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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 919 car generations from the 1CARS catalog. Exact numbers are in the table below.

Key findings

  • Median width: 1,788 mm in the 1950s, 1,865 mm in the 2020s (+77 mm).
  • Median length: 4,520 mm in the 1950s, 4,660 mm in the 2020s (+140 mm).
  • Median height: 1,440 mm in the 1950s, 1,585 mm in the 2020s (+145 mm).
  • Beta - small sample: 25–281 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 29 4,520 mm 1,788 mm 1,440 mm 2,591 mm 25 22 17 28
1960s 68 4,572 mm 1,679 mm 1,405 mm 2,625 mm 51 47 40 61
1970s 61 4,587 mm 1,759 mm 1,358 mm 2,732 mm 46 40 34 58
1980s 34 4,522 mm 1,753 mm 1,350 mm 2,565 mm 30 28 27 32
1990s 56 4,654 mm 1,805 mm 1,424 mm 2,659 mm 48 47 42 50
2000s 141 4,531 mm 1,846 mm 1,460 mm 2,700 mm 130 126 121 128
2010s 294 4,585 mm 1,841 mm 1,514 mm 2,700 mm 281 268 269 273
2020s 236 4,660 mm 1,865 mm 1,585 mm 2,766 mm 233 219 210 225

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