Getting help squeezing into a tight spot and coming to a stop quickly and safely are the areas that car buyers want to know the most about when looking for a new car.

According to the results of a recent study by Maritz Research into European vehicle preferences, the new vehicle technologies that Britons find most appealing are those designed to make driving easier.

Almost two thirds (61%) of British respondents said they would consider parking sensors an attractive option when choosing their next vehicle.

However, it appears British women have even less faith in their parking ability than men. Two out of five (41%) female respondents were interested in going even one step further and considering a car that did the job for them by parallel parking automatically. Just less than a third (32%) of men considered this option appealing.

Top of the list of features for Britons was a braking assistance system, which increases brake power when braking hard. Close to three quarters (74%) of male respondents and over two thirds (65%) of female respondents admitted they would like this feature in their next vehicle.

In comparison to the desire for safety-related upgrades, new music and computer technology fared poorly. MP3 hard disk space (37%), passenger DVD entertainment systems (27%) and in-vehicle Internet access (20%) all failed to draw interest from the majority of respondents.