My wife has retired her 2015 RAV4 and, as a Toyota-for-lifer, she has replaced it with a Lexus NX 250. Until a recent trip to Austin, I had only driven the NX by myself, and just a mile or so to the car wash. As I got hours of seat time on this trip to Austin with my wife, I learned there is a no-armrest rule. As in, I mustn’t use the armrest to rest my arm. Because I might dent it.
As you can imagine, a four-hour highway sesh without being able to assume my signature road-trip position – slouched heavily to the right, really enjoying the armrest, right hand hanging over the console while my left is hooked over the wheel at the 12 o’clock position – was quite uncomfortable.
I suffered along with both hands on the wheel like some kind of safety nerd, and recalled I’m supposed to have my hands at the three and nine positions clockface-wise, which I do not like. I’m a two-and-ten guy, and yes, I know about the airbag and why you don’t want to have your arms at two and ten, but sorry, I just can’t. I’m old and untrainable.
As for how I drape the rest of my frame on the driver’s seat and pedals, I think I’m pretty standard. The seatback isn’t particularly laid back or bolt upright, and my left foot rides the dead pedal. On long drives, I might pull that left foot back close to the seat.
I don’t tend to notice many others’ driving positions when I’m on the road, but there are two weird modes that stand out, and when I spot them, it’s always the youths assuming the positions in question. The first is “driver somehow in the middle of the car.” How is the driver’s head perfectly aligned with the CHMSL? Or even slightly to the right of it? I’m behind an Altima, not a McLaren F1! Like, I may lean a little rightward when I drive (I’m on the armrest, remember), but I remain fully within the confines of the left side of the cabin.
The other mind-boggler is the “10G liftoff position,” wherein the driver is fully reclined or close to it, seat pushed all the way back, so at most all you can see is the top of his head, which is well past the B-pillar. How do they reach the wheel? How is that comfortable? I tried it, it’s awful!
Anyway …
What’s Your Favorite Driving Position?
Top graphic image: Nissan
As a taller fellow, the ideal driving position is not always possible. But given the choice, this is what I do (in order of importance):
Arms bent, steering wheel relatively close. Hands are slightly above 9 & 3 (in most cars, that means my thumbs rest above the spokes of the steering wheel).Back upright (seat back set at maybe 10-15 degrees (?) back).Ideally, put the seat low down to the floor with my legs mostly straight, but sitting higher up like in a van or something with my legs bent is fine too.Finer details:
Two things that my dad drilled into me was to set your mirrors correctly so that you can actually see what’s behind and beside you, and if you’re backing up, turn yourself around and actually look behind you. Yes, you can trust the mirrors, but depth perception and a full field of view are so much better. Backup cameras and blindspot monitors are complicated solutions to very simple problems.Outside arm resting on the window sill (my current car forces me to use the armrest because the door lock sits right where I want to put my elbow). Again, I’m tall, so that probably explains that. Hand is virtually always on the wheel.Inside arm resting on the armrest/center console (assuming there is one). Hand can be on the wheel, on the shifter, messing with the radio or climate controls, doing nothing in particular…Left foot kinda just does whatever is comfortable. Could be on the dead pedal, flopped sideways on the floor, stretched out behind the brake pedal (I don’t recommend that, but you gotta do what you gotta do), or sometimes I’ll trade with the right and use it to run the accelerator (again, questionable practice). The presence of a clutch pedal doesn’t make much difference, as I don’t rest my foot on the clutch pedal.
Ah, that’s neat. The formatting just disappeared and turned my organized list into a wall of text. And now it’s too late to edit it. Great.
Depends on the vehicle. My goal is to center my vision in the upper 3rd of the open view I have out front. Is it designed for the vertically challenged, requiring leaning the seat back to have an inch or two between the scalp and whatever is overhead? Or can I sit up relatively straight and drive. Then that’s what the seating situation becomes to drive certain vehicles, Putting an elbow and forearm on an armrest depends on ir’s height, most times it takes that subtle lean, either left or right.
Every day I am amazed at how low some people’s eyes are relative to their car. sometimes I’m sitting in traffic and can barely see the person behind me’s eyes over their steering wheel. How do people drive like that???
For me personally- seat all the way down, set fwd/back relative to pedals, set angle to what’s comfortable (head often right next to the seat belt guide-dont get t-boned!), front of seat up until comfortable, telescoping steering all the way extended. Tilt column so that my hands clear my legs.
I often have to tilt forward a little to feel a comfortable distance from the steering wheel and shifter. This will put me in a pretty upright position. I do not understand why because I have like a +3 ape index.
And then spend YEARS struggling with the lumbar support. I don’t understand how to adjust it. Maybe it doesn’t go high enough on my cars that have it?
Ugh, thanks for reminding me of lumbar. Yeah, it’s always too low. Like I want it to support my lower-mid back, not try to give me a hernia.
Peter, I haven’t even read the whole article yet, but ‘I’m old and untrainable’ deserves to be on a Autopian t-shirt. I’ll upgrade my membership if that’s an incentive. Ok, got to read the rest…
Also an old git who refuses to not drive with the correct 10 and 2 hand position on the wheel. I am not worried about the airbag. Seat relatively upright, spaced properly from the wheel such that an extended arm’s wrist rests naturally on the top of the wheel. Though that said, in many cars I end up a bit closer to the wheel than is ideal because while I am quite tall at 6’2″, I have a massively long torso and arms and little short legs – 29″ inseam. So proper pedal operation often means compromising my arm position. I am basically built like a silverback gorilla. My Mercedes has enough in and out adjustment of the wheel for a good driving position, my BMWs I need to be too close to the wheel in order to be able to properly use the clutch. Mildly annoying. I fit PERFECTLY in old Italian cars though.
I too don’t get the various variations on the “gangsta lean” either to the side or the fully reclined driving situation. No way to properly control a car either way, and inevitable the cars seen with drivers like that are banged up. And hilariously often examples of Big Altima Energy.
Current truck is the first one I’ve had with an airbag, while I may fix the A/C at some point I do not plan to adjust my steering wheel habits.
Upright and far enough forward I can see where the hood ends.
This is far enough forward that my old mechanic who was short and squat would complain when he got into the driver’s seat of whatever I was driving, because it was too cramped for him, meanwhile I’m 6ft…
One car I hate driving are Subaru SVXs, to sit the way I want to I feel like there was a mix up and I’m at the Gynecologist in the chair, which is not comfortable for anyone, let alone a man, because the steering wheel goes between your god damn legs when it’s tilted into the driving position.
I sat in an early Mustang driving seat, and the seat position put my legs about straight out with my behind nearly deck level. Horrible seating position, thus my reason for not liking Mustangs.
Funny enough, that sounds like exactly the sort of seating position I like.
Imbalance, thus the reason for the added padding on the door-side armrest to bring it up to be level with the center console armrest in my 2020 AWD Prius. Fortunately our 2025 Rav4 has balanced armrests. Otherwise I alternate between one hand on the wheel or the other. Whenever something needs full attention (intersections, traffic, passing, etc.) both hands are on the wheel at the position that is comfortable, usually between 9-3 and 10-2.
I’m 6’3″ and drive a subcompact crossover, so the seat’s always all the way back or at least almost so. I, too, favor the center armrest. This is because the door one is too far up, and if I try to put my elbow out the window, the b pillar is, as well. Whatever. I also like to drive barefoot, and I have to stretch out due to my sciatica, so, if I’m using ACC, my feet might actually be above and beyond the pedals, just not, you know, too far from the brake. Reclined a bit more than normal, but not “zero-g”. Oh, and I don’t feel “airbag safe” enough, with 3 and 9, so I’ll just take one hand at 6, thanks.
The Miata position. Knees bent and slightly splayed, chest a bit closer to the steering wheel than you might be used to, seatback fairly upright but not sitting up bolt-straight. This gives a comfortable bend at the elbow and my hands naturally fall at 9 and 3. I discovered it when I bought my NA (the dimensions of the cabin dictate the driving position, which happens to be perfect for my 5’10” height) and have adjusted the seating in my other cars accordingly.
I sit in the Miata position in my Miata. When I drive it a lot and then go drive a different car I have to resist the urge to assume the Miata position. It is not very comfortable for more than a few hours with my 6’3″ body, but wow is it a great reference if you’re trying to set up for an autocross or something.
Sounds remarkably like the position that works for me in my Mazda3, although I dial in one notch more recline. I’m also 5’10”, so maybe that has something to do with it. I tried on a Miata that was in the dealer showroom the last time I was there, and found that I just fit (the phrase “like a glove” came to mind), but I had to sit ever so slightly more upright than I’m used to.
Similar to Peter, I’ll alternate resting my left foot between the dead pedal and close to the seat (I did this even in the halcyon days of owning a manual). I usually keep both hands on the wheel, but on rare occasions, I’ll rest one arm or the other on an armrest. I never move to the 12 o’clock hand position though. Bad things can happen too fast to have to reposition that hand while grabbing 3 or 9 o’clock with the other.
Tesla FSD style…asleep in the back seat.
I sure hope not, seeing as how FSD is anything but. . . and how is that not deceptive advertising, btw?
I like to have my legs stretched out a bit in front of me, instead of straight down like a bar stool, back reclined very slightly. Really don’t find high, upright seating positions all that comfortable, though I guess it depends more on the seat itself.
Seat all the way down and back. Seat back fairly upright. At 6’5” with equal legs and body I still don’t have enough leg room or foot room in my current cars. My early 70’s 240z and corvette and 03 corvette are the only cars that I found confortable to drive. My kid does the gangsta launch position which IMO looks affected, stupid and uncomfortable, but I’m an old guy so who ever listens to me. Wheel at 9 and 3 like I was taught when I learned to autocross.
I actually hold the wheel closer to 4 and 8, I’d say.
Really, the big thing for me is something I’ve never seen an ad mention or single out, and it was absolutely one of my favorite unwritten features of my old conversion van:
With your elbow comfortably on the right armrest, you could have your right hand at exactly the right position on the wheel (roughly 3-4). In my Prius, the elbow tends to go in my lap if I’m in lazy traffic. It’s not the same.
So in my Prius v, I’m basically centered in my seat and use both hands or alternate depending on traffic, previous knowledge of the area, etc., but in my van I definitely had a bit of a leaning-right bias.
Separately, I loved the high seating in the van, too. Less “cockpit” and more “sitting at a table,” almost.
Gently reclining,a glass of the good stuff in one hand whilst both entertaining and being entertained by a delightful companion. Driving is overated as a pastime.
This is the “favorite driving position” article. The “favorite dogging position” article is coming tomorrow.
Apparently you’re “The Continental” in the Continental.
I prefer to drive from the trunk, with a video feed, to be like those hero drivers in The Muppet Movie.
I need you to post a picture I imagine you either with a backwards facing ball cap or a man bun depending on your age. Frankly I prefer a slightly reclining face forward two hands on the wheel like professionally paid drivers do as opposed to your average drug dealers or wannabe rappers trying to look cool.
The trick for me is I need a lot of reach adjustment. I have crazy long legs and only slightly long arms so I need a wheel that comes all the way out to me or I suffer…
After multiple back surgeries, I’ve adopted a relatively upright position, lower back bolster fully extended where available. Hands alternate between 9 and 3 if conditions are dicy/there are curves, or left hand at 6:00 right hand in my lap. Once cruise is set, my feet are typically crossed in the well between the seat and the pedals – full extension (e.g. actively working the pedals) is an invitation for sciatica.
Lumbar disc herniation sucks.
In town, NASCAR style – as close to the wheel as safety allows, near vertical seatback – to maximize my handling responsiveness.
But my wheel holding style is often pure Italian – 8 and 4.
That’s very close to what I do as well, except that I tend to do the left hand at 12 o’clock thing, especially in my truck (no airbag). But yeah, very upright and close to the wheel. This has the strange side effect of me not having to move the seat in my wife’s car to drive it, despite a nine-inch difference in our heights.
Seat to the floor
Slide all the way back
And seat back near-vertical.
The vertical seat back offers best visibility to see ahead of the B-pillar, but at the expense of not fitting into a great many cars. I also feel like I can more easily stay in control if I have to quickly turn the car harder than expected.
Somewhat upright with the seat on the higher side of its adjustment as legs splayed never felt comfortable and I don’t like sitting low vs. the cowl/beltline. Not too reclined as it never felt natural to my back even when I got cars with telescoping wheels. Sometimes I see my seat position as I approach the car and it looks awfully upright, but it feels natural. As mentioned elsewhere in the comments I realized relatively recently how I’d sit differently in a manual vs. auto due to the clutch.
Often have the left elbow resting on the windowsill when cruising, left hand around 9/10 o’clock on the wheel. My dad is the same way to the extent his elbow has molded a dimple in the soft plastic over time in at least one car.
Depends on how long the trip is as longer times require moving a bit, but mostly, I recline it a bit, but nowhere near as flat as the 5’4″ tire jockeys would return my car to me (I’m 5’11” and longer limbed). I like the wheel close, which usually means near the extent of travel with the seat bottom back a bit, but not so much that my legs are stretched out. Again, those short tire guys somehow move my car not only with a flat seat back, but with the seat at the full extent of rear travel where even I might have a hard time fully pressing the clutch (this is why I have 2 sets of wheels and drop the other set off when I get new tires). I sit a little higher than I prefer, but even my GR86 doesn’t go that low and the height helps to see. I can’t sit upright as it hurts my back, though I don’t have apparent back problems, so single cab pickups, vans, etc. and Miatas are no-gos for me for any time longer than an hour. If I do longer, I’ll want to run everyone ahead of me off the road so I can get to my destination sooner. With an old work E-250 with a cage restricting seat recline where I’d have to drive for more than an hour regularly, I’d end up moving the seat forward a little to recline a few degrees, then lean into the corner between the door and seat to drive with my left foot and have my right on top of the engine cover. Coworkers would marvel at how I could drive with my left foot, but it’s not really any different than driving with your right (maybe winning a gocart in a raffle as a kid had me adjust to it so readily, IDK, but I also left-foot braked my cars from the time I got my license). I marveled at how they could stand the seats.
As a young man, all my car seats only adjusted back or fourth. So I adjusted them where I could comfortably reach the pedals with my arms close enough to the wheel for leverage for when I had to hang on around a curve. Thus imprinted, I tend to adjust my seat that way now.
That is the only way. Except in Italian cars. I don’t understand them.
Italian cars are designed for Italians. Who tend to be a largely gorilla shaped bunch until you get to the North. Long torsos and arms, short legs. If you are built like that, as I am, you will find Italian cars delightful. If you are long of leg, good luck.
They tend to drive hands on the bottom of the wheel.
Commonly criticized, but they keep winning races, so there’s that.
Never been more comfortable than in anything Italian.
They definitely work for me too. Though best for me are French cars. Ooh la la!
I’ve ridden in French cars, but can’t recall driving one.
Watching the 1983 rally racing, Opels and Quattros!
I run the seat as high up as possible, and was far back as I can while still reaching the controls comfortably – and despite how the car wants them in that position (they automatically rise to their upper position when I have the seats so positioned) headrests all the way down.