Are modern SUVs too big for UK parking bays? We measured popular models (and what still fits)
“How on earth is that space supposed to fit this car?” It’s the thought most UK drivers have had while circling a multi-storey car park. Modern SUVs keep getting wider, taller and more imposing — yet most UK parking bays are still built to standards set decades ago.
At Drivesize, we wanted to find out whether today’s SUVs really are too big for UK parking spaces, so we grabbed six SUVs — Honda CR-V, Ford Kuga, Chevrolet Equinox EV, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Tesla Model X and Tesla Model Y — and compared their body width, mirrors-folded width and mirrors-out width against a standard 2.4-metre-wide UK parking bay.
Here’s what the tape measure says.
Fit test: SUV vs parking space
According to the British Parking Association, the recommended UK bay size is 2.4 m wide x 4.8 m long. It’s width that determines whether you park confidently or clench your teeth, so we’ve compared six popular SUV’s using their:
- Body width (no mirrors)
- Width with mirrors folded in
- Width with mirrors extended out (real car-park width)
directly to a standard 2,400 mm bay. And, crucially, we worked out how much clear space you’d have on each side.
If you want to know why cars got so wide in the first place? Read our “Autobesity” article.
Ford Mustang Mach-E 2021 — the easiest fit of the group
- Body width: 1,881 mm
- Width with mirrors folded: 1,930 mm
- Width with mirrors out: 2,097 mm
With mirrors out you get around 151 mm each side in a 2.4 m bay — noticeably more space than the others. With mirrors folded it’s also the slimmest, giving you 235 mm each side.
Verdict
The Mach-E is the SUV hero here. It’s the slimmest with mirrors folded, and with mirrors out. In most UK car parks, you can park it comfortably, this is the one SUV in the test that feels like it was designed with the UK in mind.
See the Mach-E compared to the widest car in this test
Tesla Model Y 2020 — bigger than it looks, easier than you expect
- Body width: 1,881 mm
- Width with mirrors folded: 1,930 mm
- Width with mirrors out: 2,097 mm
With mirrors out you get around 151 mm each side in a 2.4 m bay — noticeably more space than the others. With mirrors folded it’s also the slimmest, giving you 235 mm each side.
Verdict
The Mach-E is the SUV hero here. It’s the slimmest with mirrors folded, and with mirrors out. In most UK car parks, you can park it comfortably, this is the one SUV in the test that feels like it was designed with the UK in mind.
View the Model Y vs the Mach-E size overlay
Honda CR-V 2022 (PHEV) — slim body, wider mirrors than you'd expect
- Body width: 1,866 mm
- Width with mirrors folded: 1,942 mm
- Width with mirrors out: 2,153 mm
Parked centrally in a 2.4 m bay with the mirrors out, you’d have about 123 mm of space on each side. With mirrors folded, around 229 mm each side.
Verdict
The CR-V’s slim body helps, but the mirrors push it closer to the edges than you might expect. With mirrors out, space is tight — just over 12 cm each side — but folded, it becomes much more manageable at ≈23 cm.
It fits. It works. But in a multi-storey built in 1974, you’ll want the mirrors in every time.
Compare the CR-V visually to the Model Y on Drivesize
Chevrolet Equinox EV 2024 — neat body, surprisingly wide mirrors
- Body width: 1,890 mm
- Width with mirrors folded: 1,954 mm
- Width with mirrors out: 2,155 mm
With mirrors out the Equinox EV gives you about 122 mm each side in a 2.4 m bay — similar to the CR-V. With mirrors folded it gives you roughly 223 mm each side, slightly less than the CR-V but still helpful.
Verdict
The Equinox EV’s mirrors make it wider than the CR-V and Model Y when open. But with mirrors folded, it settles into a comfortable mid-table position with around 22 cm of clearance on each side.
See the Equinox EV compared to the CR-V on Drivesize
Ford Kuga 2023 — compact body, but wide mirrors make it feel bigger
- Body width: 1,882 mm
- Width with mirrors folded: 2,000 mm
- Width with mirrors out: 2,177 mm
In a 2.4 m bay with mirrors out, that leaves about 112 mm each side. Mirrors folded leaves 200 mm each side.
Verdict
The Kuga’s body is the joint slimmest here along with the Mach-E — but the mirrors tell a different story. With mirrors out, it’s the second widest SUV in the whole group. Fold them, and it becomes totally reasonable again at 20 cm per side.
Final word: surprisingly OK to park, but you’ll be using those mirror-fold buttons more often than you think.
View the Kuga overlaid with the Mach-E on Drivesize
Tesla Model X 2021 — the SUV that really pushes UK bay limits
- Body width: 1,999 mm
- Width with mirrors folded: 2,070 mm
- Width with mirrors out: 2,271 mm
With mirrors out the Model X width gives only 64 mm each side. With mirrors folded it’s 165 mm each side.
Verdict
With mirrors out, the Model X leaves just 6.4 cm on each side. That’s not enough to open the driver’s door, not enough to shuffle sideways, not enough to enter or exit unless the neighbouring bays are empty and borderline unusable in real multi-storeys.
Fold the mirrors and it becomes… survivable — around 16.5 cm per side — but still nowhere near as friendly as the others.
Visually compare Model X vs Model Y size on Drivesize
So… are modern SUVs too big for UK parking bays?
Not all SUVs — but some absolutely are.
Here’s the real-world ranking from our list (from easiest to hardest to live with in UK bays):
- Ford Mustang Mach-E — genuinely bay-friendly
- Tesla Model Y — bigger in reputation than in reality
- Honda CR-V — okay with mirrors folded
- Chevrolet Equinox EV — works fine, mirrors folded recommended
- Ford Kuga — slim body, but wide mirrors push it down the list
- Tesla Model X — pushes the bay limits
The real takeaway: Modern SUVs aren’t “too big” — UK parking bays are too old.
FAQs
Are UK parking bays too small for modern cars?
Not officially — but many older car parks still use 2.3 m or even 2.2 m widths, which makes life hard for anything over ~2,000 mm folded.
Which SUV is easiest to park in the UK?
From this test: Ford Mustang Mach-E, by a clear margin.
Which SUV is the worst fit?
From this test: Tesla Model X. Even with mirrors folded, it’s tight.
Will UK parking bays ever get bigger?
The BPA has pushed for wider bays, but upgrades are slow because most car parks are concrete structures built decades ago.
Cars mentioned in this article
