Cars are getting too big, and there’s nothing you can do about it

If you go back 20 years or so, cars were a lot smaller than they are today. Since 2004 the Volkswagen Polo has grown by 17cm in length and 10cm in width, and the modern Mini has gained over 20cm in length over the past two decades.

The increase in size has made driving in the urban jungle quite stressful, with width restrictors and tight parking spaces becoming harder to navigate. To find out just how hard, we’ve hit the streets in a 2003 BMW M3 and a 2024 BMW M4, and we’ll be comparing them side by side over a series of city driving challenges.

Why are cars getting bigger?

There’s no denying that cars keep getting bigger. The 2003 M3 we’re using for this test is 4.5 metres long and 1.8 metres wide, while the new M4 is around 30cm longer and 10cm wider.

But why is this? Well part of the reason is performance. The new M4 needs a beefed-up chassis and a stronger gearbox to cope with the additional 190hp it has over the old M3. But it isn’t just high-performance cars which have grown over the years, mainstream models have as well. James Nix from the Transport and Environment Group told Carwow that there’s a surprising reason for this.

He said: “It’s very much profit-driven. We’ve seen that across a whole series of studies that margins on large SUVs are somewhere in the region of 40 to 60% higher than they are on smaller cars.

“Companies are chasing these higher margins that they’re securing on large SUVs and they frankly don’t care that the motorist is getting boxed in or out of their car.”

Safety also plays a part in the growth of modern cars, although not as big of a part as you may think; as Matthew Avery, Strategic Development Director at Euro NCAP explains.

Speaking to Carwow, he said: “I certainly think that there’s something to do with a vehicle’s mass and its ability to protect its occupants. Metal around you makes a difference.

“However I would say that a vehicle’s size is much more of a fashion piece around manufacturers wanting to show that their next model is more commodious than the last.”

So are there actually any benefits to cars getting bigger other than looks and interior space? Well Avery told us that a larger car will do a better job of protecting passengers in a crash, but there is a caveat.

He told us: “It’s just physics that a heavier car can protect its occupants more than a lighter car, but of course if every vehicle gets heavier you get no advantage.”

How does this affect me?

If you live in the city, the size of your car can play a big part in how stressful it is to drive. During our day driving the two BMWs around central London we faced tight multi-story car parks, evil width restrictors and the tightest street in the city, and the Carwow swear-o-metre reveals that the M4 was by far the most stressful car to drive.

We counted every curse word uttered by our own Mat Watson during the tests, and in the M3 he swore just once, whereas in the M4 it was 15 times in total. You can see the perilous situations he got himself into in the video below.

The new car’s only saving grace here was its suite of cameras and sensors. Without the 360-degree camera system we would’ve bailed out of a few challenges, most of them parking related.

The size of parking spaces is a real issue in London because, while cars have got bigger, spaces haven’t grown in decades. The minimum width of a UK on-street parking space is 1.8 meters, which is exactly the same width of the old M3 and 10cm narrower than the M4.

And spaces aren’t going to grow anytime soon, because they can’t really. A lot of London’s streets are centuries old and they weren’t designed with massive SUVs and sports cars in mind. So you’ll either have to get better at parking, or pay out for a car which can do it for you.

Can I get a ticket if my car is too big for a parking space?

This was another issue we saw a lot during our day out in London – cars which were spilling over the lines because they simply don’t fit in a parking space. The question is, can you be slapped with a fine for this?

Well according to Isacc Occhipinti from the British Parking Association, yes you can. He said: “You can be given a penalty charge notice if your car is too big for the designated bay you’ve parked it in, especially if it’s causing an obstruction to the highway.

“A civil enforcement officer will assess your vehicle as to how it is parked, and if they believe it is causing some form of obstruction, either to someone’s access or to the road, they may issue you with a penalty charge notice.

“They are obliged to use a degree of common sense, so if your car is deemed to be parked within the bay you should be okay. But if you’re buying a car and you know it’s going to be too wide for most parking spaces in the UK then you are going to have to do your research as to where you can park.”

So essentially as long as you make every effort to get as close to the curb as possible, you should be able to avoid a parking ticket as long as you’re not blocking the road or someone’s driveway.

Should I consider buying a smaller car?

If you live in a built-up area, buying a smaller car could be a wise decision. As we found during our time in London, navigating multi-storey car parks and width restrictors is much less of a hassle in a smaller car.

You don’t even have to compromise on comfort or luxury by downsizing. The Lexus LBX is compact in size but super relaxing for long-distance cruises, and the Mini Cooper Electric is a properly premium product in a dinky package. You can compare our small cars here to see if anything tickles your fancy, and save yourself some cash in the process.
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