Parking fines is 'another reason not to buy an EV' - motorists will 'stick with petrol'
PARKING fines for charging an electric car is "another reason not to buy an EV", according to Express.co.uk readers.
Martin Lewis explains council and private company parking fines
One motorist said the “infrastructure is not ready for mass” electric car adoption, while others warned they would not wait over an hour to top up a car. It comes after motorists have reported being hit with £120 fines by private parking firms after overstaying their maximum allowance.
One driver reported an £80 fine for charging a car in a hotel car park for 45 minutes.
Another motorist said they were fined after stopping in a McDonald's car park for 100 minutes to charge even though the maximum allowance was 90 minutes.
However, drivers have complained this maximum parking time is often not enough to fully charge their vehicle.
Jack Cousens, head of roads policy at the AA said the charges were “unfair”.
READ MORE: 'Unfair' Drivers slapped with £120 private parking fines while charging
He warned many EV owners were being “penalised for errors outside of their control”.
Express reader ‘pawprint’ said: "Another reason NOT to buy an EV.
“You have to pay fines to use the chargers, which are few and far between anyway.
“NO thanks, I'll stick with Petrol/Diesel no matter how artificially high they push the price.”
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‘Welsh Rarebit’ added: “Said all along the infrastructure is not ready for mass electric cars!
“I would not go to a petrol garage and wait 90 minutes to fill my car up!”
Danny Watson added: “It was obvious the EV car owners would get hammered sooner or later.
“Glad I kept my petrol cars.”
Reader ‘landshark’ added: “I predicted this and the EV lovers wouldn't have it. Which makes it all the more funny.
“Also owners of older EVs are now finding out it costs more to replace the batteries than the car is worth.”
However, some readers supported the private firms decision to penalise drivers for overstaying.
Reader ‘Lord Lucan’ said: “The fines are totally justified.
“The guy who used the hotel car parking charger was almost certainly not staying at the hotel & that charger was most likely installed specifically for the convenience of the hotel guests ONLY.”
'Bertie3 'added: “Since when did charging your EV make you exempt from parking time restrictions.
“Why would you even think it would, because you're something special as an EV driver?”
‘MyFellowGeraniums’ added: “You gotta be a bit of a numpty to buy an EV expecting to charge it anywhere you want including private land for free. No sympathy.”