Parking in Brighton explained: the nine council car parks and their 2026 tariffs, the A to Z parking zones, seafront prices, permits and Blue Badge rules.
Parking in Brighton is expensive, and how expensive depends almost entirely on which side of one decision you land: off-street in a council car park, or on-street inside a controlled parking zone. The city runs nine car parks of its own and more than thirty lettered and numbered zones, and the same two hours can cost £3.50 in central Hove or £11 in central Brighton. This guide sets out the council’s own published tariffs for every car park, what the zones cost, how resident permits are priced, and where a Blue Badge does and does not get you in free. Every figure is linked back to Brighton & Hove City Council.
The quick answer
For a short stop in the city centre, Norton Road in Hove and London Road are by far the cheapest council car parks. The Lanes is the most central and the most expensive, at £11 for two hours on a weekday and £14 at the weekend. On the seafront, King’s Road and Madeira Drive West are the priciest on-street parking in the city in summer. And unlike many towns, bank holidays bring no relief: restrictions stay exactly as they are unless a sign says otherwise.
Council car parks and 2026 tariffs
The council operates nine car parks. The four multi-storey ones are barrier-controlled and pay on foot; the surface car parks are paid parking with charges from 8am to 8pm.
| Car park | Spaces | 1 hour | 2 hours | Longest stay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Lanes, Black Lion St | 355 | £4.00 | £11.00 | £44.00 / 24hr |
| Regency Square | 507 | £5.50 | £10.00 | £34.50 / 24hr |
| Trafalgar Street | 275 | £4.00 | £10.50 | £26.00 / 24hr |
| London Road | 528 | £2.00 | £5.50 | £24.00 / 24hr |
| Norton Road, Hove | 152 | £1.60 | £3.40 | £11.00 / 12hr |
| King Alfred, Hove | 120 | £2.90 | £4.50 | £18.00 / 12hr |
| Black Rock, Madeira Drive | 61 | £2.90 | £4.50 | £18.00 / 12hr |
| Rottingdean Marine Cliffs | 69 | £1.90 | £3.60 | £9.00 / 12hr |
| Rottingdean West Street | 35 | £1.90 | £3.60 | £5.30 / 3hr |
Weekday rates where a car park has two tariffs. Norton Road weekend rates are slightly higher (£1.80 for an hour, £12.10 for 12 hours). Black Rock, King Alfred and both Rottingdean car parks charge lower winter rates from 1 November to 28 February. Figures from the council’s car parks directory.
The city centre: The Lanes and Regency Square
The Lanes car park on Black Lion Street is the closest to the Royal Pavilion, the beach and the shops, and it is priced accordingly: £11 for two hours and £24 for four on a weekday, rising to £14 and £26 at the weekend. It has 355 spaces, a 1.85 metre height limit and 8 accessible bays on Level 1. There is a flat £10 evening rate if you arrive after 6pm, or £12 at weekends.
Regency Square is bigger at 507 spaces, sits opposite the i360 with subway access to the seafront, and is cheaper for longer stays: £17.50 for four hours and £34.50 for 24 on the summer rate that runs from 1 March to 31 October. It has six electric vehicle bays on Level 3 and no lift.
What it means for you: for anything beyond an hour in the centre, Regency Square undercuts The Lanes substantially. Four hours costs £6.50 less.
The value options: London Road and Norton Road
London Road car park at Providence Place is the best-value large car park in Brighton: £2 for an hour, £5.50 for two, £24 for a full day. It also runs an Early Bird rate of £10 and a Commuter Rate of £15 for arrivals between 6am and 9am, and a £10 evening special. Norton Road in Hove is cheaper still on the hour, at £1.60 on a weekday, with 12 hours for £11.
What it means for you: if you are commuting by car, the London Road commuter rate at £15 for up to 18 hours is the sensible ticket. Note that Norton Road is not currently accepting applications for new council car park permits, only renewals.
On-street parking: the zone system
The city is divided into controlled parking zones, lettered from A to Z and then numbered 10 to 14. Some are full schemes, restricted all day; some are light touch, with short blocks of controlled hours such as 9am to 10am and 2pm to 3pm; and some are high demand, where permits are rationed by a waiting list and cost more. The street signs are the authority on hours (resident parking permits).
Eight zones have no paid parking at all, so a visitor cannot simply buy a ticket there: Zone B (Coldean), Zone D (Moulsecoomb), Zone L (West Hove), Zone P (Hove Park), Zone S (Hanover and Elm Grove), Zone U (Coombe Road area), Zone X (South Portslade) and Zone 11 (Hallyburton Road). Everywhere else, the price varies sharply by zone (paid parking zone prices).
| Zone or road | Area | 1 hour | 2 hours | 4 hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone Z | Central Brighton South | £5.90 | £11.00 | £16.60 |
| Zone Y (high) | Central Brighton North, The Level, Dyke Road | £5.90 | £11.00 | £16.60 |
| Zone Y (medium) | Cheapside and surrounds | £4.90 | £9.00 | n/a |
| King's Road, summer | Seafront | £5.70 | £9.80 | £16.50 |
| King's Road, winter | Seafront | £3.30 | £7.40 | £10.70 |
| Zone N | Central Hove | £1.80 | £3.50 | £6.70 |
Figures from the council’s zone pages for Zone Z, Zone Y, Zone N and the seafront.
What it means for you: the gap between central Brighton and central Hove is enormous. Four hours in Zone Z costs £16.60; the same four hours in Zone N costs £6.70, and 11 hours there costs £9.50. If your errand is flexible about which side of the boundary it happens on, Hove is a fraction of the price.
The seafront
Seafront parking is split and seasonal. King’s Road and Madeira Drive West carry the top rate: £5.70 an hour and £24.90 for 11 hours in summer (1 March to 31 October), dropping to £3.30 and £17.20 in winter. Madeira Drive East is cheaper at £2.90 for the first hour. Payment is by PayByPhone using the location code on the sign, by phone on 0330 400 7275, or at a PayPoint shop.
Resident and visitor permits
Resident permits are now digital: nothing goes in the windscreen, and enforcement officers read the number plate. Price depends on three things, your zone group, your vehicle’s CO2 emissions and the length of the permit. These are the charges from 20 April 2026 (how much a resident parking permit costs).
| Zones | Low emission | Standard emission | High emission |
|---|---|---|---|
| M, Y, Z (high demand) | £197.10 | £259.15 | £456.25 |
| A, C, E to K, N, O, Q, R, T, V, 14 | £149.65 | £200.75 | £346.75 |
| L, P, S, U, W, X, 10, 11, 12 | £127.75 | £167.90 | £292.00 |
| Blue Badge resident permit | £10.60 | £10.60 | £15.90 |
Low emission means a non-diesel vehicle producing 110g/km CO2 or less. Standard covers petrol vehicles from 111g/km to 165g/km and diesels up to 165g/km. Anything at 166g/km or above is high emission, and pays roughly two and a half times the low-emission rate. Vehicles registered before March 2001 do not show CO2 figures and do not qualify for the discount.
What it means for you: in Zones M, Y and Z the emissions band is worth £259 a year to a household. That is the single biggest variable in the whole permit system, and it is worth checking your V5C before you assume which band you are in. A permit does not reserve you a space, and in high demand zones there may be a waiting list.
Blue Badge parking
In Brighton & Hove a Blue Badge lets you park in disabled bays other than personalised ones, in paid parking bays and in shared use bays, and on a single or double yellow line for up to three hours where there is no loading restriction. The badge and time disc must both be displayed (using your Blue Badge).
Two limits catch people out. In a light touch zone you can park free at any time with a valid badge, but in a full zone you cannot park during restricted hours without a permit. And in the car parks the rules split: Blue Badge holders park free at Black Rock, King Alfred, Norton Road and Rottingdean Marine Cliffs, but charges apply at The Lanes, Regency Square, London Road and Trafalgar Street, all of which state that badge holders cannot park free.
Bank holidays and paying
There is no bank holiday concession. The council is explicit that “parking restrictions stay the same over bank holidays unless the sign says ‘except Bank Holidays’” (bank holiday services). Payment across the surface car parks and on-street bays is by PayByPhone app, by phone, or at a PayPoint shop, using the location code shown on the sign. The four barrier car parks are pay on foot before you leave, and a lost ticket is charged at the 24-hour rate plus a £10 admin fee.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest car park in Brighton?
Of the council car parks, Norton Road in Hove is the cheapest by the hour at £1.60 on a weekday. In Brighton itself, London Road is the cheapest at £2 for the first hour and £5.50 for two, and it has an Early Bird rate of £10 and a commuter rate of £15 for arrivals between 6am and 9am.
How much is parking on Brighton seafront?
On King’s Road and Madeira Drive West it is £5.70 for an hour and £24.90 for 11 hours from 1 March to 31 October, falling to £3.30 and £17.20 through the winter. Madeira Drive East is cheaper, starting at £2.90 an hour.
How do the Brighton parking zones work?
The city is divided into controlled parking zones lettered A to Z and numbered 10 to 14. Full scheme zones are restricted all day, light touch zones only for short blocks such as 9am to 10am, and high demand zones ration permits by waiting list. Eight zones have no paid parking at all, so visitors cannot buy a ticket there.
How much is a resident parking permit in Brighton?
From 20 April 2026, a 12-month permit costs from £127.75 for a low emission vehicle in the cheapest zone group to £456.25 for a high emission vehicle in Zones M, Y or Z. Blue Badge resident permits are charged at an admin fee of £10.60, or £15.90 for a high emission vehicle.
Can Blue Badge holders park free in Brighton car parks?
Only in some. Black Rock, King Alfred, Norton Road and Rottingdean Marine Cliffs let Blue Badge holders park free. The Lanes, Regency Square, London Road and Trafalgar Street all charge badge holders the normal tariff.
Is parking free on bank holidays in Brighton?
No. Restrictions and charges run as normal on bank holidays unless a sign specifically says “except Bank Holidays”.
Sources
- Brighton & Hove City Council, parking and the car parks directory
- Brighton & Hove City Council car park pages: The Lanes, Regency Square, London Road, Trafalgar Street, Norton Road, King Alfred, Black Rock, Rottingdean Marine Cliffs and Rottingdean West Street
- Brighton & Hove City Council, paid parking zone prices and seafront paid parking
- Brighton & Hove City Council, how much a resident parking permit costs
- Brighton & Hove City Council, using your Blue Badge and where you can park
- Brighton & Hove City Council, bank holiday services
Elsewhere on this site: Brighton bin collection days, Brighton council tax bands and Brighton planning applications.
Tariffs are those published by Brighton & Hove City Council and checked on 4 August 2026. Charges are reviewed periodically and seasonal rates change on 1 March and 1 November, so read the sign before you pay.
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