Reverse bay park
Drive past the bay, then reverse in so the car ends inside the lines. It is the manoeuvre most test centres have room for, and the one where a couple of reference points do nearly all of the work.
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.
Why reference points and not feel
A reference point only works if the car and the bay are the same size every time. Ours are: the car is a 4.04 m hatchback with a 2.49 m wheelbase, the bays are the standard 2.4 m by 4.8 m, and the aisle is the width you get in a real test centre car park. Full lock puts the rear axle on a 3.56 m circle, which is where "the second line past your bay" comes from. It is arithmetic, not a saying.
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.
Where it sits on the marking sheet
Bay parking is marked in the same box as the parallel park. That box, Reverse park – control, was in DVSA's published top ten faults every year from 2007-08 to 2019-20, and came back in 2022-23. It is not in the latest top ten, which is worth knowing too: the faults that fail most tests are still junction observation and mirrors.
Step by step
These are the words the simulator says to you, in order, the same commentary you would get from the passenger seat.
- 1Drive slowly down the aisle. Keep well over to the right so you have room to swing in.
- 2Stop when the second bay line past your bay is level with your rear wheel.
- 3Reverse gear. Check all round before you move: both shoulders, and out of the back window.
- 4Full lock to the left: about one and a half turns.
- 5Crawl it round. Keep looking over your left shoulder: the bay is coming in behind you.
- 6The bay lines are square behind you. Stop and straighten the wheel.
- 7Wheels straight. Reverse back until the whole car is inside the lines.
- 8That's the bay. Stop here and tap Finished.
Common questions
Can I get out and look?
Yes. On the test you may get out and check, as long as you make the car safe first: handbrake on, and look before you open the door. It is not a fault.
Does it matter which side I reverse into?
No. Reverse into the bay from whichever side gives you the better view and the better angle. The examiner marks where the car finishes, not which shoulder you looked over.
How straight does it have to be?
Inside the lines, and straight enough to drive out without shunting. Here that is measured: within 35 cm of the centre of the bay and within 12 degrees of square.
The rest of the set
- Forward bay parkDrive forward into the bay so the car finishes square inside the lines.
- Parallel parkPull up alongside the car in front, then reverse into the space behind it.
- 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.