Millions of SUVs labelled 'too big' for UK roads could face higher taxes

Researchers at the campaign network Clean Cities found that large SUVs are becoming more popular despite being too wide or long for typical urban parking spaces, with growing calls for higher charges for owners of popular vehicles.

Since 2021, a staggering 4.6 million cars have been sold in the UK that exceed the dimensions of a typical urban car parking space. Last year marked a record high, with 1,213,385 cars wider than 1.8 metres sold in 2024 alone.

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Clean Cities defined large SUVs as vehicles either more than 1.8 metres wide or 4.8 metres long with the average UK parking space typically 2.4 meters wide by 4.8 meters long.

These oversized vehicles pose multiple problems beyond parking difficulties, the campaign group warned, with them more likely to cause fatal incidents due to their weight and tall front ends.

Large SUVs also emit more pollution than smaller cars, pumping additional toxic gases into the air, with the campaign group suggesting they face higher Vehicle Excise Duty charges to compensate.

The vehicles have also been found to cause increased damage to road surfaces, contributing to the UK pothole problem.

A recent UK academic paper claimed heavier cars were more likely to be involved in fatal collisions, suggesting that reducing car weight could mitigate both the severity and frequency of accidents.

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 that you should expect to pay more for the space it takes up."

Some cities have already begun implementing size-based parking charges. Paris has introduced a scheme where SUV drivers pay triple the amount compared to those with regular cars.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan also indicated his support for similar measures in the capital, while Bath and Islington councils have also introduced comparable schemes to discourage oversized vehicles.

The AA has reported having to modify its roadside recovery equipment to cope with increasingly heavy and wide vehicles, with the situation getting "progressively worse".

Harriet Edwards, a parent from Sutton told The Guardian: "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."

Green party peer Jenny Jones recently launched a cross-party anti-SUV alliance in the House of Lords. "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," she explained.

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She shared: "I like what Paris has done to discourage their use, by charging the largest cars as much as three times more to park. The government should encourage other councils to replicate these efforts."

Jones added that SUVs "feel safer to drive but are much less safe for any pedestrians and cyclists they collide with."