If you have ever compared airport parking listings, you will have seen the green Park Mark badge on some operators. It is the only nationally recognised parking accreditation in the UK, and it changes how you should read a listing. This is what the badge actually guarantees, what it does not cover, and how to use it when choosing where to leave your car.

What is Park Mark?

Park Mark is an accreditation run by the British Parking Association (BPA). It is administered by the BPA's Safer Parking Scheme, which audits car parks against a published security standard. The audit covers fencing, lighting, surveillance, signage, staff training and procedure. To carry the badge, an operator must pass the audit and submit to annual reassessment.

Park Mark is independent. The BPA is a trade body, but the Safer Parking Scheme team conducts inspections separately and can revoke the badge if a site falls out of compliance. The full standard and the criteria for assessment are published on parkmark.co.uk.

What Park Mark accreditation actually guarantees

A Park Mark accredited car park has been audited against criteria including:

  • Perimeter security: fencing, gating, controlled vehicle access.
  • Surveillance: CCTV coverage of all parking areas, with retention long enough for incident review.
  • Lighting: sufficient lighting in all bays and on circulation routes for evening and night use.
  • Pedestrian routes: clear, well-lit walking routes between bays and exits.
  • Signage: emergency contact numbers and procedures clearly displayed.
  • Staff procedures: trained personnel and documented incident response.

The audit is on the physical infrastructure and the procedures, not on the price, the customer service or the speed of the shuttle bus. Park Mark tells you the site is reasonably safe to leave a car overnight. It does not tell you the operator is the cheapest, the friendliest or the fastest.

What Park Mark does not cover

Worth being clear on:

  • Park Mark does not insure your vehicle against theft or damage. That is the operator's separate liability, governed by their terms.
  • Park Mark does not regulate price. An accredited operator can charge whatever they like; the badge does not guarantee value.
  • Park Mark does not certify the driver in a Meet & Greet handover. The badge applies to the parking site itself.
  • Park Mark does not require the operator to be in business in any particular legal form. You should still check Companies House if a deal looks too cheap.

How to read a Park Mark listing

On Park4Travels, Park Mark accredited operators are flagged with a green badge on every listing. When two operators are similarly priced, prefer the Park Mark one. When the cheaper option does not carry the badge, it is worth asking why. Some legitimate operators (particularly small, owner-operated independents) opt out of the BPA accreditation because of the cost; others have failed an audit and not reapplied.

How often is the badge audited?

Park Mark sites are audited at least once every 12 months. New applicants undergo an initial assessment plus a follow-up after improvements. Sites that fail re-assessment lose the badge until they fix the issues and pass a re-audit. The BPA publishes a public list of accredited sites at parkmark.co.uk if you want to verify before booking.

Frequently asked questions

Are all airport car parks Park Mark accredited?

No. Most large on-airport car parks are. Off-airport independents vary; the larger established operators almost always carry the badge, smaller new entrants sometimes do not.

If a car park has Park Mark, is my car insured against damage?

No, the badge is not an insurance certificate. Liability for damage is governed by the operator's terms of service, which you should read before booking. Photographing your car from all angles before handing over the keys (for Meet & Greet) is genuinely worth the 30 seconds.

What should I do if I have a complaint about a Park Mark operator?

Contact the operator first. If the complaint involves a security failure that may put others at risk, you can also report it to the BPA's Safer Parking Scheme via parkmark.co.uk. They take site-level complaints seriously and can trigger a re-audit.

Does Park Mark mean the operator is regulated?

No. UK airport parking operators are not centrally regulated; the BPA is a trade body, not a government regulator. Park Mark is the closest thing the industry has to a quality bar. More on choosing safely between parking types.

Compare parking at airports we cover

Park Mark is administered by the British Parking Association. Information current May 2026. The full criteria and accredited site list are at parkmark.co.uk.