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You’ve circled the same lot three times, and every open spot seems to vanish. AR could help you find a place to park. Among other modalities, location-based AR can pair your camera with the GPS to overlay real-time digital information onto your dashboard view. Four ideas show how that added context could change the way you choose a spot, from garage entrances to pedestrian exits.
1. Finding Garage Entrances
AR navigation can place guidance cues right in your line of sight, either on the windshield or on an in-car display. As you near your destination, those cues may steer you toward the approach lane and the garage entrance. The 2026 Cadillac VISTIQ, for example, has an AR head-up display (HUD) that projects full-color navigation arrows onto the road ahead.
Arrows that appear where you’re already looking can be more convenient than checking a screen as you approach a garage. Looking ahead, location-based AR overlays might distinguish multiple entrances at a single structure based on real-time conditions, like which one is closest to open spaces. A system may even forecast which stall will have room by the time you arrive.
You’d waste fewer minutes searching for a way in and reach where you’re headed sooner. So, a tight schedule, like a flight or a meeting, could feel far less stressful. Moreover, cutting down on U-turns inside the structure may help keep traffic flowing behind you.
2. Flagging Well-Lit Parking Areas
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 76% of pedestrian fatalities occurred at night in 2024, compared with 20% during daylight. These figures are about roads in general, but they show why visibility may be worth weighing when you pick a spot after sunset.
AR can already support visibility at night, and the Cadillac VISTIQ is one example. Its AR-HUD highlights approaching vehicles or pedestrians within your sightline, helping you notice hazards as you drive. More broadly, AR systems could outline obstacles, mark lane edges or call attention to movement near your path.
However, these aids focus on what’s around you in the moment. None seems to rate a facility’s overall lighting before you commit to a space, which leaves room for a proposed next step. For instance, as you approach a lot, a brightness indicator or color-coded marker could appear over each area in your camera or HUD view. Well-lit zones might glow green while corners are red.
You could then weigh visibility against how close each open spot is. Picking a brighter area up front could also make your return to the car feel calmer. It might spare you from abandoning a space and hunting for another once you notice the dim surroundings, as well.
3. Pinpointing Secure Parking Spots
Where you park can carry a financial risk, since vehicle theft costs $8 billion each year. Well-lit spots, busy areas and security cameras may help deter thieves, which are the details AR could put in front of you. For example, AR arrows could curve ahead of you and lead you past a gate into a busier, better-watched part of the facility.
In principle, AR overlays could also flag blind spots, such as areas outside the camera’s coverage, so you could steer clear of them. A bolder proposal could show a dynamic security score over individual parking spots, potentially drawing on historical theft patterns.
Comparing two options could take a glance instead of a gut feeling. If you’re leaving your car overnight at an airport or hotel, that evidence could ease worry while you’re away. A rating might even help you evaluate whether a pricier but attended garage is worth the extra cost.
4. Charting Safer Routes to Pedestrian Exits
The National Safety Council reports that parking lots and garage structures see tens of thousands of crashes each year, leading to hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries, which suggests the walk from your car to a building entrance may carry risk, too.
Once you park, AR’s job shifts from steering your car to guiding you on foot. Smartphone AR walking directions already overlay arrows onto your camera view, helping you stay oriented in a large or multilevel parking structure.
A future AR tool built for parking structures could recommend a safer path from your exact spot to the building entrance. Picture a line on the floor, shown through your phone, that appears the moment you step out. It might draw on the facility’s lighting and camera feeds, then reroute you around a dim stairwell or deserted corridor as conditions change.
The Road Ahead for AR-Powered Parking
AR could turn parking from a blind guessing game into an informed decision. Some pieces, such as windshield-projected arrows and phone-based walking guidance, already exist. Others, like lighting indicators and security scores, remain on the horizon. Keep an eye on your next car or navigation app update, since a few of these features may already be waiting there.
April Miller
AR Insider Guest Author