Until 27 September 2026 Oxford sold you a way through: a £5 congestion charge and the car went where you pointed it. On 28 September that charge was replaced by a trial of traffic filters, cameras at six points that private cars may not pass during their hours, and there is no longer any price for passing. Not £5, not £50. Electric cars and campervans count as private cars too.
So the question is not what parking costs but whether your satnav's route crosses a filter. The council says every address can still be reached without passing one. My plan for a day visit is a £3 Park & Ride ticket that covers the parking, the bus in and back, and up to five people.
Six cameras where the toll booth used to be
The first thing Oxford asks of a driver is not a coin but a route. The four central filters, on Hythe Bridge Street, St Cross Road, St Clement's Street and Thames Street, run every day from 07:00 to 19:00, and you cannot buy your way past any of them. Get it wrong and the letter asks for £70.
A Hogwarts hall that was built in a studio, and a dome you mostly cannot enter
The classic disappointment is Christ Church's Great Hall as "the Hogwarts hall". Warner Bros. built a studio replica based on it; the dining hall itself was not used for filming. What was filmed is the Bodley Tower staircase just before it. Go for the college and the staircase, not for the film set.
The second is the Radcliffe Camera. It is a working reading room, and the only public way inside I found is the Bodleian's weekend walking tour, from £30. I would skip it and spend £7 on the University Church tower opposite, which looks straight down on the dome.
Breakfast at Brown's when the Covered Market opens
The Covered Market opened on 1 November 1774 and still has butchers in it. It opens at 08:00 Monday to Saturday, 10:00 on Sunday. Brown's Cafe serves a full English for under £10 according to the guides, plus Portuguese fish fritters at the counter. I go at eight, before the Park & Ride buses unload.
Trust the filter map, not the satnav
The filters are new and most satnav data is not. Open the council's filter page and route to the car park, not the college. The two outer filters, Marston Ferry Road and Hollow Way, only run Monday to Saturday 07:00–09:00 and 15:00–18:00.
Pass one and the fine is £70, cut to £35 if paid within 21 days and raised to £105 after 28. For the first six months a first offence gets a warning letter instead. Residents and Blue Badge holders can get permits; the council's FAQ says short-term hire cars cannot apply, and it says nothing about foreign number plates. I would not test that silence.
Parking in Oxford: Two hours at £7.60, every day of the week
On the street, central Oxford is Zone 1: £7.60 an hour, two hours at most, 08:00–22:00 every day, Sunday included. Zone 2, further out, is £6.30 an hour for up to three hours, and Sunday costs the same. A parking ticket is £70 or £50 depending on the offence, halved if paid early.
Inside the centre there is also a Zero Emission Zone pilot on nine streets, every day 07:00–19:00. The council's charges page, as I read it on 2 October 2026, shows £2, £4 or £10 a day by emissions, nothing for a fully electric car. Two third-party guides say those charges doubled in August 2025; I found no council page saying so, and the council's figures are the ones I use. You can pay up to six days ahead or six days after. Not paying is a £60 penalty, £30 within 14 days.
My pick in the centre is Westgate, under the shopping centre: £4.60 for an hour, £38 for 10 to 24 hours, 24/7, height 2.0 m. Approach via Botley Road, as Westgate itself advises. APCOA says 400 spaces, the council 1,000.
Gloucester Green, by the coach station, is the city council's: £6.30 for the first hour, £41.90 for 8 to 24 hours, £6.30 overnight, but only 1.83 m high. Worcester Street has no height limit, 200 spaces and the same £41.90 weekday day; its page still describes access via Hythe Bridge Street, which is now a filter point, so check your route. Both are cashless, card or RingGo.
Car parks worth knowing
| Car park | Price | EV |
|---|---|---|
| Westgate (APCOA)Under the Westgate shopping centre, OX1 1TR; approach via Botley Road | £4.60 for an hour, £38 for 10 to 24 hours, open 24/7, height 2.0 m. Spaces: APCOA says 400, the council says 1,000. | 50 charge points by the council's count; APCOA's page mentions none and no price is published. |
| Gloucester Green (city council)Beside the coach station, north-west of the centre | £6.30 for the first hour, £41.90 for 8 to 24 hours, £6.30 overnight. Height 1.83 m. Cashless. | No charging. |
| Worcester Street (city council)Entrance on Park End Street, OX1 2BQ | Weekdays £6.30 for an hour, £41.90 for 8 to 24 hours, slightly more at weekends; 20:00–08:00 £6.30 (£6.80 weekends). 200 spaces, no height limit, 72 hours maximum, card or RingGo (code 3900). | One charge point; price not published. |
| Seacourt Park & RideBotley Road, west of the centre; 1,255 spaces | £3 combined ticket: 16 hours' parking and the return bus for up to five. Parking only: first hour free after registering, £2.50 up to 16 hours, £4.50 up to 24. £100 surcharge after 72 hours. | Ten Wenea chargers at 55p/kWh according to Zapmap; not on the operator's own page. |
The cheapest way to park, by how long you stay
| If you stay | Cheapest | Cost | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 hours in the centre | Seacourt Park & Ride | £3 ≈ €3.5 | £3 includes the bus for up to five |
| …and the cheapest central garage | Westgate (APCOA) | £9.20 ≈ €10.8 | height 2.00 m · £38 covers 10–24 hours |
| …and the kerb, for comparison | Kerb, Zone 1 (central) | £15.20 ≈ €17.9 | £7.60 an hour, two hours at most, every day including Sunday. Zone 2: £6.30, three hours. A ticket is £70 or £50, half if paid early. |
| A full day (10 h) | Seacourt Park & Ride | £3 ≈ €3.5 | £3 includes the bus for up to five |
| …and the cheapest central garage | Westgate (APCOA) | £38 ≈ €45 | height 2.00 m · £38 covers 10–24 hours |
| 24 hours | Seacourt Park & Ride | £3 ≈ €3.5 | £3 includes the bus for up to five |
| …and the cheapest central garage | Westgate (APCOA) | £38 ≈ €45 | height 2.00 m · £38 covers 10–24 hours |
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Towed in Oxford: Ring 101, because the council will not say where it went
Oxfordshire County Council's vehicle-removal page publishes no pound address and no fees. For a car removed from a city council car park it tells you to ring Thames Valley Police on 101.
What the police do publish: pounds are generally open 09:00–16:30; charges are the statutory ones, set by vehicle type and reason for removal, with storage from midday the day after; they take sterling cash and Visa or Mastercard. Bring a passport or EU ID card, proof of ownership and a valid insurance certificate to drive away. With a hire car I would ring the rental company before the taxi.
If your car has disappeared
- Who took it
- The council that enforces the street or car park. Oxfordshire County Council's vehicle-removal page publishes no pound address and no fees, and for cars removed from city council car parks it sends you to Thames Valley Police
- Phone
- Thames Valley Police non-emergency line — the number the council gives, and the police's own advice if you do not know which pound has the car: 101
City council car parks team (Worcester Street, Gloucester Green): 01865 252489 - Collect it at
- Not published. Ring 101 and ask which pound holds the car; I found no address for it on any council or police page.
- Hours
- Thames Valley Police: pounds are generally open 09:00–16:30.
- What it costs
- Not published by the council. The police say statutory charges apply, set by vehicle and reason for removal, with daily storage from midday the day after; they take sterling cash, Visa and Mastercard. A parking ticket in Oxford is £70 or £50.
- Bring
- Thames Valley Police list a passport, driving licence or EU national ID card; proof of ownership (a UK V5C, so bring your foreign registration certificate); and a valid insurance certificate to drive away. With a hire car, ring the rental company first.
EV charging in Oxford: 55p at Seacourt, 79p at Redbridge, and an hour of free parking
The Park & Ride sites are where the chargers are. At Redbridge the council counts "40-plus" chargers; Zapmap lists Fastned at 79p per kWh and a separate Tesla-only site. At Seacourt, Zapmap lists ten Wenea chargers at 55p per kWh, the cheapest figure I found in Oxford. Neither is the operator's own figure; read the screen first.
In the centre, Westgate has 50 charge points by the council's count, price not published, and Worcester Street has one. My choice is Seacourt: charge while you are in town on the £3 ticket.
Where to charge
- Seacourt Park & Ride — Wenea, 55p/kWh — Seacourt Park and Ride, Botley Road. Ten chargers at 55p per kWh according to Zapmap, the cheapest figure I found in Oxford. Charge on the £3 ticket while you are in town
- Redbridge Park & Ride — Fastned, 79p/kWh — Redbridge Park and Ride, south of the centre. The council counts "40-plus" chargers here. Zapmap lists Fastned at 79p per kWh and a separate Tesla-only site
- Westgate car park — 50 points, no price — Westgate, under the shopping centre. The council counts 50 charge points; APCOA's page gives neither a number nor a price. Read the screen before you plug in
Free parking in Oxford: The first hour at a Park & Ride, and a £3 day for five
Parking at a Park & Ride is free for the first hour once you register, then £2.50 up to 16 hours and £4.50 up to 24. The better deal since 17 August 2026 is the £3 combined ticket: 16 hours' parking plus the return bus for up to five people. Leave a car there past 72 hours and a £100 surcharge applies. The five sites are Redbridge, Seacourt, Pear Tree, Thornhill and Oxford Parkway, with roofs from 2.1 to 2.3 m.
I found no hotel whose own site offers free parking in or near the city. voco Oxford Thames charges £10 a night; voco Oxford Spires £25. Both pages still promise "no congestion fees", a line written for the charge that ended this week.
Free or nearly-free spots
The first hour at any Park & Ride
Register on arrival and the first hour's parking is free; after that £2.50 up to 16 hours, £4.50 up to 24. Five sites: Redbridge, Seacourt, Pear Tree, Thornhill and Oxford Parkway, roofs 2.1–2.3 m.
£3 for five people, parking and bus
Since 17 August 2026 one £3 ticket covers 16 hours' parking and the return bus for up to five people. It replaced the old £2.50 parking with a free bus. Not free, but the cheapest way into the centre I know of.
No free Sunday on the kerb
Zone 1 charges £7.60 an hour every day 08:00–22:00, Sunday included, and Zone 2 charges £6.30 on Sunday too. Do not plan around a free morning.
Hotels with free parking
- voco Oxford Thames — Henley Road, Sandford on Thames, Oxford OX4 4GX Map. Not free: its own page gives £10 a night for residents, 150 outdoor spaces and 8 EV spaces. The page still says no congestion fees apply, written before the charge ended
- voco Oxford Spires — Abingdon Road, Oxford OX1 4PS Map. Not free: £25 a night per vehicle, 120 outdoor spaces, 2 EV spaces. I found no Oxford hotel whose own site offers free parking
⚠ The small print on 'free' parking
- Traffic filters (trial from 28 September 2026): Hythe Bridge Street, St Cross Road, St Clement's Street and Thames Street every day 07:00–19:00; Marston Ferry Road and Hollow Way Mon–Sat 07:00–09:00 and 15:00–18:00. No paying through. Fine £70, £35 within 21 days, £105 after 28 days; warning letter for a first offence in the first six months.
- The council's filter FAQ says short-term hire cars cannot get a permit and says nothing about foreign number plates.
- Zero Emission Zone pilot, nine central streets, every day 07:00–19:00: £2, £4 or £10 a day by emissions on the council's page (third-party guides claim these doubled in August 2025; no council page says so). Penalty £60, £30 within 14 days.
- Kerb Zone 1: £7.60 an hour, two hours maximum, 08:00–22:00 every day including Sunday. A ticket is £70 or £50, half if paid early.
- Gloucester Green is only 1.83 m high and Westgate 2.0 m. With a roof box, use Worcester Street (no limit) or a Park & Ride (2.1–2.3 m).
Take these places with you
Every place on this page as a file you can keep — car parks with their prices, the free and park-and-ride spots, the chargers and the pound.