How to Parallel Park: Step-by-Step for the Ontario Road Test

Last updated: October 14, 2026

Parallel parking is the skill new drivers worry about most, and it's part of what Ontario road tests check. The good news: it's the same few steps every time. Learn the reference points, go slowly, and it stops being scary.

Before you start

• Find a space about one and a half times the length of your car.
• Make sure parking is allowed there: no hydrant within 3 m, not too close to an intersection, and not blocking a driveway or crosswalk.
• Check your mirrors and blind spot, signal right, and slow down gradually so drivers behind know you're stopping.

Step by step

1. Line up. Stop beside the car in front of the space, leaving at least 60 cm (about 1 m is easier) between the two cars. Your rear bumper should line up with theirs.
2. Check all around. Look in your mirrors and over both shoulders. Wait until no traffic, cyclists or pedestrians are coming.
3. Reverse, turning toward the curb. Back up slowly, turning the steering wheel fully toward the curb (to the right, on a normal street). Keep looking back through the rear window, with quick checks of your mirrors and the front of your car.
4. Straighten the wheels. When the back of your car is about halfway into the space and you can see the outside rear corner of the car in front, straighten the wheels and keep reversing slowly.
5. Turn away from the curb. As your front bumper clears the car in front, turn the wheel fully toward the road. The front of your car swings in and lines up with the curb.
6. Adjust. Move forward or back to centre yourself in the space and get parallel to the curb. Small adjustments are fine.
7. Park. Set the parking brake and shift into park. If you're on a hill, turn your wheels the right way (see hill parking).

Pulling out of a parallel parking spot

Release the parking brake and shift into drive. Signal left, check your mirrors and your left blind spot, and wait for a safe gap. Pull out smoothly, turning away from the curb, and cancel your signal once you're back in the lane. If the car in front is close, reverse a little first to give yourself room to turn out.

How close to the curb?

Aim to be close and parallel to the curb without touching it. The handbook asks for about 30 cm from the curb on a roadside stop, which is a good target for parking too. If you end up far out or at an angle, pull forward and reverse back in rather than leaving it.

Common mistakes

• Starting too far from the parked car. More than about a metre out, and you'll end up far from the curb.
• Turning in too early or too late. Start turning when your rear bumper lines up with the other car's.
• Going too fast. Reverse at a crawl. Slow movements are easier to correct.
• Only using mirrors. Turn and look back as well, and check for cyclists before you open your door.
• Hitting the curb. If you feel the tire touch, stop, pull forward and try again.
• Forgetting to signal on the way in and on the way out.

Parallel parking on the road test

The examiner wants to see you check all around, control the car at low speed, end up inside the space without hitting the curb or another car, and rejoin traffic safely. You can't use a backup camera during the test, so practise with your mirrors and shoulder checks. For the official steps, read the parking chapter and the road test chapter of the Official MTO Driver's Handbook, and see our G2 road test guide for the other skills.

In Ontario Roadie's Parallel Parking route, the game tells you when to stop beside the front car, when to turn, and what to fix if you're crooked or too far from the curb. It accepts up to half a metre from the curb.