Wider cars mean squeeze for drivers – study

DRIVERS are struggling to get in and out of parked cars because of the increasing size of their vehicles, according to a new study.

Many manufacturers have increased the width of vehicles despite the size of most UK car park spaces being based on guidelines dating back to the 1970s, research by Churchill Motor Insurance found.

Analysis of 10 popular family car models revealed their average width has increased from 168cm when they were first launched to 180cm.

Guidelines issued by the British Parking Association recommend that spaces are 240cm wide, meaning there is typically just 30cm between each side of a parked car and the edge of a bay.

The study found the width of a Ford Fiesta has increased from 155cm, when it was first introduced, to 174cm.

Other expanding cars include the Vauxhall Corsa (up 24cm to 177cm), the Nissan Qashqai (up 6cm to 184cm) and the Hyundai Tucson (up 4cm to 187cm).

Two out of five (40%) respondents to a survey commissioned by Churchill Motor Insurance said they have to squeeze themselves into their car when parked next to another vehicle at least once a month.

Some 22% claimed they have resorted to climbing into their car via the boot on at least one occasion.

Nearly a third (32%) of those questioned said they drive a bigger vehicle than five years ago.

Nicholas Mantel, head of Churchill Motor Insurance, said: “Ask almost any driver and they will have a story about having to creatively escape their car due to a lack of space when in a car park, even crawling out through the boot. Widening cars combined with parking bays that haven’t been redesigned to accommodate today’s models means motorists all over the country are at risk of damaging their cars, through no fault of their own.”

The survey of 2,000 UK adults was conducted by research company Opinium in January.