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June 24, 2026

Ever-bigger

Carspreading could erase 10% of UK parking spaces and increase child pedestrian deaths by 40%

This is the third report by T&E and Clean Cities examining the growing risks to public health and urban space posed by ever-larger cars, particularly SUVs.

Key stats

  • Carspreading could wipe out roughly 1 in 10 on-street spaces across the UK.
  • London and other major cities risk losing up to 14% of on-street parking if car sizes keep increasing by 1.2 cm annually.
  • ‘Ever-bigger’ cars trend could kill 400 more road users annually by 2040, compared to ‘right-sizing’ scenario across the UK & EU.
  • By 2040, 40% more child pedestrians could be killed a year in collisions compared to ‘right-sizing’ across the UK & EU.
Download the report

Oliver Lord, UK Director of Clean Cities, said:

“How many more reports are needed, or kids killed until the car industry stops pedalling massive and unnecessary SUVs? Carspreading is fast becoming a public health crisis. The relentless increase in the size of cars is not just stealing public space, but also making our streets more dangerous. There’s no way city leaders can continue to turn a blind eye to this problem – whether traffic congestion, parking stress or road deaths – they must act now.”

Parking

Cities are facing an unprecedented threat to urban space as the growing trend towards larger SUVs risks eliminating vast numbers of parking spaces.

Cars have been getting steadily bigger for decades -longer, wider, and with higher bonnets- even as family sizes and car occupancy have declined, leaving vehicles taking up more room while carrying fewer people.

If current trends continue, ‘Carspreading’ could cut on-street parking capacity by between 8.5% and 14% by 2040, with London alone set to lose approximately 100,000 spaces.

 

Safety

 The UK published its first Road Safety Strategy in many years at the beginning of 2026, setting targets to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on the roads by 65%, and by 75% for children under 16.
 
However, our research suggests that the continued shift towards ever-larger SUVs could undermine those ambitions. Compared with a vehicle “right-sizing” scenario, the current trend could result in around 400 additional road deaths each year across the UK and EU by 2040, with the biggest increases among vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and moped riders.
 
Children are particularly at risk. Under current trends, 40% more child pedestrians could be killed in collisions by 2040 than under a right-sizing scenario. Rising bonnet heights – projected to reach an average of 86.2 cm across the vehicle fleet by 2040 – are a key factor. While adults struck by vehicles are more likely to suffer impacts to the torso or vital organs, children are more likely to be hit in the head or chest, increasing the risk of fatal injuries.
 

Taking action

To combat the threats to urban space and safety, we’re calling for immediate policy changes to shift the car market towards safer, more efficient and compact models:

  • City action: reform parking charges and local road taxes based on vehicle size and weight.
  • Introduce a Large Vehicle Levy, a tax paid on purchase of a vehicle that is determined by its weight, ensuring that larger, oversized cars pay their fair share.
  • A bonnet height cap of 85cm, and a car width limit of 192cm, applied to new type approvals from 2033 and all new cars sold from 2036.
  • Tighter vehicle standards: Euro NCAP needs to urgently update its protocol to start testing for the visibility of young children from the driver’s seat.

Want to take action? If you’re UK-based, you can use our tool to write to your council and ask for an end to carspreading. 

Write to your council
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