Nine popular cars banned from UK car parks for being 'too long'

A swathe of popular cars could now be TOO LARGE to fit in car parks - with some models banned by five local councils in England. The councils that ban you from their car parks if your vehicle is TOO LONG have been revealed.

Five councils have banned vehicles over 5 metres from using public car parks and this outlaws cars including the Mercedes S-Class, Range Rover, Tesla Model S and more. The standard UK parking bay length is 4.8 meters but the length restrictions in Wokingham, South Hams, Broadland and South Norfolk, as well as West Devon, is now five metres - meaning all cars exceed the 5,000m restriction in these areas.

The 5.35 metres length restriction in Thurrock sees the BMW 7 Series and Land Rover Defender 130 excede the 5,350mm restriction. In the five boroughs aforementioned, the Audi A8 - at 5,172mm - has been banned, alongside the Mercedes S Class at 5,210mm, the BMW 7 Series at 5,391mm and Range Rover at 5,022mm.

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The Tesla Models S and X are also listed, at 5,021mm and 5,027mm respectively, while the Land Rover Defender is now 5,358mm and Kia EV9 just over at 5,015mm. Rolls-Royce's £300,000 Cullinan SUV is another car that far exceeds the 5 metre length restriction imposed by some councils, though this is more rare.

Worryingly, even more could follow, with stats showing plenty of popular cars are in the 4,000mm-plus range, with others smaller but growing all the time, like the Toyota Yaris which is 3,900mm now, up from 3,400mm just a few years ago.

The BMW X7 is also listed at 5,181mm. Mark Tisshaw, editor of Autocar Business, said: "We know that cars are getting longer and wider, typically due to ever-stricter crash and safety legislation they must meet, and these figures show too few councils are adapting to this new reality.

"Fewer than one in 10 of them plan to increase the size of their parking bays and, in some regions, you run the risk of receiving a fine for parking a car the size of a BMW 7 Series. Space sizes should reflect the UK vehicle parc, so motorists can park without fear of damaging other vehicles or being fined for overstepping a bay.

"The fact it’s almost impossible to find the parking restrictions online – with drivers often forced to read the small print on physical signage at the location to understand the precise rules – only adds to the difficulties faced by motorists."