These in-car features can help make parking easier

Parking is something that all motorists have to do from time to time. Whether it’s nipping into a high street space or navigating a multi-storey car park, everyone who gets behind the wheel is going to have to park up at some point.

For some people, parking is a stressful experience, but many cars now come with lots of clever technology to help things along. Here are the key bits of tech to look out for if you’re looking for a hassle-free parking experience.

Most sensors combine an audible alert with a visual display to help you nail that parking first time.

Many vehicles now have a 360-degree camera, which uses feeds from multiple cameras and ‘stitches’ them together to create a wraparound view of the area surrounding the vehicle. Some car models allow you to even tap specific cameras to see a more detailed view, such as a kerbside perspective to help with parallel parking.

On some cars, you can even remotely park a vehicle using its key. Simply line the car up to a space and use the key to remotely roll it back into its bay. It’s a handy feature, particularly when you’re parking somewhere with quite narrow spaces. Some systems, such as Volkswagen’s Park Assist Plus, can even ‘remember’ commonly-used parking routes, such as backing into a garage, and all the driver needs to do is press a button when they’re in the correct spot and the car will park itself.

Then, when you’re travelling more quickly, the rear wheels act ‘as normal’ to help provide stability. It’s a really clever feature and one you’ll find on many high-end, longer vehicles.

Available on a number of cars, it’s designed to give a clearer view of the road behind you and could help to make parking a little easier, too.