The best and most difficult counties in Ireland for parking

There's nothing more frustrating than driving around in circles, desperately searching for an empty parking space. Whether you're commuting to work or heading into town to visit the shops, having somewhere convenient and affordable to leave your car can make all the difference. But which Irish counties give drivers the best chance of finding a parking space?

To reveal the counties with the best parking provisions, car insurance experts at Chill Insurance analysed data across a nationwide seedlist, looking at factors including the number of licensed vehicles, available parking spaces, parking costs and the number of parking offences recorded in each county.

Contents

• The best Irish counties for finding a parking space
• The counties in Ireland with the least parking provisions
• The counties in Ireland with the most expensive parking
• Counties in Ireland with the highest number of parking offences
• Expert advice on how to avoid an unnecessary parking offence
• Sources and methodology

The best Irish counties for finding a parking space

With more than 2.4 million vehicles licensed across the counties analysed, finding somewhere to park can be a daily challenge for drivers, particularly in areas where the number of cars far outweighs the available parking provision.

Galway takes the top spot in the overall parking provision ranking, despite being one of the more populous counties included in the study. Galway has 276,451 residents and more than 138,000 licensed vehicles, while our research identified 7,257 available parking spaces across the main location assessed in the county. It is worth noting that the parking-space figures in this study relate to the main town or city assessed in each county, rather than representing every available parking space across the county as a whole.

Longford follows in second place, with 1,993 available parking spaces identified in the main location analysed, alongside 20,633 licensed vehicles across the county. The county also records a relatively modest average parking cost of €1.92 per hour, compared with €2.44 in Galway. This combination of parking availability and comparatively lower costs contributes to Longford's strong position in the overall index.

Limerick completes the top three, with 6,187 parking spaces identified in the main location analysed and 102,655 licensed vehicles recorded across the county. However, parking comes at a higher average cost here, at €2.49 per hour, making it one of the more expensive counties in the study.

The results highlight that parking provision is not simply about the number of spaces available, but also factors such as the number of vehicles, relative availability and the cost of parking. As the parking data focuses on the principal location assessed within each county, the findings are best viewed as a comparison of the locations studied rather than a comprehensive measure of parking provision across each entire county.

The counties in Ireland with the least parking provisions

For those living in areas where parking is in short supply, the daily search for somewhere to leave the car can quickly become a source of frustration. With the number of licensed vehicles continuing to put pressure on available spaces, some counties are facing a much bigger gap between parking demand and provision than others.

This pressure is particularly apparent in Roscommon, which ranks last overall for parking provision in the study. The county is home to 69,995 residents and 41,199 licensed vehicles, yet has just 25 available parking spaces in its main town. However, Roscommon is one of just two counties in the ranking recording an average parking cost of €0, alongside Leitrim.

Wexford comes in second lowest for parking provision overall, offering 3,146 available spaces despite a population of 163,527 and 93,820 licensed vehicles.

Completing the bottom three hardest counties is Meath, where 220,296 residents and 113,595 licensed vehicles are competing for just 743 available parking spaces. Drivers here also face an average hourly parking cost of €1.19.

The counties in Ireland with the most expensive parking

Finally finding a parking space can bring a sense of relief, but that relief can quickly fade when faced with an expensive hourly rate. We used Parkopedia to look at the average parking cost for an hour in the largest town or city in each county.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Dublin is the most expensive county in Ireland for parking, with an average price of €4.78 per hour across the locations analysed. The capital sits considerably ahead of the next most expensive county, Limerick, where parking costs an average of €2.49 per hour, meaning Dublin is €2.29 more expensive per hour on average. This substantial difference highlights how parking costs can vary significantly depending on the county and location, particularly in busy urban areas where demand for spaces can be higher.

As Ireland's capital and a major hub for tourism and shopping, Dublin experiences strong demand for parking throughout the whole year. Central spaces can command higher prices due to their proximity to offices, shops, restaurants and other popular attractions. For those travelling into the capital frequently, these hourly charges can quickly add up over time.

Coming in second for the most expensive parking fees is Limerick, where the average price to park is €2.49. While this is considerably cheaper than the average in Dublin, individual car parks in the county can still charge substantially more than the county-wide average.

The third most expensive county for parking is Galway, where drivers pay an average of €2.44 per hour, just five cents behind Limerick, making the gap between second and third place one of the smallest in the ranking. Rounding out the top five most expensive counties are Laois (€2.25) and Cork (€2.15), showing that high parking costs aren't confined to Ireland's largest cities alone.

Counties in Ireland with the highest number of parking offences

With 568,087 Irish drivers receiving parking penalty points so far this year, parking and road-related offences remain an important consideration for motorists. Parking in a dangerous or prohibited position can result in an offence, particularly where a vehicle creates a hazard for other road users or obstructs traffic.

The data shows a significant difference between counties, with Dublin recording by far the highest number of parking offences at 665. This is more than five times the number recorded in Meath, which ranks second with 121 offences. Dublin's position could partly reflect the sheer volume of traffic and commuters travelling through the capital each day, as well as the higher concentration of restricted parking areas and densely populated urban locations.

*These are parking offences for "parking a vehicle in a dangerous position".

Meath has the second-highest number of recorded parking offences, with 121, followed by Kildare with 104. Both counties are located close to Dublin and have large numbers of commuters travelling between residential areas and the capital, potentially contributing to the high volume of vehicles on local roads.

Expert advice on how to avoid an unnecessary parking offence

"Parking might seem like a minor part of driving, but it's one of the most common ways motorists fall foul of the rules, often without realising it," says Ian O'Reilly, Director of Sales and Insurance at Chill.

"Parking in a dangerous position, blocking sightlines, or leaving a vehicle too close to a junction can lead to a fine, penalty points, or in more serious cases, an accident that affects your car insurance premium.

"Where a vehicle is parked can matter for more than just the fine. If a badly parked or illegally parked car causes a collision, or blocks the road in a way that leads to an accident, this can be taken into account when a car insurance claim is looked at. This is especially true if the car broke parking rules, got in the way of other drivers, or was parked somewhere that made an accident more likely.

"Our advice to drivers is simple: always check local signage, avoid parking on double yellow lines or near junctions, and if you're unsure, it's worth taking the extra few minutes to find a proper space rather than risk a fine, or worse, an incident that could impact your car insurance.

"With parking pressure only increasing in many of Ireland's towns and cities, planning ahead, using apps to check space availability, and allowing extra time to find parking can save drivers both money and stress."

Sources and methodology

To identify the best and worst counties in Ireland for parking, we analysed data across population, vehicle ownership, parking availability, cost and recorded offences. Population and vehicle licensing figures were sourced from populationdata.org.uk and the CSO, recorded at county level, allowing vehicle registrations to be calculated per 10,000 residents. Parking space availability and average hourly costs were sourced from Parkopedia, using data collected from each county's largest town or city within a 60-minute radius to represent the county as a whole. Recorded parking offences, specifically for parking in a dangerous position, were sourced from the RSA and cover the most recent 12-month period at county level.

Each measure was indexed to allow fair comparison across counties of differing size and population, giving a rounded view of how parking availability, affordability and driver behaviour vary across Ireland.

Data is correct as of September 2026.

Wherever you park, make sure you're properly covered. Compare car insurance quotes with Chill and find the right cover for you.