Nearly a third of all cars on UK roads are SUVs, or Sports Utility Vehicles. This is up from just 11% 15 years ago in 2007.
There is a huge range of SUVs, with most major manufacturers offering various models, ranging in size and weight from the compact Nissan Juke at 1.2 tonnes, to the Range Rover sport, weighing in at 2.3 tonnes.
While emissions vary, they are, on average, 14% more polluting than the average hatchback car, in terms of their CO2 emissions and their extra weight means they also take more of a toll on tyres.
Why are they so popular...?
Well the obvious answer is that they are more comfortable, offer you a better view of the road than regular, lower down cars, and thus give you a feeling of being safer, and they probably are safer too because of the additional visibility. More space in a vehicle, and more height also means they are just easier to use, in terms of getting people and goods in and out of them.
And then there's status too, of course, driving one of these is something of a statement, I mean being higher up than the average car is something which confers a sense of superiority.
And then there's the fact that the more of these cars there are, the more sense it makes to buy one to keep up - I mean who wants to be the only one in a low-down car sitting in traffic surrounded by these things...?
I don't like them...
When I used to live in the Surrey heartlands, stockbroker belt, these things were ubiquitous: beloved of yummy mummies carting their brats around, polluting above their station, which is my main gripe against them.... it's basically me-first and everyone else and the environment second.
But what to do about them...?
Well they already pay more road tax because of their above average emissions, and charging zones in cities also disproportionately target larger cars.
However one more thing we could do is ban aspirational advertising of these vehicles, which has been done in France apparently.
However, the later is unlikely to get accepted. SUVs don't actually cost any more to manufacture than regular cars, but they carry a premium price and make manufacturers 10-20% more profit.
And then of course there's now 30% of the population used to driving them.
No, I think SUVs are probably here to stay - a sad case of mass selfishness comprising us all!
