Drivers will soon be given new rights to challenge "unfair" private parking fines across the UK.
A new code of practice for private parking is being introduced with a range of measures designed to give motorists a fairer experience.
The code will guarantee drivers five minutes to decide whether to park and a 10-minute grace period to leave the car park after their session ends.
This means drivers will not be fined immediately after their session ends.
The code will give drivers the right to have charges cancelled on appeal for honest mistakes, such as stopping briefly to check directions, and for issues they cannot control, including a vehicle breakdown in a car park, a medical emergency or a broken ticket machine, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said.
Drivers who make mistakes such as forgetting parking permits, entering a vehicle registration wrong or forgetting to confirm it in a parking machine, will face a maximum charge of £20 on appeal under the new rules.
The code will see private parking charges frozen at a maximum of £100 and it's expected to come into force by the end of this year.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: "Being a few minutes late back to your car or typing one digit of your numberplate wrong shouldn’t end with a hefty fine landing on your doormat.
"These charges leave people feeling ripped off and out of pocket, so I’m putting a stop to them.
"We are introducing clearer rules, longer grace periods and lower charges for genuine mistakes, while going after the deliberate scams that rip drivers off."
Operators who fail to comply risk losing access to DVLA vehicle keeper data, which is currently used to issue penalty notices.
A record 16.9 million private parking tickets were issued in the year to the end of March, according to government data analysed by the RAC Foundation and the Press Association.
This figure is up from 14.4 million the previous year and 6.8 million in 2018/19.
The parking industry attributes the rise to an increase in managed car parks.
The new private parking code of practice will bring in a fully independent scrutiny and oversight board for the first time.
Private operators will be required to report data on the charges they issue and how appeals are handled, which will then be scrutinised by the board.
The government has said it will consult on private parking debt recovery fees, including whether to cut the existing £70 cap or scrap the fees entirely.
Simon Williams, head of policy at the RAC, welcomed the code but said it falls short of what drivers need.
Mr Williams said: "We’ve long called for the banning of debt recovery fees being added on top of parking charge notices (PCNs) and a single independent appeals body to replace the two industry-run ones, but neither have been included, which is disappointing.
"That said, the fact we finally have a code seven years on from the Private Parking Code of Practice Act becoming law is positive.
"Car park management companies will now have to conform to a new set of rules or risk losing access to the DVLA’s database, which they depend on to issue PCNs to drivers.
"This will hopefully prevent many drivers wrongly being issued tickets in the first place."
Mr Williams added: "While this isn’t quite the Christmas present we wanted for drivers, it should hopefully save many the stress of having to challenge unfair tickets."
Nicholas Lyes, director of policy at road safety charity IAM RoadSmart, said: "It is welcome to see new protections put in place for drivers through a single code of practice; however, we would have liked to see a single appeals system and action against debt recovery organisations as part of the package.
"Ultimately, we need to get to a place where parking on private land is a seamless, straightforward, and clear process, not one fraught with potential traps which leaves drivers unfairly out of pocket."
Alison Tooze, chief policy officer at the British Parking Association, said the code is "an important step forward for motorists, communities and responsible parking operators."
She said: "The code builds on many of the principles already established through the sector’s existing voluntary code, helping create a more consistent, transparent and trusted framework."
The government has also announced a crackdown on second-hand car dealers who wind back mileage clocks on vehicles.
While fraudulently selling a “clocked car” is already illegal, it will be added to an official list of banned practices making it easier for enforcers to address it.
Greg Smith, a shadow transport minister, said: “Andy Burnham posing as the driver’s friend is a joke.
"This is the same Labour Government that is doubling parking fines right across England.
"Five minutes’ grace in a supermarket car park will not fool anyone.
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"The £100 maximum stays exactly where it is and Labour has ducked banning the debt recovery fees piled on top. Labour’s war on drivers carries on regardless.
"Only the Conservatives, with our Plan for Drivers, will back the people who keep this country moving."
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As part of a new crackdown on anti-social behaviour, fines could be issued for offences such as littering, vaping, or playing music out loud without headphones.
The move comes as part of new powers granted to local authorities earlier this year, allowing them to set and enforce their own rules on bus networks.
Do you think these new rights are a positive step forward for drivers? Let us know in the comments below.
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