Before you start
Before the attempt, identify the whole space you will use: the gap behind the parked vehicle, clearance from the kerb and the area into which the front will swing. A large space is not automatically safe if someone is about to walk through it. Agree a method for your car with your instructor, then practise understanding the shape of the movement rather than racing through steering turns.
Get comfortable with the steering, pedals and gears first. For a manual, revisit clutch control; for an automatic, learn how that car moves when you release the brake. In either, a control sequence never replaces checking that the space is safe.
Parallel parking, step by step
These steps explain one approach, not a fixed set of reference points for every car. Your seating position, the car and the available space change what you see. Stop whenever the area is not safe.
Choose the space
Pull up alongside the parked car with roughly a metre between you. Stop parallel and secure the car.
Observation: Check mirrors, signal only if someone benefits, and scan all around before stopping.
Find your start point
Reverse slowly until the back of your car is level with the back of the parked car.
Observation: Look through the rear window and keep checking for pedestrians, cyclists and traffic.
One turn towards the kerb
Steer one full turn left while reversing slowly. Let the rear of the car enter the space.
Observation: Pause if anyone approaches. Continue only when you can account for the whole area.
Two turns away
As your front clears the parked car, steer two full turns right and keep the car moving slowly.
Observation: Check the front corner as well as the rear. This is where swing matters.
One turn to straighten
Turn one full turn left to straighten the wheels. Adjust gently until you sit parallel to the kerb.
Observation: Finish with a final all-round check and secure the car.
Common difficulties and what to change
The rear is getting too close to the kerb.
Stop before contact. Check the whole area, then decide with your instructor how to create space for a correction. Continuing backwards while repeating the same steering input will not fix an angle that is already taking you into the kerb.
You finish a long way from the kerb.
Pause and assess both the distance and angle. A correction needs a fresh observation and a clear path; it is not permission to shuffle without looking. After the attempt, compare where the car began turning and when you started straightening.
You watch one mirror throughout the manoeuvre.
Use the mirror to answer the positioning question, then restore the wider view. Keep checking behind and around the car, including the front corner swinging out. Stop if you cannot manage observation and control together.
Work on one specific issue during supervised practice. For observations, see mirrors and blind spots. When preparing for an assessed drive, use the practical mock-test guide.
Questions about parallel parking
Do I have to use the 1–2–1 steering method?
No single count of steering turns fits every car or method. The sequence above illustrates one approach. Wheel travel, turning circle, seating position and starting position all change the result. Use your instructor’s method for your car and understand what each turn is doing.
Should I keep moving if another car waits behind me?
Being watched does not remove the need to observe. Stop if someone enters the area you need or if you are unsure what they will do. Continue only when it is safe, with fresh observations rather than assuming the situation is unchanged.
Reference points are not a substitute for looking
Use reference points agreed with your instructor for your own car. Keep checking the full area, including pedestrians, cyclists and the front of the car as it swings. If the position is not right, pause, observe and make a controlled correction rather than forcing the steering sequence.
For the wider learning sequence, see the practical driving course. Before the test, practise the vehicle-safety questions too.