More than half (59 percent) of UK car owners believe that SUVs are ‘not necessary’ for driving in towns and cities, according to a new survey.
The YouGov study, commissioned by the Clean Cities organisation, found that drivers were worried about the phenomenon of ‘carspreading’ in urban environments.
Carspreading is said to occur when modern SUVs are too large to fit inside parking bays designed for regular cars. This leads to the SUV ‘spreading’ beyond the space.
Almost three quarters (71 percent) of survey respondents agreed that SUVs make parking more difficult, with only 15 percent disagreeing.
SUVs for the concrete jungle
During 2024, sales of SUVs accounted for close to two thirds (62 percent) of new cars registered in the UK, up from 47 percent in 2020.
Clean Cities notes that previous research found that 75 percent of SUVs are sold to those living in urban areas.
Some 60 percent of those surveyed agreed with the statement that SUVs “are bought more as status symbols than for practical use”.
Last year, residents of Paris voted to triple the cost of parking for the heaviest SUVs entering the French capital. Even fully electric models are included in the tariffs, which took effect in October 2024.
Time for politicians to act?
Clean Cities now wants politicians in the UK to take similar measures, such as those suggested by the SUV Alliance campaign group. These include:
- Changes to Vehicle Excise Duty to tax SUVs and the heaviest and most polluting vehicles more when they are sold
- Setting a maximum size for new car sales from 2030 so that carmakers cannot sell vehicles too big for parking spaces
- Following the lead of Edinburgh City Council to introduce a tobacco-style ban on SUV advertising
- Mandate that carmakers must publish an ‘ecoscore’ for all new electric vehicles
- Allowing local authorities to introduce higher parking charges on SUVs and other heavier, more polluting vehicles
Oliver Lord, UK Head of Clean Cities, said: “Our cities face a double whammy of more cars and bigger cars. Carspreading doesn’t just affect parking, these supersized cars increase danger, congestion and pollution on our streets.
“City leaders must act now and stop carspreading before it’s too late. Even car owners want to see change.”
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