Bigger cars make for a nation of roadhogs
Popularity of SUVS driving surge in larger vehicles as transport chief warns of trouble round the bend
NEW cars are growing wider by 1cm every two years, according to a new report, raising fears that drivers are struggling to fit into parking spaces.
The average vehicle is now more than 180cm, having grown by 0.5cm every year since 2001 when a little over 170cm was the norm.
For decades, most on-road parallel parking bays have been 180cm in width, meaning that new cars are increasingly spilling over the boundaries.
Transport and Environment, a campaign group that assessed new registrations across the EU and the UK, warned that the trend for bigger vehicles could pose problems on the road.
Richard Hebditch, its UK director, said: “As cars get a bit bigger they squeeze out space for other vehicles, as well as causing problems around things like parking as well.
“Vehicles which exceed their parking bay take space from those using the footpath, from vehicles moving along the road, or from both the footpath and the road.”
The popularity of big sport utility vehicles (SUVS) is helping to drive the surge in larger vehicles, the report found. They make up some of the widest cars on the market today, particularly the hybrid-electric BMW XM, which measures in at 200.5cm, and the Range Rover Sport at 199cm.
By contrast, the latest Volkswagen
Golf is about 180cm wide, excluding wing mirrors.
Mr Hebditch suggested that comfort was a major factor among SUV drivers, saying: “You can cut yourself off from the world around you when you’re in your SUV. If you’re stuck in traffic, you’ve got your own living room.”
Parallel parking bays in the UK and continental Europe have remained the same size for decades despite demands for them to keep up with growing vehicles. In the 1970s, the Chartered Institute of Highways and Transportation set 180cm wide and 4.8m in length as the minimum for an on-road parking space, with the measure being adopted as a de facto standard across the continent.
While the minimum length was relaxed by the Department for Transport in 2016, guidance surrounding a space’s width remained the same, with a circular issued that year saying: “Whilst a minimum width of 1.8m is specified, there is no longer a maximum width, nor a minimum or maximum length.”
It continued: “The intention is to allow traffic authorities flexibility in determining the bay or parking space size appropriate both for the intended vehicle type and the surrounding street environment.”
In 2022, the British Parking Association
said that bays should be 260cm wide. A spokesman for the association said at the time: “Larger parking bays will make it easier for everyone to navigate into and out of spaces, and reduce the risk of damage to other vehicles when opening doors.”
Figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders showed the Ford Puma, Nissan Qashqai and Kia Sportage – all SUVS – were among the most popular cars sold during 2023.
Chris Longmore, a car designer at Drive Design, has previously said road safety laws are partly responsible for the growth in the size of new cars.
Speaking to The Telegraph last year, he said: “Think back to the Peugeot 106 [1991-2003] – there was hardly anything in the doors. Now legislation dictates there has to be a certain amount of material in doors to prevent injury from side impacts.”