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PARK AND HIDE

You’ll never lose your motor in the car park again with this smartphone solution – as more than 21 million Brits waste hours searching each year

The rush to the shops makes it easy to forget where you parked your car - but this simple feature could save you added stress this festive season

THERE'S nothing more frustrating than finishing a long day's Christmas shopping only to realise you forgot where you parked the car.

Luckily, there's a new high-tech solution to finding your motor in even the most chaotic car park.

 Remembering where you parked your car can be a regular problem for millions of drivers
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Remembering where you parked your car can be a regular problem for millions of driversCredit: Alamy

Nissan has developed a mobile app that locks down your car's location when you park up, and easily leads you back to the same spot once it's time to head home.

The manufacturer's Door to Door Navigation system connects via Bluetooth to your smartphone, instantly logging your position when you turn off the ignition and get out of the vehicle.

The driver then uses the mobile app to search for their desired end destination, with the phone first directing them back to their car with walking instructions.

Once back in the vehicle, the sat nav will sync and directions will automatically begin to the final destination.

 The location of your car will be automatically logged via the smartphone app when you leave it
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The location of your car will be automatically logged via the smartphone app when you leave itCredit: Nissan
 Once back in the car, the sat nav will sync to direct you to your final destination
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Once back in the car, the sat nav will sync to direct you to your final destinationCredit: Nissan

But the 'Find My Car' feature only works within 3.1miles of the parked car, so don't rely on it if you get exceptionally lost.

Available in Nissan's Qashqai crossover, the feature could be particularly useful for Brits as they battle the shopping rush this festive season.

A recent study by the manufacturer found around two thirds, or a whopping 21.4million drivers, have forgotten where they parked their car at some point.

Just over one in three claimed they do it once a month, while five per cent struggle with the problem on a weekly basis.

And drivers are wasting hours each year searching for lost vehicles.

The average motorists spends 10 minutes looking for their car, working out at more than an hour each year per driver.

Collectively, Brits spend up to 35million hours each year at a loss when it comes to locating their motor.

Arun Prasad, passenger car category manager at Nissan Motor GB, said: “In-car connectivity and smartphone apps let drivers use simple and accessible technology to mitigate against some of the everyday pitfalls of motoring – such as forgetting where you parked your car.

“Through Nissan Intelligent Mobility – our vision for the future of motoring – we’re changing the way we interact with our vehicles to benefit customer lives.

"Helping drivers easily locate their car is just one of the many benefits under our Intelligent Integration strategy.”