How to Parallel Park Step by Step (Instructor's Reference Points)

Most students who "can't parallel park" can steer just fine. What they're missing is when to steer. Parallel parking is a timing exercise, and instructors teach it with reference points: specific things you line up in a window or mirror that tell you the exact moment to turn the wheel. Learn those, and how to parallel park stops being a guessing game.

Below are the six steps we teach at our New Jersey driving school, then a fix for each common mistake, then a cone drill you can run in an empty lot.

How to parallel park: setup

Good parking starts before you shift into reverse. Get these three things right and the rest is easy.

Pick a space that fits. As a beginner, look for a gap about one and a half car lengths long. With practice you'll manage tighter spots, but on a road test the examiner sets up the space, usually with cones or poles.

Signal and check behind you. Turn on your right signal early so the driver behind understands why you're slowing. Glance in your mirror; if someone is tailgating, slow gradually so they stop back far enough for you to reverse.

Pull up alongside the front car. Stop next to the car (or cone) at the front of the space, roughly two to three feet away from it, with your rear bumper lined up with its rear bumper. Two to three feet is about the width of an open car door. Too close and you'll scrape it; too far and you'll end up far from the curb.

Step-by-step with reference points

Reference points vary a little with car size and how tall you are, so treat these as a starting point and adjust after a few tries. Do everything slowly. Parallel parking at walking pace gives you time to correct.

1. Reverse straight back. With the wheels straight, back up slowly until the rear bumper of the front car appears in the middle of your rear side window, or until your shoulder lines up with its rear bumper. Stop.
2. Turn the wheel all the way to the right. Full lock, while stopped or barely moving. Then reverse slowly.
3. Watch for 45 degrees. Keep backing until your car is at about a 45-degree angle to the curb. A reliable check: look in your left side mirror; when you can see the entire front of the car behind the space (both headlights), you're close to 45 degrees. Stop.
4. Straighten the wheel and back straight. Return the wheel to center and reverse slowly. Watch your right side mirror. Stop when your front bumper clears the rear bumper of the car in front.
5. Turn the wheel all the way to the left. Keep reversing slowly. The front of your car swings in toward the curb. Stop when you're parallel to the curb.
6. Center yourself. Straighten the wheel and pull forward a little so you leave room both in front of and behind your car.

Throughout, keep scanning. Before each movement, look over your shoulder and in your mirrors for pedestrians, cyclists and cars. Examiners watch your head as closely as your wheels.

How to fix too far, too close or crooked

Every mistake in parallel parking traces back to one of the six steps. Here's how to diagnose and fix each.

A wide gap from the curb is the most common error we see. Most handbooks want you within roughly 12 inches of the curb; California's allows up to 18 inches. Check your state's manual for its number.

Parallel parking on the road test

Not every state includes parallel parking in its road test, but many do, and some use a version with poles or cones instead of real cars. New Jersey's road test includes it, which is why New Jersey teens spend so much lesson time on it. See the NJ MVC's young driver page for what the test covers.

What examiners usually watch for:

• Signaling before you pull up and before you pull out.
• Observation: looking behind and around you before and during reversing.
• Control: smooth, slow speed with no jerky stops.
• Final position: close to the curb, roughly parallel, not touching the cones or cars.
• Number of corrections: one or two small adjustments are often fine; repeated back-and-forth costs points.

Rules for how many attempts or adjustments you get vary by state and examiner, so ask your driving school what your test site allows. Hitting a cone or the curb hard, or ignoring a pedestrian, can end a test on its own; we explain more in automatic fails on the driving test. Our road test tips cover the rest of test day.

Practice drill with cones

Real cars are stressful to practice with. Cones (or empty cardboard boxes) let you make mistakes for free.

1. Find an empty lot and set two cones about 22 to 25 feet apart along a painted line, which stands in for the curb.
2. Use a third cone a few feet outside the first as a stand-in for the front car's bumper.
3. Do five slow repetitions, saying the steps aloud. After each, get out and look at where you ended up. Measure the distance to the line.
4. Adjust one reference point at a time. If you're always far from the curb, start step 2 a bit earlier. Don't change three things at once.
5. Shrink the space by a foot once you can park cleanly three times in a row.

Ten minutes of cones before every practice drive builds more skill than an hour of circling the block hunting for a spot.

Parking on hills after you park

Once you're in, finish the job. If the street slopes, turn your wheels so the car would roll into the curb (or off the road) instead of into traffic:

• Downhill with a curb: turn the wheels toward the curb.
• Uphill with a curb: turn the wheels away from the curb, then let the car roll back gently until the tire rests against it.
• Uphill or downhill with no curb: turn the wheels toward the edge of the road.

Set the parking brake either way. These hill rules show up on knowledge tests too, so they're worth memorizing; the free practice tests include parking questions from every state. For more detail, read our guide to parking on a hill.

Frequently asked questions

How far from the curb should you parallel park?

Aim for 12 inches or less. Many state handbooks use that figure, though some, like California's, allow up to 18 inches. Check your state's driver manual.

Is parallel parking on the driving test?

In many states, yes, including New Jersey. Some states have dropped it or replaced it with other maneuvers, so ask your DMV or driving school what your test includes.

How many attempts do you get to parallel park on the road test?

It depends on the state and examiner. Generally a couple of small corrections are allowed, but repeated attempts, hitting the curb hard or touching a cone can cost points or fail the test.