Hilarious Ways to Appeal Your Parking Ticket and Win!

Is there anything more annoying than a parking ticket? We think not. Arriving back at your car only to find a ticket waiting for you stuck to your windscreen is so very grating. And if you've ever been on the receiving end of a parking ticket, you've also probably made up an excuse or two to try and get out of it, whether you were in the right or wrong. But did you get it overturned? That is the purpose of this guide, which will show you hilarious ways to appeal a parking ticket and win.  

Need some tips fast? Check out Kathryn's handy video on how to get out of your parking ticket 👇

No proof, no truth

Before we get into the good stuff with our parking fine excuses, it should go without saying that you will need to show proof if you believe the fine was incorrect. There's not much in "yeah, but I needed directions" without being able to show that it legitimately happened. Without proof, it's doubtful that you'll be able to contest a parking ticket successfully. 

Lost on the way home

If you found yourself asking yourself how to appeal and win a parking ticket after receiving that annoying little yellow slip, you could get away with it if you were genuinely looking for directions. Even with all the technology available to us and GPS systems, it's still possible to get lost. And if you got out of the car to ask for directions, you might just have a case against your parking ticket. 

I didn't see it

Ahh, the old "I didn't see it" excuse. While it might sound like a stretch, there are times when parking suspension signs are restricted or simply come loose from where they're fitted. If this is the case with your latest parking offence, you could have a legitimate parking ticket excuse. As long as you can prove that the snow, foliage, or leaves (delete as appropriate) covered the sign, you should find that your ticket was overturned. 

The much-needed prescription

We're not saying that you should make up excuses about picking up a prescription if it's not true. But should you find yourself with a parking ticket after rushing to pick up some medicine, you could technically get out of it. You'll need to show that you had no other option but to park illegally, but there is a chance it could be overturned. 

It's toilet time

Ok, so you can't just be like, "listen, warden, I really needed to pee". That's not going to fly, and you'll find yourself with no other option but to pay for that parking ticket. But if you have a medical condition, that means you had no choice but to use the toilet; you can escape a parking fine. Then again, we think it's probably better to have to pay a fine than have a medical condition that means frequent urination.  

Looking for change

This excuse is a long shot in 2021, especially as most parking can be paid for on an app. But you might be able to pull it off. If you need change to pay for the meter and don't have any, what other option do you have but to park the car and get some change? So if the pesky warden gives you a ticket while you're out searching for coins for the meter, you'll probably be able to get the ticket overturned. 

Wrong licence plate

We're bringing you this handy nugget of advice from personal experience. Again, most parking meters come in the form of an app these days. But what happens if you just bought a new car and accidentally paid to park the old one still logged into your app? If you can prove that you paid for the ticket (which you should be able to do as it's recorded in the app), even if it was for the wrong car, you should get the parking fine overturned. 

I'm a diplomat

Good luck with the warden believing you if you're not actually a diplomat, but technically any car driven by a diplomatically registered motorist is exempt from all parking fines. While most of us don't have the privilege, it might be worth a try if you catch the parking warden on a good day. 

Contesting a parking ticket 

With our handy excuses, you might just avoid paying a hefty fee for a parking ticket. And if not, you can always take comfort in the fact that you tried with an excuse that probably brought a smirk to the faces of employees at the local council who made the final decision.