Why have Irish cars got bigger over the years? 

Everyone is used to seeing giant cars when they visit the States but a recently published survey found that could soon be the norm on this side of the Atlantic too.

In Britain, the average new car grows by 0.5cm every year and CompleteCar.ie editor Shane O’Donoghue said the same thing is “undoubtedly happening here as well”.

“Our average new car is basically a crossover SUV and that changed in the last 10, 15 years,” he told The Pat Kenny Show.

“So, our cars are definitely increasing in size.”

The two main reasons for the phenomenon are consumer demand and safety.

Put simply, people want safer cars and often they tend to be larger than previous models.

“People obviously want more crossover SUVs than ever before,” Mr O’Donoghue said.

“The other thing is, you alluded to all cars increasing in size because they’ve more safety equipment on board than ever before.

“You now have things called crumple-zones in cars, where you have dead space that is designed to crumple in a crash, the idea being that it absorbs the energy of a crash and it protects the occupants.”

Few could quibble with a desire for a safer car but there are tradeoffs that come with larger vehicles.

The bigger the car, the more petrol, diesel or electricity it needs to run- something that has a negative impact on Ireland's carbon emissions.

It can also make parking pretty difficult as most parking spaces are designed to fit the average car from several decades ago - not what is normal in 2024.

“It’s fine for those who are really mobile and can squeeze themselves into a gap,” Mr O’Donoghue said.

“But somebody who is perhaps less mobile, has an issue with their back or maybe is a bit older or is somebody who is pregnant hasn’t a hope of squeezing into a car that is up against another one like that.”

Vehicles in car parking spaces. Photograph: Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie

Despite this, Mr O’Donoghue said it is important to underline that many people do genuinely need larger cars.

Some people have large families they need to transport around and tall people might not fit comfortably into an average size vehicle.

“The human race, certainly in this part of the world, is increasing in size,” he said.

“Obviously, we need bigger cars for that; we’ve had loads of readers getting in touch and asking us specifically about the amount of legroom they have… So, people do want and a lot of people do also need more space in the car.

“It’s not always the case of people choosing what they thinks looks good.”

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Main image: A row of new Ford Edge SUV vehicles at a car dealership in April 2018.