Private EV bay ticket — no valid contract or sign
This type of ticket is issued by a private company (such as APCOA, ParkingEye, Smart Parking, or a supermarket or station car park operator) — not by a council. Because it is private, the charge only sticks if clear signs at the entrance and at the bay actually made the EV-only restriction part of a contract, and — where the company pursues you as the registered keeper rather than the driver — it has followed the strict notice steps in Schedule 4 of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012. Common weaknesses include: the EV-only restriction was never on the signs the driver could see, the signs were too small, unclear or missing at the bay, the notice to keeper arrived late or missed required details, or the camera system misread your number plate. One honest warning: where signs were large, clear and prominent, the Supreme Court has upheld private parking charges (ParkingEye v Beavis), so this ground works when you can point to a specific, real defect — not as a blanket objection.
Legal basis
ParkingEye Ltd v Beavis [2015] UKSC 67; Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, Schedule 4; BPA/IPC Single Code of Practice v1.1 (in force from 1 October 2024), section 3.1 signage requirements; Consumer Rights Act 2015, Part 2 (transparency and prominence of terms)
How to identify this in your case
Confirm operator = private (letterhead, no council logo). Photograph entrance and bay signage. Check sign font size and terms. Check NTK strict POFA compliance.
Sample appeal wording
Dear POPLA / IAS Adjudicator, Re: Parking Charge [REF] — [OPERATOR] — [SITE] I appeal on the following grounds: 1. NO CONTRACT FORMED — The signage at the entrance and within the car park was not sufficiently prominent, clear, or legible to form a contract under Beavis principles. 2. NOT GPEOL OR COMMERCIALLY JUSTIFIED — The £85/£100 charge for parking in an EV bay where I caused no demonstrable loss is not commercially justified. 3. POFA 2012 NON-COMPLIANCE — The Notice to Keeper [fails mandatory wording / out of time / does not identify the period of parking]. 4. NO BREACH — [If applicable: I was actively charging / I am an EV / no clear EV-only restriction in displayed terms]. 5. ANPR EVIDENCE UNRELIABLE — Operator must produce timestamped, location-verified images and demonstrate cameras are calibrated per BPA/IPC Code. I invite the Adjudicator to allow the appeal. Yours faithfully, [NAME]
Replace [PARKING DATE], [NtK DATE] etc. with your own dates before sending.
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