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AIBU?

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Original poster

AIBU to think they are avoiding parking charges at EV bays?

62 replies

BunnyRabbitBella · 26/08/2026 21:26

I park at my local council car park and charge my electric car. There is a Range Rover that parks at the charging point, they are plugged into the charging point but dont charge their car up..... superficially they look like they are using the charger but aren't.

I'm sure they park there so they dont have to pay for parking....

Should I tell the Council?

OP posts:
Janetspillsthedinner · 27/08/2026 07:06

If it is their destiny to get a parking fine - I’m sure a parking warden will spot them and ticket them.

Personally I wouldn’t get involved. None of my business and I wouldn’t waste time or energy thinking about it.

bananaobama · 27/08/2026 07:35

How do you know that they haven’t paid?

bananaobama · 27/08/2026 07:37

BunnyRabbitBella · 26/08/2026 22:50

Maybe it varies in different parts of the country. But where I am, you still get a paper parking ticket...

You enter you car registration and its printed on the ticket...

Are you sure it doesn’t also offer ringo or similar ?

eurochick · 27/08/2026 07:47

HelpMeGetThrough · 27/08/2026 06:28

When you plug in, the car tells you how long it’s going to take to get to whatever max percentage you have set. The length of time depends on car and charger type. Mine is 15 minutes to go from 20% to 80% on the DC rapid chargers. Council chargers where I am are AC chargers which take ages.

The app for my car also tells me when it’s finished charging.

Show quote history

Not all EVs do this. Ours doesn’t.

Original poster
BunnyRabbitBella · 27/08/2026 09:46

I looked at the octopus website.... it says some car parks dont require you to pay for parking if you are charging....

Who would have thought it? Not all car parks are exactly the same....

OP posts:
HelpMeGetThrough · 27/08/2026 09:54

eurochick · 27/08/2026 07:47

Not all EVs do this. Ours doesn’t.

Show quote history

I know not all do it, but most that I’ve been around do. Depends on the manufacturer.

Lougle · 27/08/2026 09:57

At all of our local ones, you have to pay the parking charge, plus there is a restriction on how long you can stay in the bay, depending on the speed of the charger. So if you want to stay longer you have to move to a normal bay.

ToKittyornottoKitty · 27/08/2026 09:59

BunnyRabbitBella · 27/08/2026 09:46

I looked at the octopus website.... it says some car parks dont require you to pay for parking if you are charging....

Who would have thought it? Not all car parks are exactly the same....

Have you checked for the car park you park in yet though? You are very sarcy for someone who hasn’t even looked if they need to pay for parking

Jaimelefromage · 27/08/2026 11:09

BunnyRabbitBella · 27/08/2026 09:46

I looked at the octopus website.... it says some car parks dont require you to pay for parking if you are charging....

Who would have thought it? Not all car parks are exactly the same....

What about this particular car park?

mondaytosunday · 27/08/2026 11:20

Gosh I mean who had the time/head space to even think of doing this? I’m sure they’ll get caught one day.

LillyPeaceFlowerSun · 27/08/2026 11:30

BunnyRabbitBella · 26/08/2026 21:26

I park at my local council car park and charge my electric car. There is a Range Rover that parks at the charging point, they are plugged into the charging point but dont charge their car up..... superficially they look like they are using the charger but aren't.

I'm sure they park there so they dont have to pay for parking....

Should I tell the Council?

Most places you have to pay parking too.

I had paid for parking and my charge failed (the app didn’t work so if left it charging and didn’t realise) - I got a ticket. I appealed and it was cancelled. I had spoken to the wardens at the time and they said it would probably be cancelled if I appealed but not if it was a repeat.

Report and keep reporting. This is akin to someone parking at a petrol pump for hours without filling up. You just don’t do it!

Jaimelefromage · 27/08/2026 12:10

mondaytosunday · 27/08/2026 11:20

Gosh I mean who had the time/head space to even think of doing this? I’m sure they’ll get caught one day.

The thing is, car park EV chargers can be pretty unreliable. I’ve plugged mine in and set it to charge before then come back a while
later and it’s just randomly
stopped charging. So how would the wardens even know that you hadn’t intended to charge?

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