Park on a hill

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.

Why the wheels matter

The handbrake does the holding. Turned wheels are the second line of defence. Facing uphill, turn the wheels away from the kerb, so that if the car ever rolls back, the kerb stops it. Facing downhill, turn them towards the kerb. A manual car is also left in gear.

Reference points

Mirrors, then signal towards the kerb. Ease in gently towards the marked space: no sudden steering on a slope. Straighten up parallel with the kerb, a hand span out, and stop with the whole car inside the space. Keep your foot on the brake and apply the handbrake. Turn the wheels the safe way, then let the footbrake go.

Common faults

Minor and serious follow the simulator's marking, which copies the examiner's grading. Serious: not applying the handbrake. Fix: handbrake on every time, before you let the footbrake go. Serious: not turning the wheels for the hill. Fix: uphill, away from the kerb; downhill, towards it. Minor: stopping more than 45 cm from the kerb. Fix: aim for a hand span. Serious: mounting the kerb, or stopping outside the marked space or more than 10 degrees out of parallel. Fix: ease in early, with small steering inputs.

If it goes wrong

If the car starts to creep, press the footbrake again straight away, then apply the handbrake firmly. If you are in the wrong place, check the mirrors, signal and move off to try again. Do not get out until the handbrake is on and the wheels are turned.

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. 1Mirrors, then signal towards the kerb. Ease in gently towards the marked space, no sudden steering on a slope.
2. 2Straighten up parallel with the kerb, a hand span out, and stop with the whole car inside the space.
3. 3Stopped. Keep your foot on the brake and apply the handbrake (tap the Handbrake button).
4. 4Handbrake on. Facing uphill, turn the wheels away from the kerb: if the car ever rolls back, the kerb stops it.
5. 5Handbrake on and wheels turned the safe way. Tap Finished.

Common questions