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Are cars getting bigger? Length, width and height by decade

Beta Median length, width, height and wheelbase of new car generations by the decade production started. Beta: dimensions are known for only part of our catalog, so the samples are small — the table shows how many cars stand behind every figure.

Length and wheelbase, mm

Are cars getting bigger? Length, width and height by decade — lengthMedian length, width, height and wheelbase of new car generations by the decade production started. Beta: dimensions are known for only part of our catalog, so the samples are small — the table shows how many cars stand behind every figure.20003000400050001950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020sLength, mmWheelbase, mmAre cars getting bigger? Length, width and height by decade — lengthMedian length, width, height and wheelbase of new car generations by the decade production started. Beta: dimensions are known for only part of our catalog, so the samples are small — the table shows how many cars stand behind every figure.20003000400050001950s1970s1990s2010sLength, mmWheelbase, mm

Width and height, mm

Are cars getting bigger? Length, width and height by decade — widthMedian length, width, height and wheelbase of new car generations by the decade production started. Beta: dimensions are known for only part of our catalog, so the samples are small — the table shows how many cars stand behind every figure.120014001600180020001950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020sWidth, mmHeight, mmAre cars getting bigger? Length, width and height by decade — widthMedian length, width, height and wheelbase of new car generations by the decade production started. Beta: dimensions are known for only part of our catalog, so the samples are small — the table shows how many cars stand behind every figure.120014001600180020001950s1970s1990s2010sWidth, mmHeight, mm
Based on 674 car generations from the 1CARS catalog. Exact numbers are in the table below.

Key findings

  • Median width: 1,786 mm in the 1950s, 1,865 mm in the 2020s (+79 mm).
  • Median length: 4,501 mm in the 1950s, 4,709 mm in the 2020s (+208 mm).
  • Median height: 1,435 mm in the 1950s, 1,582 mm in the 2020s (+147 mm).
  • Beta — small sample: 23–238 generations with a known length per decade.

Data table

Are cars getting bigger? Length, width and height by decade
DecadeGenerationsLength, medianWidth, medianHeight, medianWheelbase, medianCars with lengthCars with widthCars with heightCars with wheelbase
1950s 27 4,501 mm 1,786 mm 1,435 mm 2,591 mm 23 20 15 26
1960s 40 4,691 mm 1,758 mm 1,318 mm 2,743 mm 24 23 19 37
1970s 40 4,763 mm 1,818 mm 1,367 mm 2,746 mm 30 26 21 38
1980s 30 4,583 mm 1,760 mm 1,353 mm 2,565 mm 26 25 24 28
1990s 52 4,654 mm 1,807 mm 1,426 mm 2,664 mm 44 44 40 47
2000s 126 4,550 mm 1,855 mm 1,461 mm 2,706 mm 117 112 108 114
2010s 247 4,608 mm 1,849 mm 1,500 mm 2,700 mm 238 229 231 227
2020s 112 4,709 mm 1,865 mm 1,582 mm 2,793 mm 109 101 95 106

Methodology

For each generation we take its largest version for every dimension (mm). A median is shown only when at least 8 generations of the decade have that dimension; otherwise the cell is empty. Values outside plausible car ranges (for example length 2,000–6,500 mm) are excluded.

Passenger cars only: trucks, buses and vans are excluded (the same rule as our rankings).

Values come from the 1CARS catalog. Part of the specifications are extracted from our articles and not yet checked by an editor; obvious outliers are excluded. Figures describe the cars in our catalog, not the whole market.

Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0: credit “1CARS” and link to this page. License terms.

How we collect and check data