Is it a lot harder to drive a "bigger" i.e longer car?

[Borelis]

I've only ever had one car (which is the size of a mini cooper) and really like the model types such as toyota prius (won't be able to afford this) or a honda civic (quite a bit cheaper so affordable).

As far as I can tell, the only difference will be in parking, right? In driving the length of the car wouldn't make much different I'd imagine.

So, I'm not great at parking at all and worried when getting out of tight spaces (in bay parking), I'd bump into cars in the bays behind me when exiting a bay by reversing out. (it always feels like a tight squeeze coming out even with my tiny car and the steering on full lock).

Also, are cars like honda civic a little wider too? So I'll need to get used to positioning my car differently on the road when driving to avoid scraping car side mirrors on cars beside me?

I’d class a civic as a medium sized car. Not much wider than a mini. Can you test drive one and get a feel for it? They often come with rear cameras that can help.

Then I’d suggest practising parking in an empty area of a car park until you feel really comfortable (regardless of car)

Judging by the difficulty the people driving bigger cars had getting into any car parking space at asda this morning you won't be alone!

Personally there is only minimal difference between a mini and a civic. You only really notice a difference with a 4x4 or larger.

It's all about what you are used to TBH. Yes a longer car will usually be a bit wider too, but you will soon learn where your car's edges are.

If parking is a problem (which it sounds as if it may be even in your smaller car) then I'd suggest some intensive practice and perhaps book a one-off driving lesson. There are lots of tips and tricks about where your car should be in relation to another car before you start to reverse in, watching the back left hand corner of your car etc.

Better still of course if you can buy a car with a reversing camera!

It'll only make a difference in parking.

If you had a modern mini cooper, both the other cars you mention are actually slightly narrower and only a touch longer - the cooper is fecking enormous.

All modernish cars will be bedecked with parking sensors, maybe reversing or even overhead cameras (not a real camera, made up from corner cameras).

Of course, you should learn to park - go out on a sunday after the supermarkets shut and go reverse-parking practice into empty spaces until you're good at it, then graduate to spaces with a kerb or two, then the space by the trolley parks. Just don't stay longer than 2-3 hours or Parking Eye will send you a bill.

I've recently gotten a Peugeot estate car and thought it'd be impossible for me to drive but it's been fine! Reverse Parking assistance beeping thingy helps but I think I'm probably just more aware or something and haven't had any issues at all so far

I tried driving a 4 by 4 and found visibility to be the main problem for me. ie the need to look further back than a smaller car. I didn’t like it personally and a lot of drivers I know don’t even check their blindspots in a 4 by 4 and instead use the mirrors only like the irresponsible idiots they are.

I have a Toyota estate and it took a little while to get used to but is fine now. It does have a reversing camera though which helps hugely and I wouldn’t be without.

It all depends on the car and how comfortable you feel with it.

I went from driving a 3 door corsa to a Mercedes estate and never looked back, the Mercedes was a total dream. However I have had a different type of Mercedes as a hire car and hated it.

Take a test drive and see how you get on.

I would probably notice it because I do when I drive DH's bigger car, maybe get one with beepers and/or a camera for parking.

I drive a Volvo XC90, beforehand I was driving a bmw 118. Quite a difference in size! I got used to it really quickly and have no trouble parking-the reversing camera and sensors are admittedly very helpful.

Get one with parking sensors. They beep in plenty of time for you to stop.

I drive a Ford Expedition EL, it’s nearly 6m long and 2m wide. I would class it as a large SUV, but I find it pretty easy to drive and park.

I've never had any trouble with a longer car (think VW Beetle to Volvo estate). What has always given me grief is driving a wider car! Until I've go used to the new, wider, one, I'm all over the place and reversing down our drive takes forever.

I've been driving since 1981 and I much prefer driving smaller cars, although I have driven all sorts in the course of my work. I hate driving and reversing dh's estate car, find my little hyundai a doddle in comparison. But then I do live in London and spend my life pulling over for a constant stream of ridiculously sized SUVs and having a small light car is handy for that.

I went the opposite way from a big car to a small car and I marvelled at how easy to drive it was because it fit everywhere. Going from small to big is going to be a shock to the system, especially if you are bad at parking. Can you get an instructor to teach you how to park? Shortly after passing my test I scraped the entire side of the car on a pillar in a carpark because I was parking front end first. I learned to reverse park very quickly after that.

Thanks everyone so far... seems a lot of of the honda civics I'm looking at don't have parking sensors mentioned (I'm mainly looking around ~2009 for affordability reasons).. is it more in cars newer than that, I wonder?

I think the turning circle is more important than the length. I drive a Prius Plus, which doesn’t have a tight turn. My previous car, a Citroen Grand Picasso turned much better.

As an 18 yr old, I learnt to drive in a ridiculous ancient Vauxhall Victor. It had a heavy clutch and felt huge. I'm 5 foot 3 and I remember my left ankle aching a lot after a driving lesson. However, it meant that I've never worried about not being able to drive and park large cars and vans. Honestly, rather than avoiding buying a larger car, buy what you want and just keep practicing driving around and parking it. If you can park a small car, you can park a massive car. It's all about using the correct technique inc. using your mirrors.
Watch the Advanced Motoring videos on youtube for good techniques to copy.

Huge difference in horse power, overtaking, between small & even a little bit bigger cars.
Different cars hug the road very differently (thinking of twisty turning roads). Different clutch bite points, etc.

The length of a car isnt a problem, but the width can be if you are driving down country lanes /through old towns with narrow roads, just need to be more aware of your corners and position in the road.

Also its easier to speed in a more powerful car, so be aware of that. Bigger cars are often quieter so you cant judge your speed off the engine noise in the same way.

Practice parking it a bit.

I have just changed from a corsa to A meriva and even parking is much easier in the meriva strangely. (Only 6 months difference in age so nothing to do with that)

My car is tiny and my husband’s is a massive estate. The only thing that’s more difficult is parking in tight spaces

I drove my husband's Merc which is a long saloon and found it really easy! I was used to driving small cars like KA/Fiat500.

I've upgraded to a larger 7 seater from a mid-size car of the same make and found it surprisingly easy to adjust to. The parking sensors make a big difference for depth which is where I struggle rather than width.

DH has always had larger cars and I've been fine for straight driving down the motorway, but not my favourite for urban driving. A lot of that is that they are often poorly designed for short drivers. Sitting very far forward means that the structural columns are often badly placed for obstructing blind spots. Getting a large car with a good driving position and quite open views has made a world of difference.