability goals, parking charges will evolve to include vehicle weight as a key factor, alongside dynamic pricing based on air pollution levels.

In 2025, emissions-based parking charges in the UK are set to evolve, with weight emerging as a new key factor affecting the amount charged. Another idea under consideration is a dynamic pricing model based on air pollution levels.

There is already a growing adoption of emissions-based charges by cities, driven by concerns over increasing car sizes, which contribute to congestion and road safety risks. EVs typically weigh 20% more than petrol vehicles, and in recent years, cars in the EU and UK have grown 1 cm wider every two years, due to new EV models and luxury SUVs.

As vehicles grow larger, local authorities are exploring new ways to regulate their impact on roads and safety. For example, Islington Council already levies charges based on vehicle weight for parking permits. The UK is the second-largest EV market in Europe, and with 300,000 new battery electric vehicles (BEVs) on our roads, the integration of weight considerations could align with wider sustainability goals.

Dynamic pricing is used in many other industries, including travel and ticketing. For parking, this model could mean that motorists travelling through and parking in areas of poor air quality would be charged more.

These solutions could offer a unique opportunity for parking apps like RingGo, which was the first service provider to introduce emissions-based charges. As councils adopt more nuanced parking fees, these platforms could become a one-stop shop for EV drivers, simplifying compliance and supporting greener, safer and more liveable cities.

Tackling congestion through policy and public transport

Some councils are already introducing measures to reduce congestion, and there is increasing pressure to connect parking policies with wider transport planning.

Although a significant mobility shift is not expected in 2025, there could be a subtle change in transport habits. With the new bus fare cap of £3, many motorists may reconsider their reliance on cars in favour of public transport, especially for short trips, helping to reduce transport-related emissions while easing traffic.

As well as investment in public transport, the growing issue of road congestion demands stronger measures, including more double yellow lines, more substantial fines and greater public awareness of the implications of congestion. In 2024, Edinburgh City Council introduced a parking pavement ban to improve the flow of traffic and road safety. As a result, complaints about parking payment halved in just three months.

Initiatives like these require more communication between parking and highway systems. Low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) have highlighted the frustrations of poor communication and slow or non-existent feedback loops, which can hinder the success of such measures. For these reasons, there is increasing pressure to connect parking policies with wider transport planning to ensure that vehicles are efficiently managed outside city parking zones, helping to reduce urban clutter. Ultimately, less congestion means safer, more liveable towns and cities.

Continuing the journey towards an Open Market for parking

The ‘Open Market’ in parking will revolutionise the way that parking services are delivered, creating a big shift in mobility that unleashes competition and drives innovation.

2025 is set to be an exciting year, with the National Parking Platform (NPP) expected to move from its trial phase to a full-scale national roll out.

The NPP will provide the foundation for an Open Market for parking, creating a UK-wide infrastructure for parking payments that enables multiple parking apps to operate alongside each other.

The NPP will allow drivers across the UK to use their preferred app wherever they park, providing greater choice, flexibility and convenience. At the same time, local authorities and private operators will benefit from lower implementation and operating costs and greater resilience.

An NPP pilot scheme is already in operation across 10 local authorities, with different services and charges offered by different providers. (Some parking apps do not apply a convenience fee, while others charge 10p-20p per transaction.) As a result, drivers can choose the parking app that best suits their needs: quality of service, user experience, unique features or value.

By bringing hundreds of parking sites into one system, which connects to the apps and payment methods motorists already use, the NPP means:

• Motorists can pay for parking using their favourite app in any town or city
• Parking operators can benefit from cost savings, greater efficiency and no tender process, where applicable
• Service providers can offer better apps and value-added services
• Towns and cities can access richer parking data to support local policymaking.

As we move towards an Open Market for parking, providers like RingGo are driving change for motorists across the UK.

Improved integration and standardisation

Greater collaboration and consistency across parking systems will bring significant benefits in terms of efficiency, user experience and sustainability.

To give motorists a better parking experience and ensure our cities remain liveable, we need to strike a balance between fostering a healthy environment and efficient road management.

In 2025, there needs to be stronger cooperation between owners of gated off-parking sites – such as local authorities, private operators and businesses – and innovative parking solutions like RingGo to integrate their parking systems.

Consistency between the way private and public car parks are enforced will become the norm, for example, mirroring the grace period granted to drivers before a charge is imposed for overstaying to offer a fair and standardised experience. While this legislation does not bind private land, many operators have already adopted a voluntary code of practice in anticipation of government standardisation and new policies in 2025.

The future looks bright

In 2025, we will see a shift in standardising the parking experience for motorists, as well as a greater focus on dynamic pricing and emissions-based charges to create more liveable towns and cities.

The continued evolution of digital payment options will be driven by a UK-wide roll-out of the National Parking Platform. Following the successful pilot scheme, more local authorities have expressed interest in joining the initiative to offer greater choice and convenience to drivers and for rich data insights to inform decisions on parking infrastructure, traffic management and urban development.

As we move towards an Open Market, consolidation and better legislation, RingGo will continue to provide reliable parking solutions across the UK.

Peter O’Driscoll is managing director at RingGo

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