Why do people buy SUVs?

[MuskIsACnt]

I need a new car and I’ve always had a small car but it seems every other car now is an SUV, so I’m wondering why and whether I need one.

The boot space is often the same as smaller cars, they’re more expensive and arguably harder to park. Am I missing some great benefit that I should be considering? Or does driving a big car just make people feel big (I used to drive a Luton van and that made me feel big)?

This….no other reason!

We would all have a black box with GPS tracking your mileage.

You genuinely can’t think of any other reason someone would choose that type of car? Not one? It must all be vanity? Really?

No.
I have a 4x4 because I need it for my journey to work, which I do alone, very little traffic and it sits round the back of the school all day and in the garage at night- how is it a status symbol if people rarely see it?
If you asked anyone who knows us what car we have they’d say a fiat panda, because that’s the one that sits on the drive and we are always out and about in.
Mine is literally because I don’t want to end up in a ditch down some of the roads I have to use for work.

A Nissan Juke is classed as an SUV...there are at least 4 on my estate alone, I see them everywhere I go driven by ordinary people. I don't think they are driving them at status symbols...

That's not why I have one.

My old micra had a bigger boot than a Nissan Juke! 🤣

The Juke is terrible for boot space, I looked at one but quickly discounted it when I realised it wouldn't fit the pushchair. They are tiny!

18 pages of reasons why people have an SUV then you come along with your dimwit comment.

There’s this little issue called air pollution. It kills c40k people in the UK annually.

You’ll be grateful for Tesla’s then 😀

Yeah and Nuclear power is the perfect 👌 answer at the other end of the cable.

Yep exactly the same for us. 3 kids and I do a job which has lots of kit which has to fit in my boot as I work rurally. There were no feasible replacements for the zafira that weren’t SUV.

Assume it can’t be hacked in which case that’s a good idea.
Except it’s a bit more Big Brother

The best car I've ever driven in ice etc is a Nissan Pixo. Way better than you'd expect.

I live and work rurally. Lots of farm tracks. I was going to replace my car with a SUV as it seemed sensible, and also because its the body shape thats massively available....so I bought an MX5, aka The Menopause Mobile. And it's great! I'm just slower and gentler on rough tracks (or park and walk!).

Agree re air pollution though it’s not 40,000 OP unless stats have gone up since 2022
so let’s stop driving so much !

We would all have a black box with GPS tracking your mileage.

What about shared cars or when you borrow a car? We use our own cars but if DH used my car for 200 miles, I wouldn't want to be paying for his mileage. Not everyone has joint finances and parents don't want to be paying for grown children's miles. Is it monthly meaning you may not be able to afford that trip to the coast or spread over the year based on averages or the previous year?

If a black box is fitted the charge would be on the car and the owner of it.
Lifes admin isn’t up to the tax man and would be too expensive for hmrc to deal with. Sometimes we have to sort our own lives out I’m afraid

I would assume the easiest way to bill people would be once a year after use.

I don't believe EVs are the environmental answer we're looking for. And is there such a thing as an EV 4WD? If not, there's not a suitable one for my needs. Doesn't have to be a SUV but does need to be 4WD and fit 8 people.

Happy to be told if such a thing exists. When I bought my last car I wanted a hybrid. Seems like a good middle step. I couldn't find one that seated 8.

The shape/height of the front of smaller SUVs is no different to other popular cars. There's a website called carsized where you can compare.

For example, my current car vs my old one. The "safer for pedestrians" hatchback is pretty much the same at the front as the SUV.

Demonising all cars labelled as SUV is pointless. It's a broad category.

@Stirabout yes agree that life's admin isn't for the tax man but this would be a "problem" they are creating so they need to come up with a realistic solution. Also, they calculate our income tax based on earnings so there's no real difference in them calculating this. Calculating based on the years worth could be extortionate and unaffordable for some.

@PreferMyAnimals I don't think you'll find any normal car that seats 8 as that takes it into the next vehicle category and a standard licence wouldn't be able to drive it. What do you drive at the minute?

Teslas can be 4WD. Kia made a 7 seater, I think it's EV9. Most passenger cars are 7 seats max until you get into the van/minibus category.

Literally because it's the only type of car that fits three car seats in the back plus all the crap we need to go on holiday! I don't know what other choices there are when you have a bigger family? My runaround is a Yaris but we don't all fit in that! 🤷‍♀️

I’m assuming ( or maybe it’s wishful thinking ) that the amounts would be similar to the current vehicle tax we pay. Although they would be Higher for those who drive a lot more than average and lower for those who don’t.

I don’t see charging based on the black box mileage as a problem the tax man would be creating

I don't think anyone with children should be talking about anyone else's environmental impact 😂I'm pretty sure the legacy that is my three children will do much more long-term harm to the planet than my SUV.

There is so much hypocrisy on this thread.