Parking Tips 101

When you’re learning to drive, one of the most daunting tasks is parking the car.

Even the mention of parallel parking can cause learners (and even experienced drivers) to break out in a sweat.

You only need to look around a supermarket car park to see that many people have never quite mastered it.

Even confident drivers can struggle when it comes to parking after getting a new car that is bigger than your previous one or handles differently, so we’ve picked out our top smart parking tips to help you avoid any close calls:

Use parking sensors

Like lots of things in modern life, technology is there to make it easier, so make use of it!

Many EVs come with parking sensors that use sound waves like bats to work out if you’re getting too close to an object, at which point they’ll alert you.

As with any technology, it’s best not to become overly-reliant on the beeps, but a sensible combination of human and machine will help you park smarter every time. The electric Mini Hatchback is just one of the options if you want a car that comes with front and rear parking distance sensors.

Keep an eye out with parking cameras

The next step up from parking sensors is of course the rear-facing cameras that are available in some cars, which let you actually see where you’re going on screen.

It’s a much better option than relying on what your mirrors can tell you, but again it needs to be a part of your smart parking routine rather than something you rely on entirely.

Let the car take over with parking assist

Perhaps you do actually want to rely on technology, in which case parking assist systems might be for you.

They vary in complexity and control, but the very best systems will actually take over the steering, acceleration, braking and gear selection for you while parking. If you trust them of course. You can find parking assist on the Nissan Leaf in the form of its ProPilot Park.

Take it slow and steady

While most cars don’t yet park themselves for you, we still need to use good practice for parking, along with whatever safety gadgets we have onboard.

It’s important to go slowly, because rushing into a space gives you less control and less response time.

Try and be focused and avoid distractions and don’t let anyone make you feel pressured. If there are cars waiting, let them wait, the most important thing is that you get into the space safely.

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