How many parking spaces does an office need?
With hybrid work the number of employees tells you little: what matters is how many cars arrive on the busiest day. The calculator works it out in three steps:
- It takes the people who come by car (the drivers).
- It keeps the share of them who are in the office on the busiest day.
- It adds a safety margin, without ever exceeding one space per driver.
Example with the default figures: 200 employees who come three days a week, 60 % by car and 80 % of the staff in on the busiest day. There are 120 drivers, 96 cars on the busiest day and, with a 10 % margin, 106 spaces. A fixed space for each driver would need 120, so sharing frees 14 spaces. The more days apart people come, the bigger the gap.
What the calculator assumes
- Busiest day: unless you set it, a third above the average attendance, up to 100 %. With three days a week that is 80 %.
- Share by car: 60 % is only an example. A commute survey gives the real figure.
- Margin: 10 % over the busiest day, for visitors who park, absences and days that break the pattern.
- Not included: visitor and customer spaces, company vehicles and the spaces that the law reserves for accessible parking or EV charging. To check the legal minimum of charging points, use the EV charging requirements calculator.
Common mistakes when sizing a car park
- Using the average day: half of the days are busier, and those are the days people notice.
- Assuming attendance is spread evenly: with hybrid work many people choose the same days.
- Counting every space as usable: reserved, accessible or EV-only spaces cannot be shared freely.
- Leaving no margin: with exactly the number of cars of the busiest day, one visitor is enough to cause a queue.
Frequently asked questions
How many parking spaces does a company need for 100 employees?
It depends on how many come by car and on the busiest day. With 100 employees who come three days a week, 60 % by car and 80 % of the staff in on the busiest day, about 53 spaces with a 10 % margin, against 60 with a fixed space for each driver.
Why not size the car park for the average day?
Because on the busiest days the demand is higher than the average and the car park fills up. The spaces have to cover the peak, not the mean.
How do I find out which day is the busiest?
Look at four to eight weeks of data: access badges, Wi-Fi connections, desk bookings or car park entries. Without data, the calculator assumes a third above the average attendance.
What does an unused space cost?
Whatever you pay for it every month: rent or lease, maintenance, insurance, cleaning and lighting. The calculator multiplies the spaces you do not need by that monthly cost and by twelve.
Can spaces be shared without assigning one to each person?
Yes. The usual way is a booking system, with rules for who has priority (people with reduced mobility, carpools, on-call staff) and a release of the space when someone does not come.
Does the calculator send my data anywhere?
No. The calculation runs in your browser and nothing you type is sent to a server.