See Just How Big Cars Are Getting With This Incredible Tool

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Cars are getting bigger all the time. Trucks keep getting taller and longer, EVs keep getting heavier, and wheels seem to add another inch every time we turn our back. Now, it’s possible to see just how big vehicles have gotten over time with a useful online tool.

The tagline of Carsized.com is “Bringing car spotting into perspective.” The site does that well, enabling us to quantify statements like “that’s a big car!” or “wow, you could fit that thing in the bed of my truck!” This is because it has a rich database of modern vehicles, and it can display them next to each other in accurate scale.

The tool will allow two vehicles to be compared front-on, side-0n, and from the rear. Vehicles can be lined up by their front bumpers, front tires, or at their mid-points, depending on the comparison you’re looking for. The site also provides useful statistics for comparison.

For example, here we have a 2008 Fiat 500 stacked up next to a GMC Yukon XL from 2020, in long-wheelbase trim. The site tells us that the Fiat is 206.3 cm shorter in length (6.75 feet) and 45.8 cm shorter in height (1.5 feet) than the hefty American SUV. We’re also instructed that it has 15 cm less ground clearance (6 inches), and 86% less cargo space. While few would cross-shop these two vehicles, the numbers are nonetheless useful if you’re looking to determine which truck or SUV will best fit your lifestyle and/or garage.

Fiatyukon

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The spatial comparisons it enables are pretty neat. The tool shows us that the roofline of a BMW 7 Series barely crests the top of the bed of a Toyota Tundra. It can show us that the Toyota Corolla maybe hasn’t grown as much as we think over the last three decades, while the Mini Cooper absolutely has. It’s also great to remember that while a lot of cars used to be smaller, that wasn’t the case across the board. Cars like the Pontiac Grand Ville are an excellent example, with the two-door convertible luxury car standing a full 18.8 feet long – that’s over 1.6 feet longer than a Ford Expedition SUV, as pictured up top.

Car Comparo

The only drawback is that the collection of vehicles is rather incomplete at this stage. While most cars you’ve ever heard of are in the listings, you’ll struggle to find any record of a 1980s Toyota Camry, or early versions of the Honda Civic, for example.

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There are also very few examples of trucks with two-door cabs and full-length beds. This is a disappointment for those eager to figure out which microcars will fit in the back of which trucks. Regardless, we learned that neither an original Mini nor a Smart ForTwo will fit in the back of a crew-cab Ford F-350, unless you leave the tailgate open. There is also enough data to show us why it feels so scary driving a Mazda Miata on the freeway around full-size trucks, given the way the diminutive roadster tends to disappear from sight beyond the hood line. Scary stuff.

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It’s a great way to get an intuitive feel for the size differences between different vehicles, particularly across classes. Bloat looks set to continue in the automotive industry for some time yet, particularly as automakers look to stash giant batteries beneath the floors of their latest designs. Tools like these will be useful for mapping out how the vehicles of today differ from the sleeker, lighter designs of years past. If this tool brings you to any startling revelations of your own, don’t hesitate to sound off in the comments.

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115 thoughts on “See Just How Big Cars Are Getting With This Incredible Tool”

      1. And then other times you get in cars and it’s just “we had ergonomics figured out 50 years ago, why is the center console and dash where my knee needs to be”

  3. I don’t know where all you people live that are afraid to drive your small cars because of big pickups, I live in a fairly big city (KC) and drive my classic Mini everywhere…..in fact I prefer driving it to my “huge” ’09 Clubman for it’s maneuverability. Even tho it’s about as safe as driving a tin can in an accident, it’s so much fun that it makes driving a modern car feel bulky and sterile.
    I’ve had mine to the east coast, west as far as Phoenix, Texas hill country several times, and north to Road America and other tracks many times. Trucks on the Interstate don’t bother me cause I don’t drive it there, I take the two lanes and smaller 4 lane roads.

  5. When I had my ’03 Mini Cooper S, I recall not pulling all the way forward in parking spots, like usually 2-3 feet between my front bumper and the line/curb. Terrified of folks going around the long SUV and thinking there was an open spot and ramming the back end.

    2. This exact thing happened to me in a mall parking lot with my 2011 ford fiesta. Had a suburban parked next to me and someone went to pull in the spot my car was in and smashed the hell out of it hard enough to push it into the car in front of mine and break the grills on both vehicles.

        1. No injuries, the only occupied vehicle was the hit and run driver trying to park two to a spot. All vehicles were banged up but still drivable

  7. Wow… because I usually park my Mustang in the garage, I didn’t really get a good sense of its size vs my other cars. I had no idea it was almost as long as my 3rd gen Santa Fe LWB. Guess that kinda explains why it’s a hog in a parking lot.

  8. I’ve seen this referenced before, and it’s a great tool, but as others have said it needs a much wider portfolio.

    I was discussing how a 100-year-old Cadillac had a longer wheelbase than a normal-wheelbase full-size SUV but with shorter overhangs so its overall length was just barely smaller than a Tahoe/Expedition/Escalade/Navigator/Sequoia. The individual I was discussing it with couldn’t make sense of what I was describing until I pulled up an image search of the respective vehicles and demonstrated the differences. As the Cadillac was a “limousine” it only had two rows, but it could have had three for as big as the cabin was. I was also wanting to compare ground clearance and overall height to show how little cars have changed in the last century, but the statistics for the older car weren’t as readily available, largely because of how varied “coach-built” vehicles could be.

    In that same vein, and with CarSized as a reference: a Ford Model T is shorter in length than a Fiat 500, but the driver sits up where their H-point would be about equal with a 500 driver’s head. A Model A is just barely longer than the same 500, yet carries 4 passengers in relative comfort and has a longitudinally-mounted engine. The current EcoSport is about the same size as a Model A (the website uses the 2-door), even having similar H-points, but less ground clearance. However it has a small cargo area, airbags, seat belts, crumple zones, and all the other modern amenities.

    1. if you’ve ever wanted to drive a pissed off go kart with an Italian snarl, decent headroom and a surprisingly practical hatch, the Abarth is your choice. i’m winding down 6 years of ownership with mine, and i’ve pretty much loved every minute of it.

      only reason i’m replacing it next year is that i have 4 kids and now only the youngest fits in the rear seats, so it’s time for something different. once kids are out of the house altogether, i’ll be looking for something similar in feel again, if such a thing exists in 8 years.

  10. Cars like the Pontiac Grand Ville are an excellent example, with the two-door convertible luxury car standing a full 18.8 feet long – that’s over 1.6 feet longer than a Ford Expedition SUV, as pictured up top.

    yeah but look at how much shorter it is. it’s the increasingly tall fascias on modern vehicles that are killing pedestrians.

  12. The worst is seeing just how big modern trucks are compared to their 80’s and 90’s counterparts. Of course comparing a 500 to an F350 is going to be ridiculous, but look at a 1990 F250 vs. today’s F250 and it really gets absurd.

    1. My 2019 F350 is the same height and width within an inch or two of a 1970s model, and is longer only because it’s a crew cab.

      Don’t confuse styling changes designed to make trucks appear bigger, or changing preferences for more 4×4 and crew cabs, with significant actual changes in dimensions.

      1. Beltlines are absolutely up though (between the greater shift to 4WD trucks, aggro styling, and the need to cram in more cooling to support tow capacities that probably shouldn’t be legal on a normal car license), and that’s a huge part of the problem.

      2. “make trucks appear bigger” Reminds me of when I finally got to see a real HUMVEE up-close and in person. They really aren’t as big as people claimed when they were the poster child for over exaggerated giant vehicles.

        1. They’re still pretty big, it’s just that everything now is an over exaggerated giant vehicle. A Raptor w/o mirrors is just as wide as the OG Humvee.

      4. Some of those styling changes are problematic. Raised beltlines means that the same size pickup has lower visibility and a more upright hood means more deadly collisions for anyone not in the vehicle, especially pedestrians and bicyclists. And, as you point out, more vehicles are optioned with 4×4 and crew cab, making the average size bigger. And the increase in lift kits, stances, etc. also doesn’t help when it comes to size perceptions.

        That said, I think the biggest driver of the perception that pickups are growing might be the loss of the small pickup. Mid-size pickups are closer to full-size than they are to their previous generations. The Maverick is the small pickup now, and it’s several inches wider than a 90s Ranger. And longer, despite the shorter bed, though extended cab vs crew cab isn’t a completely fair comparison.

        1. All true, but higher hoods and beltlines aren’t exclusive to pickups.

          The anger here about trucks specifically seems to me to be more tribal/political than anything else, even if not explicitly stated.

          1. True, SUVs have seen similar raised beltlines. Also, the popularity of the three-row SUV has put more large vehicles with large blind spots on the road, largely replacing minivans, but also having some role replacing smaller pickups for people who don’t necessarily want a full-size pickup.

            The other thing we’ve seen is the rise of households with only large vehicles. You don’t see as many households with a pickup and a commuter car, or a minivan and a car, or whatever else. We buy vehicles that can do everything (including capabilities we won’t use, in many cases), even in two-car households. And that’s not likely to change unless cars become cheaper or a lot less necessary. Neither of those circumstances are going to come about in the US in the foreseeable future.

            So we’re going to continue to have more big SUVs and pickups than anything else on the roads.

            1. The other thing we’ve seen is the rise of households with only large vehicles. You don’t see as many households with a pickup and a commuter car, or a minivan and a car, or whatever else. 

              Very underrated point in this discussion. As larger vehicles have become better to drive and more fuel efficient, there’s less and less reason to compromise by getting something smaller that can’t do everything. Driving a leaf sprung, 10 mpg, vinyl seat Suburban or F150 in 1993 was a chore and you really had to want it. Now with better suspensions, smaller engines, more amenities, and parking aides, there’s virtually no downsides other than upfront cost.

              1. The point about smaller engines is something that really gets me about the raised hoods. We could and should slop hoods downward. My 2002 Silverado has a downward slope to the hood with its V8.

                Sure, there’s gotta be room for a crumple zone and all that, but it has to be possible to not have the hood point straight out at full height to the grill. And things like the F150 Lightning have chosen to mimic that with the frunk instead of improving visibility.

                But, yeah, it’s a lot easier to drive a big vehicle now, so they’re not going to get smaller unless smaller gets a lot cheaper, bigger gets more expensive, or regulations dictate changes.

              2. That’s true, you used to see more multicar households that would have a big Kingswood wagon for when they were going somewhere as a family, and maybe a little Datsun or even a Mustang for when they weren’t, today, they would just have the modern equivalent of two Kingswoods

                1. My wife has a Q7, which is absolutely enormous by my standards, but in reality it’s one of the smaller and lower 3 row SUV’s available (especially since I lowered it). I never drive it by choice. It’s just not as fun or easy to drive as my regular car.

              1. Well yes, but I’m replying to your comment about beltlines, where it’s noticeably more exaggerated between the GM’s than on the CR-V. I figure back then, a Tahoe is a Suburban is a Silverado from the B-pillar forward, enough to make the point.

      5. Yeah what we’re buying vs. what we used to buy is kind of the point. We’ve gone from trucks being tools to “every few years I need to replace an appliance and it snows where I live, so I bought a Ram TRX.”

          1. People can drive whatever they want and I’ll die on that hill. But if it’s only being used as a tool to take the kids to school or to a family dinner at Chili’s, there are better alternatives. Every time this comes up people rush to the comments to say “well I have a boat to tow!”. That’s fine! Good! Enjoy time on Boatey McBoatface. Who has the money or desire to own 2 cars with completely different purposes, when one can do both? You can’t deny that the 1/3 of pickup owners below is an absolute load of people considering how many trucks are sold each year, though.

            Survey data from vehicle research firm Strategic Vision shows a third of today’s pickup owners rarely or never use their truck for hauling, while two-thirds rarely or never use it for towing.

            https://www.axios.com/2023/01/23/pickup-trucks-f150-size-weight-safety

            1. I submit that if actual large sedans were still made, some fraction of truck owners would and should buy them instead.

              Someone who would have been very happy with the driving characteristics of 1970s domestic iron has no recourse today except a pickup.

              1. And options! You used to have a myriad of options with cars, including a number of transmissions, engines, rear end ratios, etc. Now it’s largely just a short handful of packages with a bunch of overpriced crap you might not want just to get the one thing you do and a couple engines with whatever transmission they threw on it. Trucks can still be heavily personalized OTD both in terms of style and purpose far more than all but the most expensive cars. I hate trucks and would love a big wagon that could tow a small boat without effort (legitimately tow, not on paper towing like some CUV with a CVT that will die early if I do), so you can count me in that stat.

                1. Great point. I ordered my truck last time because no one else wants what I want (searched the country for months) and now I’d never buy a truck off the lot again.

          2. It depends on what your purposes are. A van is better at keeping cargo dry and safe, and most people live in cities where the size and poor visibility of a modern crew cab pickup really is a giant pain. I suspect many owners rarely drive smaller vehicles, and don’t fully appreciate or have entirely forgotten how much faster and more relaxing they are in heavy traffic or parking in a normal parking lot.

            1. Most people who drive live in low density suburbs, not dense central cities.

              My statement is based on owning and driving many vehicles of all types. I’m perfectly aware of the advantages of smaller vehicles, and perfectly aware of their disadvantages as well.

      6. 1970 F350 Dimensions:
        Height – 6’2
        Width – 6’3 (before mirrors)
        Standard engine: 4.1L Inline 6
        Wheel size: 16″x7.5″

        2023 F350 Dimensions:
        Height – 6’7-6’9 (depending on wheel size – before lifting)
        Width – 6’8 (Before mirrors)
        Standard Engine: 6.8L V8
        Wheel size: 17-20 inches.

        Bear in mind that back in 1970 – nobody drove F350s as daily drivers to commute to the office or for trips to the grocery store. They were rarely lifted – because F350s were work vehicles. If a private person had an F350 it was probably used to tow a horse trailer, a large travel trailer or 5th wheel, or they were ordered as a Super Camper Special – and that was the only reason someone would add on huge mirrors that stuck out a couple feet. For everyday use there was generally an LTD, Marquis or Continental in the driveway.

    2. The high belt lines and overall height are tough to see around in traffic, but I think the proliferation of window tint has hurt overall awareness on the roads as well. Remember when typical trucks looked like this or this? They were smaller AND you could actually see through them.

      Pickups and SUVs being exempt from federal standards on rear window tint have lead to these massive opaque vehicles everywhere. Now, I know there were always cargo vans and other vehicles that fit that description, but they were the exception rather than the rule. These days I often feel like I’m in a frickin’ slot canyon at an intersection when I’m surrounded by these massive tinted beasts.

  13. At the bottom of the page, it has a “Quick Facts” that includes the following statement:
    Germany
    Origin of the most car models

    That can’t be right can it? How would one even validate that claim?

  14. Yeah, this was pretty validating after driving my Triumph Spitfire to work this morning. They do have the early Spitfire as a choice. Compare it with darn near anything and enjoy.

          2. I went through a drive thru last week in my Corvair, and couldn’t help noticing I was exactly shoulder level with a seam in the bricks where the opening had been closed up and moved higher (at about my roof), usually it isn’t noticeable because they either redo the brick entirely or cover it with stucco or something.

      2. GT6 here. Ain’t nuthin gonna help against the soccer mom texting her girlfriend with six screaming kids in the back. Drive defensively and always have an escape route.

            1. I’m driving mine today because my Thunderbird SC was wrecked by a careless driver and my ’68 Olds started leaking brake fluid. I never set this car up for daily driving. No overdrive and the 1500 definitely doesn’t have all 75 of its horsies anymore. And 3rd gear makes a horrid screaming sound. But it runs. And it got me to work. I can also describe the underside of many lifted pickups for you.

              1. You better get another car working ASAP, because driving the Spitfire all week probably means you’re going to spend the weekend working on it!

                A lot of this hassle should be able to be brought to an end by swapping out the engine, rear suspension, and wiring for something more reliable. I chose an EV drive system, Toyota parts replacing the Rotoflex setup, and a GM wiring harness replacing the Prince of Darkness(Lucas).

                1. Mine is not all stock. It’s got a single weber carb and a header. It’s good for some trouble-free driving as long as you stay on top of basic maintenance. I do need to deal with the gearbox at some point, but it works as is.

                    1. I have heard good things about Waxoyl , never used it. I religiously use fluid film, which I pretty similar but from what I understand a bit thinner. Works a treat on vehicles that have too many rust holes for the carwash!

              2. I feel this deeply. For 2 years I was driving my stock 71 Mk 4 and a 75% chickenwire/bondo 84 chevy pickup. It was a game of hot potato which one was going to break that week, sometimes both!

    2. I have a GT6 MkII body on a MkIII chassis converted to EV and can confirm how tiny it is compared to everything else made today. The modern MX5 compared to it is like comparing the new Mini to the early Mini.

      My custom-built “bicycle”/microcar and Milan SL velomobile make the GT6 look like a road hippo.

      IMO, the best safety feature to have is lots of acceleration, because I have to operate all three of them as if they were an invisible motorcycle. Unfortunately, the Milan is unmotorized and is thus very slow to gain speed.

      1. I have a miata and a Datsun Roadster. The roadster is something like 6 inches narrower than the miata, and a little shorter in both body and wheelbase. Crazy how small it is compared to another “small” car.

  17. Looks like they’ve added more vehicles since the last time I checked. Glad to see they are making it more and more useful! I hope it keeps growing, though I know it’s probably a lot of work for not enough payoff.
    More ads, though. I know they need to have some ads, but it’s a bit much.

  18. I grew up in the back of a Volvo 245 and remember the massive space in the back and that it was a proper big car. Compared to the current XC90 though, it looks like small car..crazy. Maybe the biggest shock for me is the increased height. The overall height but especially the height of the front, with all the problems that leads to..

      1. I like the philosophy that brought the Viper forth. I just wish it were a coupe built to about 3/4 scale in all dimensions except where needed to fit the engine, lost 500+ lbs, and were sculpted a bit in a wind tunnel. Keep it otherwise raw, unassisted, and featureless.

        If I ever find myself with the space to keep a bunch of cars and lots of money, a 1st gen Viper is on my list regardless. The only thing that might supplant its place would be a TVR.

        1. I don’t believe a 3/4 scale Viper meeting any safety regs or comfortably fitting an average sized human is possible.

          The transmission already sits between you and your passenger. The engine is right behind the firewall. You sit basically on top of the rear wheel. The roof is so low a 6 foot person has to hunch down to see. The pedals are so small and close together as to remind one of a Power Wheel.

          I wouldn’t change a thing, but I also wouldn’t want to be any more cramped than I am already as a normal sized person.

      2. The styling is misleading. The hood is long, but the rest of the car is very small.

        Seriously, line it up with a Miata in the tool. The proportions are the same, apart from the width and the hood.

  20. This is even better than the in person method I do in parking lots which I’m sure creeps some people out!

    Just last night, I was walking through my parking garage, I did a double take when I did my usual check on my SN95 Mustang…right next to her, someone had parked an S550, and did so in a way that they were completely lined up.

    So yeah, I spent like 5 minutes staring, walking around them both to compare and contrast. I was taken with of course the wheel size differential, but also how the S550’s rear mass is lower to the ground. Intriguingly, the amount of glass was similar, which surprised me a little.

  21. Aw man, they don’t have *any* of my cars on there. They seem to mostly focus on the Euro market, so no Chevy Volt, and no Saturns. Would have been interested in seeing how my own ride has grown (or shrunk).

    1. The Volt is at least inadvertently there, as the Opel Ampera (they used the same nameplate on both the Volt and Bolt, but both generations are there). Same car, but the Ampera’s mascara is running.

    2. I’ve likely titled around 30 vehicles. Air cooled VWs, 80s Subarus & diesel Mercedes, a Ford, 2 GMs, now an BMW, etc. The only one I see listed is the 82 Rabbit (Golf).
      I hope they continue to expand the scope of the list as seeing the comparison has much more impact than just the numbers.

      Like, I’d love to see my 87 Tahoe (baby car) against my first VW camper

  22. I have an NA Miata that I’ve lowered ~1″ and I can confirm, driving around normal traffic can be scary, but the loads of lifted trucks around my area? Terrifying. Rarely and I even eye-level with the top of the frames of these trucks, and their big 35’s or larger are often times taller than the hood line of my car. I don’t know how anyone still daily drives an old Miata these days, it’s just so unsafe, not to mention getting blinded by EVERY. SINGLE. CAR. at night, but even then, Miata is 100% still the answer.

    1. Every time I see say a car from the ’90s or ’00s now, with their relatively expansive greenhouses, I think of how fragile they look compared with the tanks of today. Sigh.

      The headlight thing is the worse, esp. when compounded by today’s super-powerful LEDs. When I first got my Focus, I thought its auto-dimming rearview mirror was silly tech-for-tech’s–sake. But I’ve become a fan, and wish the side mirrors had it too.

      1. Likewise, my CX-30 has the dimming rear view but not the side mirrors since I wasn’t willing to shill out for a higher trim (I wanted the turbo engine and nothing else) and its so nice. I’ve got mild astigmatism so night driving is abhorrent in lower cars, which is partially what pushed me to a crossover. Also that and with an NA, every other driving experience has been ruined for me forever, so I might as well get extra ground clearance and visibility for all the crappy roads around me.

      2. Then there is the guy in the 2008 Corolla driving in the left lane with their high beams on this morning. Yup, thanks. Not moving over to let you by, now go fuck yourself.

      3. I’m a huge tech troglodyte. I hate tech for techs sake. But man, I love auto dimming mirrors. So much so I’ve snagged a number of very basic ones from the junkyard to equip in some of my other vehicles.

    2. Today is a beautiful day in SW Florida and I would have loved to have driven my NA in to work. The thought of dodging landscaping trucks as well as dump trucks and SUV’s during rush hour put a stop to that foolishness. Maybe tomorrow…

    3. It’s not a Miata, but my Sportwagen has been lowered to the point of being nearly invisible to the huge lifted trucks around here. I installed louder horns, because I got tired of people almost running over me, and not seeming to hear when I honk to let them know there’s already a car occupying that space. Ever since I installed the new horns, one good blast and people get back in their lane in a hurry.

      1. I’ve actually debated putting train horns on my NA because of this. They’re fairly cheap, easy to install, and obnoxiously loud. I hate being “that guy” that’s loud and obnoxious, but the stock NA horn is super quiet, and I feel your pain. I actually had a Mk7.5 GSW before my CX-30 (stock suspension) but even that thing felt fairly invisible around truck, and especially semis.

            1. It’s that nice high-tone air horn sound. There are videos online you can check out. Plus it’s compact enough to shoehorn in just about anywhere!

        2. I’m with you, I didn’t want to be “that guy” but it was clear people just couldn’t hear the factory horn. I didn’t go with train horns, just a set of Hellas. It’s a bit of a…screechy sound, which really seems to get people’s attention since it doesn’t sound like a “normal” car horn. But part of me wishes I had just gone all the way and gotten train horns instead!

  23. If there was ever a site to promote to Autopians, it’s this one.

    I would get into it, but something tells me I’d spend far too much time shaking my fist at the monitor yelling “the cars are too damn big!”. Not good for my blood pressure. I already spend a few hours a week in this forum yelling about that based on subjective feel. What happens when I have visual evidence to back all that up? I might lose my mind.

  24. To answer the immediate question:

    The site current lacks comparisons of old and new pickups, with the Big 3 all being at most 1 generation back, no old to new trucks. No old Ranger/Mazda B trucks, old Toyota small trucks or Old Nissan/Datsuns either.

      1. I remember the first wave of anti-SUV ire, and weight was one of the bullet points. Easily rebutted with your stats. There are very good reasons to bemoan the proliferation of SUVs and passenger trucks but road wear isn’t one of them.

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