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A new alliance of campaign groups has been launched to get 4x4s off the roads in the UK.
Green activists are stepping up their opposition to sports utility vehicles – meant for off-road use – taking over British cities and towns.
The SUV Alliance – backed by groups like AdFree Cities, Mums for Lungs and Clean Cities – say SUVs are fast becoming ‘the norm’ due to car manufacturers promoting them in search of higher profits, and government ‘inaction’ over their rise.
They argue SUVs are reducing street space for other transport modes, such as scooters and e-bikes, and holding back the market for smaller, affordable electric vehicles.
Despite progress in fuel efficiency and electrification, the trend toward heavier and less efficient vehicles like SUVs has largely wiped out the improvements in energy consumption achieved in the car sector in recent decades. Sports vehicles emit roughly 20% more emissions than an average medium-sized car, according to the International Energy Association.
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The SUV Alliance’s first demand is for the Government to overhaul Vehicle Excise Duty to introduce higher taxes on the most polluting vehicles, based on their weight.
It highlights that 52% of the top 100 vehicle models sold in 2023 were too wide for minimum on-street parking spaces in major cities. In effect, councils and taxpayers are subsidising users of the prestige mega-vehicles.
The campaign calls for maximum width, length, and height limits for new car sales from 2030 to prevent oversized vehicles.
And they advocate for a national ‘tobacco-style’ ban on SUV advertising (including hybrid and electric SUVs) in outdoor spaces.
The campaign argues that advertising is driving demand for larger SUVs, rather than demand creating the supply.
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Backers want to see mandatory ‘eco-scores’ published for all new electric vehicles, combining engine efficiency and lifecycle CO2 emissions, to make clear their impact on the planet.
The campaign also wants to empower local authorities to introduce ‘progressive parking tariffs’ on heavier, bigger, and more polluting vehicles, due to their climate impact and danger for road users.
It cites examples like Paris – and in England, Bath (Somerset) and Islington (London) – which have introduced increased parking charges for larger vehicles.
The SUV Alliance encourages supporters to share the manifesto with local MPs and councillors to introduce anti-SUV policies.
Green Party Baroness, Jenny Jones, hosted a parliamentary launch on Wednesday of the new campaign to reverse the trend towards ever larger Sports Utility Vehicles in the UK.
Baroness Jones said: “Sales of SUVs have leapt up in the last two decades, yet many urban streets and car parking bays are simply too small to accommodate the increasing girth of these vehicles.
“I like what Paris has done to discourage their use, by charging the largest cars as much as three times more to park. In the UK, Bath and Islington councils have introduced similar measures. The government should encourage other councils to replicate these efforts.”
A spokesperson for the campaign branded SUVs and 4x4s ‘more polluting, more expensive and more dangerous to other road users’ – yet they are fast becoming the norm in the UK.
Baroness Jones added: “I wish this new alliance every success with their aim of reversing the growth of these vehicles. SUVs pollute and are often owned and driven by wealthier citizens at the expense of those in less wealthy areas. They feel safer to drive, but are much less safe for any pedestrians and cyclists they collide with.”
The campaign launch follows an apparent rise in direct action against SUV users by environmental protesters. In February, three Land Rover dealerships across the South West of England were targeted by a climate protest group.
The activists behind the move – not believed to be linked to the new SUV Alliance – said more than 100 vehicles had their tyres damaged at showrooms in Bristol, Exeter and Truro during the early hours of the morning.
A group calling itself ‘Sabotage Oil for Survival’ (SOS) claimed responsibility, saying it aims to disrupt infrastructure supporting fossil fuel use. Land Rover confirmed to Byline Times at the time that they were aware of the vandalism and investigating.
More info on the SUV Alliance can be found here.
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