The European Standard Parking Award Off-Street

The European Standard Parking Award Off-Street (ESPA Off-Street) is instituted by the European Parking Association to improve the quality of service, provided by the parking industry to its customers. Car parks compliant to the ESPA Off-Street invite visitors to enter and leave their car in a trustworthy environment. The ESPA Off-Street is granted to public accessible car parks that meet a set of requirements of quality to provide safe and comfortable parking service to the visitors.

In addition to the ESPA Off-Street award an ESPA Off-Street Gold award has been defined for exceptional quality of service. The Standard has been completely revised and updated by an international EPA task group in the year 2014.

The European Standard Parking Award Off-Street can be obtained by car parks that gain a required minimum of points on the. The checklist is available at the Secretariat or can be downloaded below. The European Parking Association has delegated the judgement and presentation of the ESPA to its full members, the national parking associations. Thus, operators who are interested in obtaining an ESPA Off-Street for their object should contact their national parking association.The national associations are requested to order the signs at the Secretariat and to inform the Secretariat about the name and address of the awarded car park. Signs are made from acryl glass; measurements are 39,5 cm by 29,5 cm by 1 cm with four circular holes including four stainless steel mounting parts. The price for a sign is 300,00 EUR a piece incl. shipping costs for national parking associations that are full members in the EPA.

In fall of 2020, an international working group was established to review the evaluation schedule for the EPA Standard Parking Award – Off-Street. This revision was necessary to respond to the latest urban and mobility developments and their contribution to the quality of parking garages and the services they offer. The working group was formed by parking professionals and representatives from 8 countries and was chaired by Peter Dingemans, Board member of both EPA and the Dutch parking association VEXPAN.

The objective was to revise the ESPA Off-Street checklist in such a way that it remains applicable for all EU countries. The revision process also included the review of the checklist and allocation of points for new The objective was to revise the ESPA Off-Street checklist in such a way that it remains applicable for all EU countries. The revision process also included the review of the checklist and allocation of points for new functionalities such as E-charging facilities, seamless access, digital payments, mobility hubs, comfort and safety, and the integration of sustainability aspects.

The ESPA Panel was redesigned and now has a green background. Until December 30, 2022 the old Panel (with a blue background) can still be ordered and the order will be processed directly. As of January 1, 2023 the EPA office will only issue the new signs. Orders based on the previous checklist will not be accepted any more. Please find more details about the new order process on the information sheet below.

 

Download the information sheet regarding the order process (updated October 2022)

Download the self-calculating ESPA checklist (updated October 2022)

Download the manual for the ESPA checklist

Download the list of car parks that have been awarded with the ESPA Off-Street