Cost of a London parking space accelerates despite ULEZ introduction

The latest research by London lettings and sales agent, Benham and Reeves, has looked at the increasing cost of securing a parking space purchase in the capital, despite the Government war on emissions and the introduction of the Ultra-Low Emissions Zone in April of this year.

Benham and Reeves looked at the average cost of a parking space across all London boroughs and found that so far in 2019, Londoners are forking out an average of £252,320 for the privilege of parking. That’s a 22% increase on the average price of £206,658 paid over 2018.

Is the ULEZ pushing up parking prices?

The number of parking spaces sold across London since the introduction of the ULEZ restrictions has dropped -21% when compared to the same time period leading up to its launch, however, despite this reduction prices have increased notably.

Since the implementation of the ULEZ, the average price being paid for a parking space in London has hit £392,408, much higher than the average price paid of £120,540 during the same time frame prior to the start of the scheme.

When looking at costs in and out of the ULEZ, it’s a similar story.

A parking space outside of the ULEZ continues to be hot property and the scheme has only seen parking within a short commute to the city centre grow in value.

Leading up to the introduction of the ULEZ the average cost of parking spaces in areas outside of the zone cost £124,244. Fast forward from its introduction in April until today and while the number of parking spaces being sold has dropped by -22%, the average price paid for a parking space has already increased by a huge 47% to £183,036.

When looking inside the ULEZ, it very much becomes a case of quality over quantity, as is often the case with London’s prime and central areas. Parking space transactions have remained largely unchanged pre and post ULEZ introduction, however, the average price paid since the scheme came into place is a whopping £2,442,722.

This has been driven by just a few million-pound parking place sales, as London’s top-end buyers remain unphased by the seemingly insignificant daily charges when completing their multi-million-pound property purchases.

Director of Benham and Reeves, Marc von Grundherr, commented:

“Despite the Government’s best efforts to rid London’s air of exhaust fumes, the capital’s homebuyers still value four wheels and somewhere to keep them. So much so that some eye-watering sums are regularly exchanged for the convenience of a parking spot.

However, with these additional costs soon expanding to the North and South Circulars and the cost of parking continuing to climb, it seems that a car parking spot within central London may soon become the preserve of the mega-rich, who will pay out millions of pounds purely for the privilege, and won’t bat an eye-lid at the daily tariffs of the ULEZ.”

Overall – London
 
Time Period
Average price paid for a parking place
Change (%)
Number of spaces sold
Change (%)
2018
£206,658
22.1%
338
-62.4%
2019 (latest data Jan-Aug 2019)
£252,320
127
Pre ULEZ – 5 months before
£120,540
225.5%
86
-20.9%
Post ULEZ – 5 months after
£392,408
68
Transactions inside the ULEZ
 
Time Period
Average price paid for a parking place
Change (%)
Number of spaces sold
Change (%)
Pre ULEZ – 5 months before
£86,244
2732.3%
7
-14.3%
Post ULEZ – 5 months after
£2,442,722
6
Transactions outside the ULEZ
 
Time Period
Average price paid for a parking place
Change (%)
Number of spaces sold
Change (%)
Pre ULEZ – 5 months before
£124,244
47.3%
79
-21.5%
Post ULEZ – 5 months after
£183,036
62
*The most current data for 2019 runs until August 2019, therefore 5 months’ worth of data was available since the ULEZ launched. As a result, we compared it with the same time frame prior to the launch of the scheme. These comparisons are from November 2018 to April 2019, and from April 2019 to August 2019.
Data sourced from the Land Registry Price Paid Transaction files. Only the purchase of individual parking spaces were included, not the purchase of whole car parks or similar.

Properganda PR

National and local media coverage for property businesses. Journo quotes delivered in minutes.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

Property values climb in Q1

The latest Property Market Index Review by London lettings and estate agent, Benham and Reeves, has revealed that the property market lost momentum during the first quarter of 2026, with house prices showing signs of recovery following the previous quarter’s fall.   The Benham and Reeves Market Index Review The Benham and Reeves Property Market Index…
Read More
Breaking News

Propertymark backs move to commonhold

Propertymark has welcomed proposals from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to phase out the sale of new leasehold flats in England and Wales, while warning that the transition to commonhold must be carefully managed to avoid market disruption and consumer confusion. Responding to the UK Government’s consultation on “Moving to commonhold: banning…
Read More
Letting Agent Talk

Phasing out leasehold flats is the right thing to do

Propertymark has welcomed UK Government proposals to ban the sale of new leasehold flats and replace them with a commonhold system designed to give homeowners greater control over their properties. Responding to a consultation launched by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Propertymark said the reforms could help tackle many of the long-standing…
Read More
Letting Agent Talk

Deposit Disputes Are Rising – Are Baths to Blame?

Interior Designers Say Acrylic Baths Are the Hidden Culprit in Family Rentals Deposit disputes over bathroom damage are rising, and acrylic bath surfaces are the overlooked culprit. Acrylic baths are often marketed as lasting 10 to 15 years or more, yet designers say many start to look tired in busy family homes within just a…
Read More
Breaking News

Inheritance tax haul grows as more families are dragged into the tax net

Inheritance tax receipts got off to a slightly slower start in the first month of the 2026/27 tax year, but the figures still underline how rapidly the tax burden on estates continues to grow. HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) collected £0.7 billion in inheritance tax in April, £65 million less than during the same month…
Read More
Breaking News

The 10 biggest homebuyer turn-offs

From overgrown gardens to nightmare neighbours, homeowners across Britain could be knocking tens of thousands of pounds off the value of their property before a buyer even makes an offer.   New insight from House Buyer Bureau reveals the most common homebuyer turn-offs that could be thwarting your chances of making a sale, and the…
Read More