Finding parking in New York City is hard, to say the least. Even as someone who doesn’t own a car in the city, just having the ability to see how many cars versus how many parking spaces are available is stressful. There are many reasons why finding parking is so difficult these days. Even though some companies are slowly letting their employees go back into the office, many New Yorkers are still working remotely or from home, hence if they own a car, they’re not moving it. During the height of the pandemic, thousands of street parking spaces were taken by restaurants having to do outdoor dining. Plus, with NYC being a national tourist hotspot, there are cars coming from all over the U.S., making it more difficult for locals to find parking.
Now, if you don’t happen to score a street parking spot, there are other options. Parking garages are popular but have a very expensive rate. Some people even rent out designated parking spaces month-to-month to have a guaranteed parking spot. However, if you’re looking for a cheaper option, there are apps and websites that can help you find parking spots at a discounted rate.
Apps for Finding Parking in NYC
SpotHero
What it is: This handy app is a parking reservation service that lets you find and reserve parking spots. You can reserve hourly, monthly, airport, and even event parking. SpotHero partners with parking garages that can offer you discounts.
All you have to do is book through the app, get a prepaid parking pass/reservation instantly through email, and when you arrive at your spot, you’ll either have to scan a QR code, show the attendant your reservation, or add your license plate number.
Where: This service is available in all five boroughs, but if you’re looking at the map, a large handful of the available parking garages are located in Manhattan.
Pricing: According to their site, an average month’s price in NYC is about $570, which breaks it down to around $19 a day. A month’s worth of parking in Brooklyn averages out to be $188, about $6 a day. You can see which borough is significantly cheaper. Each parking facility will also vary in price depending on the location. One thing to look out for is if you have an oversized vehicle. SpotHero determines oversized as SUVs (Ford Explorers, Jeeps), minivans (Honda Odyssey), cargo vans, passenger vans, moving trucks, and large trucks. Almost all NYC parking garages will charge a fee for oversized vehicles. Some parking garages will allow you to pay the fee through SpotHero, and some will have you pay when you arrive.
Neighbor
What it is: Neighbor is a handy website that allows you to find storage for whatever items you have, and that includes a parking space for your car. Unlike booking a parking garage space, you’re booking parking spots that are being rented out by your neighbors. How does that work? If there is an apartment, house, or building, where the owners don’t use the parking spot, you can use it instead. Neighbor shows photos of the parking space, which will show if it’s uncovered and the size of the parking space. Additionally, Neighbor will let you know if there’s security at the parking area, when you can access your vehicle, and other features. Both short-term and long-term options are available.
A worrisome factor for this service is the possibility of being scammed. However, Neighbor offers Protection Plans, has legal identity verification, and offers secure automatic payments.
Where: Neighbor has parking spots available all over NYC.
Pricing: By looking through their options, this parking service has spots as low as $100 a month to over $600 a month. Some places will offer 50 percent off the first month, but it’s good to look out for hidden service fees.
Pango
What it is: Everything on Pango can be done through your phone. This service helps you find available garage and street parking. It will even notify you when your reservation is about to expire, so you can return to your car or choose to pay to extend your time.
Where: Available all over NYC.
Pricing: Downloading the app and using it is free, but Pango does let you know that parking prices vary by location. They offer an opt-in monthly subscription service that helps you avoid parking tickets by warning you when your time is about to end. This warning goes out 15 minutes before your time expires and the subscription is $2.99 per month.
ParkMe
What it is: This website allows you to find open spaces on the street or in garages. Powered by Inrix, which provides location-based data and analytics like traffic conditions and parking, ParkMe is able to find the closest and cheapest parking space for you. By clicking on the different options on how you want to find parking, the website will show you daily and monthly rates, as well as the probability you can find parking in certain areas.
Where: All five boroughs.
Pricing: If you’re looking to reserve a parking spot, ParkMe offers discounted spaces starting at five dollars per hour. Otherwise, monthly rates can range anywhere from $130 a month to over $300.
BestParking
What it is: Searching for the cheapest places to park is what BestParking is ‘best’ at. According to their site, you can save up to 50% when you use their website to find parking spaces. An app version is available for IOS and Android. You’re able to check the details, capacity, and clearance limitations for a garage. The site allows you to choose between the closest or cheapest parking spaces and shows you what is and isn’t available near you.
Where: All of NYC.
Pricing: BestParking’s pricing is entirely dependent on the parking space available. You will get a parking pass when you book that allows you to park in the designated area. Daily parking rates start at five dollars. BestParking does tell you to watch for fees when arriving at a parking garage. Some places will charge you an extra fee to park or exit, and if your vehicle is oversized, they will charge a fee on top of everything else.
