Parking companies working for private landlords are handing out 22,000 penalty notices every day.
An analysis of government data showed that 4m tickets were issued to motorists between April and September, despite car use being more than a quarter below pre-pandemic levels.
The level for the 2021-22 financial year is expected to rival the 8.4m-ticket record set in 2019-20. That in itself was more than double the 3.7m issued four years earlier.
A total of 163 firms requested car owner records between April and September for alleged infringements in private car parks such as at shopping centres, leisure facilities and motorway service areas.
The implementation of measures aimed at preventing drivers being mistreated by parking companies was mooted in 2018, but is still awaiting ministerial sign-off.
