More than 800,000 SUVs were registered in London by 2022, and the share of SUVs in English cities rose from 3% to 30% over two decades. London's SUVs now occupy space equivalent to the borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and the country's SUVs would cover Manchester. London SUV numbers grew from about 80,000 in 2002 to roughly 800,000 in 2023, an increase of approximately 720,000. SUVs worsen congestion, reduce public space, and increase road danger for pedestrians and cyclists, particularly children. SUVs are heavier, have taller, squarer bonnets, are likelier to kill pedestrians or children, and some models block drivers' views of small children.
The number of SUVs in England is on the rise, with more than 800,000 registered in London alone, as of 2022. The number of SUVs in England's cities has increased from 3% to 30% of cars in the last two decades. In physical terms, London's SUVs now take up the same space as the entire borough of Kensington and Chelsea, while the entire country's SUVs would cover all of Manchester. This has led to calls for anti-SUV measures, taking the lead from cities like Pari, which cut SUV parking down by two-thirds.
In London, the number of SUVs has increased by almost three-quarters of a million (720,000), rising from around 80,000 in 2002 to roughly 800,000 SUVs in 2023. SUVs increasingly dominate our streets, said Dr Anna Goodman, an academic transport researcher and director of Transport for Quality of Life, who collaborated with Clean Cities to conduct this research. In just two decades, the share of SUVs in English cities has grown tenfold. In London, the number of SUVs has swelled by around 720,000.
This has important implications for congestion, public space, and road safety. The evidence is clear that SUVs increase road danger for people walking and cycling, particularly for children. The growing prevalence of SUVs is a particular problem in urban areas, with them known to be much more dangerous for children and other road users in the event of a crash. Recent research showed that SUVs are 14% more likely to kill a pedestrian or cyclist, and 77% more likely to kill a child.
This is because of the extra weight of an SUV and design features like taller and squarer bonnets, making them dangerous in collisions. What's more, tests commissioned by T&E found that a driver of the highest fronted model on EU and UK roads, the Ram TRX, was unable to see children aged up to nine standing directly in front of the vehicle. Some of the youngest pedestrians are at the highest risk from SUVs. Similarly, a Land Rover Defender driver cannot see children aged up to four and a half, lea
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