Dartmoor national park authority has decided to implement the charges at Haytor, Postbridge, Meldon Reservoir and Newbridge car parks from 2018.
Visitors had been asked to make the £1 voluntary contribution for the past six years with the money going towards the upkeep of the countryside.
But the average donation per vehicle has been just 15p – creating a huge shortfall in funds.
In a bid to combat motorists who avoid paying the authority introduced a trial pay and display scheme in Princetown in the heart of Dartmoor – and revenue increased four-fold.
Now Andrew Watson, from the authority said the honesty box system did not work and they were “facing increased challenges to effectively fund the maintenance of the car parks and associated facilities it has responsibility for”.
He added: “With greatly reduced resources the national park has to make tough decisions in order to continue to effectively carry out its primary purpose of conservation.”
The car parking charges will be introduced from April 1, 2018.