Forum Topic

Rise in Number of SUV Sales

It would be interesting to know why there is a rise in SUVs.  For instance is it because families are just buying a larger hybrid car as their new car - and hopefully not using a second.  Is it because there is a lot of "range anxiety" where all electric cars are concerned.  It is getting better all the time together with more and faster charging points. Aren't most new cars now bought on some sort of finance scheme?  And obviously there will be heavy marketing of more expensive cars.  Is it because there are fewer youngsters buying cars and many older people giving up their cars altogether?  After all the sale of new cars is down.You & Yours BBC Radio 4 had a phone in with a car expert the other day (14 Feb).Have a listen:https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000f7xz

Philippa Bond ● 2240d28 Comments

Thankfully Philippa the nonsensical bull or 'roo' bars have been largely banned by both UK and EU legislation.
Must have come as a terrible disappointment to those going on Safari to the wilder parts of Acton :-)

N V Brooks ● 2219d

There used to be 4x4s with more more aggressive looking bull bars on the front.

Philippa Bond ● 2219d

Tony, I think you are wrong on this. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t have a 4x4 who wishes they had one. They are easily affordable now with PCP plans, which might be the problem.There’s a misconception that they are safer. Perhaps for the people inside they are, but anyone outside is more vulnerable as history shows. Higher radiator grilles mean head impacts on pedestrians is more likely (on lower cars anyone hit will roll over the bonnet, as often shown in old cop shows).Add to this the increased weight of these vehicles, which means harder impact even if travelling at a relatively low speed.I see a lot of these driven around locally. The standard of driving varies, as it does with all vehicle types, but there is an element who seem to think ‘I’m a big car, you can see me, get out of the way’.The parking issue is something else, although anyone needing a CPZ permit will note their fees have rocketed if their big car is a diesel.

Simon Hayes ● 2223d

I don't know about misogyny.And anyway, many (but not all obviously) ladies driving the family 4x4 are doing so in pursuit of their normal domestic duties such as ferrying the kids about during the day and so forth so are likely more visible than men - during the day at least when they will generally be out at work.Personally, I think the antipathy towards 4x4s is, like so many other things in our society, driven by the politics of envy.

Tony Colliver ● 2223d

The lack of attention now given to looking after the roads so that you can travel in all weathers is just another reason why people are likely to want a vehicle that can cope with all conditions.

Philippa Bond ● 2225d

It may be from my post earlier on in this thread where you got this idea. As far as I know there is no research proving that 4x4s are safer but it is a logical conclusion given the configuration of the car. If you are a shorter person obviously a raised driving position gives you better visibility and the impact point of any collision is likely to be away from vital organs. The hostility to 4x4 drivers seems perplexing to me. In most cases there would be an imperative to buy a similarly large car given that these seem to be mainly used by families so the alternatives aren't going to be more environmentally friendly. Their doesn't seem to be a similar level of anomosity against large saloon cars or sports cars which are far worse environmentally. As the main difference is that a high proportion of 4x4s are driven by women and alot of other types of more polluting vehicles are driven by men, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that, in some cases, misogyny rather than concern for the environment is what is shaping opinions.

Gordon Southwell ● 2225d

I remember reading somewhere that the higher the car is above the road the safer it is, first, the driver cn see over the cars in front of the car and generally has a better field of vision (back, front, and sides) compared with lower, smaller, or sleeker cars, which is useful in avoiding accidents, also the higher up the seating the less the damage to the driver and passengers in the case ofimpact. So, the higher the car off the road safer it is, so people buy SUVsPlease correct me if I am wrong, I would hate to disseminate false information about safety

Mark Julian Raymond ● 2226d

The whole point of cars is that you drive them where you want to go.  If you have a car why should driving it be be limited to London?  Many people surely travel on foot or cycle or by public transport in London but use their cars to go further afield.

Philippa Bond ● 2226d

The roads used to be full of long Volvo Estates...

Philippa Bond ● 2226d

Families need larger cars and will consume less CO2 per passenger so a tax on size and weight of cars would be ineffective. There is no need for a 4X4 in London but there is no need for sports cars either so why focus on the former? Many people prefer 4x4s and most models are no more environmentally unfriendly than the car they might chose as an alternative.

Tricia Arbuthnot ● 2228d

Cars are getting bigger and heavier, which means more power required to move them. I once had a long conversation with a well known motoring writer who made this very point, probably 10 years ago.He said the pinnacle of all motoring is Formula 1, where the aim is to make thecars as light and aerodynamic as possible to maximise fuel efficiency. He bemoaned the fact that the retail market was heading in the opposite direction, with bigger, heavier, often badly designed. He also made the point that these heavy cars were damaging roads and pavements, as well as being difficult to park in existing car parks.A simple solution would be to limit the size and weight of cars or impose a draconian tax on them. There’s certainly no need for a 4x4 in London.

Simon Hayes ● 2228d

Article in the Guardian today- New cars produce more carbon dioxide than older models. When you read it the demand for new bigger cars is what is being refered to.

Nicholas Beard ● 2229d

People don't only use their cars in London as their families and friends tend to be all around the country or in different countries.  So there's no room for two cars and two cars are expensive to run.  So unless and until they are able to easily access and use public transport for longer journeys and walk or cycle for the shorter ones where possible, I can understand the choice.I saw a website some time ago where you can point out the areas that you have difficulty crossing the road etc which seems like a good idea to improve walking eg making it easier to walk to the stations.

Philippa Bond ● 2232d

The very reason that we went from being a two-car family over fifteen years ago.
One 'general purpose' vehicle was better both for the environment and financially than running the big estate and the local runabout.

N V Brooks ● 2235d

It is useful to have cars big enough to take the whole family out together - very often including grandparents or friends home from school for tea or other players in a sports team to a match or practice.  Also it makes more street parking space if you only have one car per family.

Philippa Bond ● 2235d

The justification for having them in an urban environment is probably the raised driving position which seems to make them popular with women and the increased sense of safety as most of your body is likely to be above the point of impact with another car. People with young families need larger cars so the alternative is probably an estate or MPV anyway so I don't see the point of getting too worked up about them.

Gordon Southwell ● 2235d

A few years ago smaller cars were desirable but since the massive increase and promotion of personal finance plans people can purchase  a car and exchange it in 3 years for another or continue to pay for your current model. You need never own the car and just pay monthly. This has encouraged people to choose larger showy cars. I recently bought a small car and paying cash seemed very unusual!

Elizabeth Price ● 2236d

Depends on how one defines an SUV surely. Even a Vauxhall Mokka, which is based on the small Corsa, is defined as a 'compact SUV' but is actually smaller than many saloon cars, just taller.
My own 'SUV' is a tall Ford Focus, classified as an SUV but hardly a 'Chelsea tractor'.

I fully agree that the rise of the 'large SUV' is concerning but they contribute more in VED.

N V Brooks ● 2236d

SUVs in London are a menace. There is very little justification in having one really, and try parking next to one if you're in a normal sized car. Or even park between two. The stereotype of the Chelsea tractor mum driving her kids to school (when they live 10 mins away) probably is accurate.

Kevin Wilson ● 2236d

Andy, most AdBlue tanks are well below 20 litres in size (most VW ones are a standard 13 litres) and are about the size of two shoeboxes. My own Diesel meets Euro 6.2 without the use of AdBlue. The replacement will be petrol or hybrid (electric vehicles don't have the range for regular trips to Wales) not because of environmental concerns (the emissions and particulate output of my engine are lower than most petrol cars) it's just that it sounds like a ruddy tractor!

N V Brooks ● 2236d

It could be that the rise in the sale of larger cars is the fact that Euro 6 standards for diesels mean that many have to have a urea tank. Having to install a 60 litre tank in addition to the fuel tank has led to bigger wider designs.Engines that can meet the emission standards for diesels without a urea tank tend to be more expensive to produce so larger cars have become relatively better value and will be exempt from the ULEZ charge.

Andy Jones ● 2236d

The reason that I have not got an SUV is that it is too high for my wife to get in and out of because of a mobilty problem.

Nicholas Beard ● 2237d

If you have mobility problems it is difficult or impossible to climb into and out of the back seat through a front door in a 3-door car.  It is also difficult to get down and into a low car and to unfold yourself when you get out.  Much easier and less painful to be able to swivel around on the seat and drop legs and yourself out of a higher car.Cars do seem to be higher than they used to be.

Philippa Bond ● 2237d

I thought my days of large cars were over when the children grew. Then disability hit and a higher than average car is essential simply to get in and out along with carrying mobility aids, sticks, crutches and the like. I want for the highest, greenest car I could afford. It is far from small but at least I have retained my personal mobility.

N V Brooks ● 2239d

I bless the day when we got rid of the estate car once the children became self-propelling. Most people don't buy large cars because they want to, it is because they have to. It is so much easier to drive in London with a smaller car.

Christine Mulligan ● 2240d

Some people like a large car and always have done. I was talking to someone who achieved that ambition. They seemed a bit let down when they went to a supermarket and it would not fit in the parking space. A couple of weeks later they said that it was total aggrevation. I had a Pug 107 and found it a dream to drive and park.

Nicholas Beard ● 2240d

Toyota have a full range of hybrids ranging fro small cars up to large SUVs.
Vauxhall now has the all-electric Corsa which is hardly a large car.
As to the rise in SUVs don't let the size fool you, some now use very small fuel efficient engines. My own car has a CO2 rating of 102g/Km which is around 60g/Km lower than the similar car that it replaced. The car I am looking to replace it with in 2021 has a CO2 'output' of 77g/KM.
Engines are becoming far more efficient and like-for-like cars now use smaller engines. Something as large as a Vauxhall Grandland X which would, five years ago, have been fitted with a 2.0 litre four cyclinder engine now has a 1.2 litre three-cylinder block.

N V Brooks ● 2240d

I was browsing the Net looking at hybrids just this afternoon, wondering if it was possible to buy one of a sensible size that would fit in my narrow drive, and every single one, except possibly the Mini, was referred to as an SUV.

Susan Kelly ● 2240d