Overview

• The average bonnet height of new cars sold in Europe climbed from 77 cm in 2010 to 84 cm in 2024 as SUV sales surpassed 50% of the market.
• Transport & Environment has urged EU regulators to cap bonnet heights at 85 cm by 2035 to reduce fatalities, particularly among children.
• Visibility tests commissioned by T&E found that drivers of some tall SUVs cannot see children aged up to nine who stand directly in front of their vehicles.
• Euro NCAP cautions that pedestrian safety depends more on frontal design and impact aggressivity than on bonnet height alone.
• Cities such as Paris, Lyon and Aachen now charge higher parking fees for larger vehicles while UK councils explore similar surcharges.