Correct sentence

Given that Present Perfect Continuous is used for a recently finished activity, whose results are evident in the present (in your example: I am late), I consider the second one correct.

I am sorry I am late, but I was parking the car.

Enoon, would you bother to justify your answer? I would like to know the grammar rule that applies here.

SilenaEnoon, would you bother to justify your answer? I would like to know the grammar rule that applies here.

I figured you'd call me on that. I am no grammarian, but I'll try.

My justification is that as a native speaker I would never say the other one. That is the only thing wrong with the progressive here. Your criterion is correct, but it gives a

Thanks for your response, but I am still trying to figure out why I the rule I based my answer on does apply in that sentence. Some typical examples that come to my mind are the following:

-"Your eyes are red. Have you been crying?"
-"You look exhausted. Have you been working all day?"

As I see it now, in those examples, the results seem as natural consequences of the activit

Silenawhy I the rule I based my answer on does apply in that sentence

Let me correct myself: why the rule I based my answer on does not apply in that sentence.

Both are acceptable. if you either add the 'but' to the second sentence or change the comma to a semi-colon.

The speaker sees the parking as a past activity in the first sentence, and as a past activity having an effect on present time in the second. In practice there is virtually no difference in meaning.

Justified answers are so much needed here. Thank you, fivejedjon.

SilenaJustified answers are so much needed here.

But you got two different answers. The "justified" one is not always going to be the correct one. I stand by my instinctive answer that the progressive is unnatural or at least unlikely in this context, sounding as it does like the over-use characteristic of Indian English.

enoon I stand by my instinctive answer that the progressive is unnatural or at least unlikely in this context, sounding as it does like the over-use characteristic of Indian English.

It is not unnatural in my variety of British English.