In the carwash sector, vehicle width is an important parameter for the development and choice in washing systems. Good to know: new cars are getting wider and wider. The German ADAC analyzed the sizes of new cars. Only a small percentage of all cars are less than 1.90 meters wide.

The ADAC did a comprehensive analysis of the size of the cars now on the German Autobahn. Perhaps no surprise, but cars are getting wider. This is partly because more and more comfort is being built in and it has to do with safety – think crumple zones and airbags.

The ADAC notes that even cars purchased as “second cars” are no longer small cars. In practice, the fact that vehicles are getting bigger and bigger still causes parking problems on the street and in garages. The list of ADAC includes only 53 models which, including wing mirrors, are no wider than 1.90 meters and no longer than 4.70 meters.

Narrow and wide cars

The narrowest new cars currently available under 1.90 meters wide are often electric cars. The thinnest car ever is the semi-open two-seater Renault Twizy. Including exterior mirrors, it is exactly 1396 millimeters wide. However, the driver and the only passenger in the Twizy sit behind each other.

An example of cars becoming wider and wider is the Volkswagen Golf. In its first generation, the VW Golf had a width of 1.80 meters, with only one exterior mirror as standard. The current generation of the VW has an overall width of over 2.07 meters. Since the VW Golf is not one of the largest and widest vehicles on the market, many vehicles therefore exceed this width.

Without mirrors

The ADAC has another important note in the publication about their research: manufacturers often only specify the vehicle width without the wing mirrors in the vehicle data. With this knowledge, car wash operators should check the safety instructions on their car washes. A clear indication of the total width including the wing mirrors is needed to prevent customers from passing through the system with vehicles that are too wide.