The Four UK Driving Test Manoeuvres Explained

#The four manoeuvres

Since 2017, DVSA tests include exactly four possible manoeuvres. The examiner chooses one and tells you what to do at the appropriate point during the test.

• Parallel park at the side of the road
• Reverse bay park (into a parking bay from the road)
• Forward bay park (drive in, then reverse out)
• Pull up on the right, reverse two car lengths, then rejoin traffic

#Parallel park

The examiner asks you to park behind a parked vehicle, within roughly two car lengths of it. Pull alongside, indicate, reverse smoothly with appropriate steering, and finish parallel to the kerb without touching it. You can take a reasonable amount of time and adjust if needed.

#Reverse bay park

Carried out in a public car park or the test centre car park. Drive past the chosen bay, position the car, and reverse into the bay between the lines. The bay you choose must be empty with at least one bay clear on each side, although examiners increasingly ask you to reverse between two parked vehicles for realism.

#Forward bay park

Drive forward into a marked bay, then reverse out and rejoin the car park exit. The reverse-out is where most faults happen because you must observe in every direction before pulling away.

#Pull up on the right

The examiner asks you to pull over on the right-hand side of the road, reverse two car lengths, then rejoin traffic. This was added to the test to mirror real driving where you stop opposite where you intended (for example, dropping someone off). The big risks are observation when crossing oncoming traffic and looking properly when rejoining.

#How manoeuvres are marked

You can pause, edge forward, or take a second attempt mid-manoeuvre. The examiner marks against three areas: control (smooth use of clutch, brake, steering), observation (mirrors and over-the-shoulder checks), and accuracy (final position relative to the kerb or bay lines).

Touching the kerb is usually a minor fault. Mounting the kerb is normally serious. Failing to observe properly when reversing is the most common manoeuvre fault and is often serious.

#Practice that actually helps

Practising in different car parks, on different streets, and at different times of day matters more than repeating the same manoeuvre in the same spot. Examiners deliberately pick locations you have not seen.