Skip to Content

Are SUVs Harder to Park?

Are SUVs Harder to Park?

Parking an SUV is harder as it requires specific driving skills regarding the legal specifications. The Hyundai Santa Fe and Cadillac XT6 have self-parking features and make the process convenient. 

Are SUVs Harder to Park? SUVs are harder to park in the blocked corners, busy stations, and parallel spots due to their size variability, lack of compatibility with the parking spot, and inappropriate driving skills. Also, while panicking, the driver loses track, and the SUV hits the walls and vehicles. Furthermore, the lack of automatic parking facilities, rearview cameras, and reverse assistance make it hard to park.

Practice and self-training break the parking challenges. To make it less challenging, utilize parking lots with enough accommodation space. For every time perfect parking, visit a similar spot despite difficulties.

Why are SUVs harder to park?

Parking an SUV is difficult while accommodating it in the small spots because it requires high patience level.

Moreover, to find a parking space, Americans spend around 18 to 19 hours every year. In larger states of the USA, the time exceeds up to 22 to 30 hours, and parking accidents are yet frequent.

Size of an SUV

A full-sized SUV is challenging to park than a mid-sized one because the driver cannot handle its size and weight simultaneously. Although the USA parking stations are vast enough to accommodate several vehicles of variable sizes, it is a challenging activity throughout. 

On average, the maximum length of a parking area is around 12 to 22 feet, with a width of approximately 10 feet. Any vehicle can adjust there without any problem, but the reversing skills vary in all drivers.

The parallel parking locations are vast and have an average length of 24 to 28 feet, and it is 10 feet wider.

In addition, the over-size parking areas are responsible for several accidents and risks. The handling of vehicle and brake control system helps in safer parking.

Overall, a new driver takes around 10 to 20 minutes to perform the parking while dealing with challenges. 

Poor parking skills

Most full-size, mid-size, and small SUVs are around 19 feet long with an average width of 7 to 8 feet. Therefore, all of them require an appropriate spot to stand without any frame damage, and the drivers have to move it straight to that particular point. 

In addition, access to lights, electric stations, and other facilities is also essential, and a lack of parking skills cannot facilitate you with these options. 

Consequently, the overall procedure gets harder and affects the surrounding vehicles adversely. 

Excessive acceleration

If the driver goes faster in the tight parking spots, the moving parts get more stress, and their tearing happens frequently. Also, it results in the high speed bumping with the dead ends, walls, and nearby vehicles. 

To prevent it from such damaging situations, the drivers should move an SUV slowly. On the contrary, high speed results in harder parking and also heats the engine. 

Moreover, the suggestion is to keep it slow near the parking spot and handle the brakes slowly. 

Lack of rearview camera

The Chevrolet, Toyota, and Hyundai are well-known SUVs with rearview camera facilities, but several models stand out this protection specification.

Following this, the driver takes helps with the side mirrors and turns back to access the spot. It is not sufficient in the busy parking spots, because the human eye cannot cover all directions simultaneously, and the SUV can hit any object. 

In addition, the mirrors do not offer a clear and precise background vision and make parking harder than ever. 

Moreover, lacking a back view camera is illegal and results in fines and punishments. 

What does hard to park SUV mean?

It means that a vehicle does not accommodate within an available fee spot due to several factors. 

Testing the limitations, the recent Ford models end up in frequent adjustment problems. Furthermore, it is hardest with the requirement of particular space, area clarity, and data processing.

The USA authorities charge for oversized SUVs on hourly patterns. Forceful accommodation is not feasible for these expensive vehicles in the home garages and small public-traded parking spots. 

Is it harder to park an SUV for a first-time driver?

For a new driver, SUV is the worst choice because he cannot stop it instantly. It is trickier when other vehicles are close to each other in the parking station. The driver panics due to the high weight of the vehicle.

He becomes more anxious about the slippery parking spots and ends up in accidental situations. As a result, 89% to 94% of the new drivers go through harder situations due to inappropriate driving skills.

The drivers cannot face challenging parking and strike other objects. Penalties and money charges are common among new drivers than an expert person.

At which spots is it harder to park an SUV?

I have described the four spots to park an SUV, and the consequences of wrong parking are alarming due to high fines and punishment policies. Take appropriate training from a driving institute to decrease these problems.

In a busy parking station

Across the USA, more than a billion parking stations facilitate the commoners to park their vehicles. It is hard to adjust your vehicle in these locations because you have to drive several tough miles inside the station.

Finding an appropriate spot according to the size of your vehicle is a time taking process. In addition, it demands professional skills to accommodate the vehicle safely. 

In those cases, when you lack such knowledge, the process results in accidents and misfortunes. 

Parallel spots

Parallel parking is harder for several people due to lack of expertise, nervousness, and a combination of these conditions. All of it results in the SUV bumping into other vehicles and sudden wind up to 4 feet from the curb. 

At the same time, Cadillac and Ford Expedition SUVs have parking assistance. In the USA, among the fifteen states, Florida does not contain parallel parking. In other states, it exists, and a driver faces hardships during these activities.

Close spaces

The closed spots, dead ends, turns, and other blocked corners are dangerous to park your vehicle. It is beneficial to have expertise with experience of 2 to 3 years. 

A driving license saves the driver in case of accidents, and he pays half or no fine in most cases.

Between other vehicles

It is difficult to move it between two vehicles, and the situation gets worse when both of them are SUVs. The size and model of these vehicles also interfere in the process. 

As a result, the driver requires more precaution while reversing it. Here the safety is significant, and it turns into a challenging process.

Furthermore, people register several complaints of accidents and bumping conditions. However, in few states of the USA, the authorities compensate for these losses. 

Also, few authorities are strict with their rules and charges with high penalties.

How to park a harder-to-park SUV?

Here are few techniques to park an SUV in the home garage, parking lots, and blocked corners. Follow these steps and protect your vehicle from numerous damages. 

In a garage

One of the simplest and quickest methods is to park it in a garage of compatible size, either it is a home garage or exists somewhere separately.

Park it in a similar direction that you can move it out quickly. Garages for a full-size SUV are around 25 to 26 feet long because they require excessive two feet for safety. 

Clean the area, and measure the garage to checks its compatibility with your automobile. During measurements, leave few inches away from the endpoint.

Use the rearview mirrors, execute training skills, and slowly drive it inside.

Attach a ball hanging from the ceiling and move it towards that point.

The garage door should not touch the frame or any other part of your vehicle.

In a parking lot

Adjust it in the reverse gear, use the back view camera and slowly turn the wheels.

If the surrounding is clear, keep moving backward while turning the tires towards the parking spot. In a busy parking space, wait for the vehicle to pass and recognize the free area. 

Blocked parking space

Select a spot that does not block any other vehicle because the parking violation portal checks this often. 

People complain about these situations, and authorities take immediate action. Avoid them, and drive to the parking station to access the appropriate area. 

Set the rearview mirrors, put the vehicle in reverse and slowly turn the tires. 

Keep the movements steady and reach the marked point. 

What are customer’s reviews against the hard-to-park SUV?

The customers seem interested in the parking aid gadgets that make the process convenient.

Scanning laser radar is beneficial in locating a free parking space, detecting corners, and targeting a spot. 

It has no adverse effect on data interval and clustering of vehicles and provides around 99.7% free space recognition. In addition, it has no chance to fail and access free space with the data processing in less than 650 milliseconds. 

For parallel parking, ultrasonic sensors are commercially dominant. Identification of the spot with graphical interface and slot marking are commercial and tested methods for perpendicular parking.

List of SUVs with the facility of parking assistance/ automatic parking

  • 2018 Ford Expedition
  • 2019 Volvo
  • 2019 BMW five series
  • Hyundai Santa
  • 2021 Kia Sorento
  • 2008 Peugeot 
  • 2021 Lincoln Navigator

Related Articles:

Are all SUVs bad for the environment?

Where is the center of gravity in the SUV?

What’s the curb weight and gross weight of the Mazda CX-30?

Are SUVs Better in the Rain?