Parallel park
Pull up alongside the car in front, then reverse into the space behind it and finish close to the kerb and parallel with it.
What the examiner marks
Control, observation and accuracy. Control is the clutch, the steering and the kerb. Observation is what you looked at before you moved and while you were moving, not just the mirror. Accuracy is where the car finished. Pulling forward and having another go is not a fault; touching something is.
Two arcs and one straight bit
The whole manoeuvre is a 45-degree arc one way, a short straight reverse, and a 45-degree arc back. The straight bit in the middle is the only free variable: lengthen it and you finish further from the kerb, shorten it and you finish closer. Here it is 73 cm, which puts the car about 31 cm off, close enough to be marked as good positioning, far enough not to touch.
The kerb is a serious fault, the gap is not
Mounting the kerb is marked separately and is the one thing worth being careful about; finishing a bit wide is a driver fault at worst. So take the arc, and if it is going wrong, stop, pull forward and start it again; you are allowed to.
How you practise it here
Watch drives it for you with the commentary running, so you see the whole thing once before you touch anything. Guided puts the reference points on screen and stops you the moment you drift. Test says nothing and marks you in the words the examiner uses. Three clean Test runs in a row counts as learned, and it comes back two days, a week and three weeks later so it is still there on the day.
Step by step
These are the words the simulator says to you, in order, the same commentary you would get from the passenger seat.
- 1You're alongside the car in front, about a metre out. Reverse gear, and check all round before you move.
- 2Back until your rear wheel is level with their rear bumper. Stop there.
- 3Full lock to the left and reverse slowly: the back of the car swings into the space.
- 4You're at forty-five degrees to the kerb. Stop and take the lock off.
- 5Wheels straight, back a car length. Watch the kerb come into your left mirror.
- 6Now full lock to the right to swing the front in. Your nose comes out into the road. Look for anyone coming.
- 7Coming parallel with the kerb. Straighten up and stop.
- 8Parked, and reasonably close to the kerb. Stop here and tap Finished.
Common questions
How much space do I get?
About two car lengths on the test, which is what the space here measures. If the space you are given looks too small, say so. The examiner will find you another one.
How close to the kerb is close enough?
Near enough that you would not make anyone go round you, and not so close that a wheel touches. Under half a metre is comfortable; a touch of the kerb is what you are avoiding.
The rest of the set
- Reverse bay parkDrive past the bay, then reverse in so the car ends inside the lines.
- Forward bay parkDrive forward into the bay so the car finishes square inside the lines.
- Pull up on the rightCross to the right-hand kerb, reverse two car lengths, then get ready to rejoin.
Also included: the roundabout simulator and the 3D drives of the routes around your own test centre.