How to park nose-in in a car park space
Driving forwards into a bay is the first manoeuvre everyone learns, and the one most people get slightly wrong: they turn too early and the rear wheel cuts the corner.
Why the rear wheel matters
When you turn, the rear wheels follow a tighter circle than the front ones. If you turn as soon as the front reaches the bay, the rear of the car cuts across the neighbour’s corner. Turning a little later fixes it.
The method
Use the whole aisle
Drive about 1.5–2 m from the parked cars on the bay side. The wider your swing, the easier the turn.
Turn at the right moment
Start turning fully when your mirror passes the first line of the free bay.
Watch the inside car
Check the mirror on the inside of the turn: your side should pass the neighbour with room to spare.
Straighten
When the car lines up with the bay, straighten the wheel.
Stop inside the lines
Roll in slowly and stop with the whole car inside the lines, before the front touches the kerb or wall.
Start with the First Metres chapter in a half-empty car park, then move to full car parks and underground garages.
Practise nowCommon mistakes
- Hugging the parked cars: no room to swing in, so you need extra moves.
- Turning too early: the rear wheel or side hits the neighbour on the inside.
- Forgetting the front corner in tight car parks: big SUVs and pickups stick out into the aisle.