Local authorities collected a total of £328 million in parking fines over the past year, according to the first report to estimate a national total.
The TaxPayers' Alliance compiled a breakdown from each authority, after 99% of UK councils responded to its request for the data under the Freedom of Information Act. It suggests that in 2008-09, councils made on average £6.14 in fines for each member of their daytime populations, rising as high as £85 per person in Chelsea and Kensington.
Meanwhile, Westminster - which collected more than £35 million - made the highest total of any authority.
Although the alliance claims motorists are being seen as "cash cows", its research also collected data for the previous year - and found that the earning potential seems to be falling: councils collected £379 million in parking fines in 2007-08.
While parking enforcement on behalf of some local authorities is carried out at county level or by police forces, 265 councils now the have the power to control their own parking - and to use the funds raised as they see fit.
Department for Transport guidance on parking enforcement states that raising revenue should not be an objective, and that the ultimate goal should be 100% compliance - with no fines needing to be issued.
However, Peter Roberts, chief executive of the Drivers' Alliance - which has partnered with the TaxPayers' Alliance on previous research - said the report demonstrated that some local authorities were "treating drivers unfairly and cashing in on parking fines".
"Parking enforcement has become a massive money-making industry and we are seeing unscrupulous and target-driven enforcement of parking laws where the penalties far outweigh the offence," he added.
However, David Sparks, chairman of the Local Government Association Transport and Regeneration Board, said that the money is spent by councils on improving local transport networks.
"Parking restrictions are in place to keep people safe on our streets, stop traffic jams and keep roads clear for the emergency services," he told The Telegraph newspaper.
"Councils will not apologise for giving out parking tickets to stop cars parking illegally."
