Tax perks driving surge in number of SUVs and larger vehicles on Australian roads

Larger cars need more fuel, take up more space on roads and cause more problems for pedestrians and other drivers, experts say. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

The surge in popularity of larger vehicles in Australia has been driven by tax perks that incentivise buying SUVs, utes and other 4WDs instead of less-polluting smaller-sized cars and sedans, transport experts argue.

SUVs accounted for more than 50% of new vehicles sold in Australia last year, a share which has almost doubled over the past decade. The uptick has prompted calls to tackle the trend by limiting tax incentives, building bus lane-style narrow lanes and more parking spots exclusively for small cars.