It could become the norm that parking across Britain is based on car size.

A number of councils are looking into new systems for parking charges which would require those who drive large cars such as SUVs to pay more to park in public spaces.

Similar systems are already in place in Bath and some London boroughs and now Cardiff is the latest council to launch a public consultation asking residents if larger vehicles should pay more for permits.

The size-based proposal is part of a wider six-week consultation on a new parking plan for the Welsh capital, which aims to reduce congestion and free up more parking spaces for groups of residents including blue badge holders and businesses.

While supporters of 'SUV tax' parking schemes say they're 'fair' those opposed to the rules accuse them of being 'anti-car measures'.

How do the size-based parking charges work and which councils are looking into these changes? We take a look at the sizist new parking systems.

How do size-based parking charges work?

Across the different authorities that have already introduced sized-determined parking charges or are looking to introduce them, there are a few different approaches.

Cardiff updating its permit criteria would cost SUV drivers more. 

The council says: 'Although having any parking permit doesn't guarantee a parking space, proposals are being put forward to amend the terms and conditions of the permits to free up more space, for example by charging SUVs more to encourage people to own smaller cars and placing new restrictions on permits for student only properties, and to ensure the system cannot be abused.'

In October Bristol opened a consultation into a new parking strategy 'based on 'weight, emissions and size-based pricing'.

A committee report said: 'The project will include outlining our strategy for managing on-street, off-street and resident parking scheme parking, including pricing strategy, demand management and variations on pricing categories, e.g. weight, emissions and size-based pricing.' 

In March, Green Party councilors in Oxford proposed a parking system where drivers of 4x4s and larger heavier cars should be charged more.

Drivers have slammed 'bizarre' and 'grossly unfair' plans by Green Party councillors to charge SUV and large vehicle owners more to park in Oxford.

Councillor Lois Muddiman said: 'Larger cars cause more damage to our roads, are more likely to seriously injure or kill pedestrians, and take up more valuable public space.

'They're outgrowing the design of our cities, especially small medieval cities like Oxford.'

In September 2023 Bath introduced ULEZ-style rules where owners of diesel cars and some high-emission petrol models are charged more to use council-owned car parks in the city centre.

While this is not specifically size-based , many larger SUVs pollute more than 0 to 130g/km CO2 bracket that qualifies some petrol, hybrid and electric drivers for the cheapest parking rates.

When it was introduced last year it was estimated that 66 per cent of car park users will see additional parking charges - roughly a 47 per cent hike from £1.70 per hour to £2.50. 

A new Range Rover Sport P400 for instance emits 229g/km of CO2 which would put it in the second most expensive parking bracket in Bath - 226 to 255g/km of CO2 - which would leave the driver paying an extra 30p to charge for one hour, an extra 60p to charge for two hours and an extra 90 p to charge for three hours.

The surcharge continues until an EV driver (or driver of a vehicle that produces 0 to 130g/km of CO2) would pay £17.10 to park for 24 hours while the Range Rover Sport owner would pay £19.90.

An owner of a large diesel SUV such as the BMW X5 M 4.4 V8 would have to pay £2.50 for an hour and £20.90 for 24 hours.

P400 petrol model isn't quite as economical, managing up to 29.9mpg and emitting 229g/km of CO2. 

Bath and North East Somerset (BANES) Council introduced it in order to encourage a 'shift to cleaner, more sustainable travel in the city'.

Many London boroughs including Greenwich, Lambeth and Hammersmith and Fulham base resident parking permit costs on vehicle carbon emissions.

Why are councils looking to bring in SUV parking charges? The arguments for and against 

It's safe to say that size-based parking charges do not go down well with motorists and pro-car councillors alike.

In response to Cardiff Council's permit plans, local Propel Councillor Neil McEvoy blasted the proposal telling MailOnline: 'The attacks on drivers in Cardiff are severe. Working class areas like Splott see unused cycle lanes empty and lines of traffic spewing out more pollution caused by traffic jams by design.

Conservative Party Councillor Calum Davies is another local representative who has pushed back against Cardiff Council's 'anti-car agenda'.

'Cardiff Council is determined to strike another blow with this tax. This is on top of a potential congestion charge and a new parking strategy that harms small businesses and discriminates against students.

'The simple truth is Labour wants to control, tax, and punish drivers, imposing a moral value on you for daring to have a car', the Tory Councillor added.

The RAC Foundation expressed concern about the impact of size-based parking plans on local businesses with director Steve Gooding telling MailOnline: 'Charging a premium that penalises larger cars, potentially including electric vehicles, might be just enough to persuade people to take their custom elsewhere'. 

Off the back of Oxford's proposal, local taxi driver Daniel Gjini who drives an eight-seater people carrier called the idea 'unfair' as it would affect his business: 'What's the difference between me parking in this space and another car?'

'My car is Euro 6 and so is that one [the car parked in the next bay] so the pollution is the same. Just because it's bigger doesn't mean it will be worse. It is just another reason to make money', he said.

But those who back the parking changes say they're just 'common sense'.

Emily Kerr, a Green Party councillor who proposed the 'size, weight and emission based parking charge Oxford policy', told MailOnline: 'It is undeniable that bigger cars take up more space and we have seen that cars have grown hugely - the Mini has grown 60 per cent, the Golf has grown 40 per cent - and car parking spaces are based off old cars.

'So what you are seeing now is that there is not enough space in car parks, a car might physically be able to fit in a space but they cannot open their doors when another vehicle is next to it.'

More moderate views believe there are 'other ways' to improve roads for users.

Nicholas Lyes, director of policy and standards at IAM RoadSmart said: 'Discouraging larger, more polluting vehicles may seem like a worthy cause, but unless the council is providing alternative ways to get around the city, some might view it as a bit of a cash grab.

'We would encourage the council to find other ways to improve road surfaces and safety infrastructure without hitting people in the pocket.

Before the consultation ended on 1 December, a Cardiff Council spokesperson encouraged 'everyone that lives, works or studies in Cardiff' to take part 'so their voice is heard'.

The 'Land Rover Tax' in Paris - did the French capital start the size-based parking trend?

At the start of the year Paris voters backed a proposal to triple the parking charges on SUV-style cars.

Cars weighing 1.6 tonnes or more will have to pay an eye-watering €18 (£15) an hour for parking in the city centre - three times the current €6 price. 

Fully electric cars only over two tonnes are affected, while people living or working in Paris, taxi drivers, tradespeople, health workers and people with disabilities will all be exempt. 

The policy - the brainchild of the capital's socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo - won with 54 per cent voting in favour.

However only 78,000, or 5.7 per cent, of the 1.3million eligible voters bothered to vote at the city's 39 voting stations. 

While London Mayor Sadiq Khan haas confirmed he has no plans to introduce an SUV parking charge in the English capital he has called the Parisian scheme 'innovative'. 

When quizzed on Ms Higaldo's policy, he told The Guardian: 'We always examine policies around the globe. I'm a firm believer in stealing good policies.

'Rather than inventing [new policies] badly, if other cities are doing stuff that works, we will copy them.'

How big are cars these days? The growth of SUVs

In January This is Money revealed that cars are getting 1cm wider every two years on average.

Green think tank Transport & Environment found that more than half of motors in showrooms today are wider than a standard 180cm on-street parking bay.

This is due to the increase in popularity of large SUVs, which have overtaken family hatchbacks in the last decade to become the second most popular vehicle type in the UK - and are only marginally outsold by small cars each year.

And while the average new car has swollen to 180.3cm, or 200cm with its wing mirrors out, 'mega SUVs' are even wider - 200cm wide on average, or 220cm with wing mirrors.

Cars are also getting heavier with SUVs responsible for tipping the scales.

This is Money reported that the average weight of new car models has risen by nearly 400kg - the equivalent to adding the bulk of a grand piano. 

Autocar analysed the weight of vehicles it road tested from 2016 to 2023 – the seven years representing the typical lifecycle a new car is on sale.

Over this period, the mean average kerbweight has risen from 1,553kg to 1,947kg.

This is mainly because of the increasing demand for big SUVs: Sports utility vehicles in 2023 represented three in ten (30.4 per cent) of all new models registered in the UK.

A decade earlier in 2013, they accounted for just 11 per cent of the new vehicle market.

It is entirely possible that SUVs will overtake superminis to become the UK's most popular body type in the next few years.