Free with an electric car, but beware of exceptions
Parking free of charge for electric cars in the whole of Prague is an environmentally friendly step and a certain motivation to buy a car with an alternative powertrain. However, this does not mean simply stopping your car anywhere and leaving it - you need a special registration plate or registration at the City Hall and the free parking rule does not cover some hybrids. Let us sum it up:
Electric cars can still park for free
If you own a fully electric car, you can park for free in the blue and purple zones. However, you need to either register your car at the Prague City Hall (only at the Jungmannova Street municipality branch) for a fee of CZK 100 per year if you own an electric/hybrid vehicle WITHOUT an "EL" series registration plate. The alternative is a special registration plate for electric vehicles (EL), which will be issued free of charge by the vehicle registry within 15 days, and with which you do not need to register the car anywhere or pay anything. However, parking in green and orange zones attracts a fee for you in both cases - these zones would primarily be used by non-residents and visitors from "outside". All the above rules also apply to hydrogen-powered cars.
A comprehensive solution (not only) for parking is the Citymove app. Its main advantage is full interconnection with MPLA (the provider of parking payments in Prague) and with other services such as buying a ticket for Public Transport or renting a BeRider scooter for trips to the city centre. With this app, you can park and pay parking fee also in the blue and purple zones.
New stricter conditions for hybrids
Free parking is now only for cars that meet the strict emission standard of up to 50 g CO2 per kilometre. Such cars can be registered together with electric cars and can also obtain a special "EL" registration plate. This new regulation deprives many hybrids of free parking. Nevertheless, many plug-in hybrids, i.e., those that can be charged from the electricity grid, comfortably fall within this bracket. These include, for example, the plug-in hybrid Skoda Octavia iV, the Audi A3 Sportback e-tron or the Volkswagen Passat GTE, and others.
Up until May 2019, free parking in Prague was allowed also for "ordinary" hybrids. But this advantage was ended by the City Hall for one simple reason: "Large" hybrids often generate more emissions than some small "urban" cars with internal combustion engines or alternative fuel vehicles (e.g., CNG) and with the popularity of large, spacious SUVs, the number of hybrids has been increasing, which are ultimately not such a small pollution burden for the atmosphere. The advantage thus only applies to those who registered their car in time (until May 2019) and for a maximum of three years.
(Not only) electric scooters can park for free everywhere
An even more benevolent rule applies in this case - whether they run on electricity or are powered by an internal combustion engine, all scooters can park for free in all zones (blue, purple, green and orange), but not on the sidewalk, as some people believe. The law states that a motorcycle up to 50 cc can be pushed along the sidewalk with the engine off (for instance, through a pedestrian zone) but not parked on it. Sometimes it is "pardoned", particularly in the case of small mopeds. But that does not mean that it is fair to manipulate the law for your needs and block pedestrians, entrances, or parked cars.
Paid parking also in the blue zone for everyone
Paid parking zones are becoming more widespread in Prague (for example, new ones have been in place in Prague 9 since 2021), which reduces the space where you can park legally or for a long time. In addition to parking lots close to public transport (so-called P+R) and short-term parking areas (K+R), we as visitors can also park in the orange zone. The maximum length of parking is defined on the sign and can be paid either at the parking meter or by using the app on your smartphone. You can also park a rented shared car in the orange zone, but you cannot drop it off, i.e., park it and terminate the booking - this is only possible in the blue or purple zone.
A comprehensive solution (not only) for parking is the Citymove app. Its main advantage is full interconnection with MPLA (the provider of parking payments in Prague) and with other services such as buying a ticket or renting a BeRider scooter for trips to the city centre. With this app, you can park and pay parking fee also in the blue and purple zones. It is possible even with a car from out of Prague and without any kind of prior registration. The app will clearly show you the maximum parking time and price according to your current location.
Why park using the Citymove app?
- You pay straight from the app so no need to deal with small change.
- You do not have to run down the street looking for a parking meter, for example, in bad weather.
- You can park for as few as 10 minutes and extend your parking remotely if you are late.
- You can also pay parking fee in the blue zone, which is otherwise for residents only.
- Citymove also displays parking in shopping centres, including the current number of available parking spaces.
- Convenient payment in shopping centres – no more running for a ticket you left in the car!
Now you know everything about parking in Prague - where it is not possible, where it is possible and on what conditions, and where to download an app which will help you to keep it all under control. Questions like "Am I even parking correctly?" or "When is my parking ticket valid till?!" are now gone. And because you do not have a car you think that it is all for nothing? But you have - at any time and any car. Simply rent a car from HoppyGo via Citymove - as a resident, you can park even a shared car in Prague.
