How to Parallel Park
Parallel park step by step. Line up beside the car in front, back in at about 45 degrees, swing the front in, and finish 6 to 12 inches from the curb.
You will end up able to back into a curbside space between two cars and finish parallel to the curb, 6 to 12 inches from it. The maneuver has three steering moves. Full right swings the rear in, straight slides the car back, and full left brings the front in. Each step below gives the point at which to change from one move to the next.
The sequence follows the parallel parking section of the California Driver's Handbook. The steps transfer between cars, though a long vehicle needs a longer space than a short one.
Find a space that is long enough
The California Driver's Handbook says to look for a space at least 3 feet longer than your vehicle. Treat that as the minimum and pick a longer one while you are learning. Drive slowly past the space to size it up, and if it looks short, keep looking. Also check the space for obstructions: fire hydrants, driveways, bus stops, and low posts are easy to miss when you are focused on the cars. Fire hydrants carry a no-parking zone that is 15 feet in California, varies by state, and can be reduced by local ordinance. Parking too close to one gets you a ticket regardless of how well you parked. Once you have chosen the space, turn on your right turn signal and keep it on, so the drivers behind you know you are about to stop and park.
Pull up beside the car in front of the space
Pull forward until your car is parallel to the car in front of the empty space, with about 2 feet between your car and the parked car. Stop when your rear bumper is even with its rear bumper, which is the front of your parking space. This is your starting position. Shift into reverse and keep your signal on. Before you move, look in your rearview mirror and over your shoulder for approaching vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians. The front of your car swings out toward the traffic lane as the rear swings in, so let anything that is coming pass before you begin.
Good to know: Tilt your right side mirror down until you can see the curb beside your rear wheel. It shows the gap to the curb closing, which is the cue for step 5. Tilt it back before you drive away.
Turn the wheel all the way right and back in slowly
With the car in reverse, turn your steering wheel all the way to the right (full lock). Begin reversing slowly, with your foot covering the brake, so you have time to react and adjust. As you reverse, your car's rear end swings into the space at an angle. Keep looking over your right shoulder and in your right mirror. You are watching for two things: the curb appearing in your right mirror, and the car behind the space approaching in your rear window. If a car pulls up behind you while you are backing in, keep your signal on and continue at your own pace. If it has stopped too close for you to finish, wait for it to go around you.
Straighten the wheel at about 45 degrees
Straighten the wheel when your car reaches about a 45-degree angle to the curb, the angle the California Driver's Handbook gives for backing into the space. The handbook gives no mirror cue for that angle. From the driver's seat, 45 degrees is halfway between pointing along the street and pointing straight at the curb. Then continue reversing straight back with the wheel centered, which slides the car into the space. Expect to adjust this point over your first few attempts. The troubleshooting in the closing says which way to move it.
Turn left to bring the front in
Make the last turn when two things are true. Your front end has cleared the rear bumper of the car in front, and your right rear wheel is close to the curb. The handbook's cue is to begin turning the steering wheel away from the curb when your rear wheel is within 18 inches of it, and the tilted right mirror from step 2 shows that gap. Turn the wheel all the way to the left and continue reversing slowly. This swings your front end toward the curb and brings the car parallel to it. Stop well short of the car behind you. Then check your right mirror for curb distance. Aim for 6 to 12 inches. If you are farther out and there is room in front, pull forward while steering toward the curb, steer back to straighten the car, and reverse straight.
Center yourself in the space
Once your car is parallel to the curb, pull forward or reverse slowly to center it, with roughly equal distance to the cars in front and behind, so that you and both of them have room to pull out. Check your curb distance one final time. If you are still more than a foot away, pull out and start again from step 2. On level ground, straighten your wheels. On a hill, the handbook says to turn your front wheels into the curb when you face downhill and away from the curb when you face uphill. Facing uphill, let the car roll back a few inches until the wheel gently touches the curb. Set the parking brake and turn off the engine. Before you open your door, look carefully for passing vehicles, bicycles, and motorcycles, and get out only when it is clear. When you leave the space later, turn on your signal, check your mirrors, look over your shoulder, and pull forward slowly while turning the wheel away from the curb. When your front bumper clears the car in front of you, straighten out and merge into traffic. If the space is very tight, reverse slightly toward the car behind you first to give yourself room to clear the front car's bumper.
Practice somewhere quiet first. Find an empty stretch of curb and stand two cones, boxes, or water bottles where the bumpers of the two cars would be, with a gap at least 3 feet longer than your car. Repeat the maneuver until the turning points in steps 4 and 5 stop needing thought, then move to a real space on a quiet street. If you keep finishing far from the curb, you are straightening too early, so hold the right turn longer in step 4. If your right rear wheel keeps touching the curb, straighten earlier, or start the left turn in step 5 sooner. FAQ 1 below covers a failed attempt, FAQ 2 the legal curb distance, FAQ 3 backup cameras, and FAQ 4 parking on the left side of a one-way street. For the rest of the car basics, see our Car Owner Essentials series.
Questions we get asked about this
Answers from experience, not a textbook.
Pull out and start again. Signal, check your mirrors, look over your left shoulder, pull forward to the starting position beside the car in front, and repeat from step 2. Take as many attempts as the space needs, and do not speed up because traffic is waiting. If cars have stacked up behind you, let them pass before you start again. The California Driver's Handbook itself says you may need to pull forward and backward to straighten out.
Aim for 6 to 12 inches. The legal limit comes from state vehicle code and varies by state. California requires the right-hand wheels to sit within 18 inches of the curb, and New York's Vehicle and Traffic Law sets 12 inches. Cities can add their own restrictions on top. California's code, for example, lets local authorities prohibit or restrict parking on certain streets and at certain hours. Check your state's code and the posted signs. It measures from the wheels and not from the body of the car, which is what decides a borderline park. Sit outside the limit and you risk a ticket and partially block the traffic lane. If your wheels are touching or riding up on the curb, you are too close, so pull forward and reset. Judge the gap in the tilted right mirror from step 2, then look at it from the sidewalk once you are out of the car, so you learn what the right distance looks like in the mirror.
Use them as aids, not replacements for checking mirrors and looking over your shoulder. A backup camera shows the car behind you and the curb, and it does not show what is approaching from the sides. Its picture has limits too. Mazda's owner's manual for the 2021 Mazda3, for example, says the displayable range is limited, that objects under the bumper or around the bumper ends cannot be displayed, and that the distance in the image differs from the actual distance because of the camera's lens. Use the camera to fine-tune your distance to the curb and to the car behind, and rely on your mirrors and a direct look for the rest of the maneuver. If your car has parking sensors, treat their warning as a second check on the car behind you, not the only one. Your own owner's manual lists what your camera and sensors cannot see.
Use the same technique, mirrored. Pull up beside the car in front with the left side of your car closest to it. Turn the wheel all the way left when backing in, straighten at about 45 degrees, then turn all the way right to bring the front in. Every check moves to the other side, so signal left instead of right, tilt the left mirror down, and look over your left shoulder. Left-side parking is for one-way streets. California Vehicle Code section 22502, the section linked in FAQ 2, allows a vehicle on a one-way roadway to park with its left-hand wheels within 18 inches of the left-hand curb. Practice it separately once you are comfortable on the right.
Car Owner Essentials
How to Check Tire Pressure
How to Change a Tire
How to Change Your Oil
How to Check Your Oil
How to Jump Start a Car
How to Parallel Park
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