BMW’s park assist features are available on most new models and can handle steering, braking, and acceleration to maneuver your vehicle into the perfect parking spot. But while it can make the task of parking a lot easier, you’ll still need to remain alert throughout the process.

If you’ll do anything to avoid parallel parking, you’re far from alone—but like it or not, it might end up being your only option in certain situations. When that’s the case, driving a vehicle with a park assist feature can make this dreaded task feel much less daunting.

While BMW’s Parking Assist isn’t a completely autopilot feature—you’ll need to remain alert the entire time you’re using it—it can help make difficult parking jobs a lot easier. But to use the feature safely, you need to understand how it works.

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How to activate BMW Parking Assistant

The BMW’s park assist feature utilizes what BMW refers to as Automatic Park Distance Control (PDC). Its park assist has mainly been geared toward

parallel parking

as a default, but some vehicles will offer perpendicular parking as well—just be aware that it’s not necessarily a given that your BMW will have both capabilities.

Once you turn on the feature, your BMW will monitor the area with sensors to locate potential parking spots, then maneuver itself into place using steering, braking, and acceleration. Meanwhile, it will display camera views and other guidance on the infotainment screen to help you monitor and intervene as needed.

The way that BMW’s park assist works can also vary slightly depending on the model and model year, so you’ll want to look at your owner’s manual to confirm how yours works, as well as the finer details involved—such as whether the feature identifies parking spots using lines or whether it uses objects as a reference point.

Here are the general steps that can be involved with using your BMW’s PDC feature:

To activate your BMW park assist, press the Parking Assistant button, which is typically found on the center console near the gearshift lever. You may also need to verify the “Parking Assistant” box is checked on the infotainment screen after the button is pressed.

As long as you’re driving under 22 mph, your BMW should monitor the area for parking options—whether it monitors for spots on one or both sides of your vehicle might vary.

Once the feature detects a suitable parking spot and it’s safe to do so, you can step on the brakes and turn your blinker on for the necessary direction. (Some may turn on your blinker automatically.)

You should see a prompt on the infotainment screen reminding you to be aware of your surroundings—confirm the message to continue.

Next, press and hold the Parking Assistant button to activate the feature. You’ll need to continue to hold the button down throughout the process.

From here, your BMW should begin steering, braking, and accelerating for you to

back into the parking space

. While this is happening, you’ll need to continue monitoring nearby traffic and the area surrounding your vehicle to make sure it’s working properly and that there are no obstacles.

Once successfully parked, the feature will shift the vehicle into park on its own.

If you need to turn off Parking Assist at any time, you can simply take your finger off the button to turn off the feature.

It’s also worth noting that while BMW’s Parking Assistant can brake on its own, it might not brake quickly enough in urgent situations, and it’s always possible it could miss an obstacle in the way, so don’t expect it to do so automatically. Instead, shut off the feature and take back control if you need to.

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Do all BMWs have Park Assist?

Not all BMWs have automatic PDC, but many newer models do. The first one to get the park assist feature was the 2011 BMW 5 Series.

As mentioned above, how the automatic PDC feature functions and what settings are available can vary slightly from vehicle to vehicle.

For example, newer BMWs with PDC are outfitted with front and rear sensors, while some older vehicles equipped with PDC may only have rear sensors. Some may also have auto-emergency braking or other settings you can turn on and off, and it’s important to be aware of them so you can predict how your car might respond to certain environmental factors while parking.

That makes it important to review the details in your owner’s manual carefully before trying it out on the road or in the parking lot.

Which BMWs have Park Assist Pilot?

The following BMWs, depending on their model year,

trim level

, and additional packages, may come with PDC:

BMW X1

BMW X2

BMW X3

BMW X4

BMW X5

BMW X6

BMW X7

2 Series

3 Series

4 Series

5 Series

6 Series

7 Series

8 Series

If you’re interested in a particular model or model year, the best way to find out whether it’s equipped with automatic PDC—and whether it has park assist settings to the degree you’re looking for—is to check with a BMW dealership.

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