Several councils throughout the UK have introduced prohibitions on certain vehicles from parking in their car parks – simply because they’re far too large.

At least five councils have explicitly declared that vehicles exceeding five metres (approximately 16.4 ft) in length are effectively barred from standard council-operated car parks – and a new updated 2026 list shows at least 20 vehicles bust this length.

Since the typical UK parking space measures only 4.8 metres long, anything beyond five metres is essentially “at risk” of receiving a penalty for protruding over the white lines in multiple council districts.

The councils presently enforcing this policy are Wokingham, South Hams, Broadland, South Norfolk, and West Devon.

Should your vehicle extend beyond the white line of a bay, you face receiving a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) for “failing to park within a marked bay.” Experts say a number of “ordinary” luxury and family vehicles now fit into this bracket.

Common vehicles currently sold in the UK that exceed the 5-metre mark:

• Range Rover (Standard & LWB): The standard model is 5.05m, while the Long Wheelbase (LWB) is a massive 5.25m.
• Land Rover Defender 130: At 5.36m, this is one of the longest vehicles on the road. Even the Defender 110 sits exactly on the line at 5.01m.
• Kia EV9: 5.01m.
• Audi Q7 / SQ7: 5.06m.
• Volvo XC90: Historically just under, but recent versions sit right at the 5.00m mark.
• BMW X7 (2019-) £83,790 5,151mm
• Mercedes GLS: 5.21m.
• Tesla Model X: 5.06m.
• BMW i7 (2022-) 5,391mm
• Mercedes-BenzS-Class (2021-) 5,179mm
• Audi A8 (2018-) 5,172mm
• Mercedes-Benz V-class (2015-) 5,140mm
• Mercedes-Benz EQV (2020-) 5,140mm
• BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe (2019-) 5,082mm
• Audi SQ7 (2016-) 5,069mm
• BMW i5 (2023-) 5,060mm
• Audi Q7 (2015-) 5,052mm
• Kia EV9 (2024-) 5,015mm Genesis
• G80 Electrified (2022-) 5,005mm
• Mercedes-Benz EQS (2021-) 5,216mm

Wokingham Council said: “We have a limit on size of vehicle and weight of vehicle allowed to use the car parks these were introduced at different dates. Since June 2023, all motor vehicles whose maximum length does not exceed 5,00 metres and overall height exceeds 2.10 metres and whose gross weight does not exceed 3050 kilogrammes, except for access.”

Between 2017 and 2024, Wokingham documented 153 cases of vehicles violating the “length rule”. Whilst some local authorities are prohibiting long vehicles, others are adopting the “Parisian approach” by merely imposing higher charges on them.

Last year, Parisians voted to support a substantial increase in parking rates for SUVs in the French capital, tripling them for cars weighing 1.6 tonnes or more to €18 (£15.55) an hour in central Paris.

Cardiff Council became the first major UK city to approve proposals to impose higher parking permit charges for “oversized” vehicles. They are particularly targeting vehicles exceeding 2,400kg (or 2,000kg for non-electrics), contending they occupy more space and cause greater road deterioration.

The Cardiff decision follows a public consultation in which two-thirds (66%) of participants indicated they supported larger vehicles paying more for permits. Dan De’Ath, the cabinet member for transport, stated that SUVs were “much larger than your average car, they produce far more wear and tear on our roads, but fundamentally if you hit a child while driving a heavy SUV the chances of that child dying are grossly inflated”.

He stated: “We don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask people driving those kinds of vehicles to pay a little bit more for road wear and the extra space they take up. We’re not talking about SUV-shaped cars, we’re talking about very heavy American-style vehicles. It’s not about banning things, it’s about gently encouraging behaviour change.”

Several London boroughs have also shifted towards “emission and size-based” parking, where the physical dimensions of the vehicle determine the permit cost. According to data from a 2024 Freedom of Information (FOI) request by Autocar, 91.8 per cent of the 287 UK local authorities that responded indicated they have no intentions to enlarge their parking bays.

Elly Baker, the chair of the Transport Committee on the London Assembly, is amongst those demanding greater action be taken. “London’s limited road space wasn’t designed for the monster vehicles we are now seeing sold,” she told BBC London.

“SUVs are clogging up our street space, making parking difficult, and the increased bonnet height and weight increase the risk of serious injury or death in a collision. We should be placing limits on the size of normal vehicles, and exploring increased charges where appropriate.”