The UK Car Parking Index

By Select Car Leasing, 05-09-2022

The UK Car Parking Index
Where are the best cities to park a car in the UK?

Parking spots can sometimes seem few and far between. Whether drivers are heading out for a day of shopping, brunching, exploring a city’s sights, or simply commuting to work it shouldn’t be overshadowed by the stress of finding a parking space.

That’s why we have created the UK Car Parking Index, to determine the best cities for parking. The index looks at 12 major UK cities and their major car parks, analysing the number of car parks, spaces available, cost of a day’s parking, the availability of electric charging points, disability-friendly parking spaces and Google reviews.

What are the best UK cities to park your car in?

Drivers will no longer need to scour the bays or drive up every level in search of a spot in these cities, as Birmingham, Nottingham and Bristol take the titles of the best UK cities to park a car. But what makes these cities so good for parking?

Birmingham ranked as the number one city in UK to park a car

Accelerating its way into first place as the best city for drivers to park their cars is the popular shopping hub, Birmingham, with a total score of 35.6 out of 70.

Those wanting to park centrally but affordably can benefit from parking at Paradise Circus MSCP for just £13.50 a day. Visitors driving large vehicles in the city can safely park at Selfridges Moor Street Car Park, which scored an impressive 10/10 for its accommodating, maximum vehicle height.

The Q-Park at Queen Elizabeth Hospital is also fully equipped with a large number of parking spaces and scored full marks (10/10), removing the stress of finding a space when visiting or attending the Birmingham hospital.

Nottingham emerges as the second best city for parking

Tailgating behind in second, as one of the best cities to park a car is Nottingham, with a total score of 35.5 out of 70.

The Intu Victoria Centre Main Car Park scored 10/10 for its large number of car parking spaces, perfect for those looking to enjoy a day of shopping. Visitors wanting to explore 1000 years of history at Nottingham Castle, can park at Nottingham Castle Car Park that’s just a short eleven minute walk away and received a promising 10/10 Google rating.

Cheaper parking can also be found in Nottingham at the Technology Drive Long Stay Car Park, where a day’s parking costs a budget-friendly £4.50.

Bristol revealed as third best UK city for car parking

Driving its way forward into the top three best cities for parking is Bristol, with a total score of 34.6 out of 70.

Cabot Circus MSCP scored 10/10 for its large offering of parking spaces and is in an ideal central location for sampling Bristol’s range of brunch spots or hitting the shops. Drivers of larger vehicles can easily park at College Street Car Park, which scored 10/10 for its maximum vehicle height - ideal for those in vans - and also received 10/10 on its Google ratings.

Cost-saving parking is also available in Bristol at Clifton Down Railway Station Car Park, where drivers can park their car for an affordable £3.80 for the day.

What are the UK’s best cities for disabled parking?

Bustling Birmingham takes the trophy for being the best UK city for disabled parking, with a total score of 10 out of 10. The inclusive city boasts a number of large car parks like the Q-Park QEMC that scored 10/10 for its number of disabled parking spaces and Millennium Point MSCP scoring 9.3/10.

Cardiff swiftly secures itself in second place as the most accommodating city for disabled drivers to park, with a score of 9.1 out of 10. Disabled drivers visiting Cardiff can choose from a number of disability-friendly car parks, including St Davids Car Park that scored 10/10 and Q Park: Cardiff Bay with a score of 9.3/10.

Bristol pulls into third place for its number of car parking spaces for disabled drivers with an overall score of 8.2 out of 10. The Cabot Circus MSCP scored an impressive 10/10 for its range of accommodating spaces and the Brunel MSCP scored 9.3.

What are the best cities for parking an electric or hybrid car in the UK?

Leeds takes the lead as the best city for drivers of electric vehicles, with a score of 10 out of 10. Providing a number of electric charging points, NWR Leeds Station Short Stay Car Park scored 10/10 and Victoria Leeds Multi Storey Car Park scored 9.3/10. If you can't charge at home, Leeds could be the city for you.

Edinburgh overtakes London with a score of 9.1 out of 10 for its large number of EV charging hotspots. Those driving electric vehicles can find an abundance of charging points at NWR Edinburgh Waverley Station Long Stay Car Park that scored 10/10 and Fountain Park Entertainment Centre Car Park with a score of 9.3/10.

London qualifies as the third most electric-vehicle-friendly city with a respectable overall score of 8.2 out of 10. Q Park: Park Lane and Q-Park: Victoria have the largest number of charging points for electric vehicles both scoring an accommodating 10/10.

Which UK city is the worst for parking?

There’s nothing fun about driving around in circles, looking for a parking spot, or scratching your head trying to find the nearest car park. But which are the worst UK cities for parking?. Our data shows that the worst city for parking in the UK is Edinburgh, with Sheffield, and London all scoring poorly.

Edinburgh scored just 29.6/70 due to various car parks offering limited spaces, and the biggest ones being very pricey. The city's largest car park costs £26 for the day which might be more expensive than a train ticket in some cases.

Sheffield is the second worst, scoring just 30.8/70 due to its limited parking and expensive prices. The capital London is in third place scoring 31.9/70 followed by Leeds and Leicester scoring 32.4 and 32.7.

Methodology: The team at Select Car Leasing have provided a roundup of the best places to park your car across the UK.

Taking a seedlist of UK cities and their major car parks, the following factors were taken into consideration:

Number of car parks available - using information from ParkMark, NCP and QPark

Number of car park spaces - using information from Parkopedia, NCP and QPark

Average Price for 1 day of parking - using information from Parkopedia, NCP and QPark

Number of electric charging points - using information from EDF energy

Semantic analysis on Google reviews - looking out for specific terms such as ‘tight’ and ‘expensive’

To determine the scoring, the team used a Normalising Formula, which looks at an entire category of data (e.g. number of car park spaces available) and scored the data relative to the highest and lowest numbers available.

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The UK Car Parking Index