How to Use Mini Cooper Parking Assist

Mini Cooper’s Parking Assist can help maneuver your car into a tight parking space—and it’s an optional feature on all Mini Coopers from the model year 2014 onwards.
Written by Claire Beaney
Reviewed by Jessica Barrett
Parking Assist, an optional feature on all Mini Cooper models post-2014 via the Comfort Plus Package, automatically steers your MINI into tight, parallel parking spaces. And, luckily, it's also a pretty simple system to use.
Due to the small size of the Mini Cooper, parking is already a breeze—but Parking Assist will make it even easier. The parking aid feature employs ultrasonic sensors to measure possible parking spaces as it passes them and tells the driver when a large enough spot is identified.
Not sure how to turn on the Parking Assist feature, or just want to know which Mini Cooper models have it? We’ve got you covered. 
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How to activate Mini Cooper Parking Assist

Parking Assist is an advanced package option for the Mini Cooper. It can search for parking spaces, provide directions on the center display, and even turn the steering wheel to help you get into a space. Parking Assist works for both parallel and perpendicular (or bay) parking, and you turn it on by pressing the Parking Assist button on your center console.
Interested in utilizing the Mini Cooper's Parking Assist feature? Here's how to do it:
  • Use the Parking Assist button on your center console to activate the Parking Assist system.
  • Continue driving past the cars you want to park among, keeping your speed under 20 mph and staying no more than 5 feet away from the parked vehicles.
  • The Parking Assist system will search for available parking spaces. When it finds one, the message "Start parking maneuver, stop vehicle" will appear on your screen.
  • The prompt "Reverse gear, take hands off steering wheel" will then appear; from there, put your car in Reverse and follow the instructions on the screen.
  • The steering wheel will turn on its own, but you must be ready to brake at the appropriate time—Parking Assist will not brake for you.
And that’s all there is to it! When using Parking Assist, keep two things in mind:
  • For starters, Parking Assist is not a fully self-parking system. You're still in charge of keeping an eye on your surroundings, assessing the safety of the parking space, shifting gears, braking, and assisting with steering.
  • Second, Parking Assist isn't perfect. Protruding curbs or pillars in
    parking garages
    , as well as curved streets, might throw the system off. When in doubt, if you’re trying to determine whether or not to park in a place identified by Parking Assist, trust your intuition as a driver.
If you're having problems with your Parking Assist system, consult your owner's manual for further information.

Do all Mini Coopers have Parking Assist?

All Mini Coopers from the model year 2014 onward have the option to purchase Parking Assist as part of an additional upgrade when first purchased. This was purchasable as the Parking Assistant Package from 2014 to 2017, and also included park distance control.
Parking Assist is included in the Comfort Plus Package on all models from 2018 through 2020. Park Distance Control and a rearview camera with a dipping parking function are also included in this package to make
parallel parking
easier.
From 2021 onwards, the Comfort Access System and Rear Park Distance Control are also included on the new MINI Hatch Classic models; these features are standard on all other models.
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