Taking action against SUVs
Where we are and where we need to go
SUVs have been growing, in size and in number, for two decades now. Policy action to date has been limited, hence the need for the SUV Alliance and our manifesto for safer, fairer streets.
But that’s not to say that nothing has been done. In this blog we look at efforts to curb larger vehicles, in line with the asks in our manifesto. These examples can serve as precedents and springboards for future action at local and national levels.
Tax reform
Cars in the UK have paid Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) based on CO2 emissions in some form since 2001. As of April 2025, first year VED will be charged according to a vehicle’s CO2 emissions, with a flat rate applied after that. In addition, vehicles sold over £40,000 pay a ‘luxury vehicle’ surcharge.
Given that many (non-electric) SUVs have higher CO2 emissions than a smaller car, and that many SUVs are at the costlier end of the market, this system will ensure a lot of non-electric SUVs pay higher levels of VED. However, it will not capture them all, and electric SUVs pay no more than a small electric car, which fails to account for the extra harm larger vehicles do to other road users or the roads themselves.
Our manifesto proposes a progressive first year VED system that would tax larger, more polluting new cars at a higher rate than smaller battery electric cars, thus recognising the greater environmental, safety and health costs borne by society from increasing large cars on the roads.
Adding a weight element to first year VED would also help to “future proof” VED as tax receipts from new petrol and diesel sales dwindle over the next 11 years before the end date for sales of non-zero emission cars.
Advertising restrictions
In May 2024, Edinburgh City Council broke ground when they amended their Advertising and Sponsorship policy to restrict advertising for SUVs (including electric) on council-owned advertising sites like bus shelters, and from sponsoring council events. The Hague, in The Netherlands, similarly banned ads for non-electric SUVs in September 2024.
Advertising, especially in public spaces, serves an important role to cement the car as the de facto mode of transport on our streets. When it comes to SUVs, ads help neutralise their presence, despite how manifestly unsuited such large vehicles are to most roads, particularly those in towns and cities.
A billboard ad for an SUV seen on a train station platform.
Parking charges
In January 2024, Paris increased parking charges for SUVs in the city centre by 300%. In February 2025 it was reported that the measure had resulted in SUV numbers dropping by two thirds.
A number of UK councils have expressed interest in introducing similar measures, including Cardiff. Issue arise from the fact that the term “SUV” is not well defined in the UK and could include different vehicles depending on how broadly it is considered.
To sidestep this issue, Transport for Quality of Life have produced a toolkit that details how vehicle weight, height, width and length can all be used (alone or in combination) as a proxy for what is or isn’t an “SUV” and the harms that SUVs cause. These metrics can then be the basis for vehicle parking surcharges, potentially in addition to existing surcharges on vehicle emissions, as exist in Islington and Bath.
One further issue with parking charges is that the Paris charges depend on digital parking meters that can draw data about a specific vehicle from a national database when the owner inputs their registration number. Many UK councils still use pay and display parking meters, meaning they couldn’t employ the same model.
Where we still need action
Two areas that remain virtually unexplored in policy to date are vehicle size limits and eco-scores.
Size limits for passenger vehicles are critical since factors like bonnet height and vehicle weight play a strong determining role in how dangerous a vehicle is to vulnerable road users.
A 2024 study found that a 10 cm increase in front-end (bonnet) height of a vehicle - SUVs commonly have higher and flatter bonnets - raises male pedestrian death probability by 19% and raises female pedestrian death probability by 31%.
Eco-scores are important to balance the competing interests of reducing vehicle size whilst encouraging take-up of electric vehicles, which can themselves be heavier than a traditional car due to the added weight of the battery.
An eco-score that combines engine efficiency with lifecycle emissions would prioritise small electric vehicles whilst discrediting petrol and diesel vehicles and SUVs (whether electric or otherwise).
Taking action
The case for action against larger SUVs is clear. Councils in Bristol, Cardiff and Norwich are poised to take action. Who else will follow suit? And when will we see action from Westminster?
The SUV Alliance exists to push the case for restriction of SUVs to create safer, fairer streets for all.