SUVs are the most popular type of vehicle in Britain, with new models outselling traditional hatchback and saloon cars for the last two years, according to research. More than half of all models in UK car showrooms today are either SUV or jacked-up crossover cars. The average width of new cars sold in Britain increases, on average, by a centimetre every two years.
3cm from door to door. Transport & Environment dubs some SUVs as 'mega SUVs', which are 200cm wide on average. Some of the world's largest SUV models are becoming available to UK drivers for the first time.
Huge cars were once associated with the USA, but car spreading is alive and well in the UK.
Cars like the Cadillac Escalade and GMC Yukon are almost six metres in length, making them more than a metre longer than a conventional car park space. The growth of the SUV market has been blamed for a surge in 'car spreading' in recent years. ' One in three people believe SUVs are more dangerous to pedestrians and cyclists than smaller vehicles, according to IAM RoadSmart research.
A fifth of UK motorists would support a ban on SUVs entering city centres, an IAM RoadSmart poll found. One think tank is calling for SUVs to be stung with a 'large vehicle tax' to encourage car buyers to consider smaller vehicle options. Funds raised from the levy should be pumped into a 'social leasing' scheme that offers to subsidise the cost of running a new electric vehicle for low-income families, the think tank stated.
Many drivers will have noticed that fitting a car into a space has become tighter compared to 20 years ago and may also hold their breath if they see a large oncoming SUV on a narrow country road.
Motors of all body shapes have increased in dimension to meet stricter safety regulations and in the pursuit of better crash protection.