A 2012 UK study by NCP car parks found that women scored higher than men on a parking skills checklist, despite taking about 20 seconds longer to complete the maneuver.
Women Outscore Men on Parking Skills Test
For decades, the stereotype persisted: women can't park. Comedians built routines around it. Sitcoms milked it for laughs. Then a British car park company decided to actually test the theory—and the results flipped the script.
The NCP Study
In 2012, National Car Parks (NCP), the UK's largest private parking operator, conducted an observational study of 2,500 drivers across their facilities. Researchers watched drivers park and scored them on a checklist of technical criteria.
The metrics included:
- Finding a space efficiently
- Positioning centrally within the bay
- Reversing into the space (considered the optimal technique)
- Adjusting mirrors appropriately
- First-time success rate
Women averaged a score of 13.4 out of 20. Men averaged 12.3. Not a massive gap, but statistically significant—and completely contrary to the cultural assumption.
The Catch
There was one area where men came out ahead: speed. Male drivers completed their parking maneuvers about 20 seconds faster on average. Women took more time, checked mirrors more frequently, and were more likely to reverse into spaces rather than drive in head-first.
This slower, more methodical approach is exactly what driving instructors recommend. Reversing in gives you better visibility when leaving, and taking your time reduces the risk of dings and scrapes.
Why the Stereotype Exists
Researchers have suggested several theories for why the "women can't park" myth took hold. One possibility: confirmation bias. People remember examples that confirm their existing beliefs and forget contradicting evidence.
Another factor may be spatial confidence. Studies show men often report higher confidence in spatial tasks, even when their actual performance is similar to women's. Confidence can read as competence to observers, even when it isn't.
The Bigger Picture
NCP's study wasn't conducted in a laboratory under controlled conditions—it was observational research in real car parks. That limits what conclusions we can draw. But it does suggest that whatever differences exist between male and female drivers, "women are worse at parking" isn't one of them.
The study got massive media coverage when it was released, largely because it contradicted such a persistent stereotype. Sometimes the most interesting findings are the ones that prove conventional wisdom wrong.