Reversing a van: how to park without stress

Reversing a van starts before you select reverse

Reversing a van is unpleasant mainly for one reason: you can't see behind you. In a car you look over your shoulder and know what's behind you. In a van there's a bulkhead or the load behind the seats, so the interior mirror is useless. All the information reaches you through the exterior mirrors and possibly a camera. Once you get used to it, you'll be reversing completely calmly after a few manoeuvres.

First take a look, then do the manoeuvre

Getting out and having a look isn't a delay; it's the quickest option. Ten seconds around the vehicle will show you a low bollard, a kerb, a low wall or bags of building material — exactly the things that blend into the tarmac in the mirror. Pick one fixed point you'll reverse towards: a post, a line on the ground, the corner of a skip. You then do the manoeuvre by that point rather than by guesswork.

Set the mirrors for reversing, not for the motorway

Tilt the mirrors a little lower than you're used to in a car. You need to see the rear corner of the vehicle and the ground just behind it, not the horizon. The side of the van in the inner part of the mirror is your guide. As long as the line of the side moves away evenly, you're going straight. As soon as it starts to bend, the vehicle is turning and it's time to ease off the steering.

A camera helps, but it won't show the whole area

A reversing camera and sensors are an add-on, not a replacement for the mirrors. The camera has a distorted angle, so distances look bigger than they really are. Sensors, in turn, may not reliably pick up a thin pole, the tow bar of a parked car or a sloping wall. Treat them as a second opinion and make the main decisions based on the mirrors and what you saw when you looked around.

The rear goes where you turn the wheel

Stick to a simple rule: whichever way you turn the steering wheel, that's where the back of the vehicle moves. It sounds obvious, but when looking in the mirror people get it mixed up and one correction follows another. If you lose track, stop, pull forward a metre and start again from a straight position. A fresh approach is always better than trying to rescue a botched manoeuvre.

At walking pace, with your foot over the brake

Reverse so slowly that you could stop within half a metre at any time. With a diesel engine, an empty van will move even without throttle; just release the clutch. So control your speed with the clutch and brake, not the accelerator. A slow pace gives you time to glance from one mirror to the other, and that's the whole difference between calm and nervous reversing.

Three situations where reversing most often goes wrong

A parallel space between two cars

A van needs a wider approach angle than a car. Stop alongside the vehicle parked in front of the gap, but a bit further away from it, even a metre, and reverse in in a smooth arc. The deciding factor is the rear corner on the kerb side; watch it in the right-hand mirror. As soon as the whole gap appears in the mirror, start straightening the wheel. If you end up at an angle the first time, it's no problem; pulling forward and correcting the manoeuvre is standard practice.

Reversing to a loading ramp or into a gateway

First get into a position from which the manoeuvre is almost straight. Most failed approaches to a ramp start with the driver reversing from a sharp angle and trying to correct the direction along the way. Driving round the block and approaching from the other side takes a minute and saves five attempts. Take the last few metres centimetre by centimetre, ideally with the window open so you can hear the sound of the engine bouncing off the wall.

Out of a courtyard or a dead end

If you know you won't be able to turn round there, reverse in when you arrive. Driving out forwards after loading is always safer than reversing into traffic with a full van. This applies especially in the courtyards of blocks of flats, where after an hour of loading there tend to be more cars parked than when you arrived.

A helper, darkness and rain

The person guiding you must stand where you can see them. Agree that they will stand at the rear corner on the driver's side and use clear hand signals rather than shouting. As soon as you lose sight of them in the mirror, stop. This is the one rule that must apply without exception.

In the dark, go by the lights, not by memory. Selecting reverse switches on the reversing lights, but they only light up a small area just behind the vehicle. Wet tarmac also reflects the surrounding lights and throws off your judgement of distance. Allow yourself more time and better to get out one extra time.

In a tight space, switch off the radio and open the window. Hearing is a surprisingly good aid when reversing. You'll hear a passer-by calling out, a branch scraping the side and how the sound of the engine changes as you approach a wall.

A few minutes of practice will save your nerves. Before you head into town, try two or three manoeuvres in an empty car park. You'll find the dimensions of each model in our fleet, and practical questions about picking up the van are covered in the FAQ section.