How to park on a hill (uphill and downhill)
Updated October 2026
A parked car on a slope will roll if the brakes fail, and a few seconds of steering can decide where it goes. The rule is the same every time: if the car rolls, the wheels should turn it into the kerb, or off the road, and not down the hill.
These steps assume right-hand traffic, with the kerb on your right. If you drive on the left, swap every left and right.
Step by step
Downhill with a kerb: wheels towards the kerb
Turn the front wheels towards the kerb (to the right if the kerb is on your right) and let the car roll gently until the front wheel touches it. If the brakes let go, the kerb stops the car.
Uphill with a kerb: wheels away from the kerb
Turn the wheels away from the kerb (left if the kerb is on your right) and let the car roll back a little until the rear of the front wheel rests against it.
No kerb: wheels towards the edge of the road
Turn the wheels so that, if the car rolls, it leaves the road instead of rolling down the lane. This is true uphill and downhill.
Use the right order
Stop, turn the wheels, apply the parking brake, then select P on an automatic. On a manual, leave it in gear instead: first when facing uphill, reverse when facing downhill.
Check before you walk away
Release the foot brake slowly and make sure the car stays. Then switch off the engine and take the keys.
Common mistakes
- Turning the wheels the wrong way. Uphill and downhill are opposite when a kerb is there. Remember it as: down toward the kerb, up away from it.
- Relying on P alone. The parking pawl is a small piece of metal. Use the parking brake first so it carries the load, not the gearbox.
- Parking brake forgotten. Park in gear on a manual, but always set the parking brake as well.
Tips that make it easier
- On a manual, release the parking brake only when you feel the car start to pull at the bite point, to avoid rolling back.
- Leave extra room to the car behind when facing uphill, in case it rolls back a little.
- Check that your parking brake holds: if it needs a very long pull or the car creeps, have it adjusted.
In the driving test
Hill starts and hill parking are part of many tests. Examiners look for a calm, controlled start without rolling back, and correct wheel direction on parking.
Quick answers
Which way do I turn the wheels when parking downhill?
Towards the kerb. If the brakes fail, the kerb stops the car.
And uphill?
Away from the kerb, so the car, if it rolls, rests its wheel on it.
Do I need to do this with an automatic?
Yes. Turn the wheels and use the parking brake as well as P.
Practise it in ParkingAim
ParkingAim has a hill-up and a hill-down lesson with the kerb, the wheel direction and the parking brake each marked as you do them.
- Parking Uphill12% slope, road with a curbFull Version
- Parking Downhill12% slope, road with a curbFull Version
Park it for real, without the risk
ParkingAim is a parking trainer for iPhone, iPad and Mac. A calm instructor’s voice talks you through each move in a 3D city, sized to your car. Three lessons are free.
