A third of British drivers are so terrified of parking they’ll drive past perfectly good spaces rather than attempt them, and honestly, I feel seen. Kia has released the results of its Parking Index study alongside its new EV2, which just happens to be the first small SUV to offer remote parking technology. Coincidence? Absolutely not. But the data is rather amusing regardless.
Southampton has been officially declared the UK’s worst city for parking, followed by Oxford and Liverpool. Aberdeen, meanwhile, sits smugly at the top as the nation’s best. Whether this reflects genuinely excellent parking infrastructure or simply the fact that nobody wants to drive to Aberdeen is left to the reader’s judgement.
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ABOVE: Kia EV2 with Remote Smart Parking Assist, Maisie Adam partnership, 360-degree Surround View Monitor, and EV2 Smart Park valet service at Westquay Southampton
The Numbers Don’t Lie (But Drivers Might)
Here’s where it gets properly grim. One in three drivers feel anxious, worried, or outright scared about parking. Sixty-four per cent say parking bays are too narrow, and they’re not wrong. The standard bay size hasn’t been reviewed since 1976. That’s fifty years of cars getting wider while spaces stayed the same.
This has led to over half of drivers being blocked from getting into or out of their cars, forcing them to climb over seats, let passengers out before parking, or wait for other cars to move before driving away. The panic and stress of parking has caused one in five drivers to be late because they couldn’t find a space, resulting in missed health appointments, work meetings, birthday parties, romantic dates, and parents’ evenings.
One in 10 drivers said they had hit something while parking, with half of these admitting to reversing into a bollard. A third said they’d hit another car, and a quarter had damaged their alloy wheels. The average cost to fix damage due to parking accidents is £388. That’s a lot of money to spend on a bollard you definitely saw but assumed you’d clear.
The EV2 Solution
Kia’s timing is impeccable. The new EV2, their most compact electric car yet, features Remote Smart Parking Assist. This allows the vehicle to be manoeuvred from outside using the smart key, a feature unique in the segment. You can literally stand there watching as your car parks itself, like a proud parent at a school recital except the child is a crossover and the recital is parallel parking.
Half of drivers want their car to park itself or via remote control, and with the EV2 they can do just that. Additional parking aids include a 360-degree Surround View Monitor, front and rear parking sensors, and Reverse Parking Collision Avoidance Assist. All those anxious parkers who’ve been climbing across passenger seats to escape tight bays can finally stop doing their own interpretive dance of automotive shame.
The Comedian Test
To prove the technology works even for the genuinely hopeless, Kia partnered with comedian Maisie Adam, who passed her driving test after seven attempts and has appeared on World’s Most Dangerous Roads. If she can park the EV2 remotely, anyone can.
“I was on first name terms with the driving test invigilators by the time I passed my test,” Maisie said. “The EV2 technology is a real game-changer for me and my parking. It’s like having a remote control car and being able to reverse while you’re outside the car is so much easier.”
One suspects she’s underselling quite how transformative this is for someone who was on first-name terms with her local driving test invigilators.
UK Parking Index: The Full Shame List
Worst 10 cities for parking:
- Southampton
- Oxford
- Liverpool
- Norwich
- Belfast
- Leicester
- Cambridge
- London
- Manchester
- Gloucester
Best 5 cities for parking:
- Aberdeen
- Worcester
- Edinburgh
- Glasgow
- Swansea
When Does It Arrive?
The EV2 is built at Kia’s Žilina facility in Slovakia, following the EV4. Full UK pricing and specifications will be announced soon, with customer deliveries expected this summer. Australian details remain unconfirmed, but given the local enthusiasm for compact EVs, one expects Kia Australia is watching closely.
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Alan Zurvas is the founder and editor of Gay Car Boys, Australia's leading LGBTQI+ automotive publication. Before launching GCB in 2008, Alan's automotive writing was published in SameSame.com.au and the Star Observer. With over 16 years of hands-on car reviewing experience, Alan brings an honest, irreverent voice to every review — championing value and innovation over brand loyalty.
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