20 ‘too large’ vehicles banned from UK car parks – | Tech News
Massive vehicles just like the new Kia EV9 are banned from some car parks as they’re greater than areas (Image: jetcityimage by way of Getty Images)
Several councils all through the UK have launched prohibitions on sure vehicles from parking of their car parks – just because they’re far too massive.
At least 5 councils have explicitly declared that vehicles exceeding 5 metres (roughly 16.4 ft) in size are successfully barred from customary council-operated car parks – and a new up to date 2026 checklist exhibits at the very least 20 vehicles bust this size.
Since the standard UK parking space measures solely 4.8 metres long, something past 5 metres is actually “at risk” of receiving a penalty for protruding over the white strains in a number of council districts.
The councils presently implementing this coverage are Wokingham, South Hams, Broadland, South Norfolk, and West Devon.
Should your vehicle prolong past the white line of a bay, you face receiving a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) for “failing to park within a marked bay.” Experts say a quantity of “ordinary” luxurious and household vehicles now match into this bracket.
Common vehicles presently bought within the UK that exceed the 5-metre mark:
- Range Rover (Standard & LWB): The customary model is 5.05m, whereas the Long Wheelbase (LWB) is a huge 5.25m.
- Land Rover Defender 130: At 5.36m, that is one of the longest vehicles on the highway. Even the Defender 110 sits precisely on the road at 5.01m.
- Kia EV9: 5.01m.
- Audi Q7 / SQ7: 5.06m.
- Volvo XC90: Historically just below, however latest variations sit proper on the 5.00m mark.
- BMW X7 (2019-) £83,790 5,151mm
- Mercedes GLS: 5.21m.
- Tesla Model X: 5.06m.
- BMW i7 (2022-) 5,391mm
- Mercedes-BenzS-Class (2021-) 5,179mm
- Audi A8 (2018-) 5,172mm
- Mercedes-Benz V-class (2015-) 5,140mm
- Mercedes-Benz EQV (2020-) 5,140mm
- BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe (2019-) 5,082mm
- Audi SQ7 (2016-) 5,069mm
- BMW i5 (2023-) 5,060mm
- Audi Q7 (2015-) 5,052mm
- Kia EV9 (2024-) 5,015mm Genesis
- G80 Electrified (2022-) 5,005mm
- Mercedes-Benz EQS (2021-) 5,216mm
Wokingham Council stated: “We have a limit on size of vehicle and weight of vehicle allowed to use the car parks these were introduced at different dates. Since June 2023, all motor vehicles whose maximum length does not exceed 5,00 metres and overall height exceeds 2.10 metres and whose gross weight does not exceed 3050 kilogrammes, except for access.”
Between 2017 and 2024, Wokingham documented 153 instances of vehicles violating the “length rule”. Whilst some native authorities are prohibiting long vehicles, others are adopting the “Parisian approach” by merely imposing increased fees on them.
Last 12 months, Parisians voted to help a substantial increase in parking charges for SUVs within the French capital, tripling them for automobiles weighing 1.6 tonnes or more to €18 (£15.55) an hour in central Paris.
Cardiff Council grew to become the primary main UK metropolis to approve proposals to impose increased parking allow fees for “oversized” vehicles. They are significantly concentrating on vehicles exceeding 2,400kg (or 2,000kg for non-electrics), contending they occupy more space and trigger better highway deterioration.
The Cardiff resolution follows a public session wherein two-thirds (66%) of members indicated they supported bigger vehicles paying more for permits. Dan De’Ath, the cupboard member for transport, acknowledged that SUVs have been “much larger than your average car, they produce far more wear and tear on our roads, but fundamentally if you hit a child while driving a heavy SUV the chances of that child dying are grossly inflated”.
He acknowledged: “We don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask people driving those kinds of vehicles to pay a little bit more for road wear and the extra space they take up. We’re not talking about SUV-shaped cars, we’re talking about very heavy American-style vehicles. It’s not about banning things, it’s about gently encouraging behaviour change.”
Several London boroughs have additionally shifted in direction of “emission and size-based” parking, the place the bodily dimensions of the vehicle decide the allow value. According to knowledge from a 2024 Freedom of Information (FOI) request by Autocar, 91.8 per cent of the 287 UK native authorities that responded indicated they’ve no intentions to enlarge their parking bays.
Elly Baker, the chair of the Transport Committee on the London Assembly, is amongst these demanding better motion be taken. “London’s limited road space wasn’t designed for the monster vehicles we are now seeing sold,” she instructed BBC London.
“SUVs are clogging up our street space, making parking difficult, and the increased bonnet height and weight increase the risk of serious injury or death in a collision. We should be placing limits on the size of normal vehicles, and exploring increased charges where appropriate.”
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