How Wide is the Average Car?

Our cars are getting wider but the road lanes stay the same increasing the possibility of coming into contact with other vehicles. It is also becoming an issue in parking lots with cars taking up more space in the spots.

In this article we will look at some of the average car widths based on type. This may help you choose a type or model of car that not only gives you internal space but also fits your garage, driving lanes and parking spots.

How Wide Is the Average Car?

Based on all the cars on the road today it is estimated that the average width of a car is 5.8 feet. Obviously this means some are narrower while other types of car are wider. Traffic lanes generally range between 10 – 12 feet so there should be plenty of room but with a trend for wider cars how long will it be before we start to have issues?

At present the narrowest car available is the Chevy Spark at just 5.2 feet while the widest is the RAM 3500 with dually rear wheels coming in at 8.7 feet. These measurements do not include side mirrors although with the RAM this does not add width beyond the dually wheels.

Average Car Widths Based on Type

There are many types of cars on the road and some are designed to be narrower than others generally speaking. In this section we will look at some of the main types of car and the average width you can expect.

Sedans

Sedan cars can come in a number of types themselves from economy to full size. Generally speaking even the small sedans exceed the average car width with an average of 5 ft 10 inches. The Chevy Spark however is the exception to that rule.

Mid-size sedans tend to average about 6 ft in width while the full-size options will generally exceed 6 ft with models like the Dodge Charger reaching 6ft 2 inches. Essentially Sedans are rarely narrow cars but they usually fall well within the range for most traffic lanes and parking spaces.

Station Wagons/Hatchbacks

A combination of an SUV and Sedan the station wagon is not a small car generally speaking. It is designed to carry a decent cargo including people and a full trunk. The average width for small vehicles in this group is 6.1 feet.

The larger station wagons and hatchbacks increase with length but they do not become much wider averaging around 6.2ft. The Volvo V90 is one of the widest at 6.3 ft. Obviously they are not small in terms of width but they are not monstrous.

Sports Utility Vehicles (SUV)

There are various sizes of SUV type vehicles on the market, some of which are compact and a few that are huge. When it comes to ground clearance they are generally impressive but they are more conservative on width.

Compact SUV vehicles average around 6 ft in width for example the Toyota Rav 4. The widest SUV out there is the Cadillac Escalade at 6.10 ft wide and is considered full-size. Even at their wisest however SUVs are not as excessive as some vehicles on the road.

Sports Cars

Sports cars in general are built with aerodynamics in mind so they do tend to be narrower on average ranging from 5.7 – 6.5 ft wide on average. Some sports cars are a little wider like Lamborghini's Aventador at 6.7 ft.

Sports cars can get away with more width as long as they are lower to the ground and have aerodynamic design. Older sports cars do tend to be narrower however.

Pickup Trucks

Now we are getting into the realm of the giant road vehicles. As mentioned the RAM 3500 Dually pickup truck is one of the widest at 8.7 ft. These trucks can vary from the compact to the mid-size and full-size categories.

The average small truck is around 6.3 ft in width with the average large truck being 6.8 ft. These heavy duty large trucks can be long, heavy and wide because frankly they need to be to perform the big task they are designed for.

Vans

All told vans are among the largest types of car on the road and it might be a passenger van or a purely cargo designed van. You do not often get narrow vans as they are generally taller than other cars on the road and this would cause a stability issue.

Generally speaking vans range from about 6.5 – 6.8 inches in width on average. They are not the widest but do require a decent amount of width to offset their additional height.

How Can You Determine Your Car's Width?

Unless you are a spec fiend who must know all the dimensions of every vehicle then you likely do not know the size of your vehicle off the top of your head. If you do need to find information such as width, length and weight there are ways to do this easily.

VIN Decoder

The Vehicle Identification Number located on a plate in the driver's side door well can be a wealth of information if you can decode it. There are online sites that you can input this VIN into which will read the code and display all the factory specifications for your vehicle.

These details refer to the dimensions of the vehicle when it left the factory so any aftermarket adjustments may alter the actual measurements.

Contact Your Local Dealer

If you are looking to buy a particular model you might want to know its dimensions before you make your final choice. This is where your local dealership should be able to help you. They can supply you with a spec sheet.

They can even advise you on a vehicle you already own as long as it is the same brand as the dealership sells.

Measure it Yourself

We say measure it yourself but you may need the help of a friend to pull this off. Locate the widest part of the car and run a tape measure under your vehicle to a friend on the other side. Measure the distance from the driver's side to the passenger side (do not include the mirrors).

You can measure how far the mirrors extend out and add that to the width if you wish but they are not technically part of the vehicle's factory width.

Conclusion

Cars can vary in width and they are gradually getting wider as the years go by. At over 8ft heavy duty trucks with dually wheels are among the widest out there on the roads. Most road lanes are wider than that but the roads are getting more and more cramped with these larger vehicles.

Link To or Reference This Page

We spend a lot of time collecting, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site to be as useful to you as possible.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Tow Ratings as the source. We appreciate your support!