‘Belgians are Europe’s second biggest fans of bulky SUVs’

Belgians suffer from so-called ‘car obesity’: they want bigger and bigger cars. Recent Transport & Environment (T&E) research has shown that vehicles grow one centimeter wider every two years. Something that Belgian drivers adore. According to global research from T&E, the average width of new cars has increased from 177.8 cm to 180.3 cm since 2018.

SUVs are also increasingly seen in Belgian urban areas, with the most popular models being the Tesla Model Y and the BMW X1. In fact, SUVs are popular all over Europe – most of all in Switzerland (19%), but Belgium sits in second place (18%), followed by Norway (17%), France (16%) and the UK (14%).

Tesla Model Y

In 2022, sales of SUVs (among new cars) in Europe reached 5.2 million units, compared to more than 6 million in the US. While the Tesla Model Y dominates the European SUV market, the Toyota RAV4 is most popular in the US. The most popular model in the Netherlands is the Tesla Model Y; in France, the Peugeot 3008; and in Germany, the VW Tiguan.

While cars continue to grow in width and length, parking lots or parking areas on roads are hardly adapted to the growing fleet. The SUV market accounts for almost half (46%) of global car sales, meaning cities may soon have to address this.

Liveability

“As cars get bigger, they threaten to harm the liveability of cities by increasing pressure on already limited space,” says Arne Van Helleputte, Country Director at EasyPark Group. “Meeting the demands of a changing fleet requires an effective traffic management infrastructure based on technology and data.”

Some cities are already fighting against heavy ‘obese cars’ like pickup trucks and sports utility vehicles (SUVs). Paris, among others, is moving ahead with a plan to make overweight cars pay more parking fees. Amsterdam and Brussels, among others, are examining measures to discourage entering the town.

Bigger cars also increase the risk of more severe accidents. Earlier studies have indicated that pedestrians and cyclists who encounter a heavy vehicle in a traffic accident face double the chance of losing their lives compared to lighter vehicles.

EasyPark Group is a leading global parking technology company with a vision to make cities more livable. The company operates in more than 3,200 cities in more than 25 countries.