Britain’s growing number of supersized SUVs should be hit with higher taxes to foot the bill for the nation’s pothole crisis, campaigners say.

The colossal cars, many wider than a builder’s van and heavier than a small lorry, are chewing up tarmac at an alarming rate and posing a deadly threat to pedestrians and cyclists.

More than 4.6 million of these mega-motors, which exceed the size of a typical parking space, have been sold in the UK since 2021 alone, according to the Clean Cities campaign. A record-breaking 1.2 million cars wider than 1.8 metres rolled off forecourts last year.

Critics say it’s time to stop giving these four-wheeled behemoths a free ride. They’re demanding a shake-up of road tax rules to favour smaller, lighter models – and hit SUV owners where it hurts: their wallets.

“Cars are getting fatter every year while our roads are crumbling,” said Oliver Lord, UK head of Clean Cities. “If you want to drive a tank around town, you should expect to pay for the privilege.”

The heaviest cars on UK roads

Make & Model                                Weight (kg)  Width (m)

Range Rover Autobiography             2,510              2.04  

BMW X7                                        2,450              2.00  

Mercedes G-Class                            2,485              1.98 

Audi Q7                                         2,330               1.97

Tesla Model X                                 2,420               2.00

Toyota Land Cruiser                        2,380               1.98 

Jeep Grand Cherokee                      2,350               1.96 

These bulked-up vehicles aren’t just bad news for potholes. A chilling new study has linked car weight with fatal crashes involving pedestrians and cyclists. The heavier the car, the higher the risk of a deadly collision.

The research, by experts at the University of Huddersfield, found that the heaviest cars – weighing between 2,001 and 2,500kg – were involved in 26.2 fatal collisions per million cars, while the lightest (500-1,000kg) had the lowest fatality rates.

And it doesn’t end there. The damage a car does to road surfaces rises exponentially with its weight. A two-tonne SUV does a staggering 16 times more damage than a one-tonne compact, thanks to the way weight stress tears up tarmac – particularly when roads are already weakened by rain.

Many of today’s cars simply don’t fit into standard parking spaces or tight urban roads, leading to gridlock, parking chaos, and rising complaints from councils and residents.

The girth of Britain’s cars has quietly ballooned over the years, driven by consumer demand and tougher safety standards. Even traditionally ‘small’ models are now anything but.

Cars are getting wider

Model                                      Original Width    2023 Width    Difference

Mini (1959)                             142cm                 176cm           +34cm

Ford Fiesta (1989)                 155cm                 174cm           +19cm

Vauxhall Corsa (1982)             153cm                 177cm           +24cm

Nissan Qashqai (2008)            178cm                 184cm           +6cm

At present, road tax – Vehicle Excise Duty – is primarily based on CO2 emissions, but critics say it’s time to bring in weight-based taxation too. Some cities abroad already charge bigger cars more to park – Clean Cities wants Britain to follow suit.

Ministers are under pressure to act before Britain’s roads crumble completely under the weight of our car addiction. Should drivers of supersized SUVs be taxed more?