One in three UK motorists would choose a sport utility vehicle (SUV) over any other type of car if money were no object, according to a poll of 1,000 drivers commissioned by National Accident Helpline, even though almost half believe the vehicles pose a greater risk of causing serious injury to pedestrians and other vulnerable road users.
New car sales figures show seven of the ten best-selling models in Britain are now SUVs, up from just two a decade ago and none twenty years ago. SUVs now account for more than half of all new-car model options available in UK showrooms.
National Accident Helpline said the findings expose a contradiction between the growing popularity of SUVs and concerns about public safety, with drivers increasingly viewing the larger vehicles as desirable even as many worry about the impact of their growing dominance on pedestrians, cyclists and children.
SUVs top drivers' wish list
A third of respondents said an SUV would be their vehicle of choice if cost were no object, making it the nation's most desirable car category, ahead of traditional status symbols such as convertibles and coupes. Women were more drawn to SUVs than men, with 36 per cent of female drivers saying they would pick one compared with 30 per cent of men.
National Accident Helpline said SUVs have already overtaken hatchbacks as the most common vehicle type in Greater London, where 31 per cent of respondents said they owned an SUV compared with 21 per cent who drove a hatchback.
Asked why SUVs have become so popular, respondents most often cited their suitability for family life (43 per cent), followed by a higher driving position (38 per cent), comfort (37 per cent) and greater interior space (34 per cent). Three in ten pointed to their status-symbol appeal.
Hundreds of SUV models now on sale
A separate study by vehicle sales platform CarGurus found there are now 193 SUV and crossover variants, conventional hatchbacks with raised ride heights, available across the UK's 35 most popular car brands. That represents 52 per cent of all new-car model options currently on sale, up 543 per cent compared with 2000, when just 35 SUV variants were available.
Official registration data also shows SUVs have overtaken superminis to become the UK's most popular vehicle segment, accounting for more than a third of all new-car sales.
'Drivers feel safer,' says industry expert
Matthew Avery, director of strategic development at crash-testing body Euro NCAP, said many motorists are attracted by the perception that larger vehicles offer greater protection. "Drivers feel safer because they're sitting higher up and believe a bigger, stronger car protects them," he said. "That's not always necessarily the case, but that's how motorists feel and they like that style of car. There's more intrinsic value and a greater sense of affluence in a vehicle like that."
Avery pointed to the Chinese-built Jaecoo 7, nicknamed the "Temu Range Rover" by some buyers, as one of the best-selling cars currently on the market. "That's the style of vehicle people want. It's got that rugged look to it," he said.
A divide over safety
Three in five respondents believe larger vehicles are safer for drivers and passengers than standard-sized cars, yet almost half, 45 per cent, also believe they pose a greater danger to pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable road users.
"Actually, the motivation for buying a safe car is normally selfish. It's about self-protection," Avery said. "It also depends on your demographic. If you've got a family, you want to protect your family." Fewer than half of respondents said they would reconsider buying a vehicle if they discovered it posed a greater danger to pedestrians.
Concerns over children's safety
Eloise Sacares, senior vehicle policy researcher at think-tank Transport & Environment, said visibility of children and other vulnerable road users is one of the organisation's biggest concerns. She said a Volkswagen Golf can easily see a child of around four years old, but a Land Rover Defender cannot, because the average height of a 4.5-year-old child is 1.1 metres and the Defender's driving position means the driver cannot see beyond that height. The biggest vehicles, such as the RAM TRX, cannot see a nine-year-old child, who is around 1.36 metres tall, she said.
Analysis carried out by Loughborough University on behalf of Transport & Environment found that the Land Rover Defender's high bonnet can obstruct a driver's view of children up to around 4.5 years old.
Transport & Environment has also published data suggesting SUVs significantly increase the death rate when pedestrians are struck, because they are more likely to be pulled under a moving vehicle. A recent report by the organisation found that, under current trends, 40 per cent more child pedestrians could be killed annually in collisions by 2040. Sacares said the risks extend to adults with disabilities that put them at a lower height, such as people with dwarfism, and wheelchair users.
Data published by the VIAS Institute found that the risk of a fatal injury for a pedestrian or cyclist struck by a vehicle with a bonnet 10cm higher than average increases by 30 per cent.
Car manufacturers have pushed back against some of these concerns. Asked about the impact of the Land Rover Defender's high bonnet, a spokesman for JLR said the company was committed to the highest safety standards and that its vehicles were made with strict adherence to safety requirements, adding that JLR continually invests in safety and advanced technology features including pedestrian detection, 3D surround camera systems and autonomous emergency braking.
Calls for city bans and fears over parking
In a separate survey by road safety charity IAM RoadSmart this year, one in five of the 1,048 motorists polled said they would support a ban on SUVs entering city centres because of the perceived risks they pose to vulnerable road users.
Transport & Environment has also warned that the growing popularity of larger SUVs could wipe out 10 per cent of kerbside parking spaces in UK towns and cities by 2040, a loss it says would equate to around 100,000 roadside bays in London alone.
Rise in road accident claims
National Accident Helpline said it has assessed 7,736 enquiries relating to road traffic accidents since 2025, with more than 2,500 submitted in the first half of 2026 alone. Pedestrian and cyclist claims account for almost a quarter of all road traffic accident enquiries the organisation has processed.
John Kushnick, legal director at National Accident Helpline, said the rise of "Chelsea tractor" culture is especially concerning as taller vehicles become more popular with suburban drivers, who are more likely to be travelling through school zones and family-oriented neighbourhoods where children are present. He said blind spots created by SUVs with higher bonnets and larger A-pillars, coupled with taller bonnet leading edges, put the most vulnerable road users at greater risk.
