To wonder why we allow the sale of so many cars that don't fit a standard space?

[Bussesrus]

We are looking for a new car that will fit all 6 of us plus our dogs. Having looked at many options just about everything with a third row and boot space will hang over into another space by anything from .2 to nearly a meter. Where exactly are you meant to park these SUVs and vans?

The price to pay is bigger spaces = more land = more expensive supermarket = higher prices of products to recover cost of supermarket.

Those costs are borne by every user, not just the ones who want the bigger spaces.

There are some costs to accommodate people/families outside of the mean that are socialised. For example disabled people. These IMO are legitimate, because they do not happen by choice of the individual, and all of us can imagine how difficult it would be if they were a person born outside of the mean due to circumstances outside of their control.

There are other costs that in my opinion should not be socialised. They include costs to accommodate families who decide to have things like 100kg of dogs. That is a luxury, a lifestyle choice and is not something that should be borne by the general public. If people want that, fair enough, I am not going to argue with them it is their choice. But they shouldn't expect me to pay for it. And they should expect their are significant costs/problems associated with doing so.

https://etsc.eu/concerns-over-loopholes-allowing-american-pickup-trucks-to-bypass-safety-and-environmental-regulations/

Tell him that its a danger to children in particular.

If thats what he really wants do you want the social stigma

Pop them in a taxi.
I mean, are you really suggesting the entire country is redesigned in order to fit your family requirements??

These huge cars are becoming a real problem, car park spaces are not big enough and some owners can’t park properly and take up 2 spaces . I hope the government put a huge tax burden on these cars as they are damaging the environment too.

Not a big family, but a disability. I have had to trade my trusty Astra for a pretend SUV thing, for the height I need to get in/out of the car. I enjoy the new car, to be fair, but I feel slightly ridiculous in this much bigger than I need car, just so I can be higher up. To be fair, it is a small one, as SUVs go, but I am finding it tough to get in/out of in a standard space, because of width of spaces/cars.

Realistically, how often is the typical family of four taking two extra passengers along? Once a week? Once a month? Once a year?

The fact of the matter is that 4/5 seat cars are way more common than 6+ simply because 6+ seaters are in way less demand. The RAC's got a list of the top ten best-selling cars in the UK https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/buying-and-selling-guides/the-top-10-most-popular-cars-in-the-uk/ They're mostly small SUVs with a couple of small hatchbacks thrown in. Not one of them is anywhere close to a 6+ seater.

Unfortunately for you, you with your four kids and two dogs are outliers. You're a long way to the right of the bell curve of passenger car requirements. There's only so far we as a nation can go to accommodate those with unusual needs if it comes at significant cost to everyone else.

This is why they are bigger, externally.

If you ever get the chance, try sitting in a Mini (the original one) and then in a MINI (the BMW made newer one).

The old Mini has plenty of space in it - DH had one when we first met many decades ago. He's 6'4" and has been for all his adult life but he fitted in it perfectly fine.

The difference now is that doors are about 6" thick instead of maybe 2" at most on old cars, and they are far, far longer to accommodate crumple zones and pedestrian impact safety features.

Still, OP, you would never have been able to buy a car to take 6 people and dogs too in the old days anyway.

For me it was five days a week when we did a school rota. To a school with no public transport route. So that took two cars off the road, twice a day (3 families sharing a rota).

Noble as that is, it doesn't negate the fact that the vast majority of people don't do that.

@HowardTJMoon There are 3 seven seater SUVs on that list....

There are? Which ones?

Sportage, Qashqai and Tuscon

@MugPlate we love rurally there is no popping anyone in a taxi and certainly not on a trip down to the coast.

I mean on one hand I'm agreeing with you about there being a problem.

I just don't think the solution is that simple. There has to be a compromise somewhere in our very densely populated and crowded country. Most of our roads are already in place, our home parking spaces are a fixed resource. On the other hand, our public car parks could make adjustments, and I'd like to see those increased in size.

However, it wouldn't be fair to the drivers of smaller cars if that led to increased prices or constrained availability.

I'm just trying to consider a balanced view. I drive an SUV, so I have a vested interest on one side. It doesn't mean I can't see the other side.

You just get used to knowing where spaces might be bigger or smaller. Our car isn't that big but we avoid the local shopping centre parking as the spaces are minute and I don't think we know anyone who hasn't dinged their car there!

That's weird, because I've just checked the Kia, Nissan and Hyundai websites and none of them are listing those 2024 models as 6+ seaters. Did I miss something?

Agreed.

However, even smaller cars are getting bigger, or being discontinued. Should people be penalised by decisions manufacturers are making? Personally I do think SUV drivers should pay a lot more tax, but only if there is actually a choice not to drive oversized cars. I see the size of newer models of my current small car and I don't want to be taxed when I come to replace it!

We live rurally and there are more 7 seaters in the school car park than anything else by miles. The thing that keeps a lot of people away from them is that they are more expensive to run but that's changing fast with lots of them going electric. We are only going to see more and more of them. Either the government sorts out the planning and insists on bigger spaces or you tax them. Neither seems to be happening and it's only going to get worse. But if you're going to tax them then it's only fair to actually put infrastructure in like public transport into rural areas.

It’s difficult, isn’t it? We either size / spec our cars for the ‘worst case scenario’ - most people, most luggage, worst weather - or for our ‘80% of the time scenario’ - fewer people, daily luggage, normal weather.

Both have disadvantages - if ‘sizing up’, we face higher fuel costs, difficulties parking, higher initial cost, greater environmental damage. If ‘sizing down’, we face less comfort and more inconvenience when we exceed our ‘normal daily load’, and have to use eg delivery services instead of always carrying larger loads by car.

Some families resolve this by having 2 cars and using the smallest that fits the day’s requirements. Some resolve it by having a small car and renting a larger one if needed. Some families genuinely have a daily need for a very large car for all journeys.

What doesn’t feel sustainable or right is for everyone to have their ‘just in case’ maximum sized car that is almost always driven at least half empty.

If 7-seaters were the future then we'd see manufacturers building more of them to address the demand. But they're not. If anything, they're reducing the number of 7-seaters in their line-ups. Ford gave up on the S-Max, Vauxhall stopped making the Zafira, and you can't buy 7-seat versions of the Qashqai, Sportage or Tucson any more.

I know you don't want to accept you're an outlier, but you are.

Perspective
Larger cars are here to stay for those than can afford them.
One reason being child safety laws and seatbelts. You can no longer cram 5 Littles in the back and 2 in the boot. It was never safe if you had a crash but it was common..if GP came on a trip then everyone just crammed in.

Larger spaces would be better for everyone, disabled people, parent and child etc as well as anyone of a more sturdy build.

Payback is that larger spaces need bigger car parks with fewer spaces, so greater cost if you are paying for or providing free parking.

Personally, I'd provide wider spaces at the further end of car parks, where less people park or allow people to park 2 spaces but pay double.

Not really. The extra tax could go some way to the increased upkeep for roads damaged by the weight, though. And for the improved road designs required to keep vulnerable road users safer, like segregated cycle lanes and more crossings. Large, heavy cars are more dangerous for other road users, and anything done to legitimise their use further is a step in the wrong direction. Now what i’d like to see is better design where car seats are created to fit smaller frames without the need for bulky boosters. Then the 3 kid family doesn’t need an SUV or 7 seater. Doesn’t help those who design a lifestyle like they live in the states, but hey, who doesn’t want a 100kg pup?

It’s infuriating how large cars are now but it’s what people want. For example, I want to buy a Volvo hatchback but they’ve been discontinued in the UK as the UK market is interested in SUVs. It’s maddening, and I live in the middle of nowhere with dogs and you could argue I fit the SUV bill. No thank you — I could not be dealing with trying to park that.

No I think that was very short sighted of Volvo.
i think Skoda are keeping theirs going for a while. I know VAG group have been late to the SUV party and are busy trying to make up for lost time

edited to add Skoda do 4x4 estates if you need that

I don’t think the large cars are solely about space for kids. Birth rates are lower now a lot of the biggest are not 7 seats.
people used to buy sports cars, now it’s big fuck off G wagons / SQ8 / Porsche cayenne or a Bentley bentagya to show their wealth and status. Even lotus have an suv now, they were famed for dinky sports cars.