More than 1m cars too big to fit in parking spaces are being sold in the UK each year, and numbers are growing, research has found.
A trend for cars bigger than the average urban parking space means new vehicles are outgrowing towns and cities.
Researchers at the campaign network Clean Cities found that, since 2021, 4.6m cars have been sold in the UK that are bigger than a typical urban car parking space.
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Larger cars are more deadly in crashes than smaller ones, as they weigh more and have tall front ends that trap victims beneath them instead of knocking them to the side. They also pump more toxic gases into the air.
Oliver Lord, the UK head of Clean Cities, said: “Cars are getting bigger every year – while our streets are not. We need carmakers to prioritise normal-sized cars that can be parked more easily and are less dangerous to people walking around. It’s only fair if you want to buy a massive SUV [sports utility vehicle] that you should expect to pay more for the space it takes up.”
Large SUVs, which are either more than 1.8 metres wide or 4.8 metres long, are becoming more popular despite being too big for most parking spaces, causing more potholes and posing more of a danger to the public. In 2024, a record 1,213,385 cars wider than 1.8 metres were sold.
Some cities are clamping down on cars that take up too much space. Paris has introduced specific parking charges for SUVs, which mean drivers paying triple the amount of those driving regular cars. The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has indicated his support for such schemes.
The Clean Cities campaigners are also calling for more charges on SUVs to reflect the space they take up and the damage to roads and environments they cause.
Harriet Edwards, a parent from Sutton, said: “It’s not just the added stress of not being able to find somewhere to park, it’s the sense that if I’m involved in a collision with one of these giant SUVs, that me and my family are far more likely to be seriously hurt or killed. If you cause more danger, create more potholes and take up more parking space, it’s only fair that you pay a little bit more.”
The Green party peer Jenny Jones last week launched a cross-party anti-SUV alliance in the House of Lords. She said: “Sales of SUVs have leapt up in the last two decades, yet many urban streets and car parking bays are simply too small to accommodate the increasing girth of these vehicles.
“I like what Paris has done to discourage their use, by charging the largest cars as much as three times more to park. In the UK, Bath and Islington councils have introduced similar measures. The government should encourage other councils to replicate these efforts. SUVs pollute and are often owned and driven by wealthier citizens at the expense of those in less wealthy areas. They feel safer to drive, but are much less safe for any pedestrians and cyclists they collide with.”
