How to reverse bay park: step-by-step guide

Reverse parking makes many learner drivers nervous. In fact, more than a few experienced drivers may struggle with reversing manoeuvres such as reverse bay parking.

Like any driving skill, practice makes perfect. This step-by-step guide to reverse bay parking and parallel parking will help you to understand these manoeuvres. Once you know the theory, putting it into practice will hone your skills.

Learning to reverse well helps new drivers pass their driving test and will make life easier and less stressful throughout your driving career.

What is reverse bay parking?

Reverse bay parking is moving into a parking bay by reversing rather than driving forwards. You then drive forwards when you want to leave.

It’s the opposite of forward bay parking, when you drive directly into the parking bay in a forward gear. Some drivers see forward bay parking as an easier way to park in a bay, especially if there are several empty spaces in a row. It also means the boot is facing out of the bay which makes it easier to load up with shopping.

However, if you drive in forwards you must reverse out of the space. This can be tricky to do safely if other cars parked on either side are restricting your view.

If you reverse park in the bay, the reversing manoeuvre takes place while you have a clear view around you.

When you drive back out of the space it’s easier to see what you are doing when driving forwards.

How to reverse bay park

1) Pick a bay

First, you need to find a bay to park in. This could take a while in a busy car park. Look for a space where the cars either side have been parked within their own bays and don’t overlap with yours. It’s much trickier to reverse bay park if someone else’s bad driving has made your bay smaller.

Drive past the space, looking carefully all around and in your mirrors for other traffic and pedestrians. If it’s safe to make the manoeuvre, indicate in the direction you will be turning. Give yourself plenty of room to turn – don’t move too close to the row you’ll be reversing into, between half a car’s width and a full car’s width should be enough.

2) Find your point of turn and steer quickly

Let’s assume the bay is on the left. Just swap ‘left’ for ‘right’ if it’s on the other side.

Line up the middle of the passenger door with the white line two along from the bay you are reversing into.

Check all around that it’s safe to move (wait if there are pedestrians walking behind you, for example).

You’re now positioned at your ‘point to turn’. Put the car in reverse and as you begin to move slowly backwards apply full left lock.

The left-hand white line of the parking bay should appear in your passenger-side mirror. The right-hand line will appear in the driver-side mirror. Gradually turn the wheel away from full lock as the car enters the bay.

3) Get into the bay and adjust

Your aim is to park in the middle of the bay, an equal distance from both white lines. Use your mirrors to gauge which line is closest and adjust the steering wheel accordingly. It really pays to move slowly to give yourself time to assess where the car is heading and make minor corrections and adjustments.

Don’t panic if you are a little way off on your first attempt. Having checked that it’s safe to do so, you can always pull forward a little and reverse again. This time it will be easier as you won’t have to make a right-angled turn to enter the bay.

4) Finish and move off

Once you are happy apply the brake and depress the clutch pedal as you come to a stop. Take the car out of gear and apply the handbrake or parking brake.

When you return to the car, your hard work in reverse bay parking will pay off as you can drive forwards to leave the space. Check carefully all around before moving off, then drive forwards to exit the bay. Take care to follow the car park’s one-way system if it has one.

How to reverse out of a parking bay

Drive into a bay travelling forwards, and you’ll have to reverse out. Prepare by putting the car in reverse gear. As well as making the car ready for the manoeuvre this lets other road users know your intentions.

Have a good look around to make sure there are no vehicles, bicycles or pedestrians around you. Now slowly begin to reverse backwards in a straight line, continuing to look for other road users and potential hazards.

Be especially careful as other parked cars may obstruct your view.

Once your door is level with the end of the bay, begin to apply steering wheel lock to turn the car. Don’t begin to turn earlier or you may hit the car next to yours.

Once clear of the car to the side, apply full lock continuing to observe all around and especially over your shoulder. Stop if you have to do so to allow an impatient driver past.

Once your car is almost perpendicular (at right angles) to the row of parking bays, begin to wind off the lock.

Come to a stop and prepare to move away safely in first gear.

How to reverse park on the street

Reverse parking on the street is similar to bay parking in many ways, but in others it’s quite different.

Perhaps the biggest difference is that you start and finish the manoeuvre in broadly the same direction, which is why this type of reversing is also referred to as parallel parking – you end up with the car parallel to the direction of traffic.

When you reach the area in which you want to park, keep your eyes peeled for a suitable bay. Obviously, it needs to be longer than the car, ideally by over a metre.

As when parking in a bay, you need to be careful that it’s safe to start the manoeuvre. Look out for other traffic, as well as people on bikes or on foot. Drive past the space, indicating that you plan to pull in. You should aim to come to a stop with the passenger window broadly in line with the front bumper of the car in front of the space in which you are about to park.

Have a good look in your mirrors and over your shoulder to be sure it’s safe. If it is, put the car in reverse and begin to move slowly backwards, looking through the rear windscreen.

Once your back tyres are level with the rear bumper of the car in front of the space, make one full turn of the steering wheel to the left.

When you can see the kerb in the passenger-side mirror, start to turn the wheel back to the right to tuck the front of your car into the space. Make sure the front of your car is clear of the back of the car in front.
Keeping turning the wheel until it is fully to the right. This will move the front of your car towards the kerb. Move the wheel quickly but reverse slowly. This gives you time to assess the manoeuvre and make any adjustments.

Once your car is nearly parallel with the kerb, quickly wind off the lock to straighten up. You may need to shuffle back and forth a little to bring both nearside wheels close to the kerb.

Once you are happy with the car’s position, apply the handbrake or parking brake and put the gearbox in neutral.

Learning to drive? See also: How to drive a manual car

Reverse bay parking FAQs

How big is a parking space?

In a UK car park, a standard parking space is 4.8 metres long. The width depends on the intended use. A mixed-use car park has 2.4-metre-wide bays. For a long-stay car park the bays are 2.5 metres wide, while for short-stay parking the bays have a standard width of 2.3 metres.

Disabled parking bays have the same 4.8-metre length as standard bays. The width is 3.6 metres to make it easier for those with mobility issues to get in and out.

If you are parking on the road, then the space clearly needs to be longer than the car. Around 60cm of leeway at the front and back of the space should be enough to parallel park.

Is reverse bay parking in the UK driving test?

Yes, learner drivers may be asked to reverse bay park in the practical driving test.

Test candidates must complete one of three manoeuvres. Parking in a bay is one, although the examiner may ask you drive in forwards and reverse out or reverse in and drive out.

Alternatively you may be asked to pull up on the right-hand side of the road, reverse for a couple of car lengths, then rejoin traffic. The third manoeuvre is parallel parking at the side of the road.

Test candidates will only be asked to do one of these three reversing manoeuvres.

How to know when to stop when reverse parking?

Before you hit anything. That should go without saying.

A more helpful answer is that you should stop reversing once the car is fully within the bay or space. If you have reversed into a bay, leave enough room to get to the boot at the back of the car.

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If you have parallel parked on the road, aim to stop with enough space at the back for the car behind to pull out. You shouldn’t park bumper-to-bumper as it will make it tricky for the driver of the car behind to leave their space.