Keying Errors: What happens if you enter your registration incorrectly

Last year POPLA saw significant activity for appeals relating to keying errors. While understandably frustrating when it happens to you, in many appeals we saw a lack of understanding of industry practices which often leads to poor outcomes for motorists.

Many car parks ask motorists to register their vehicle for parking by typing their registration number into a keypad or payment terminal. If you type it incorrectly, the system won't recognise your vehicle and this can lead to you receiving a Parking Charge Notice, even though you paid to park.

This article explains what protection exists for keying errors, and why appealing isn't always the right move if you know you made a significant mistake.

Minor errors should be waived

Parking operators are expected to spot simple, minor keying errors and cancel any Parking Charge Notices that results from them. A minor error is something like:

• Typing 0 instead of O
• Typing I instead of L
• Typing 1 instead of I

These are easy mistakes to make, and easy for an operator to identify by comparing the registration entered against similar-looking plates recorded by their Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras. Because of this, industry guidelines are clear that these errors should not result in a full parking charge.

The relevant section of the appeals charter states that a charge should be cancelled… "where the driver has paid the tariff but made a minor keying error when registering their vehicle (for example, 0 instead of o; I instead of L; 1 instead of I)"

If you've made this kind of error and still received a Parking Charge Notice, the operator should cancel it in full if you appeal directly to them.

Bigger errors may still result in a charge

Not every keying mistake is minor. If several digits or letters are entered incorrectly, an operator often can't reasonably work out that the vehicle was actually yours. In these cases, they're entitled to treat it as an unregistered vehicle.

However, because you did pay to park, operators are expected to offer a reduced administration charge, usually up to £20, rather than pursuing the full Parking Charge amount, provided you can show proof of payment.

Why rejecting a £20 offer can backfire

We regularly see appeals from motorists who were offered a reduction to £20 by the operator, rejected it, and appealed to POPLA instead.

It's understandable to think that if an operator is willing to reduce a charge, the charge itself must be invalid. But that's often not the case. If you made a keying error involving multiple characters, one the operator couldn't reasonably identify, the £20 offer reflects the correct, fair outcome under the guidelines, not a weakness in the operator's case.

If you appeal to POPLA in this situation, the operator is not required to keep the £20 offer on the table. If your appeal is unsuccessful, you could end up liable for the full Parking Charge instead of the reduced amount you were originally offered.

What this means for you

• Made a small, single-character slip (like 0 for O)? You have a strong basis to ask the operator to cancel the charge, and to appeal to POPLA if they refuse.

• Made a bigger error, but can prove you paid, or were otherwise permitted to park? You should expect a reduced charge (typically up to £20) rather than the full amount — but think carefully before turning this down and appealing further, as you may lose that reduction if the appeal doesn't succeed.

If you're unsure which category your situation falls into, if you are able, look closely at how different your entered registration is from your actual one. The more characters that don't match, the less likely an operator could reasonably have identified the mistake, and the more likely a reduced charge, rather than a full cancellation, is the fair outcome.