It’s the kind of problem you don’t expect until you’re stuck halfway through your car garage door — modern cars have grown so much in size that 1 in 6 UK drivers with a car garage can’t actually park in it. With SUVs and electric cars dominating the market, and car garage dimensions remaining stubbornly unchanged, the once-prized parking space is fast becoming a no-go zone for Britain’s bulkier motors.
The Car Garage Conundrum
Once considered a prized feature of any home, the humble car garage is now facing an identity crisis. According to new research from Aviva, one in six UK drivers with a garage say their vehicle simply won’t fit inside. The culprit? Modern cars have ballooned in size — up by 22% over the last two decades — leaving many garages unfit for their original purpose.
While more than a third of UK drivers have access to a garage, 42% choose to park on their driveway instead, with many citing tight dimensions and awkward manoeuvring as key deterrents.
Bigger Cars, Smaller Spaces
According to the RAC, the average garage door width in the UK is just 2.1 metres, which leaves a mere 15cm of clearance on either side for many popular models, says the RAC. SUVs and electric vehicles, which tend to have wider footprints, are particularly problematic. A Ford Mondeo, for example, measures nearly 1.85 metres wide — and that’s before you factor in wing mirrors.
The RAC Foundation found that Britain’s most popular cars have grown by almost a third since the 1960s, yet garage dimensions have barely budged. Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, summed it up: “Domestic garages are often unfit for their intended purpose — the planning system needs to catch up with vehicle design”.
Garages Becoming Storage Units
With parking inside the garage proving too difficult, many homeowners have repurposed the space. Aviva’s survey revealed that two-thirds of garage owners now use the space primarily for storage, housing everything from gardening tools to bicycles. In fact, RAC Home Insurance estimates that nearly six million UK garages aren’t used for cars at all, often because they’re too full of clutter.
Martin Smith, Motor Claims Manager at Aviva, noted: “Garage owners are favouring other locations for parking, which could in part be explained by the gradual increase in car size over the years”.
Parking Mishaps On The Rise
It’s not just garages causing headaches. Drivers are struggling to park more generally — whether on the street, in multi-storey car parks, or even on their own driveways. Aviva’s research found:
- 41% of drivers misjudged the distance to an obstacle
- 25% thought the space they were trying to squeeze into was too small
- 16% admitted they couldn’t park without tech like sensors or cameras
Common parking casualties include walls (16%), bollards (11%), and even the garage itself (8%). Cosmetic damage like dented bumpers and cracked headlights is widespread, yet over a third of drivers fail to report these incidents, risking insurance complications.
Planning For The Future
So what’s the solution? Experts suggest rethinking garage design altogether. Jamie Swales of GarageLux Ltd recommends a minimum internal width of 2.9 metres and length of 5 metres to accommodate modern vehicles comfortably, says Home Building. For those building new homes or renovating, future-proofing the car garage with extra clearance and storage space is key.
Some homeowners are even converting garages into home offices, gyms, or utility rooms — a trend that reflects the changing role of the garage in modern life.
Final Thoughts
The car garage was once a symbol of convenience and security. Today, it’s more likely to be a glorified shed. As vehicles continue to grow and urban space becomes tighter, the mismatch between car and garage is only set to widen.
Whether it’s time to redesign, repurpose, or simply declutter, one thing’s clear: the garage needs a serious rethink — because squeezing into a space that no longer fits isn’t just inconvenient, it’s a sign of how fast the motoring world is changing.
Got a car that won’t squeeze into your garage anymore? Jamjar.com makes it easy to sell — just enter your reg for a free online quote. It’s quick, hassle-free, and perfect for anyone fed up with oversized motors hogging precious space.
