Every now and then, disaster strikes and you lose track of your car. It can happen in small lots and massive lots, but no matter where you’ve lost your car, there are a few things you can do to make finding it easier. We’ve brought together some handy tips for finding your car in a parking lot.

How to Find Your Car In A Parking Lot

If you’ve lost your car in a parking lot, you’ve got plenty of options for tracking it down. We’ve brought together a few of those options below.

1. Retrace your steps

Take a moment to think back and retrace your steps mentally. If you can remember the route you took as you left the car and approached the building, you might be able to recreate that journey. Ask yourself: Was it a long or short walk? Do you remember which direction you were driving when you parked?

2. Be methodical

It might take some time, but if you’re in a small or medium-sized parking lot, consider carefully walking up and down each row of cars. The good news is, if you’re paying attention, this method is guaranteed to work. If you’ve got a general idea of where you parked, even better — it’s okay to break up the parking lot into sections and just check one or two.

How to Find Your Car In A Parking Lot - ParkMobile

3. Use your alarm

There’s no reason to be embarrassed about using your car’s alarm to find it. Press the panic button on your keyfob and listen for the sound of your alarm. Make sure you turn it off quickly once you’ve located your car. The only downside to this method is that you’ll need to be in range of your car for the panic button to work.

4. Call an attendant for help

We’ve saved this one for last, but you shouldn’t feel awkward about calling an attendant for help — after all, that’s what they’re there for! Most parking lots will have signs with numbers to call in case you need help, so just pick up your phone and dial the number. Not every parking lot offers this service of course, but it’s still a good strategy to be aware of.

Using An App To Find Your Car

These days, it’s easier than ever to use your phone to help locate yourself. Apps like Find My Car and Parked Car Locator make it easy to locate your car. Most parking apps allow you to open up the app once you’ve parked and tap a Park button, which will drop a pin at your car’s location. When you’re ready to leave, you can open the app again and access the pin, leading you right to your vehicle.

You can also use Google Maps to quickly drop a pin next to your parking location. You’ll use the following steps:

  • Tap the blue pin for your current location.
  • Select the option “Set as parking location.”
  • Press and hold the blue pin until you see the section “Dropped pin.” Swiping up will give you more details about the location of the pin.

When you’re ready to leave, tap the blue pin for your parking spot and your phone will lead you right to your car. Isn’t it nice living in the future?

Can Other People Track My Car Using An App?

The short answer is no. That’s because the apps you’ll be using have built-in security that will prevent this from happening. The other thing to keep in mind is that these apps won’t technically be tracking your car in the first place. They’ll simply be tracking where your phone was located when you parked.

Steps to Avoid Losing Your Car in a Parking Lot

If you’re prone to losing track of your car or want to make sure you never misplace it in a parking lot again, there are some proactive steps you can take before it disappears.

1. Park near a landmark

No matter where you are, you’re sure to find a landmark that can help you quickly locate your car. That might be a tall tree, a lamp post, a flashy sign, anything that’s large and visible from the front of the store or event space.

2. Avoid the crowd

It’s generally a good idea to park away from crowds of other cars. You might miss out on a prime parking space, but you’ll have a much easier time finding your car when you’re ready to leave. Consider parking near the back or sides of the lot. Without other cars blocking your view, it’ll be much easier to spot your own ride.

3. Take a picture

Before you leave your car, take a quick picture with your phone to help you remember where you parked. Try to include some other identifying features or landmarks in the photo besides the other cars you’ve parked next to — after all, they might not be there when you come back!

4. Reserve A Parking Spot

It can be helpful to have a rough idea of your parking options before you head out that you’re familiar with. But even then, it’s easy to run into a stressful situation and end up parking somewhere unfamiliar to make it to your event on time. That’s why reserving a parking spot is always an excellent idea. ParkMobile lets you locate deals and even reserve a parking spot in a garage or lot through the ParkMobile app, for easy reference in finding your car on your way out.