Parallel park on the right

Watch it, then drive it

1. 1

   Watch the official video

   DVSA's short guide to the four manoeuvre skills the examiner looks for.

   

   From the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency on YouTube. Free to watch.

   More videos on YouTube↗
2. 2

   Drive it with the coach

   Guided mode puts the reference points on screen and stops you the moment you drift.

   Practise this in the simulator
3. 3

   Test yourself

   Test mode says nothing and marks you in the examiner's words. Three clean runs in a row and it is learnt.

What is marked here

Not on the driving test, so there is no examiner's box. The simulator marks it the way it marks the test manoeuvres: control, observation and accuracy, with the same grades. A clip of the kerb or a rough finish is minor; touching something or finishing outside the target is serious.

Same two arcs, other way round

Everything swaps sides. You start with full lock to the right instead of the left, and you finish with full lock to the left. The kerb is on your right, so your offside mirror is the one that shows it come closer. You sit next to the kerb, which makes the gap easy to judge; the road you are checking is now on your left.

Reference points

Pull up alongside the car in front on the right, about a metre out. Reverse gear and check all round. Back until your rear wheel is level with their rear bumper and stop. Full lock to the right and reverse slowly. At forty-five degrees to the kerb, stop and take the lock off. Wheels straight, back a car length and watch the kerb come into your right mirror. Full lock to the left to swing the front in, looking for anyone coming. Straighten up when you are parallel and stop.

Common faults

Minor and serious follow the simulator's marking, which copies the examiner's grading. Serious: mounting the kerb. Fix: stop when the kerb comes into your right mirror, take the lock off and then steer to the left. Minor: clipping the kerb with a tyre. Fix: stop and pull forward before it becomes a mount. Minor: finishing more than 45 cm from the kerb. Fix: shorten the straight part in the middle. Serious: touching the car in front or behind, or finishing outside the space or more than 10 degrees from parallel. Fix: look as the nose swings out and stop before the gap closes. Serious: reversing without all-round observation, especially as the nose swings into the road. Fix: look for traffic on the second arc, every time. Minor, then serious: too many corrections (three, then six here) or reversing faster than walking pace. Fix: two arcs and one straight bit; no more.

If it goes wrong

Stop, pull forward until you are straight and start again; you are allowed to. If you are too far from the kerb, pull forward a car length and reverse in again. If a car comes while your nose is out, stop and let it by. In a one-way street, check the signs and road markings first: they decide where you can park.

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.

1. 1One-way street, so you can park on the right. You're alongside the car in front, about a metre out. Reverse gear, and check all round before you move.
2. 2Back until your rear wheel is level with their rear bumper. Stop there.
3. 3Full lock to the right and reverse slowly: the back of the car swings into the space.
4. 4You're at forty-five degrees to the kerb. Stop and take the lock off.
5. 5Wheels straight, back a car length. Watch the kerb come into your right mirror.
6. 6Now full lock to the left to swing the front in. Your nose comes out into the road. Look for anyone coming.
7. 7Coming parallel with the kerb. Straighten up and stop.
8. 8Parked, and reasonably close to the kerb. Stop here and tap Finished.

Common questions