Drivers of seven popular car brands have been warned they could be banned from parking in council-run car parks across the UK due to a "length rule" implemented by local authorities.
The restriction affects well-known models from top car manufacturers, including Tesla, Kia, BMW and Mercedes, with owners now having to adhere to stricter parking rules.
Five local councils have confirmed they willbe enforcing the rule which prohibits vehicles that are too long to fit into standard parking spaces.
This includes Wokingham, South Hampshire, Broadland, South Suffolk and West Devon, all of which revealed they had effectively banned any cars which don't fit into their spaces.
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Popular brands including Kia, Tesla and BMW are too big to park in council-owned parking bays
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Motorists could face fines if their vehicles exceed five metres in length, which is the maximum amount of space to fit into standard council-owned parking bays.
The ban comes as cars have grown increasingly larger over recent decades, while parking spaces have remained the same size.
Specific cars banned from these council car parks include the Mercedes S-Class, Tesla Model S, BMW 7 Series, Range Rovers, the Audi A8 and the Kia EV9, as well as the Rolls-Royce Cullinan.
High-end sports cars would also be barred from these parking facilities due to their length exceeding the maximum allowed dimensions.
New Forest Council explained the issue: "The standard parking space has remained at a consistent size for several decades. However, national research has shown that on average, cars have got larger over time, both in width and in length."
The council noted that in 1965, the top five models sold in the UK had an average width of 1.5 metres and a length of 3.9 metres, but by comparison, the top five sellers of 2020 averaged 1.8 metres wide and 4.3 metres long, marking a sharp increase.
When asked if cars exceeding a certain length were banned from their car parks, Wokingham Council confirmed: "Since June 2023, all motor vehicles whose maximum length does not exceed five metres and overall height exceeds 2.1 metres and whose gross weight does not exceed 3,050 kilogrammes, except for access."
Drivers have expressed frustration over the restrictions, with many taking to social media to demand "urgent action" to address the issue.
One motorist commented that Britain needs to take "urgent action over the size of parking spaces, the current situation is ridiculous".Another pointed out that car spaces are still designed from specifications dating back to the 1960s.
The British Parking Association has suggested increasing standard parking bay sizes to accommodate larger modern vehicles. They recommend extending bay lengths from 4.8m to five metres and widths from 2.4m to 2.6m.
This would help address the growing dimensions of vehicles, which have expanded to an average width of 180.3cm in early 2023 from 177.8cm in 2018.
Nicholas Mantel, head of Churchill Motor Insurance, had previously warned that wider cars combined with outdated parking facilities put motorists at risk.
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The Kia EV9 electric SUV has been deemed too large to fit in certain council-owned parking spaces
KIA"Ask almost any driver and they will have a story about having to creatively escape their car due to a lack of space when in a car park, even crawling out through the boot," he said.
