SUVs drive trend for new cars to grow 1cm wider in UK and EU every two years, says report

France has fought the trend towards heavier cars more than most of Europe’s big economies. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

New cars in the EU and UK have grown 1cm wider every two years, the Guardian can reveal, driven by large luxury SUVs whose sales show no sign of slowing.

“It’s unrelenting,” said James Nix, an analyst at the Transport and Environment (T&E) campaign group and author of the report. “Spurred on by sales of the largest SUVs, vehicles are getting wider every year.”